Hi everyone!
I was in the middle of preparing my March TBR list when I saw a post by Margaret @ WeidZeal about her Women’s History Readathon. I dropped everything and jumped in.
The goal of the WHR is to read books written by women during the month of March. Margaret created a bingo board to spice up the challenge, so I’ve tried to shape my TBR around that.
I hope this post will make you want to join the readathon! (Or at least provide good recs 😉 )
Click on the cover images to be redirected to Goodreads!
My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1) ~ Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
Why: I first thought I would never want to read this book (I’ve too often found that comedies are over-hyped, both books and movies). But then I read so many positive reviews of people who believed just like me that they weren’t going to like it but ended up loving it that I’m grateful to have the excuse to fit it in my TBR earlier than planned.
Bingo check:
- two or more female authors
- set over 100 years ago
- set outside your home country (I wish this one said “set inside your home country”)
The Mysterious Affair at Styles (Hercules Poirot #1) ~ Agatha Christie
Why: I’ve kept delaying this read since I was born because I wanted to be able to read all the books in the series consecutively, but if I keep it this way I’ll end up never reading them. So BOOM! Thank you, Margaret, for this involuntary wake up call opportunity.
Bingo check:
- published before you were born
- set outside your home country
- has a movie/TV adaptation
Girls of Paper and Fire (Girls of Paper and Fire#1) ~ Natasha Ngan
Why: I’ve heard only compliments for it + the cover looks gorgeous + the story sounds absolutely amazing. What other reason should I need?
Bingo check:
- “girl” or “woman” in the title
- woman of color on the cover
Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) ~ Marissa Meyer
Why: I actually badly want to read this one, it was in pole position in my March TBR, so I’m happy it fits in the readathon (I would have made it fit in anyway).
Bingo check:
- female villain
- retelling
- debut
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? ~ Mindy Kaling
Why: I like Mindy Kaling. Sometimes. There was such a buzz around this book when it got out, I felt curious about it, but not too curious. Since it fits in the readathon, I’ll finally give it its chance. Though the Goodreads ratings have kinda chilled any enthusiasm I could have felt about it.
Bingo check:
- biography or memoir
- pink cover (kinda)
- woman of color on the cover
The Help ~ Kathryn Stockett
Why: You know that feeling when you want to reread a wonderful book, but you look at your TBR pile and just… nvm? That’s what kept pulling me away from this masterpiece. But technically, since I’ve only read it in Italian, reading it in English wouldn’t be a loss of time at all. *internally cheers*
Bingo check:
- reread of old favorite
- published before you were born
- has a movie/TV adaptation
A Safe Girl to Love ~ Casey Plett
Why: I had never heard of this book before, but the synopsis caught me. I really want to learn more about trans people’s lives and struggles, and is there a better way to do that than a collection of short stories by a trans author? (I’m kinda dreading that I won’t be able to find it at the library, though.)
Bingo check:
- trans author
- under 1k reviews on Goodreads
- “girl” or “woman” in the title
Aaaand here we go. I’m SO excited to get started. I’m sorry I couldn’t get The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to fit in (unless we count it as a memoir — should we?) and Sorcery of Thorns, but it’ll be for another month (or perhaps my lack of self control will get the best again, just like in February).
I’m also disappointed that Margaret Atwood’s works, that my grandma keeps gushing about on the phone, and the Ten Thousand Doors of January would be too much for the month.
Apart from Margaret, Mary @ Mary and the Words, Sam @ Hissing Potatoes, Caro @ The Bookcheschire Cat, and Sophie @ Me and Ink have also posted a TBR list for the readathon, and I’m so excited to see what they’ll say about their reads!
I’ve got a book to check every case of the bingo board, except for the Indigenous author one. Any recs?
What about a book by a trans author with less than 1k GR reviews in case I can’t get Casey Plett’s?
Love for Words - Book Blog 
Yesss I’m so glad you’re joining and I can’t wait to see what you think of all of these books! 😄 This looks like a really good TBR – My Lady Jane is also on mine, and Cinder is ALWAYS a great choice! Also, an option in case you can’t get Casey Plett’s book is Small Beauty by jia qing wilson-yang. By a trans author and has less than 1k ratings on goodreads last I checked!
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I’m. So. Excited. for this, it’s my first readathon, and you made it so cool with the bing board. THANK YOU for the rec!!!!! Happy reading!
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I adored Cinder and the whole Lunar Chronicles series. I hope you do too!
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Oooh, thank you, Sam! Good luck with all three of your readathons 😉
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Ooh, this looks like a great TBR! I hope you adore each and every one of these books💜
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Thank you so much, Kaya! Have a happy March full of great reads!
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This looks like an awesome TBR – I hope you enjoy all of them! I hadn’t seen Margaret’s post before I did my monthly Library haul and unfortunatelty they are all (how??) male authors this month. I have to try read them for school so I can’t adapt my TBR (insert horrible sobbing).
I hope you enjoy all of these!!
– Emma 🙂
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Thank you, Emma!! How funny! (Well, not funny, school reads don’t rhyme with “funny”). Good luck with your March TBR, I’m sending you virtual hugs and treats to help you with it (ah, and tissues).
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I hope you have a great reading month!
(www.evelynreads.com)
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Thank you, Evelyn, you too!!
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Ooh, this looks like a fun reading challenge! I hope you manage to get a bingo or to complete the whole board this month 😀 Happy reading!
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Thank you, Dini! Have a month filled with great reads!!
