Greetings Fools,

March has been a great reading month for me and I wanted to pass on the books I've enjoyed so far.

• Alchemised by SenLinYu. One of the top selling books of 2025, this dark romance / dark fantasy is a bleak adaption of Manacled, a sprawling Harry Potter fan fiction the author wrote several years ago. This book is not for everyone, but I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and subversion of some standard fantasy tropes.

• Heart the Lover by Lily King. I inhaled this book and loved the experience. Two chapters of a woman's live, and the men in them, are examined decades apart. You can read it in an afternoon. It's a moving meditation on growing up, getting hurt, and loving people all the same.

• Role Model by Rachel Reid. Another Heated Rivalry book, and perhaps my favorite so far, as it deals extensively with toxic masculinity and the quest (internally) to overcome it. Relatable.

• Sold by Patricia McCormick. The latest in my banned books series. A difficult subject but accessible read about a young Nepali girl trafficked into India. Video coming soon.