For most of March, I have been struggling with a reading slump. I tried reading a few books but didn’t get past the first few chapters. On top of that, I have had a few stressful weeks, so I found myself falling asleep earlier instead of reading before I went to bed. After getting coffee with a friend, I was reminded how I haven’t applied for a library card since moving to our house last year. I visited my local library, received my library card, and strolled around the shelves looking for something new to read. I found two books and two manga that I’m planning on reading throughout March and April. I feel invigorated! I am so excited to read the books I borrowed. I wanted to share what’s on my TBR.

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Lore takes place in New York City and focuses on Lore. She’s a young woman who has ties to the Greek Gods. Every seven years, the gods are brought back to Earth, stripped of their powers, and need to stay alive. This hunt is called the Agon. During the Agon, hunters will step up to the plate to try to kill the gods and take their powers. Lore’s bloodline is linked to one of the gods, so even if she has no interest in this hunt, she is still a target. Lore is approached by Athena during the Agon as Athena is severely wounded. Lore has to decide if it’s worth putting her life on the line to help Athena and potentially stop a horrible person from becoming a god.

Lore reminds me of The Hunger Games if The Hunger Games involved the Greek Gods. I’m only on Chapter #2 now, but I’m looking forward to how this book plays out.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard

Ciara and Oliver start dating right before the Covid-19 pandemic begins. Oliver suggests to Ciara that she could move in with him to quarantine together. 35 days later, a body is found by the police in Oliver’s apartment. Is Oliver dead or is he a killer? Did Ciara have something to do with his death? or was it self-defense?

Thrillers are some of my favorite books to read and I liked how 56 Days takes place before Covid. I’m curious to see how this plays out considering that Ciara and Oliver just met and now they are living together. That doesn’t seem like the most logical thing to do. I’m curious about what the twist will be and how everything will be revealed.

Scott Pilgrim Volume #1 by Bryan Lee O’Malley

I have never read the original Scott Pilgrim graphic novels nor have I watched the film adaptation. Scott Pilgrim is one of the most well-known graphic novels out there and I figured now is as good of a time as any to start reading the series.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part #1 by Hirohiko Araki

In this manga series, each part of the series stars a family member from the Joestar family. Each Joestar family member has this power that they can harness which they can use to defeat evil and prevent corruption. In this first volume, Jonathan Joestar meets his adopted brother, Dio Brando who hates him right away. Dio turns himself into a vampire and comes for Jonathan’s legacy which prompts Jonathan to take down Dio once and for all.

I have heard good things about Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures. I’m still in the process of finding out the type of manga that I like to read, so I’m trying to read the first volumes in a bunch of different series to see what I’m most interested in.

I’m looking forward to going to my local library more often! The librarian that helped me with my library card insisted that I download the library app. In the app, you can select books to keep on hold. How cool is that?? I clearly haven’t been to a library in a long time because I didn’t realize that libraries have their own apps. I’m glad to be back on a regular reading schedule and have something new to read.