Coffee and… A Bookish March

Someone is stealing 2022 because apparently it’s nearly April already. Join me in a coffee whilst I reflect on this month’s books and reading.

The Coffee:

I’m switching things up this week with a coffee from Square Mile. The Lady filter coffee from Myanmar has tasting notes of dates, hazelnuts and cacao. It makes a good coffee hot or iced.

The Books:

March has passed by in such a blur that I’ve had to get my journal out to work out what actually happened. According to past me, I started off the month being unwell, sold my late aunt’s house met my sisters puppy and chose the one that’s coming to live with us, had a lot of busy work days, was tired a lot, had some nice beach walks, went to sea the seals at the Farne Islands, had an afternoon tea in my little hut and got the house ready for a new boiler being fitted. It’s all go here in April.

Reading wise, my month has felt slow. I made it to the end of House of Sky and Breath and it was… okay but I am not at all thrilled with that ending. I’ve felt like I haven’t read as this much as I normally would for various reasons, but I think I’ve read a lot that wasn’t on my TBR and I have enjoyed what I read.

I chose five books from my TBR jar, and at the time I’m writing this, I’ve still got one left to read. My re-read for this month was Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury. The Way Back read of the month was Secrets of a Devon Wood by Jo Brown, and the book I chose just because was Little Thieves by Margaret Owen. I am still reading that one.

Number of books read: 13 Pages Read: 4,794

The Blossom Twins by Carol Wyer: Right. I’ll just be in the corner bawling my eyes out then. Another brilliant book from Carol, a very clever crime story that kept me guessing and an ending that destroyed me. 

This Coven Won’t Break by Isabel Sterling : This was a brilliant sequel. I loved Hannah’s development and watching her learn to manage her magic through her grief. Much darker than the first book and the reveal knocked me sideways.  

The Secret Admirer by Carol Wyer: Another brilliant book from Carol. Natalie is still struggling with the events of the previous book. We see her taking on her first case since Leigh died and her marriage ended. This book takes some unexpected turns and left me desperate to pick up the next one. 

Grandpa Frank’s Great Big Bucket List by Jenny Pearson : Jenny’s books are always lush, but I think this is my favourite. I loved the adventures the Franks got up to and the wonderful way Jenny combines her brilliant humour with more serious situations. As a girl who adored her grandad and watched him suffer alzheimers and dementia, this one hit hard.

The Boy Who Fooled the World by Lisa Thompson : I really enjoyed this one. Cole is a great kid who just wants to do the best by his family and struggles with the pressure of sudden fame. I loved his friendships along the way, and the way they try to help him. Also, his sister is adorable. A brilliant read.

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas: Oooh I have mixed feelings on this one. Loved seeing the developments with Bryce and Hunt, as well as being back in this world and getting more Rhun. Not at all sure about that ending.

Secrets of a Devon Wood by Jo Brown : An absolute delight of a book, packed with beautiful illustrations and lots of nature facts. I adored this.

Blood to Poison by Mary Watson: Packed with magic, mystery, brilliant characters, big shocks and a potentially deadly blood curse. Everything I want in a book. I loved this.

The Castle of Tangled Magic by Sophie Anderson : Another outstanding middle grade fantasy from Sophie. I loved Olia’s adventures, the friends she makes (Feliks especially) and the messages about doing better than those who came before. Adored getting to see an old favourite character too, that was a lovely surprise. 

Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury : This is an all time favourite of mine and I loved rereading it.

Somebody’s Daughter by Carol Wyer : Another brilliant book from Carol. I loved the developments in Natalie’s personal life and seeing how the promotions had affected the team. The crime storyline had me guessing all the way through. Loved it.

The Last Firefox by Lee Newberry: The most adorable story about a boy, his wonderful dads, his brilliant friends, a magical fox and learning to be brave. I absolutely loved this one.

Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko : A brilliant ending to this duology. I loved the direction Tarisai’s story took. I loved seeing how things had changed between her and her council siblings. Gorgeously written and tense. I’m disappointed it’s over but I loved every minute. 

Storygraph: I’m up to 38 /150 books which puts me 2 books ahead currently. I’ve read 13,505 /50,000 pages so far this year, and I’m well ahead of where I need to be.

52 Down in 2022: I’ve read 13 books so far to this which I think is roughly keeping me to the 1 a week goal.

The Way Back Book Club: This month’s book club read was Secrets of a Devon Wood by Jo Brown, which is a gorgeously illustrated book and I loved it.

Re-read Challenge: This month I re-read Hold Back the Tide by Melinda Salisbury. It ripped my heart out.

TBR: I started with 69 books at the end of February. I’m ending March with 62, which I’m happy with.

The book I’m most excited for and have preordered is The Secrets of the Stormforest by L. D. Lapinski. I have nothing else preordered so do let me know what I’m missing!

How was your March? What books are you looking forward to in April?

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