March was a great reading month! 8 novels and more excellent X-Men comics!
Early in the month had some disappointing books, but by the end of March, I’d got through some corkers! Spending more time exercising, and now it’s gardening season again, means I’m really getting through audiobooks at a good rate!
8 books read: 6 audiobooks and 2 ebooks!
Alan Partridge: Big Beacon by Alan Partridge ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎧 This feels like a long time ago now, we listened to most of this driving to and from Gatwick Airport for our Venice trip, which is funny because Nomad has a section where Alan detours his walk to go to Gatwick! I have two Alan books to write up reviews on now, so I must get around to that!
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë ⭐⭐⭐
🎧 Re-reading this on audio was interesting! When I first read this, I was about fifteen and I loved it, now at 36 I had a different reaction to Rochester and the so-called romance. I also think the narrator might have coloured my reading of this too, probably one I’ll re-read in 5-10 years and see if I have a different reaction again!
One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware ⭐⭐
🎧 I wanted to try a new author and this didn’t impress me. It’s entertaining enough as an audiobook, but for a thriller, the plot was entirely predictable from start to finish, which made it an unsatisfying read for me.
A Lady’s Guide to Scandal by Sophie Irwin ⭐⭐
I quite enjoyed A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting, but this follow-up is a flop! It’s on me for not realising this was a love-triangle, but it’s also a very wonky triangle with an endlessly frustrating and inconsistent main character. I was actively rooting against Eliza in the end.
The Bullet That Missed (Thursday Murder Club, #3) by Richard Osman ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎧 It had been years since I’d last checked in with the TMC and I’m so glad I went for this in audio format; the characters were even more delightful read by Fiona Shaw! I loved it, this series is such a delight, and I think this book is my favourite so far!
Kala by Colin Walsh ⭐⭐⭐⭐
After putting this on TBR lists for months, I finally read it, and it did not disappoint! I love Contemporary Lit. and I love a Mystery Thriller, and this was a delicious hybrid of genres with a spot-on ratio of character development to plot for my taste! Plus, it’s set in a small town in Ireland, and I enjoyed that little slice of culture and all the turns of phrase! One of my favourite books so far this year!
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton & Jodi Meadows ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎧 If you regularly read my blog, you’ll know I loved the TV adaptation of this on Prime, and I was devastated it got cancelled. The novel (which is standalone) is just as delightful and I highly recommend the audiobook version read by Katherin Kellgren because she nailed the tone for me! It’s ridiculous and very silly, and completely tongue-in-cheek, and I loved it, over the top, dodgy accents and all.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎧 I just finished this on audiobook and really enjoyed it! I’ve been hit (The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires) or miss (The Final Girls was a DNF) with Grady Hendrix, and this is the best of the three I’ve read. He takes on some tricky subjects as a male author, which might have you giving him side-eye at first, but I think he handled everything remarkably well! I’ll write up a review soon… but just to say, if I’d ever been interested in giving birth I’d definitely be thinking twice about it now!
Marvel Unlimited
I am still absolutely loving reading the Claremont era X-Men, I’ve got into a good routine of reading at least one issue every morning while I drink my cup of tea! The stories are exciting and action packed but they’re also always used to discover more about the characters and their relationships.
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 3
Collects X-Men #111-121. This is so good! From the Savage Lands, to Japan and to Canada for a tussle with Alpha Flight. The X-Men are a strong team now, and the characters gain a little more depth with each issue.
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 4
Collects X-Men #122-131 and Annual #3. The stories just keep getting better! We have Proteus, and an intro to The Hellfire Club with Emma Frost and Jason Wyngarde/Mastermind infiltrating Jean’s mind for several issues! So some of this is very dark, and the emotional stakes are so high! I have a huge appreciation for Cyclops.
Also, Arcade’s Murderworld is in this, but we’ll forget about that one. By the end, Banshee leaves to heal his broken scream and to be with Moira, but we’re introduced to Dazzler and Kitty Pryde!
Currently reading
I fancied a bit more Irish after Kala, so I’m currently reading A Man With One of Those Faces by Caimh McDonnell, which is a comedy crime mystery, and I’m really enjoying it!
I don’t have an audiobook on right now because I’m waiting for Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty to come to me through the Library, should be my turn in 2 days, so not worth starting anything else!
Adding to TBR
I didn’t buy any books in March!
Book Tag/TTT!
I’m really loving joining in with Top Ten Tuesday! I’ve now added a category to my blog for these posts to make them easier to find. It is a really fun way to find new blogs and potential book friends.
- Top 10 Character Quotes
- Top 10 Favourite Books with Unreliable Narrators
- 10 Books on my Spring 2025 To Be Read List (2025)
- 10 Books I Never Finished
I’ve got a few book tags I’ve saved that I’d like to do, including one on reading taste I saw on YouTube that I think would be interesting for everyone to do… I just need to find the time! I am hopeful for the long Easter bank holiday weekend to try to get back on top of the blog!
