March 2017 Reading Wrap Up

I read 6 books/comics in March.  It was a good reading month but not as great as February.  I don't know how I read so much in February.

Books read in March:

My Age Of Anxiety:  Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind by Scott Stossel

Publication Date:  January 7, 2014 by Knopf

Pages:  416

Source:  Owned Book

My Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Synopsis:

As recently as thirty-five years ago, anxiety did not exist as a diagnostic category. Today, it is the most common form of officially classified mental illness. Scott Stossel gracefully guides us across the terrain of an affliction that is pervasive yet too often misunderstood.
Drawing on his own long-standing battle with anxiety, Stossel presents an astonishing history, at once intimate and authoritative, of the efforts to understand the condition from medical, cultural, philosophical, and experiential perspectives.

My Thoughts:  I was really interested in reading this book because I suffer from anxiety. The author talks about his experiences with severe anxiety and he also talks about all the research throughout the years regarding anxiety and what causes anxiety.  I found this to be a well researched book and it was interesting to read the multiple perspectives from psychiatrists, therapists, and others in the mental health field.  I actually found the author's personal experiences to be more interesting than all the documented research because I could relate to some of his stories about having anxiety. I think this is a good book to read if you or someone you know suffers from anxiety.
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The Fearless Travelers' Guide To Wicked Places by Pete Begler
Publication Date:  March 1, 2017 by Capstone Young Readers
Pages:  384
Source:  Netgalley ARC
My Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Synopsis:

Twelve-year-old Nell Perkins knows there is magic at work that she can’t yet understand. Her mother has been taken by witches and turned into a bird. Nell must journey to get her mother back, even if it takes her deep into the Wicked Places — the frightening realm where Nightmares resides. There she must break the spell and stop the witches from turning our world into a living nightmare.

My Thoughts:  Check out my review here.
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The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
Publication Date:  March 7, 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire
Pages:  400
Source:  Netgalley ARC
My Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐1/2

Goodreads Synopsis:

Tea is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy makes her a bone witch, who are feared and ostracized in the kingdom. For theirs is a powerful, elemental magic that can reach beyond the boundaries of the living—and of the human.
Great power comes at a price, forcing Tea to leave her homeland to train under the guidance of an older, wiser bone witch. There, Tea puts all of her energy into becoming an asha, learning to control her elemental magic and those beasts who will submit by no other force. And Tea must be strong—stronger than she even believes possible. Because war is brewing in the eight kingdoms, war that will threaten the sovereignty of her homeland…and threaten the very survival of those she loves.

My Thoughts:  Check out my review here.
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The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel
Publication Date:  March 7, 2017 by Crown
Pages:  279
Source:  Blogging For Books (Hardcover edition)
My Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Synopsis:

After her mother's suicide, fifteen year-old Lane Roanoke came to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin, Allegra, on their vast estate in rural Kansas. Lane knew little of her mother's mysterious family, but she quickly embraced life as one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls. But when she discovered the dark truth at the heart of the family, she ran fast and far away.
Eleven years later, Lane is adrift in Los Angeles when her grandfather calls to tell her Allegra has gone missing. Did she run too? Or something worse? Unable to resist his pleas, Lane returns to help search, and to ease her guilt at having left Allegra behind. Her homecoming may mean a second chance with the boyfriend whose heart she broke that long ago summer. But it also means facing the devastating secret that made her flee, one she may not be strong enough to run from again.

My Thoughts:  Check out my review here.
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Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook
Publication Date:  April 11, 2017 by Andrews McMeel Publishing
Pages:  240
Source:  Netgalley ARC
My Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Goodreads Synopsis:

In Alicia Cook's second poetic effort, designed in the style of an old mixtape, she sets her thoughts to a nostalgic tune. There is no Table of Contents. Instead, there is a "Track List," making it easy to refer to them to your friends with a, "Hey did you read track seven?!" There are no chapters. Instead, the book is divided into two parts, or as one would say in the 90's, two "sides." Side A holds poetry that touches on all aspects of the human condition like life, death, love, moving on, evolving, growing up, hometowns, family dynamic, life after trauma, and make-ups and breakups. Side B holds the "remixes" of these poems, in the form of blackout poetry, also known as "found poetry." Side B gives the material a fresh twist by creating new poetry out of Side A. There is also a very special surprise at the end of each track.

My Thoughts:  This was such an original book! I loved how each poem's title was a cassette tape track and how the author added what song she was currently listening to at the end of each poem. I really enjoyed the author's writing and I especially thought Side B (with the blackout poetry) was ingenious. I really enjoyed this book of poetry and I recommend it to everyone.
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Stitched #1 by Mariah McCourt
Publication Date:  May 2, 2017 by Charmz
Pages:  96
Source:  Netgalley ARC
My Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

Amazon Synopsis:

Crimson Volania Mulch has a problem; she just woke up in a crypt and, besides her name, has no idea of who, where, or what she is. Welcome to the Cemetery of Assumptions, a vast landscape of stones, mausoleums, and secrets. Home to monsters and mayhem, it may also hold the answers to her unknown parentage.

Crimson is a resourceful patchwork girl and determined to find them. Along the way, she meets the mysterious Wisteria, who has a tendency to change and a witch named Parameter whose spells tend to go awry. And two boys, Simon and Quinton, who make her feel something besides lost and confused. She must battle ghosts, zombies, and monsters in order to learn where she came from and who her real "mother" is. But will she do it alone, or will she have help from her new friends and unexpected crushes?

My Thoughts: I loved the artwork and the vibrant colors throughout this graphic novel. The story was interesting and I thought the characters were weird and cute. I definitely look forward to reading the next issue in this unique and entertaining series.

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