Let’s Rewind: March 2021

March seems to have taken it’s own little time to go by, and I appreciated that. I don’t want to rush through the year. Despite all the craziness going on, I’m hoping this year will turn out much better than 2020 so I can savor each day.

Let’s Rewind is a monthly wrap up but instead of talking about only books, I include all types of other stuff, like articles… bookish news… commercials… random-ass links… movies… art… podcasts… cartoons… and whatever else happened to me in the month. You know, the usual stuff that people talk about in monthly wrap ups. So read on to see what I did and read this month. You might stumble upon something that interests you.

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For the most part, March was a good month for my personal life. Not much happened other than me celebrating my birthday, for which I did nothing except take the day off and buy some books. I also celebrated the anniversary of my grandfather’s passing and had some family bad news toward the end of the month, but things seem to be turning around quickly (fingers crossed), so hopefully everything will work out for the best.

It’s still upsetting to watch the news these days, but I keep tuning in to stay informed. It pisses me off to hear about the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans, that older people are being targeted and that some people even turn their backs when they witness such things happening. Gun violence, well, violence in general, I guess, seems to be steadily rising daily. And although part of me is happy that I can now go to restaurants to eat, I do worry that we are rushing to open things back up. I think we need to be more patient, even if the vaccine is working. I think we need to be more cautious, but we’re not. I see people getting lax about wearing their mask or adhering to the corona guidance. I’ve seen that lax among family members too, which is worrying. I hope I’m just being a worrywart here and all will be well, but this thing hasn’t been resolved yet people are acting as if it is. Ah, well. I’ll just keep hoping for the best.

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I’m quite proud of myself because I managed to complete 5 things in March.

The first was the first book in the Bridgerton series, The Duke and I, by Julia Quinn. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Rosalyn Landor. I’ve been interested in the book ever since watching and loving the TV show adaptation on Netflix. It’s historical romance set in regency era England about a young woman and a man who basically fake date so that the young woman can secure a suitor and the young man can stave off the mothers seeking a suitable man to marry off their daughters to. I enjoyed it and found it much more humorous than the show.

Shortly after that, I wrapped up Kushiel’s Chosen by Jacqueline Carey, the second novel in a fantasy trilogy about a young woman who’s supposedly god-touched. I’ve yet to figure out how to describe this trilogy in a few sentences, lol. I read this book as part of a Wyrd & Wonder readalong. I deem it a favorite. I liked seeing how the characters develop in this book. The adventures enthralled me, and I loved all the supernatural occurrences in it. I was hooked!

Next I read My Body in Pieces by Marie-Noelle Hébert (illus.), transl. from the French by Shelley Tanaka. It’s a graphic memoir about a young woman struggling with her self-esteem and body image. It was okay, but it is quite short, and I thought some parts progressed too quickly. Also, the illustration style isn’t one I favor, but it’s detailed in some spots, which I liked.

After that, I read Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour and spent the 3 days over which I read it pissed the fuck off. Ugh!! This book was so frustrating, but it was such a good read too. It’s a dark satirical contemporary novel about a young Black man from Brooklyn who’s given the opportunity to work at a new tech startup. The story starts out well enough but once he gets to the company, I began to get angry at every damn body in the book. It was also an uncomfortable read since the protag has to endure a lot of racial microaggression to be accepted, and even after he’s accepted, at the company. And I just didn’t like him either, the protagonist. Ugh!! My review will probably be a rant although the book was good, lol.

I wrapped up the month with In the Garden of Spite: A Novel of the Black Widow of La Porte by Camilla Bruce. And I GOTTA shout out Tammy and Mogsy for recommending this one to me via their reviews because JEEEEZZ, man! It’s a historical thriller about a young woman who immigrated to Chicago from Norway in the late 1800s. We read from both her and her sister’s POVs and see how the young woman slowly devolves into becoming a serial killer. It was another uncomfortable read that was, oh, so good!

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The Cruel Optimism of the Gothic: Wealth, Class, and Villainy in YA Fiction (tor.com)

— On why the gothic is so popular in YA fiction

Toni Morrison as an Editor Changed Book Publishing Forever (zora.medium.com)

— On how the late author helped Black authors

“She didn’t just contribute to a growing legacy of Black American literature — she helped steward and maintain a viable environment in which it could grow.”

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AROUND THE BLOG-O-VERSE

Wyrd and Wonder is Back (onemore.org)

— Wyrd & Wonder, a monthlong celebration of all things fantasy, is returning and I can’t wait!! 😀 It’s one of few reading events I know I can successfully manage to participate in, lol! May shouldn’t be too busy for me this year, but I might try to plan some posts in advance (just in case) since Imyril has already posted the daily prompts. So if you’re interested in this reading event, hop over to Imyril’s blog to check out the details!!

How to Approach Reading a Classic (pagesunbound.wordpress.com)

— Some helpful tips here. The first one is a biggie for me: I always think it’s helpful to read the introduction, especially for classic novels. It can help you better understand what’s going on in the story

The Magic Faraway Tree Covers Through the Years (worldofblyton.com)

— This post inspired my recent purchase of the Wishing-Chair Collection because it’s after checking out this post that I realized the Wishing Chair books was the series I’d spent years searching for when I was trying to remember a particular book I read and loved as a kid. I highly recommend this blog if you’re a Blyton fan.

SOME STUFF I PUBBED

“The Duke and I” by Julia Quinn, narr. by Rosalyn Landor

— I posted 2 book reviews in March. I’m highlighting this one because I enjoyed the book so much.

Top 5 Tuesday #48: Middle Grade Books

— I recommend 5 MG books that I don’t often see mentioned in bookish social media.

A couple interesting book tags:

Over 30 Book Tag
Feminist Book Tag
I Hate Spring Book Tag

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VIDEO BREAK

I still love the “Thong Song.” The beat gets me dancing whenever it comes on. This Vice video is about how the song was made.

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Some Interesting Posts, Actually

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Tenors (nytimes.com)

— I spent a morning listening to these and trying to get the Jinster (my brother’s cat) to enjoy it with me, but he stalked away. I guess I offended or bored him, lol.

10 of the Best Gothic Horror Short Stories to Read Online (interestingliterature.com)

— I’m storing these up for when Halloween comes around.

10 Signs You Read Too Much Enid Blyton as a Child (buzzfeed.com)

— Something fun for those who grew up reading Enid Blyton’s books as I did.

50 Very Bad Book Covers for Literary Classics (lithub.com)

— Some of these covers are way OFF the mark, lol.

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So, that was March.
How have you been?
What have you seen/read/listened to lately?

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