Monthly Recap: March

I've been doing this bloggy thing for three and a half years, and yet I've never done a monthly recap feature. Why? I have no idea. So we're going to start doing one! Yay! Let's see what sort of nonsense I was up to in the month of March (or at least, what nonsense I REMEMBER being up to, since omg the beginning of the month was so long ago what even happened all the way back then)

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare | my review
Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare
When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare | my review

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
On a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare (novella)
A Week to be Wicked by Tessa Dare
A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare
Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare (novella)
The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright (novella)

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennet | my review
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski (reread) | my reread review
The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton | my review
Neverseen by Shannon Messenger | my review

The Crown and the Arrow by Renee Ahdieh (short story) | my review
The Moth and the Flame by Renee Ahdieh (short story)

I FREAKING KILLED IT THIS MONTH. Omfg. I read, like, two books in February, and I hated slumping that hard. It was the worst. And then Christina gave me When a Scot Ties the Knot as a gift, and it kicked off my...what the opposite of a reading slump? A reading...good posture? I don't know, but I'm on a series streak, and I hope this reading energy doesn't dissipate any time soon.

Fixer Upper (on Netflix)
HELLO MY NEWEST OBSESSION. Chip and Joanna are this adorable, rather goofy, very creative, occassionlly a bit dim but never about construction stuff couple from Texas who turn craptastic houses into MAGNIFICENT LIVING SPACES. They give me the real estate envy like WHOA. Chip and Joanna, can you please come and redo my whole life? FIX ME UP.

Gilmore Girls rewatch (on Netflix)
I'm just realllllyyyyy excited for Gilmore Girls: Seasons and I NEED A DATE ALREADY

The 100 (airing live)
As always.

It's a double coffee and double book kind of afternoon

A photo posted by Gillian Berry (@mizgillianberry) on Mar 30, 2016 at 2:11pm PDT

What an epic package from @fiercereads. Thank you so much for #thewinnerskiss, #thesquarerootofsummer, and #flawed! Gah, the completed #winnerstrilogy looks SO BEAUTIFUL TOGETHER. Some of my fave covers ever. #marierutkoski #ceceliaahern #harrietreuterhapgood #bookhaul

A photo posted by Gillian Berry (@mizgillianberry) on Mar 24, 2016 at 12:05pm PDT

Ahhhh! #theroseandthedagger was probably the arc I wanted the MOST this year, and I'm so grateful to @penguinteen for sending it my way! It's SOOOOO beautiful, and I can't wait to see what Shazi and Khalid are up to (please be together and happy forever Amen) 🌹🗡

A photo posted by Gillian Berry (@mizgillianberry) on Mar 18, 2016 at 12:29pm PDT

As always, the theme of the month was Hamilton. Because everything. Is. Hamilton.

Happy first day of spring! Plus some #hamilton Sunday doodles #Gill4Ham #angelicaaaa

A photo posted by Gillian Berry (@mizgillianberry) on Mar 20, 2016 at 11:24am PDT

reblog link

Today's doodle #Bronte4Ham? Sure, why not pic.twitter.com/S9DQUS7FHP

— Gillian Berry (@mizgillianberry) March 29, 2016

Saw Allegiant
Oof. Okay, so I quite liked Divergent (the movie), but I thought they went so completely off the rails with Insurgent that my friend and I had to pour ourselves huge glasses wine after seeing it and rant for two solid hours. Allegiant: Part One of One Too Many was...well, it was. It wasn't weird and silly and the actors tried so hard, but the script is nonsense, doesn't follow the book, is strange and expositional and ridiculous and CGI-y and it honestly felt like I was watching strange, lifeless fan fiction of Tris and Four. At least they both looked super hot. And Four takes a shower. We get to see it. That at least was worth it.

Easter at the beach
My family doesn't celebrate Easter, but it was a really beauitful Los Angeles Sunday, so I went to visit my mom at the beach and we had a lovely lazy day. We grabbed lunch, I drank super fancy organic juice that made me feel like a super fancy SoCal girl, and then we did the NYT crossword puzzle which was a HEATED ENDEAVOR LET ME TELL YOU. We take trivia very, very seriously in my family.

Ginger's sixth birthday
MY PUPPY BABY IS GROWING UP SO FAST. I didn't do anything because, you know, Ginger has no idea what a birthday is or what the number six is or anything besides IS THIS EDIBLE (answer: always yes), but I did get her a new peanut butter bone and I rubbed her tummy a lot so all in all, she had a pretty great sixth birthday.

This month's blog posts:

When a Scot Ties the Knot (or When a Grump Beats Her Slump)
Ten Characters I Love but No One Else Does/Everyone Loves but I Don't Get
Are You a Visual Reader?
Bookish Elements That Make My Heart Go BOOM
Giveaway: A Paperback of A Court of Thorns and Roses + Goodies! (open until 4/1)

Apple lemonade
We Los Angelenos are super into juice, and while I've never been a huge juice person in the past, apparently that has changed with a VENGEANCE. So much so that I impulse bought some apple juice the other day, until I remembered that I'm not four and I find apple juice a tad sweet. But then I mixed it with some lemonade...and HOLY SMOKES, PEOPLE, I HAVE INVENTED A CLASSIC, NEVER WILL I DRINK ANYTHING OTHER THAN APPLEADE

(I don't care if someone invented this first don't burst my bubble)

Romance novels
BLESS TESSA DARE!! This is the kind of romance writing I've apparently been searching for my whole life. Consider me a new convert! GIVE ME ALL THE HISTORICAL ROMANCEEEEE

Honey yogurt cake
I made a SUPER DELICIOUS cake this month (sadly I didn't take pictures) with Greek yogurt and some fancy buckwheat honey I had lying around, and it was moist, tangy, sticky, and full on crazy delicious. Mmmmm.

Turkish coffee ice cream

A photo posted by Gillian Berry (@mizgillianberry) on Mar 7, 2016 at 3:55pm PST

So. So. SO. GOOD. More fancy Southern California organic-ness because apparently I am a pretentious jerk face this month. It's made with real cold-brewed espresso and crushed espresso beans and it's honestly like going ALL THE WAY with the essence of coffee. I want to marry it.