Hello there! March came and went and I may have disappeared for a minute as unintentional at it was. After fighting off the lows of February, I was determined to dive head into the new month only to be quite literally overwhelmed with work-related tasks. I'm still struggling under all the paperwork that I need to fill out before April and second tri-mester grading, but we're here to wrap up the tiny bits of media I've managed to consume this month.

My reading speed definitely tapered off in March but looking back, I don't feel disappointed by the low numbers. Am I finally coming to terms with balance and being okay with occasional slumps? Someone pinch me if that's the case. Audiobooks have single-handedly saved my reading "consistency" because even though I ended up putting down two books because I wasn't vibing with the story, the format kept me reading almost every day of the month.

           

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a psalm of storms and silence by roseanne a. brown
audiobook - ★★★
This book left me feeling incredibly conflicted - on one hand, the storytelling remains masterful and the portrayals of the characters' journeys is raw and heartbreaking. On the other hand, their characterizations irritated me so much I thought of dnf-ing this book multiple times and only finished out of sheer will. The ending scenes redeemed the story from a solid 2.5 to 3 star rating but I can't exactly say that I enjoyed this sequel. I understand everything the characters went through and the choices the author made but it just wasn't my cup of tea. (sad)

a magic steeped in poison by judy i. lin
ebook - ★★★☆
read my review here
I have often been envious of all the love that coffee shops and the world of coffee receive so to find a book inspired by the magic of brewing tea was right up my alley. This is a story that's as lush and gorgeous as the cover and premise and left me wanting more from the world. This debut has everything from a fascinating world and magic, high stakes politics, and a competition with unpredictable turns.

red white and royal blue by casey mcquiston
audiobook - ★★★★
review to come
I have the internet to thank for constantly screaming about this book for years and keeping it consistent on all my social media feeds because I finally picked this up and it was the dose of serotonin I needed to keep me alive this month. This book had me grinning like a complete idiot and the love between the characters is one of the most precious things ever to be written down on paper.

Despite having a couple comebacks on my radar for the month, I spent most of it listening to Apink and Taeyeon's albums. With that said, G-idle's TOMBOY is so addicting and I've added a handful of songs from their album to my playlist since its release. Technically Trip and Siren were at the top but for the sake of something new, I didn't include them on the list. 😅

On a life note, I was able to get a better grasp of my mental health and overall felt more stable. There were still some ups and downs but considerably less plummeting (?) so I'll consider that a win. I was super busy with work and honestly felt exhausted all the time, but March was expected to be a big energy drain with no breaks. On the bright side, April break is less than 2 weeks away and I am absolutely counting the days when I can sleep in and wake up not feeling like my life force has withered away.

Watch my highlights here! 

While March wasn't great on the creative side of things and I'm very glad it's over, it wasn't the worst. I was able to accomplish some big tasks on my future to-do list and feel a sense of accomplishment amongst my repetitive daily routine. 

How was your March?