My March 2020 TBR

It’s finally March (my birthday month!!), and to celebrate I’ve put together an extra-long TBR! I tend to set very, very unrealistic goals for myself, as you can see with this TBR. Will I be able to finish 31 books in 31 days? Probably not, but it’s a goal for me to strive towards!

One of the reasons I like to have huge TBRs is that I’m a mood reader. I like having a pile of books to choose from depending on what type of book I’m in the mood for.

I think I have a decent shot at finishing a lot of these since there are a lot of poetry collections and graphic novels, which tend to take me just an hour or two to finish.

If you’d prefer to watch this TBR, the video is linked below. Scroll down for the written TBR otherwise!

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Poetry

Let’s start off with the poetry collections I want to read this month. Reading and enjoying poetry is something very new to me. I hated poetry in school, probably because we always read classic poetry, and I couldn’t stand the flowery metaphors and pages upon pages of repetitiveness.

Fortunately, I recently discovered that I do like poetry. Mostly modern poetry, but I want to experiment a bit more with classic as well. If you have any recommendations, let me know!

• Live Oak, With Moss by Walt Whitman – I haven’t read this poem before, but the main reason I picked it up at my local library is that this edition is actually the poem told through illustrations! It’s a really unique format and I love the idea of it. The actual poem is included as well, of course!
• The Truro Bear and Other Adventures by Mary Oliver – Mary Oliver is a name that I’ve continuously heard since her death last year. I wanted to give one of her collections a try, and out of the selection at my library, this one sounded the most promising since it’s about animals and nature.
• The Tradition by Jericho Brown – I discovered Jericho Brown through this article at Garden & Gun. I was so impressed by the interview that I watched several of his readings on YouTube, and loved all of the poems that I heard. I’m really excited to read this full collection!

• So Far So Good by Ursula K. Le Guin – This is Le Guin’s final poetry collection before her death in 2018, so I have a feeling it’s going to be a bit melancholy. I don’t know too much about it aside from it being about her life, the people she’s known along the way, and her experiences. I really enjoyed The Left Hand of Darkness, especially her writing style, so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy this too.
• Dear Darkness by Kevin Young – The only thing I know about this collection is that it was inspired by the sudden death of Kevin Young’s father. Another melancholy collection, but one that I think I might be able to relate to, having lost my mother.
• The Flame by Leonard Cohen – Did you know that musician Leonard Cohen wrote poetry? Because I didn’t! I have no idea what to expect from this, but I picked it up because I absolutely love his music.

• Heating and Cooling by Beth Ann Fennelly – I found this tiny book tucked into the poetry section at my library, but it isn’t poetry. It’s fifty-two micro-memoirs about her life. The length of these micro-memoirs range from a few sentences to a few pages. I’m really intrigued by the format of this memoir.

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Graphic Novels

I only picked up three graphic novels, but I’m really excited about all three of these!

• Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe by Yumi Sakugawa – This is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a very simplistic, black and white, hand-drawn graphic novel about feeling connected to the universe.
• Firefly Volumes 1 & 2 by Joss Whedon – These two collections are probably the books I’m most excited about on this whole list. I love Firefly, and I can’t wait to immerse myself in that universe again.

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Fiction

• Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski – This is the second book (chronologically) in The Witcher series, but the most recent to be published. The Last Wish was the very last book I read in 2019, and one of my favorites. Just like The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny is a collection of short stories.
• The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams – You’ve probably seen this romance novel everywhere in the book community. I love the idea of a group of guys reading smutty romance novels to learn to be better spouses. I’m expecting plenty of humor.
• The Bear by Andrew Krivak – This short novel was released earlier this year, but I just didn’t find time to get it prior to publication. I’m still really excited, however, as it’s a post-apocalyptic tale about the last two humans left alive and a girl’s journey home with a bear.

