💌 March in Review

Book bans, VICTORIAN PSYCHO, the Forsytes

We’ve reached the end of March and are ushering in Aries season.

Since we’re 90 days—that’s HALF WAY THROUGH—my self-imposed six-month book-buying ban, I thought I’d give you a small update on how it’s going.

And to quote Dorinda Medley from “The Real Housewives of New York City,” ‘NOT WELL BITCH.’

Dorinda Medley with her “Traitors” husband, Rob Rausch

I have read exactly 2 books from my TBR (to be read). January and February tend to be slow reading months for me, a trend that’s taken me a few years to pick up on. I’ve written before about why I think this is, and I haven’t come to a definitive conclusion. Suffice it to say that I don’t do my best reading at the start of the year, and 2026 is no exception.

I’ve also written a bit about my current participation in a creative writing workshop. Whenever I’m in the thick of a writing project, it gets harder for me to read. It’s great to be deep into a draft, but it makes it difficult for me to concentrate. Once I reach the end of a first draft, it’s almost impossible for me to read at all.

Doing a lot of this and not a lot of that (Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash).

I’ve also reread two books, something I rarely do. Those were WUTHERING HEIGHTS in preparation for the new film (which I liked, not loved, and was thoroughly irritated by the online discourse) and BRING UP THE BODIES by Hilary Mantel, book two of the Cromwell trilogy. I was curious to revisit it after finishing PBS’s WOLF HALL adaptation, and then decided to do a full reread for writing research.

The last three books I’ve read came from the library. And I’ve received at least half a dozen (very exciting) new releases from publishers and several books for my birthday (which was on March 2).

So yeah. I haven’t broken my book-buying ban. But I have not made any real progress on my teetering TBR, either. I’m slow reading both Hannah Arendt’s THE BANALITY OF EVIL and Alexander Dumas’ THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, but very, very slow, so I can’t mark them as read yet.

Tonight, after our book club meeting, it was my turn to choose a book from my TBR shelf. My sisters and I are only reading books from our TBRs for book club this year. When they got a gander of my TBR shelf on our FaceTime call, both of them said something along the lines of, “That entire shelf is books you haven’t read?” in a wary tone.

My husband is immune to the towering behemoth that is my TBR shelf at this point, so I rarely get an unvarnished opinion on it. Recently, a musician friend of his was in our office, the walls of which are covered in bookshelves, and he was impressed that I had “read that many books.” Being the ever-kind husband that he is, Erik didn’t point out the UNread books in the hallway on the corner shelf.

Just waiting for these books to read themselves. (Photo by Joseph Corl on Unsplash).

I had planned to do an entire issue on this halfway point back in January. The reality is, I just haven’t read anything from my TBR shelf worth talking about. I’ve been reading less than usual for a few reasons. I’ve also been acquiring new books, which, even though they’re within bounds of the ban that I set, means I haven’t done any decreasing.

I’m going to just…keep moving forward. I’ve thought about extending the book ban past the six-month mark, but for now, I’m just going to keep it to six months and hopefully make a larger dent during the next three months. I have to believe it’s possible. And, if I’m honest, my priority is my writing right now. When I set this ban, I hadn’t anticipated I would be so deep into that project at this point. It feels great, and I’m making progress, so I want to keep leaning into that.

I’m someone who gives themselves a hard time about everything. I’ve been feeling anxious and annoyed that I haven’t made progress on reading more of the books I own. Not because I wanted to write about it here in the newsletter, but because I genuinely want to decrease what I own and be intentional around my consumption and my reading. But like I said in my original ban, reading is all about having fun. It doesn’t really serve my writing OR my reading to get down on myself for not making much progress on this goal.

For better or worse, my books aren’t going anywhere. There’s plenty of time for me to keep reading, keep writing, and make a dent. RIGHT?! THERE’S PLENTY OF TIME, RIGHT?!

Before this goes off the deep end, let’s jump into the best of the book recs and some new fun adaptations for March.

…Best of the Book Recs

In issue #104, “The authors who confront their home state’s complicated past” is Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke.

Locke, a Houston, Texas native, has created a new classic police procedural in this series. BLUEBIRD is the first novel to feature Darren Mathews, a Black Texas Ranger in East Texas who’s reeling from a marriage separation and a growing alcohol problem. A double murder takes Mathews back up Highway 59 to his small hometown of Lark, Texas, where a roadside diner he once frequented as a young boy will become central to solving this case before racial tensions tear down what’s left of the land he once loved. I’m a picky mystery reader; I’m not into cheap thrills and always need a little something extra to chew on, and this series has it.

There would be less depth to this story if it weren’t for the Texas backdrop that Locke explores. Race and class make the world go round, but in her deft hands, we’re seeing it all in new ways. The best part of the end of this novel? There are more Mathews stories to read!

In issue #105, “Should writers talk about their work-in-progress?” I discussed my anxious superstitions around talking about making art. To find inspiration, I’m reading No Heaven for Good Boys by Keisha Bush.

This novel by a graduate of my alma mater has long been on my list as inspo for both my drafts. Described as a “modern OLIVER TWIST” set in Senegal, it follows Ibrahimah, a six-year-old boy convinced by a mysterious neighborhood teacher to join his cousin Ètienne in Dakar to study the Koran. But when the boys are together, they learn they’re just there to propel a money-making scheme on behalf of the manipulative teacher, forcing them into a journey of survival and family loyalty in a strange land.

…the Book Review

In March, I reviewed the horror novella Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito, which asks, what might happen if a sociopathic Victorian governess went on a revenge spree?

Feito uses satire and dark comedy to give her voice-heavy prose a bigger punch. This is a purposeful stylistic choice, and I think it works for the world-building and to bring a bit of levity to the ickiness on the page. It keeps the story from ever feeling too serious. Feito is interested in a little bit of commentary on social classes and how women always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop, but that’s secondary to entertainment. I got the sense that she was having a lot of fun stepping inside the brain of this deeply sociopathic woman.

…A stylish new adaptation

Move over, Bridgerton, a new bombshell has entered the villa! This month, PBS Masterpiece premiered its new adaptation of THE FORSYTE SAGA, called THE FORSYTES. (Clever, I know.) The original Masterpiece adaptation is one of their classics, yet this new iteration looks sexier, with younger stars and a nod towards the Victorian dramas of late. From the trailer (below), it looks like this series is set before Soames Forsyte is married, whereas the first series begins after that disastrous marriage happens.

All six episodes are streaming now on PBS Masterpiece Passport, which you can access for as little as a $5/month donation to your local station.

📚 Let us know what you think of the new RONAREADer content, or what you’re reading from your TBR. Whatever it is, we want to hear it! See ya next week!

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