I read 14 books in March. I’m looking forward to more great reading in April!
My favorite books read in March are: The Love We Found by Jill Santopolo, Flirting Lessons by Jasmine Guillory, Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez and The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark.
These are all the books I read in March. As always, you can click on the linked ones to see my thoughts on the ones I reviewed for Netgalley.
Happy Birthday to me! I turned 36 on March 6, and my family and friends showed up this year (let’s face it, they show up every year) and got me sooo many bookish gifts!
So, I thought I’d do a blog post and show you some photos of what I got! In all, I got 8 books on my wishlist, 7 pairs of bookish earrings, a bookish cat necklace, a cute bookish pencil holder for my desk, and an embosser with my name on it!
Books Received: The Nightingale (10th Anniversary Edition with sprayed edges!) by Kristin Hannah She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica Murdle: Volume 1 by G.T. Karber More Or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb The Couple Next Door by Shari LaPena Bella Vita by Mary Belle
I absolutely loved this sapphic romance by Jasmine Guillory!
This novel follows Taylor and Avery, two women who meet at a wine event and become friends when one offers to give the other flirting lessons. Each secretly like the other, and as the friendship grows, so does the intensity of feelings for each other.
I can always count on Guillory to bring the heat and romance in her books, and this one didn’t disappoint! It was also giving me vibes of The Brown Sisters series by Talia Hibbert (as far as spiciness scale & having BIPOC characters).
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
This novel follows sisters Cassie and Zoe Grossberg, who were born a year apart, but who couldn’t be more different. They became famous and changed their name to Griffin. The story follows them and their bandmates in the early 2000s as well as a character named Cherry whose timeline takes place in 2024.
I thought the book dragged until I got about 60% into it, and then I flew through it, because that’s when it got interesting. Weiner’s books are hit or miss for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
I attended this library program in person, and it was great! It was chock full of information about mental health and the benefits of being happy. We even did a few minutes of laughter yoga together! Did you know that the brain can’t tell the difference between real and forced laughter? So the “laughing” we did during yoga actually helped improve our moods!
The Benefits of Laughter
Reduces stress
Boosts immune system
Improves mood
Promotes relaxation
Enhances social connections
The presenter spoke about positivity and happiness and the ancient people who studied it – Buddha, Confucius, Socrates and Aristotle. She then mentioned Abraham Maslow who took a look at happiness and fulfillment through positive psychology in 1954.
Martin Seligman is a modern psychologist who says to “stop trying to undo the negative, and just focus on the positive,” and came up with the 5 foundations of wellbeing: positive emotions, engagement, meaning, positive relationships and accomplishments.
The presenter said that 40% of your happiness comes from your own efforts! Positive emotions improve heart health, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and boosts immune the system.
Little Steps to Bigger Joy
Connect With Nature
Sit outside
Take a walk
Get houseplants
Establish Complaint-Free Zones
With certain people
At certain meals
Reflect on Joyful Memories
Focus on the moments that bring us joy – who was there, what did you learn etc.
Do soemthing nice for no reason – helps them and helps us, too!
Maintain Positive Relationships
People with strong, meaningful relationships are happier & healthier
Explore Your Spiritual Side
Reduces stress etc.
Choose Joy
Put your mind to it!
Learn Something New
Learn a new skill, or go to programs at the library!
Listen to Beautiful Music
Great for the nervous system
Exercise
Treats symptoms of so many health issues and it’s a mood booster
Practice Gratitude
Count your blessings!
Make Art
30 minutes two times a week gives your cognitive benefits, mood boost
Examples: reading or adult coloring
Feed Your Mood
Eat what increases joy – chicken, tuna, oatmeal, fruit, nuts, yogurt, salmon, tryptophan.
Resources
Visitfinland.com – Finland is the happiest place on Earth!
Actionforhappiness.org
Psychology & the Good Life – online course to take through Yale
Reflection: I loved this program and I loved that we got to take home the two-week gratitude journal. I’ve been doing it, and I think it’s wonderful! I think I’ll continue in a journal after the two weeks are up.
It’s Women’s History Month, so I attended a Women’s History Month collage workshop in person at the library! The presenter provided all the materials and I had a blast! I used to collage using magazines, scissors and glue all the time as a kid on a rainy day, and this brought back memories. I still collage today sometimes with magazines, but I mostly collage on the PicCollage app and digitally.
The presenter had scissors, glue, magazines, different materials and printed photos of famous women (mostly artists) and told us to pick a theme, so I chose music. I put Tina Turner and Billie Holiday on my collage, and added color around the border from an artists who used to do quilting, whose name escapes me now. I also took sheet music and cut it up to use as a background, as well as colored paper, especially since the photos of the women I used were in black and white. I used a piece of cardboard and glued it onto a brown paper shopping bag as the canvas.
Reflections: I had a lot of fun making my collage for about an hour and a half! You can see it above. As a side note, the presenter also had a radio with music on in the background with lots of female singers (from before my time – I recognized the songs but couldn’t tell you who was singing them). She knew them all, and told us who they were anyway! I thought that was pretty cool, and the presenter knew a lot about all of the famous people’s lives! She was full of information!
In Say You’ll Remember Me, Samantha meets veterinarian Xavier in Minnesota and they go on one date right before she moves back to California to be with her family. The two are smitten with each other from the start, however, and try to make it work.
This novel was so much more than a rom-com in that it dealt with some harder topics, but then that’s typical of Jimenez’s works, which I love. This one gave me all the feels!
I just loved this story! It’s quite possibly my favorite of all Abby Jimenez’s novels. This is an absolute can’t miss!
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
This two-hour long program was hosted by Korean women who made us a home-cooked Korean meal. First, they gave a presentation about the health benefits of Korean food, and demonstrated how to make two dishes. They also showed a short film on the culture and history of Korea. We ate a ton of delicious traditional Korean food in the traditional bowls they used. They also gave out free books and recipes of Korean food. I really enjoyed this program!
Sushi Making Workshop
A sushi chef from one of the local restaurants brought all cooked ingredients to make sushi. We got to use all the food, and made five different types of sushi rolls. Mine kind of looks like a mess, and I forgot to take a photo of it after he cut it up for me into little pieces. But, I tried my best! It still tasted amazing and look at all that free sushi!
Reflections I have to admit, whenever there’s a program with food, I’m there. Especially when I get to learn about cultures and histories other than my own. I highly enjoyed these programs!
This novel follows Elliot, a woman who meets Jamie at a bar one night and gives him a fake name, never expecting to see him again. She’s in down for a cancer treatment and doesn’t want to get too involved with anyone for several reasons.
A year later though, their paths cross again, but things are more complicated than you’d think.
If I’m being honest, I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I was wary and knew it was “sick lit” going into it, but it wasn’t too sad. I enjoyed it overall and would recommend it!
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
When I found out that Jill Santopolo was publishing a sequel to The Light We Lost, I literally gasped with excitement. That novel is one of my all-time favorite, five-star books, and The Love We Found didn’t disappoint!
The story takes place ten years after the death of Lucy’s love Gabriel, and everything that came after. If you loved the first one, and no doubt you will if you love books that tug at your heartstrings, you will definitely adore The Love We Found!
Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book.
Michelle’s Bookish Life 