After my pretty decent reading month in February, I have big plans for March. I plan on participating in two week long read-a-thons this month: The Magical Read-a-thon Ramp-Up (hosted by G from Book Roast) and the Final Book Support Group read-a-thon (hosted by Steph from Steph Loves). I also have some of my most anticipated reads of the past few years on this TBR, which makes me even more excited. The downside: a lot of these books are chonky so it’s going to take some dedication to get through this whole TBR. But I’m ready to give it a go.
1. Read a 22 to Read in 2022
The Wolf of Oren-Yaro (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen: 1): K.S. Villoso
One of the things I want to work on this year is to actually read the epic fantasy that I have on my shelf before I purchase more. And what a better way to start is with a series called “Chronicles of the Bitch Queen”?
All Queen Talyien wants to do is bring her kingdom back together after the bloody War of the Wolves where she made her name legend. But when her husband suddenly leaves before their reign begins
A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic: 2): V.E. Schwab
The first of the sequels has officially appeared from my 22 to read in 22, and it couldn’t have appeared at a better time. I read A Darker Shade of Magic a few summers ago and, though I really enjoyed it, since it ended quite nicely and without any major cliffhangers I haven’t been in a rush to finish the trilogy. But I’m all about finishing series this year, so I’m glad this one popped up sooner rather than later.
2. Read an ARC/eARC
In a Garden Burning Gold (Argyrosi: 1): Rory Power
First of all, this cover — incredible. Secondly, and more importantly, this book just sounds incredible. Rory Power’s other books aren’t usually my jam, but I’ve heard enough great things about her writing that I’m super excited for this adult fantasy. I’m hoping that the story matches the beauty of this cover.
Release date: April 5, 2022
Spear: Nicola Griffith
These are the only words that I needed to hear to want to read this book immediately: queer retelling of Arthurian myth. It’s also a novella which, with all the dense long books on my TBR, I’ll desperately need it this month.
Release date: April 19, 2022
3. Read a “not-me” title
Once & Future (Once & Future: 1): Cori McCarthy & Amy Rose Capetta
As you’ll read later, Once & Future is actually a part of my unhaul project for this month. Once & Future was a most anticipated read once upon a time, but since I didn’t pick it up immediately and now that time has passed, I haven’t heard the greatest things about this book. I’m still moderately interested since it’s inspired by Arthurian legend and I’ve heard great things about the LGBT+ rep in this novel, the “meh” reviews have had me toy with the idea of unhauling it for a while. I’m hoping that I enjoy the book like I once thought I would and I’ll kick myself for having waited this long to read it.
The Shadowed Sun (Dreamblood: 2): N.K. Jemisin
I read the first Dreamblood novel, The Killing Moon, over the last month because of the Busy Bee Book Club (hosted by Aaron from Booked and Busy on YouTube). And even though it took me so long to read it (so long that I missed the liveshow, whoops), I really enjoyed the story towards the end. This was my first Jemisin book, and I thought her character work was interesting and the world building was excellent. Since the story seemed to gain it’s legs toward the end of the novel, I have a feeling it’s sequel will be better since she seemed to be more comfortable writing as she went on. I cannot wait to pick this one up this month. (And if I manage to pick it up, I’ll have finished a series within a month of starting it — what an achievement!)
4. Read a sequel
The Song Rising (The Bone Season: 3): Samantha Shannon
I took a break from reading The Bone Season last month, but I’m back and ready for more. The Mime Order completely changed the game, and I cannot wait to see where Shannon takes the story and Paige next.
House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City: 2): Sarah J. Maas
I’m currently in the middle of reading House of Earth and Blood right now, but I know I’m going to want to read the sequel immediately. Not only because I know Maas’ writing and I know there’s going to be some kind of cliffhanger ending, but I’ve gone this long without spoilers but with the popularity of this series on TikTok, I’m afraid my luck will run out quickly.
5. Read a backlist title (2020 or earlier)
A Favor for a Favor (All In: 2): Helena Hunting
This is one of those books that’ll kill two birds with one stone (in this case, two read-a-thon challenges), so I knew I had to fit it into my TBR challenges as well. I read the first All In novel last year, A Lie for a Lie, and though it wasn’t my favorite I’m willing to give the rest of the series a shot. I love a good hockey romance, so I’m ready to give this series another go.
The Pioneer (The Pioneer: 1): Bridget Tyler
Another book from my unhaul project that I fit into my TBR challenges! (What is this, growth?) This book is a remnant of the days where I bought every book that I liked the look of from Book Outlet. Though I don’t remember what about this book made me want to buy it (which is why it’s a part of my unhaul project), I love the colors of this cover which was probably a major factor in my decision then, too.
6. Read a nonfiction title
The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power: Deirdre Mask
This book wasn’t on my radar previously. But it was a book of the month a few months ago at work, and it just sounds so incredibly interesting that I couldn’t not pick it up. The idea that your street address is a way to define you and your place in the world, rather than just a way to figure out where you’re going is fascinating and I’m intrigued to see how Mask expands on that idea.
7. Read a most anticipated title
2021: The Witch’s Heart: Genevieve Gornichec
I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been in such a mood for mythology retellings recently. But I’m not really vibing with any Greek myth retellings right now, so The Witch’s Heart fits the bill perfectly. I know very little about Norse mythology except the extreme basics, so this’ll be an interesting introduction.
2022: All My Rage: Sabaa Tahir
I saw Sabaa Tahir speak at BEA back in 2016 when she was promoting A Torch Against the Night, and I knew I would read a contemporary from her in the future. Well, the future is here. In her speech, she talked about the power of books and representation, and I remember being completely moved by her story of growing up in her small community in California and the hardships and racism that she and her family faced. If Tahir’s fantasy stories are anything to go on, her contemporary novel is going to be heart-wrenching, and something not to be missed.
Magical Read-a-thon: Orilium Gear-Up Read-a-thon | March 14-20
If all goes according to plan, next month is going to be the first full round of the new and improved Magical Read-a-thon hosted by G (Book Roast on YouTube). She did a fantastic job creating a whole knew magical world with a very D&D character building scheme. (Check out my September 2021 TBR for a full and better explanation). The read-a-thon this month is a quick, one week long read-a-thon that’s all about further building our characters.
Conduit – Bow: Read a book with the word ‘hunt’ in the book title, series name, or author name
A Favor for a Favor (All In: 2): Helena HUNTing
Legacy – Animal Familiar: Read a book with your chosen animal on the cover, in the title, or in the story
The WOLF of Oren-Yaro (Chronicles of the Bitch Queen: 1): K.M. Villoso
Unhaul Project — YA Science Fiction
March is month two of my unhaul project, and this time around it’s all about YA sci-fi. I mentioned two of the books earlier in this TBR, and the other is a continuation of a series that I started ages ago. Last month I DNF’d and unhauled 2 of the 3 books, so hopefully this month goes a bit better.
Day 21 (The 100: 2): Kass Morgan
Out of all of the books in my unhaul project this month, Day 21 is the one I’m most hesitant about. I read The 100 ages ago, after I watched the first couple of seasons of the TV. But the book is so vastly different from the show that I didn’t want to continue the books while simultaneously watching the show. Now that the show is over and it’s been a while since I’ve watched it, it might be time to see if I want to finish the books as well. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first book, but time will tell.
Once & Future (Once & Future: 1): Cori McCarthy & Amy Rose Capetta
The Pioneer (The Pioneer: 1): Bridget Tyler
Journey Into the Shelves 