In February, I started writing Sunday Lowdown posts, which basically tell you what I read/am reading, what’s happening at the theatre, and what I’ve been watching. I’ve appreciated this personal touch on other bloggers’ sites. Readers sometimes ask if I ever read books by men: I do, and you’ll see information about those on the Sunday Lowdown posts.
Here’s what I’m planning to read in March. I’ve gone a bit nutty with reading charts and creating daily reading deadlines that help me realistically gauge how much I’m actually reading, compared to watching TV or scrolling through Reddit /r/funny. I actually feel good. . . kinda powerful? Is that dorky? Don’t care.
#1 The Oldest Book on the List: Magic’s Promise by Mercedes Lackey
Yes, one of the oldest books on my shelves is part of the #ReadingValdemar read along. My sweet ma bought these for me in 2001 for Christmas. The synopsis on the back of Magic’s Pawn was total lies, so I hope this one is more accurate.
Brief Synopsis: Wild magic is taking its toll on the land. Many Heralds and Herald-Mages have died fighting to preserve the peace. Even Vanyel, the most powerful of the Herald-Mages is almost at the end of his strength, in need of a respite from the dual threats of war and dark magic. But for Vanyel, there can be no rest. Not when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a summons which can’t be ignored — a desperate cry of a magical holocaust in the neighboring kingdom.
#2 The Newest Book I Own: The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories by Monica Nolan & Alisa Surkas
Ya’ll. I love Monica Nolan’s pulpy Lesbian Career Girls series and want everyone to read them. And now, for some more horses in my reading schedule!
Brief Synopsis: These short stories are the unbridled desires of women without men. . . when their same-sex passion explodes, will the stables ever be safe again?
#3 A book for my reading fat women challenge: This Much Space by K.K. Hendin
Though it says it’s book two in a series about women who sing in a group called Twelve Beats in a Bar, I’m under the impression this is a standalone novel. I’m excited that we have a fat woman and an athlete stuck together on a group project. This may turn out to be New Adult fiction?
Brief Synopsis: Olivia has wanted to go into fashion design her whole life, and nothing is going to stop her fabulous plus-sized self. Not even her boss from hell, or the fact that she’s the fat Cinderella of the most exclusive lingerie store in Bushwick, Ohio. Thierry Acosta has it all. Shortstop on Bushwick University’s baseball team, amazing grades in college, everything he could want. When he gets paired with Olivia for a group project, things are only getting better.
#4 #ReadingValdemar: Magic’s Price by Mercedes Lackey
Brief Synopsis: Valdemar — the once-peaceful kingdom protected by the magic of its Herald-Mages — is now besieged on all fronts. The king lies near death, the neighboring land of Karse wages a relentless war against Valdemar, and the forces led by a master of dark forbidden magic are massing to strike the final devastating blow against the kingdom.
Extra Books I’ll Be Reading
Grab the Lapels 
Glad to hear you’re feeling so motivated with your reading 📚💪🏼
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You read quite a bit yourself!
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Yay for us! 📚😉 Here’s hoping March is equally productive.
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This looks like an excellent list for March! I don’t read many books by men either, but when I do, it tends to be in the nonfiction category.
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Do you have a preferred nonfiction category?
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I like anything related to nature and science. I often read sociological works too–and I rely on them for briefs at times–but I don’t have the stomach for it the way I used to. My least favorite category is memoir.
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The synopsis of Magic’s Promise is definitely closer to what’s in the book than the one for Magic’s Pawn.
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And see, I found two different versions! The one on Goodreads is pretty dramatic and “what will happen to the beloved characters?!” whereas the one on Barnes and Noble was fairly straightforward and sounded more like a plot synopsis.
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Excellent planning – enjoy!
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What a great list. I am really intrigued by Alias Grace and am looking forward to reading your take on it.
Roots was something I have always meant to read, heard a lot of great things about, but never really got round to it. 🙈
Happy reading in the first month of spring. 🌼❤️
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Thank you, Vera! My husband kept telling me to read Roots because I have a background in African American Literature, but I didn’t want to read more slavery fiction. I would teach slave narratives to students, and it’s just hard to get through. However, Alex Haley sets up the main character on a plantation with a “kind master,” which means we get to spend more time with him thinking about his friendships, family, what identity means, freedom, etc. It really does feel different.
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Good luck Olivia! You see pro athletes’ wives in the gossip pages and they all seem to be chosen from the same catalogue.
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Ah haha! If they get married, she can take his sports money and create her own design line and they will be a power couple of fashion and athletics!
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That’s a lot of books planned for March! Good luck and happy reading. I’m looking forward to see what you think of Fahrenheit 451!
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Thanks! Last night I went my spouse and parents to the play version of Fahrenheit 451 that my theatre just put on, and the cast talked about some of the differences afterward. The end of Beatty and the end of the story itself are both different in the play.
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That’s a lot of reading planned! Good luck.
