Friday, 27 February 2026

TBR Picks For March

I've just used a random number generator to pick out 10 TBR prompts from my list, to choose my March reads. Below are the books I've chosen, in the order that the prompts came out:

1. Pink Book - Weyward by Emilia Hart (KU) 


2. First In A Series - Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree (KU)



3. Short stories - A Taste Of Darkness by Amy McCaw / Various (paperback)



4. Free pick from my shelves - Penpal by Dathan Auerbach (paperback)



5. Five word title - A Short Stay In Hell by Steven L. Peck (paperback)



6. Four word title - Blood On Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen (paperback)



7. Red book - Tender Is The Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica (paperback)



8. Continue a series - Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman (KU)



9. Non-fiction - The Frozen Silence by Dr James Pennington (KU)



10. Yellow book - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (paperback)




I did manage to read the 14 books I chose for February (well, 12 with 2 DNFs, and then I snuck an extra one in), but this time I decided to just choose ten. This leaves a bit of wiggle room should I want to read anything else, and in March I'm also planning to read Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine as part of a Facebook book group.

Ledge by Stacey McEwan














Started: 20.2.26

Finished: 27.2.26


Kindle


Chosen by RNG


Strong, stubborn, feisty FMC, dark and mysterious MMC with wings, if that floats your boat. This was a tense enemies to lovers, found family fantasy; at times the pacing was a little slow, but it ramped up towards the end and talk about finishing on a cliffhanger... or should that be a chasm-hanger?



Wednesday, 25 February 2026

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

 











Started: 23.2.26

Finished: 25.2.26

Kindle Unlimited


TBR Prompt: A Yellow Book


I couldn't resist choosing another book to read before the end of the month, and I'm quite glad I chose this one as it was only 25 pages long! I think I was aware that it was a short story, but I hadn't realised how short.

It centres around a woman whose husband, a doctor, has prescribed a kind of bed rest for her; she is allowed a bit of movement around the house and garden, but mostly she's encouraged to sleep, and not to do anything intellectually stimulating. I believe this is following the birth of her child, although little is said about that really, just that someone else is caring for the baby. The story is told in the first person, as she writes a journal (secretly), and we witness a subtle but steady descent into obsession, focused on the yellow wallpaper of the room. This short story packs a powerful punch of psychological dread.


Sunday, 22 February 2026

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher















Started: 20.2.26

Finished: 22.2.26


Kindle Unlimited


Chosen by RNG


Botanical horror! An intelligent fungus growing in a tarn, which can infect and then control the movements of a body, even a dead one. Creepily atmospheric, with a small cast of likeable characters. Set in a fictional European country, the language of which includes seven personal pronouns. 

Saturday, 21 February 2026

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones















Started: 19.2.26

Finished: 21.2.26


Kindle Unlimited


Chosen by RNG


A really unique and unusual horror story of revenge, with themes of indigenous life and culture, violence and addiction, and attitudes towards women. Basketball features heavily, which I understand has a lot of significance among Native Americans, but I found myself skimming over the long descriptions of play and technique. Very gory horror, and a lot of animal death. A satisfying ending.

Friday, 20 February 2026

The Other People by C.B. Everett


Started: 18.2.26

Finished: 20.2.26


Paperback


TBR Prompt: House on the cover


Ten people awaken in a locked house, unaware of how they arrived there. A woman named Amanda tells them that they have 12 hours to solve the disappearance of a young woman. As they begin to come to terms with this unusual situation, they very quickly realise that a killer is stalking them and picking them off one by one. But who? And why? And who is the Beast In The Cellar? 

I wasn't too sure if I was going to like this book when I started it, but I persevered and it did hook me in eventually (although I found the beast chapters really annoying). I didn't guess the twist at the end at all, and to be honest, I didn't really like it, it just felt a bit 'bolted on' somehow.


Thursday, 19 February 2026

The Story Tellers by Sue Heath











Started: 17.2.26

DNF: 19.2.26


Kindle


Chosen by RNG


This was an Amazon First Reads that has been on my Kindle since July 2025. I read the first few chapters, and whilst I'm sure it's a perfectly lovely story of found friendships and moving onwards and upwards in life, it just wasn't holding my attention. While I'm reading this I've got FOMO about all the other books I could be reading instead! So I've decided not to finish it.

Wednesday, 18 February 2026

Night Watching by Tracy Sierra

Nightwatching by Tracy Sierra


Started: 15.2.26

DNF: 18.2.26


Paperback


TBR Prompt: Pink book


I read the first two or three chapters but then ended up just flicking through the rest, trying to get the gist of what happened. Sometimes I can't read books where children are involved and in danger, and this was one of them.

Tuesday, 17 February 2026

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie (First Law Trilogy)














Started: 6.2.26

Finished: 17.2.26


Kindle Unlimited


This was my first foray into 'grimdark fantasy' and I really enjoyed it! There was a great cast of characters, all linked to each other in some way, though it wasn't always immediately obvious how. Each chapter flitted between the storyline of one or more of these characters, and although that can sometimes be a bit confusing and disjointed, the writing was so good that it just flowed really well. The vivid descriptions of people and places made me feel really immersed in the story; everyone is a bit 'morally grey' to some degree, but even some of the really unlikeable characters are actually, kind of, likeable! (Looking at you, Glokta!) There is, of course, a plot to this book, so it's not as if nothing happens, but it does feel like it's all building up to The Plot in books 2 and 3; one of my favourite BookTubers, Paperback Journeys, describes Book 1 as being like a "book-sized prologue", and I would agree. It's an introduction to characters and their backgrounds, it sets up the 'world-building', you learn about the history and politics of the place etc, and then it draws to a close with the main group of protagonists coming together to begin the journey into... book 2!

Sunday, 15 February 2026

Hungerstone by Kat Dunn














Started: 14.2.26

Finished: 15.2.26


Paperback


TBR Prompt: Vampires


I really enjoyed this and 'devoured' it in less than 24 hours. It's a reworking of Carmilla, the book that inspired Dracula, and is drenched in themes of appetite and hunger. A story of women's repression and desire for autonomy amid the societal constraints of the time, with a hefty dose of female rage and revenge!