Bookmarked: March Reading Recap
(This is an audio version of the newsletter below. It’s unedited and raw. If you prefer to listen, I hope you enjoy it, including the real sounds and stutters that come with it)
Hello friend,
Welcome to the very first edition of Bookmarked – a little reading corner I've carved out to share the stories that have kept me company this month. Think of this as that conversation we'd have if we ran into each other at the bookstore, both of us with stacks in our arms, eager to swap recommendations.
It’s taken me far into April to get this out the door - even the first time I’m writing it. Life gets crazy, you know?
I've always been hopelessly mood-driven when it comes to choosing books – reaching for whatever feels right in that exact moment when I finish one story and need another. But it wasn't until I sat down to write this recap that I noticed the invisible thread connecting everything I read in March. Funny how our hearts sometimes know what we need before our minds do, isn't it?
March brought us those perfect reading-weather days here – rain tapping against windows, inviting me to burrow deeper into my corner of the couch with another chapter. My family's "spend less" challenge this month turned out to be a happy accomplice to my reading life, keeping us home and encouraging us to find joy in what we already have – including the unread books waiting patiently on my shelves.
So brew something warm, get comfortable, and let me tell you about the stories that found me exactly when I needed them this month.
This Month's Stack
March Reads at a Glance
How to Walk Into a Room by Emily P. Freeman - A gentle guide for life's in-between moments
The Co-Op by Tarah Dewitt - Former friends, forced proximity, and a renovation that changes everything
Wildfire by Hannah Grace - The swoony hockey romance that made estate paperwork bearable
The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden - A second-chance story that waited nine months for me to be ready
Funny Story by Emily Henry - The book that stole an entire Saturday and made me regret nothing
Reading By the Numbers
Books completed: 5
Formats: 3 physical, 1 ebook, 1 audiobook
Hours spent listening: 9
Favorite reading drinks: Yogi Kava Stress Relief Tea and homemade Spicy Mocha
The Heart of It: March Reads
How to Walk Into a Room by Emily P. Freeman
This book found me exactly when I needed a gentle hand on my shoulder. In a life that's felt like one long in-between lately, Freeman's words were the deep breath I didn't know I needed to take.
The "rooms" metaphor settled into my bones in a way that explains why it took me so long to finish - I kept pausing between chapters to just sit with my thoughts, letting them unfurl slowly like morning glories. While I'm not religious anymore, the spiritual threads still resonated with that part of me that remembers Sunday mornings and seeking comfort in something bigger than myself.
I borrowed this one through Kindle Unlimited, and honestly, the slow pace at which I read it became part of the experience itself - like a conversation with a friend who doesn't mind comfortable silences.
The Co-Op by Tarah Dewitt
There's something deliciously entertaining about throwing former friends together under one roof with power tools and unresolved tension. This forced proximity romance had me smiling while shredding papers from my grandmother's estate - especially since my sister and I had just been discussing renovations ourselves.
The chemistry between characters sparked nicely, but I'm finding myself struggling to recall specific moments as I write this. It was like a warm chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven - completely enjoyable in the moment, but not necessarily the one you're still thinking about a week later.
Wildfire by Hannah Grace
My secret for surviving the mountain of paperwork from my grandmother's estate? Audiobooks. This one kept me company while hunched over a shredder for hours, making the mundane task almost enjoyable.
The chemistry between these characters felt like the perfect distraction - our female lead with her refreshing confidence (teach me your ways, please) and relatable family drama, minus the fame part of course. And that male lead? I'd been quietly rooting for him since Icebreaker, so watching him finally step into the sunshine of his own story felt like seeing an old friend find happiness.
The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden
This book sat on my shelf judging me for nine months because I kept thinking it would be too "light" for my mood. Isn't it funny how wrong we can be? Once I finally cracked it open, I fell into this story about second chances and parallel lives with an unexpected emotional punch.
I found myself in the main character's crossroads moments, that feeling of standing at life's intersections wondering which way leads home. What stuck with me was how each version of her life contained both beauty and unexpected heartache - a reminder that even our dream scenarios would come with their own complications. The ending was sweet enough to require insulin, but somehow it worked. Maybe it was watching her navigate parent loss in different timelines (a club I never wanted to join but somehow find myself a lifetime member of), or maybe it was just the universal truth that the grass isn't greener - it's just different grass.
Pick this one up when you're feeling contemplative but still want to believe good things are possible.
Funny Story by Emily Henry
I let this book intimidate me from my bookshelf for three months before finally diving in - and then proceeded to lose an entire Saturday to it, emerging only for snacks and bathroom breaks until real life rudely demanded attention again. This is the kind of book that makes me wish for selective amnesia so I could experience reading it for the first time all over again.
The chemistry between these characters was electric from page one, and I found myself impatiently turning pages, mentally shouting "just kiss already!" before they finally did - and wow, was it worth the wait. All the feelings, all the love, all the everything for this book.
The Passage That Found Me
From The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden:
“Honey, it sounds like whatever you’re holding on to is probably already broken,” she said kindly, “and you’re just holding the pieces together and praying for some glue.” She paused, considering. “Life doesn’t work that way. If you cling so tight to something that’s already broken, to a life and dream that can never come true, you don’t have space in your life for anything else, for the good and real plan Bs.” She looked me in the eye and said firmly, “Sometimes, Lolly, you just have to let it go.”
I have been in this strange in-between feeling in my life for the past few years, between my mom passing in 2021 to caregiving for my grandmother until November of 2024. Now, a few months later, I’m still in this strange phase because we’re still working on her estate and cleaning out her home.
In the midst of that, I think I’ve had other transitions, but this one has been the greatest. Not knowing where I fit in after years of taking care of others, filling in the gaps that need filling. At this point of my life, I’m not sure who or what I’m hanging on to for the sake of just hanging on.
I think I needed to read this book at this time, along with How to Walk Into a Room by Emily P. Freeman, to help me realize that I’ve been hanging on in this limbo for a while. And that it’s safe to move forward and dream new dreams. Even if I don’t know what those dreams are just yet.
My Reading Corner
This is where I spent most of my time reading this month. Curled up in this little corner of the couch with my heated blanket and a cup of tea.
Looking Ahead
Seeing as I’m not getting around to publishing this until we’re well into April, it’s safe to say that I know what kind of books are coming up for this month. Let’s say there’s a few fresh start reads and a swoony audiobook review coming!
I can’t wait to share what I read with you this month!
Until next time,
Rachael