Start of a Chapter 📖 March 2024 TBR

Ola Olajide, a celebrated journalist at Womxxxn magazine, is set to marry the love of her life in one month’s time. Young, beautiful, and successful—she and her fiancé Michael are considered the “couple goals” of their social network and seem to have it all. That is, until one morning when they both wake up to the same message: “Oh my god, have you seen The List?”

It began as a crowdsourced collection of names and somehow morphed into an anonymous account posting allegations on social media. Ola would usually be the first to support such a list—she’d retweet it, call for the men to be fired, write article after article. Except this time, Michael’s name is on it.

First up on my March TBR is “The List” by Yomi Adegoke. This powerful and insightful contemporay book explores the concept of cancel culture. Adegoke delves into the complexities of allegations, offering readers a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be both the accused, and the loved ones near.

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for “The Night Owls,” the late-night live comedy show that airs each Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she’s long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life.

But when Sally’s friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actor who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show—and in society at large—who’ve gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the “Danny Horst Rule,” poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman.

Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week’s show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder whether there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn’t a romantic comedy; it’s real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her…right?

Next on my reading list is “Romantic Comedy” by Curtis Sittenfeld, a delightful novel that celebrates an ultimate meet cute. With wit, humor, and a keen eye for human nature, Sittenfeld weaves together a tapestry of love that will leave readers smiling and perhaps even swooning. From awkward first meets to unexpected encounters, this story explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age.

For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf.

Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as The Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. This child has the power to change the world – for good, or for evil.

As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is hunted for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt’s responsibility to protect them all – and the Witcher never accepts defeat.

For fans of epic fantasy, “Blood of Elves” by Andrzej Sapkowski is a must-read. As the first full-length novel in the beloved Witcher series, this book transports readers to a world of magic, monsters, and moral ambiguity. Follow Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, as he navigates political intrigue, dark sorcery, and the complexities of destiny in a land torn apart by war. With its rich world-building, complex characters, and gripping storytelling, “Blood of Elves” promises an immersive reading experience that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next installment.

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord…1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Last but certainly not least, I’m excited to dive into “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon, a timeless tale of love, adventure, and time travel set against the backdrop of 18th-century Scotland. When Claire Randall, a WWII nurse, is mysteriously transported back in time to the Scottish Highlands, she finds herself torn between two vastly different worlds and two equally compelling men: Jamie Fraser, a gallant Scottish warrior, and Frank Randall, her beloved husband in her own time. Blending historical fiction, romance, and elements of the supernatural, “Outlander” is a sweeping saga that I’m excited to jump into.