• The Illness Lesson by Clare Beams – First of all, I want to mention how much I love the faux-embroidery of this cover. It’s so beautiful. This historical fiction novel takes place after a mysterious flock of red birds descends over a girls’ school. It follows a number of symptoms the girls all experience afterward.
• No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez – In this thriller/mystery novel, a woman has to deal with a stalker that knows too much about her family’s history. I’m still trying to get into thrillers, and this sounds like a great next step.
• 142 Ostriches by April Davila – I’m so thankful for the publisher for sending me a copy of this novel! It’s set on an ostrich farm in California, and honestly, that’s all I needed to intrigue me.

• A Bond Undone (Legends of the Condor Heroes #2) by Jin Yong – Last year I read the first novel in this Kung Fu fantasy series, and it ended up being one of my favorite books of the year. I’m really, really excited to find out what happens next!
• Providence by Max Barry – I really like the cover of this science fiction novel. I’m purposefully keeping myself ignorant of the plot because I want to go into it a little bit blind. However, I do know that it has to do with a war against an alien race.
• The Woman in the Mirror by Rebecca James – This gothic novel is told in dual timelines. First, we have a governess at an English estate; then, we meet the heir to that estate – a woman living in modern-day New York City.

• The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida by Clarissa Goenawan – Dealing with the heavy topic of suicide, this definitely isn’t going to be a light, fun read. In it, we meet people trying to figure out why Miwako killed herself. It reminds me a little of a grown-up version of 13 Reasons Why.
• The Last Human by Zack Jordan – Here are the reasons I requested this book from the publisher and did a little happy dance when I received it earlier this week: Space opera, a ball of fluff with an IQ in the thousands, and “an android death enthusiast.” I’m ready.
• Thunderhead and The Toll by Neal Shusterman – I’m buddy-reading this series with my friend Tawni, and it’s so freaking good! This might be one of the best young adult series I’ve read in ages. I’m constantly finding myself shocked by what happens, and I’m intrigued by all of the characters.
• 88 Names by Matt Ruff – Matt Ruff is the author of Lovecraft Country, which is how I know of him. This novel is “part cyberthriller, part twisted romantic comedy.” It sounds wonderful.

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Non-Fiction

• Pisgah National Forest: A History by Marci Spencer – If you’ve been subscribed to this blog for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard me mention that I lived in Asheville, NC for all of my twenties and that I’m constantly homesick for the mountains of Western North Carolina. This book is a history of Pisgah National Forest, an area that I am very familiar with.
• Midnight in Siberia by David Greene – This book drew me in for two reasons – the remoteness of Siberia, and a long train ride. I’ve always wanted to take a long, scenic train ride, plus I love remote areas, so I’m really excited to be able to live vicariously through NPR’s David Greene.
• Stateway’s Garden by Jasmon Drain – I received a finished copy of this book from the publisher, and I’m looking forward to reading it. It’s a collection of real-life stories from people living on the Southside of Chicago.

• Death is But a Dream by Christopher Kerr – I’m starting to notice that I chose some really dark topics for March’s TBR. This is a book written by a doctor about his experience working in hospice with dying patients.
• Lost Feast by Lenore Newman – Many of the foods we love are threatened by climate change, pollution, and overpopulation. Lost Feast is about these foods and the extinction of culinary treats that we’ve come to take for granted.

• Footprints by David Farrier – This book reminds me a little of The World Without Us, which is one of my favorite non-fiction books. Farrier examines what traces of humanity are going to be left long after we’re gone.
• Grain Brain by David Perlmutter – I’m guessing you’re probably somewhat familiar with this non-fiction book about the effect that gluten has on our brains. It’s been a best-seller for many years. I was recommended this book twice in one week, for both my polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and bipolar disorder. I had no idea that diet could possibly influence bipolar disorder, so, at my doctor’s recommendation, I’m currently doing 45 days of a gluten-free diet to see if it helps.

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Whew! I know that was a long list! Have you read any of these books? If you have, let me know what you thought down in the comments!

What are you planning on reading in March?

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