Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: March 2026

Hello, everyone! It is once again the time to reflect on our reading for the previous month. And let me tell you that March was the best reading month for me so far this year. I didn't just find a 5* read, but three! I really hope the trend continues in April, especially since this is my birthday month. For the time being though, I don't have a lot of time for reading as I have many things going on for the following days, as well as some beta reads that I need to focus on. 

In any case, here is what I read this month: 

Books I've Completed in March

• The Only One Left - Riley Sager: This was my book club's pick for the month and my first book by this author. I have to say that it was a fun time, and I read it pretty quickly. However, I felt that there were too many twists at the end, which I felt were unnecessary. 
• The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre - Philip Fracassi: Guys, you need to pick up this book! It is a fun slasher that takes place in a retirement home. The killings were inventive, the characters interesting, and the overall themes were important. But above all, it is one of the most entertaining books I've read. So much so that I did write a review even though I hadn't planned to.
• The Lover - Marguerite Duras: I have a feeling that me and French novelists don't go well together. For years, I had been thinking that I would love this book. It turns out that it wasn't my thing. I feel that it was the writing style, which reminded me a bit of Coup de Grâce by Marguerite Yourcenar that I read late last year.
• The Quantum Moment: How Planck, Bohr, Einstein, and Heisenberg Taught Us to Love Uncertainty - Alfred Scharff Goldhaber, Robert P. Crease: My first nonfiction book of the year turned out to be very interesting. It talked about quantum theory and quantum mechanics, and how its terminology found a way in pop culture. This overlap was fascinating, especially since it combined science and language, two subjects that I love. My realy gripe with this book is that the Greek edition that I read had so many mistakes that it was distracting. 
• The Witch - Marie NDiaye: The (now) shortlisted book for the International Booker Prize 2026, The Witch, was one the titles that had caught my eye since the longlist was announced. And I was so lucky to receive an ARC of the book via NetGalley. Unfortunately though, I didn't end up loving it as much as I'd hoped, and you can read my thought in more detail in my review. 
• I Hope This Finds You Well - Natalie Sue: Why hadn't I read this book until now? This was funny and heartwarming, and I just couldn't put it down. And it made me think that maybe I like reading about dysfunctional characters in workplaces, since I also loved Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata and Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. 
• The Silmarillion - J.R.R.Tolkien: This was probably one of the best audiobook experiences I've ever had. Andy Serkis did an amazing job at narrating this book, and I could just keep listening no matter what. As a book, I can't say that I loved it as much as The Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, but I loved learning more about Middle Earth's hostory and legends.
• Alphabet of Oddities: A Gothic Bestiary - Ronald Porcelli: This was a very interesting and artistic book that I've received as an ARC. It is basically an ABC poem, but instead of A is for apple, it uses various creatures. Each letter is also accompanied by an illustration, which in my opinion were the highlight of the edition. You can read my thoughts in my review.
• This Story Might Save Your Life - Tiffany Crum: My next read was one of the books that I'd been anticipating, and I wasn't disappointed. It had an interesting mystery the kept me locked in the story. However, the second part turned out to be more domestic than I would have liked. But I would totally recommend it, especially as an audiobook (since there are also podcast sections). 
• How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates - Shailee Tompson: Another one of the 2026 books that I was excited for. Unfortunately, I didn't really like it. It wasn't a particularly good slasher, and not a very good romance. My initial guess for the killer (which I made around the 35% mark) turned out to be correct. But this thing is, that I've already read a self-referential slasher that did the meta references excellently (My Heart Is a Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones), so it was difficult not to compare the two.

Books I'm Currently Reading

• Art Is a Tyrant: The Unconventional Life of Rosa Bonheur - Catherine Hewitt: If you don't know it already, I have studied art in uni. My favourite subjects always tended to be those that had to do with art history, which is something that I'm still interested in. This book is a biography of the 19th century painter Rosa Bonheur, who had relationships with other women, dressed in male clothing, and managed to make a name for herself in a time when women were kept out of art. 
• The Seventh Heaven: Stories of the Supernatural - Naguib Mahfouz: This is the second book by the Egyptian Nober Prize winner author. I decided to pick it up for both my Reading Around the World challenge and the Buzzword Reading challenge. So far, I've only read the first short story (which also is the largest one in the book) and I found really interesting. 

What books did you read in March?

Which was the best and worst book of the month?