First Quarter Reads || January-March 2023

I love to read.

Like, I really like to read! And in the past few years, I haven’t read near as much as I like to, so, this year one of my RESET goals was to read more; make time for it, intentionally. And while its been a shaky start for me, I have definitely made progress! Today, I’m going to share the 19 books I read from January to March, my thoughts on them and links to my Goodreads Reviews*!

I will note that I am listing which books I finished or DNF’d in the given month. There were probably other books I read in that month but didn’t finish, but I won’t be talking about them.

Also, I got the idea for this post from Joanne at The Well Read Coffee Addict! I will link her post at the end of this post!

*I will not be including reviews for my comic reads, because I don’t do detailed reviews for these.

January

I didn’t finish many books in January. I was getting in the swing of things again only to get sick/deal with a teething baby 😅 But I was able to finish listening to An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson, an audiobook me and Jacob had been working through for probably about a year! We were quite happy with ourselves for co-reading a whole book together and this was a long one! It was well written and quite interesting, covering the Africa Campaign of WWII, which is often overlooked! The author is engaging, and the narrator did a stellar job!

Age Recommendation: 18+
Content: Language, some sensual content
Goodreads Review

The next book I finished was Marine Morgan by Marie Chandler, a cute children’s book about a little girl who wants to be a Marine when she grows up! The illustrations are adorable and she included so much good information about the profession in a way that children can easily understand!

Age Recommendation: 5-8
Content: N/A
Goodreads Review

I was also able to reread Deal by Tricia Mingerink! If you love the Blades of Acktar, you will absolutely love this prequel! I had read it several years ago when I first discovered the author! It’s a quick, heart-wrenching origin for our hero, Leith Torren! You can get it by subscribing to the author’s mailing list here!

Age Recommendation: 16+
Content: mild mentions of bodily functions, gambling and drinking, mild violence
Goodreads Review

Number of Books Read: 3
ReReads: 1
Genres: Non-Fiction || Childrens || Fantasy
Stars Given : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- 1  ⭐⭐⭐⭐- 2 ⭐⭐⭐- 0 ⭐⭐- 0⭐- 0
DNF: 0

February

I got a lot more read this month and even though most of them are comics, I’m just happy I found time to read in the first place! I read Naruto 22-26 by Masashi Kishimoto, a Japanese comic series. I do not recommend these to everyone, as there needs to be some censoring done. But the plot is well written and if you enjoy Ninja-esqe stories in a fantasy Japan setting, you might enjoy it.

I went on to finish The Coronation by Olivia Jarmusch from December! I loved this book so much and I definitely recommend it for us gals that grew up with some old-school Disney and Barbie films! Although I have been told girls who liked the Disney TV series would enjoy it too. Is it 100% realistic? No. Do I care? Also no! It’s a good “I need a break from heavy topics,” book and the spiritual lessons were excellent!
 
Age Recommendation: 12+
Content: Crushes, pop music, mild violence, computer addictions (gaming)
Goodreads Review

The Civil War A Narrative by Shelby Foote surprised me by being my first DNF of the year. I really expected to like it. But the blatant disregard for fact when dealing with Lincoln and Davis was so disappointing I had to stop reading. Someday I might pick it back up, but I’ve got so many other books to read, I couldn’t waste my time.

I loved No Place Like Home by Jess Mastorakos and I read it in five days, which anymore is really good for me 😁 The story was sweet, romantic, and there was a guilt goat, y’all, how could I not love it?

Age Recommendation: 18+
Content: Mild sensual content (touching, kissing, nothing overtly dirty), some thoughts about each other being “Smoking hot,” and references to alcohol.
Goodreads Review

Number of Books Read: 7
ReReads: 0
Genres: Comic/Manga || Fantasy || Romance
Stars Given : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- 6  ⭐⭐⭐⭐- 1 ⭐⭐⭐- 0 ⭐⭐- 0 ⭐- 0
DNF: 1

March

Again, lots of Naruto (They are quick reads for me😅), Volumes 27-34. They progressed the story very nicely and introduced my least favorite good guy! Honestly, can’t stand him 😂

I DNF’d The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas because it was so everlastingly boring and the movie explained the two hours I listened to in under ten minutes. Not a fan.

My Reread of the month was The Dressmaker’s Secret by Kellyn Roth! I’m doing her six month read-a-thon and I am so enjoying listening to the audio books! She’s easily one of my favorite authors! If you haven’t read her Chronicles of Alice and Ivy, I highly recommend you give them a try!

Age Recommendation: 16+
Content: allusions to rape but nothing explicit, a couple dealing with annulment and confusion caused by the parents.
Goodreads Review

Number of Books Read: 9
ReReads: 1
Genres: Comic/Manga || Historical Fiction
Stars Given : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- 8 ⭐⭐⭐⭐- 1 ⭐⭐⭐- 0 ⭐⭐- 0 ⭐- 0
DNF: 1
 
Here’s the two posts I mentioned earlier!
 
Post Inspiration: January-March Rereads || Joanne, The Well Read Coffee Addict
The 2023 Alice and Ivy Read-Along || Kellyn Roth, Lilacs & Revelries
 
Question of the Day: What books have you been reading? Read any I mentioned? What’s a genre you never thought you would like, but now love?
 
Have a wonderful day!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22