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This is such a fun looking TBR bingo! I love that in the bookish community there’s a TBR for any occasion. Can’t wait to see how you like these!
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Yes!! You’re right (and that’s why the bookish community often turns out to be a life savior xD). Thank you, Tina, have a great month!
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I’m participating in the Women’s History Month Readathon as well and I’m so excited! Good luck with your TBR and Happy Reading 😊 I loved My Lady Jane when I read it a couple years ago, so I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as well 🥰
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Thank you, Caro! I hope your March will be bright and full of wonderful reads! Let me add a link to your WHMR post here.
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i truly adore the cinder trilogy! so i’m hyped! that someone else is reading! them! the books just get better and better as they go on in this series which is wonderful because cinder was already so good! fingers crossed that you’ll enjoy them as much as i did! and balance the sentences out i’m going to stop using exclamation points for like two sentences lol. my lady jane is kinda hit and miss for most people but i liked it when i read it two (?or three?) years ago. hope you have a great march!! c:
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Hey, Janina! Thank you so much for your bubbly comment, it lifted my mood up on this annoying study day. I’m even more excited now to read Cinder!! (By the feels of what you’re saying, I’ll probably snub my March TBR to read the whole Lunar Chronicles this month xD)
I’m currently 26% through Girls of Paper and Fire (which is very enjoyable) and I really, really, really can’t wait to get to Cinder, which comes next.
I’ve finished My Lady Jane, and I had an amazing time! Some parts are a bit ridiculous (in the good sense), and I was very, very, very scared for Jane’s head during the first half of the book, but I ended up loving everyone and mostly everything. Have you read the second book in the series?
Have a happy March! (And once again, thank you for the positive energy!)
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aww, that’s great! i’m so glad that i could lift your mood for a moment! wow, the whole lunar chronicles is a BIG goal so don’t put too much pressure on yourself to finish it haha. (especially because the last book is so so long, like, woah).
so good that you enjoyed my lady jane!! definitely ridiculous but lots of fun. i have not read the second book in the series but i’ve heard good things about that one, too! if you read it and it’s amazing, please nudge me gently and tell me to go for it lol. i hope you have a happy march, too and that you keep having a great time with the books you choose to read this month! ❤
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Yay I hope you love all these books and have a great time reading them! I am taking part in this readathon as well and I’m very excited!!
I definitely want to read My Lady Jane as well after hearing so much hype for it. I really hope you end up liking it!!
I hope you enjoy Cinder as I love the lunar chronicles, it was a really fun series!!
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Sooo, because I snubbed two of my February TBR books, I have already read My Lady Jane and… I enjoyed it, but I understand it might not be everyone’s cup of tea? I hope you’ll like it, because it has some quirky ridiculousness to it and the vibe and characters are easy to love if the book isn’t taken too seriously.
(I can’t stand it, I have to read the whole Lunar Chronicles this month. Everyone is positive this is a wonderful series, and I’m practically bursting from excitement. 😉 )
Have a happy March and happy reading!
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I’m glad you enjoyed it and from the idea I can see how it suits a particular audience tbh 😂 Thank you, I think I will!! I do love the occasion ridiculous and fun plot!!
Haha yep I’ve been there 😂 I really hope it lives up to your expectation now 😂
Thank you 💕 and thank you for linking to my TBR, that’s so sweet 💛
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So many great books on this list, and books on my TBR, too! I intend to pick up My Lady Jane this year for precisely the same reason you did. It’s not something I’d normally go for, but too many people with similar tastes have recommended it, so it’d be silly for me not to give it a try. Same with Girls of Paper and Fire and Cinder. I hope you enjoy these all!
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I finished reading Cinder just a couple of days ago and I got so sucked in the story that I am now almost finishing Scarlet as well. I find The Lunar Chronicles as adictive as everyone said, and I hope it’ll be the same for you, because Meyer did some amazing worldbuilding and a great job with her characters!
My Lady Jane was a bit ridiculous (in a positive way, though) but once you get used to the idea and don’t take the historical twists too seriously, then you can enjoy it a great deal.
As for Girls of Paper and Fire… I did not connect with the characters and felt very disturbed by the whole idea. I rated it three stars. I’m not too sure I want to know what happens in the second book because I just don’t feel the story calling me. Maybe you’ll like it, though, because a lot of people said the writing is beautiful, and it might just not be my cup of tea.
Happy reading, Sammie!!
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I LOVED The Mysterious Affair at Styles, it couldn’t be more of a british crime novel if it tried. I’d say it’s one of my favourite Agatha Christie novels.
So with you on liking Mindy Kaling… sometimes. I think there’s something about her that I find relatable and there are other parts where it feels like I’m not quite sure about her.
Hope you get to read all of these!
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You’ve increased my interest in starting to read it!! I’ll jump to it as soon as I’m done with The Lunar Chronicles (which are so addictive, welp).
I watched Late Night some time ago, featuring Kaling and Emma Thompson, and this is a rec I’d give to someone who wants to see stuff from her.
Happy reading, Sophie!
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I’ve been going back on forth on whether to read The Lunar Chronicles! I’ve heard that the first is a bit confusing, but that people love it, and the series gets better? I’ll need to check it out one day, but I just keep thinking that I’m going to get confused.
I haven’t yet watched Late Night, thanks for the rec! And you too. And it’s Sophia, I feel bad for correcting, but me and Sophie never go well. 🙂
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