Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you’re all going to have a lovely weekend. It’s a lot less warm now than a few days ago, but still sunny, so I’m not complaining.
Anyway, this month was quite busy but for some reason I’m not suffering from it. I actually like to stay busy, because it energizes me. I read nine books this month, which is a lot more compared to February, so I’m happy with this amount, even if I should’ve been reading less for fun and more for uni lol. But that does mean I have a lot to tell you in this March wrap up!
Further on I’ll also tell you about the SFF Badge Collection challenge I’ve been taking part in, and how that’s going so far. Plus, you get a nice life update, even though my life is not that exciting at the moment, lol. March wrap up March wrap up March wrap up March wrap up
What I Read:
A Court of Thorns and Roses
By Sarah J. Maas
So I actually read the entire trilogy, but you’ll forgive me for not adding every single book lol. Anyway, I reread this series because I convinced my non-reader friend to read them. I wanted to be able to experience the journey with her, so I read along! Or rather, spent most of the time catching up, because she reads FAST. If she were a reader she’d for sure read at least 100 books per year. Anyway, she really loved the series, and has read up to A Court of Silver Flames, which turned out to be her favorite of all of them. I stopped reading after ACOWAR to focus on other books.
Blood & Honey
By Shelby Mahurin
This book gave me all the mixed feelings. On the one hand I was entertained enough that I finished it in one sitting, but on the other hand literally nothing changed since book 1. It’s almost the same book, except Reid and Lou don’t hate each other. It was also quite on the slow side, and there was a lot of miscommunication and withholding of information that could’ve better just been said. But like I said, I was entertained, so. I will look forward to Gods & Monsters. If you want a more comprehensive review, you can find it here!
Bridge of Souls
By Victoria Schwab
I love this series so much. Each book makes me want to go on a Google streetview adventure so I can see what Cassidy sees on her travels. Last year I was hoping that this book would take place elsewhere in Europe, maybe Eastern Europe, but upon reading it New Orleans was really the perfect setting. I mean, it’s quite a spooky city, but different from how Edinburgh or other old European cities are spooky. I like how this series delves into questions about mortality, while still keeping it relatively lighthearted. This series has come to an end for now, but I hope more books will be written in the future. For now, you can read my review here!
The Shadow of the Gods
By John Gwynne
Expected publication: 6 May 2021
This was probably one of my favorite reads of the month. One of my goals this year is to read more adult fantasy and science fiction, so when this book came up for request on NetGalley I had to request it. Surprisingly got approved, and the rest is history. I’m always a little hesitant about adult SFF, because sometimes it can be, well, dull. I don’t care for endless descriptions, and difficult language. Just give me battles and dragons, and I’m happy. Luckily this book had both. Keep it on your radar, because it won’t be out for another month! Read my full review of this wonderful book here!
House of Earth and Blood
By Sarah J. Maas
Did another reread this month. I’m making the same friend from above read this one, too, before I make her read Throne of Glass. Except now she was the busy one, and I ended up reading it by myself. Oh well, I still look forward to her commentary. I really enjoyed my reread, and may have cried even more than the first time I read it. I hope we will get news about Crescent City 2 soon, because I can’t bear to wait much longer. If the pub date gets pushed back to 2022 I’m gonna scream. This time around I also reviewed it, and you can find said review here!
Dustborn
By Erin Bowman
Expected publication: 20 April 2021
This was another NetGalley ARC that sounded super promising. It’s like Mad Max, but take out the cars. I found it an enjoyable story, and I did have fun reading it, but there were some things that could’ve been better developed. This is a standalone, so perfect if you want a quick read with a dystopian feel. However, I think this book would’ve been better off as a duology. Not because it was rushed, but because events within the book suggest that there should be more to the story. Oh well, maybe a spin-off would be fun? Read my full review here!
Get A Life, Chloe Brown
By Talia Hibbert
Okay, as I’m writing this post I’m technically still reading this one. But I’m writing it on March 31st, so I still have plenty of time to finish this book before April hits! Especially since this book is so un-put-downable. It’s making my realize that I should read more contemporary romances. I actually like those, and I can read them so quickly, too. Plus they make me think of Summer, no matter what season they take place in. Ether way, this book is lots of fun so far, and I’ll for sure continue the series.
SFF Badge Collection Quarterly Check In
What is the SFF Badge Collection, you say? Well, it’s a year-long reading challenge hosted by Spells and Spaceships! There are several prompts, and for each completed prompt you get a virtual badge. Rewards are fun, even if they’re fake.
Anyway, I decided to join this challenge, because I wanted to do a reading challenge this year that is doable. This challenge allows me to take it as slowly or fast as I like, which is perfect for a mood reader like me. Plus, the prompts are super fun, too. Do check out this challenge if it sounds interesting to you, because it’s never too late to join!
The badges I have so far are:
Space Opera badge – Crownchasers by Rebecca Coffindaffer
New Release badge – A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (but any other would do, too)
Big ‘Un badge – House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas (tentatively, because I have bigger books on my TBR)
Asian Inspiration badge – The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Dragon badge – The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
Big Screen badge – Abaddon’s Gate by James S.A. Corey
Sea Setting badge – Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
Post Apocalyptic badge – The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Life Updates
There’s not a whole lot going on at the moment, but enough to keep me occupied most days. I’m finally working hard on my thesis. I love doing things out of order, so I’m working on my literature review while at the same time collecting data while at the same time doing a historical background on my topic. But I know exactly what I still have to do and which arguments I’m going to make, I just have to… ya know, do it. I still have two months to finish it, though, so I’m certain I’ll make it. Preferably I’ll have my first draft ready at the end of this month, so that I can use May to edit. I suck at academic writing, so I expect to be editing a lot lol.
Graduating also means getting a job, and I’m sorta working on that, too. I really want to do a traineeship with the government, but it’s super competitive. Applications were open between March 5th and March 18th, and I had to use almost that entire timespan to complete my application. It had tests, formal written sections, and informal written sections. Thankfully, one of my friends helped me out with the writing, so I’m confident that I did at least that part well. I’ll know halfway through this month whether I’ve made it through the first selection.
The traineeship would be great, because you get matched to a ministry for two years, where you’ll be working on three projects. It’ll allow me to explore my options within the government, without being stuck to one position like you would with a normal job. You get paid like a normal employee, too, which is also nice because I do like money. I’m hoping to get matched to the ministry of foreign affairs, or the ministry of defense. …If I make it through the selection rounds, that is.
Other than that, I don’t have any updates for you all! The ice rink closed for the season, so it’s time to find a different hobby. Perhaps roller skating?
That’s it for this March wrap up! Hope you liked reading about what I read, and what I’ve been doing besides read. I’m gonna go back into my thesis cave, and whip out a few words!