I loved Alias Grace. Can’t wait to see what y’all think about Go Tell it on the Mountain. I read that in January.
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Are you planning to read more James Baldwin soon? If you’d like to do a little buddy read, I’d be happy to join you. I’ve been doing these conversation posts with a couple of bloggers. They are easy to do and really satisfying.
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I’m not in a good space for Buddy Reads right now with all the stress but thanks for the offer. Perhaps later in the year. I don’t have a Baldwin book lined up anytime soon but I do intend to eventually read everything he’s written. He’s amazing.
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You’re welcome!
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Ooo I loveeeed Alias Grace. It’s a great list. I’m currently going through some nonfiction myself. Hopefully I finish those in March.
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Did you also see the Netflix show, Chitra? If not, you should watch it! Sarah Polley, the writer, keeps a lot of the work from the original novel.
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Oh I did! It was brilliantly done. I preferred it over Handmaid’s Tale.
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That is a lot of reading planned! This Much Space sounds interesting – most authors wouldn’t pair a fat woman with an athlete, so I am curious to hear how you find the book.
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I know, right? I want to see if it seems unrealistic and how the relationship develops. It’s pretty exciting that Olivia is the main character, and the woman on the cover is actually a fat woman *heart eyes emoji*
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Oh Go Tell it on the Mountain-can’t wait to see what you think about that one-was it Laila who read it last? I think I read her review on it just a few months ago…
I like the sounds of your fat fiction pick for this month-fingers crossed!
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It was Laila! She also talked about seeing the documentary I Am Not Your Negro. I think she just recently started reading Baldwin thanks to the Classics Spin Club (I think that’s the name).
My fat fiction pick DOES sound promising, and I love the cover!
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Some great-looking books there, have fun with them!
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Hahaha Yes, what does it matter if anyone else thinks your spreadsheets are strange. Since I started tracking my TV viewing, I have been reading more than ever. And, also, I am still enjoying a lot of fantastic series of shows. So it’s not like it scared me out of the habit – I’m just choosy (choosier?) now. Hope the mad figuring continues to work for you too! Enjoy your March reading.
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Thanks so much! What TV shows do you like to watch? I like limited series, because if there’s a new season that comes out a year later, I have no clue what happened in the previous seasons. I just can’t remember. If I have to re-watch everything, that’s a lot of wasted time, in my opinion.
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The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories is too much. Ha, I hope it’s wonderful. 😀
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I certainly hope it’s too-too much!
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Your plate is full for March. Do you choose to read a certain amount of time or number of chapters in each book for your stats? I’m trying something different this week, I’m trying to read some of several books each day but so far I’m not doing that well. I think it’s because I want to know more about what’s happening in all of them.
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I try to avoid layering more than three books per day. I have certain deadlines I meet, such as reading for our Roots discussions or finishing a book for #ReadingValdemar so I can post reviews according to our schedule. Those go on first. Then, if I have more space, I’ll add a book to the schedule. Sometimes I spread them out quite a bit. Alias Grace is only going about two chapters per day, for example.
I wondered if reading several books at once would be hard, but I found that reading more than one per day keeps my mind sharp on all of them. I feel like my memory is getting better.
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I enjoy reading more than one book too but buddy reads usually go first so same!!😍
I remember the day years ago it dawned on me that reading more than one book at a time, don’t we watch more than one TV series. That’s the thought I had and I’ve been doing they ever since. Sometimes I might have more than 3 but I try to keep it around that number.
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OOoooo This Much Space sounds so promising! A plus sized fashion designer?! Yes please. Plus, that cover is absolute perfection. I’ll be looking forward to your thoughts.
I am impressed that you are going to read Roots! It’s definitely on my bookish bucket list to read one day, but I’ve very intimidated by it.
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This Much Space is a quick and wonderful read, so I totally recommend it. I think it’s fair inexpensive on Google Books, Amazon, etc.
Shell @ Books by the Cup and I have been reading Roots for a few weeks and doing conversation posts (shared on her blog). I think having a buddy made it easier because, yes, it’s a super long book. It’s easy to read, sentence-wise, though there are some sections that reasonably have loads of violence (I wouldn’t want an author to romanticize slavery; some do).
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It’s been years since I read Fahrenheit 451, but I really enjoyed it. There’s this really unique edition of the novel that includes a match on the front cover (https://laughingsquid.com/fahrenheit-451-book-cover/). It’s one of those books that if I had all the money and all the space, I’d buy just because I could. Enjoy all your March books!
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Oh, man! That book design matches the content! I love it. Thanks for sharing with me. Also, welcome back from your hiatus! What did you do while you were on break?
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I relaxed the first week, but then I joined the Latinx Book Club and we’ve been planning pretty much nonstop for the past week. Will be interesting to see how I juggle all of it!
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You seem excited about it on Twitter, so I believe you found your happy place!
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You have a lot of meaty books coming up – such a contrast to what you’ve been reading recently it seems
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