What I’m Reading Right Now: March

Hello and welcome to March.

It’s that month that is the teasingest of all the months. In the morning it feels like spring is imminent, but by the afternoon it’s snowing. But, one consolation, it’s not February. And we can all live in the knowledge that spring will eventually arrive, whether it wants to or not.

As I was gathering up all the books that I’ve been reading so far in March—besides all the books I’m still reading from earlier in the year—I realized that these were all actually non-fiction books.

Wow!

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m trash for fiction, especially fantasy of all sorts. But February left me feeling stuck and in need of some change. So in the last week of the month, I took some time off from social media and I’ve actually started reading more non-fiction books.

Story Genius by Lisa Cron

I started reading this actually back in February as inspiration when I was feeling quite low about all the rejections I was getting. I thought it would be a good motivational tool for me to keep writing, and not just give up and crawl into a corner to die like I wanted to.

The book’s main goal is to show the reader how to write a first draft based purely on character arc, rather than simply plot points. A character-driven book is more appealing to audiences than something that is more plot-driven, according to Lisa Cron.

So far it’s been an excellent book. I’m in the midst of writing a new first draft and I’ve been given so much useful insight in how I should go about making this a much better book. So huzzah for that!

You are a Badass by Jen Sincero

While on my week away from all sad internet things, I read this book to see if it would/could help me. And⏤somewhat surprisingly⏤it did. Some may find this book a little too self-helpy (there’s talk of Source Energy and vibrations and positive affirmations), but the writing appealed to me.

It’s been fairly easy to read and has actually made me feel like I could shift myself into a better sense of self. But I wouldn’t recommend reading it if you don’t like hippy-dippy stuff about energy and manifestation.

A Brief History of the Celts by Peter Berresford Ellis

To be honest, I started this book a while ago as I was starting research for a potential novel idea. I was going to set the story in a fantasy world based on a mishmash of Celtic/Nordic/Anglo-Saxon cultures. But because of my fiction addiction and moving on to other projects, research stalled.

Now I’m making another attempt to finish it even if it’s just for historical curiosity. There’s a part of me that kind of misses learning new history things. So this is my valiant effort to get back onto the fun-history-learning-time train.

So if you’d like a bite-sized overview on the history of Celtic people, this book is a good place to start.

Last but certainly not least, I’ve been poking around in this book very recently.

It has something to do with a super-secret announcement I’m going to be making on my newsletter in a couple weeks. So if you want to be privy to the news when it drops, you can sign up HERE.

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So that’s it for March. Not many books this month, but I’m still reading like 3 books from past months because I take forever to read and I’m always starting new books.

As always, I’m interested in what you’re reading! Let me know by leaving a comment.