arden's asides

march 2025 reading journey

Even though I have been reading, I feel like I have been in a slump compared to the previous two months. Maybe it’s because I spent a chunk of time reading an especially long novel for the first couple of weeks, or that I ended up DNFing and returning a number of library books that I was unable to finish on time. Most of my afternoons have been spent watching YouTube, playing Sims 4, or taking naps, and I think that’s ultimately what I’m a little more disappointed with in terms of my goals. Don’t get me wrong: I like all of those things and don’t plan to stop doing them. However, I do want to create more space in my life to putting on some quiet background music and curling up with a book that I actually want to read.

One new addition to my TBR this month is adding picture books into the fold. My younger brother and his wife are expecting their first child in August, so I’m already thinking forward to a future in which I can recommend lots of great books. Plus, this is just a great, underrated genre. Not just the classics either; there are genuinely a lot of gems out there with fantastic art, whimsical stories, and also educational and compassionate windows into diverse experiences.

Next month, I’m going to lesson my expectations for what I read. I put a little pressure on myself to try and branch out into non-fiction and my brain just wasn’t having it. I’ll get there when I get there. For April, I just want to maintain enjoyment in reading as a hobby whether that means reading mainly kid lit or whatever else catches my attention.

1. Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings

Admittedly, I’m not sure how to approach talking about this novel. I knew going into that the author originally wrote it as fan fiction and adapted it to be her own original series. Kayla prefaced her high rating by saying that this is a book about messy, drama that she ate up but that probably wouldn’t be for everyone—especially if they just cannot deal with unlikable characters. I wanted to give it a shot out of morbid curiosity. The prose was zippy and easy to read through and I usually enjoy having a “popcorn read” on standby. However, there were many, many elements that I did not like about this book and I’m not sure that I would continue with the series.

Magnolia Parks is an uber wealthy Londoner who is the subject of many local newspapers due to her beauty, fashion, and relationship with a notorious group of boys, including two known gangsters and one pretty-boy influencer: her ex-boyfriend B.J. Balentine. As was the case with their source inspiration (Blaire Waldorf and Chuck Bass), Magnolia and B.J. are a toxic on-and-off again couple who continue to hurt each other (publicly and privately) despite both proclaiming narratively how deeply they love one another. The novel is rife with unreasonable expectations, including what I personally consider to be a pattern of abusive and misogynistic tendencies from B.J. specifically. For the rest of this entry, I just need to talk about some more specific details of the book to get a vent off my chest. But if that last note leaves you at all uncertain about this novel, just know that I would consider it a pass.

Spoilers: We learn fairly early on in the novel that the reason why Magnolia and B.J. broke up is because he admitted to cheating on her though he chooses not disclose why or with whom. For the next two years, they proceed to make several decisions that are harmful to each other (such as Magnolia dating various people, at least in the public eye, including one of their mutual close friends, Christian, and B.J. sleeping with almost every pretty woman in London society and developing an alcohol and drug problem often in response to whenever he learned that Magnolia was seeing someone other than him.) One of the biggest things that I took issue with throughout the book is how deeply B.J. would insist that Magnolia was just as fucked up as he was and that the ways in which she hurt him were equal to how he treated her. Magnolia makes plenty of unhealthy decisions, such as letting B.J. sleep in her bed, even when she’s seeing other guys, wearing his promise ring around her neck long after they broke up, fake dating the most eligible bachelor in town to make B.J. jealous and then blurring the lines between the three of them.

None of these things compare even remotely to how abusive B.J. was throughout the novel. The affair, punishing Magnolia emotionally, publicly, and traumatically for doing something that he also did (though neglected to inform her about), physically assaulting multiple people in public because Mangolia “belongs to him,” taking advantage that Magnolia will go to care for him after his substance abuse spirals. The book is certainly messy, and both characters make deeply awful decisions throughout the book, but B.J. was consistently an awful partner and friend to multiple people and I’m at least glad that he was finally kicked to the curb in the last moment of the book because I would have torn my fucking hair out otherwise.

Rant over. I hate B.J. as do many, many people. And I don’t like any of the other characters nearly enough to continue reading if there is any chance that I will have to continue dealing with B.J. further because I do not want to read his bullshit anymore.

2. xxxHOLiC Omnibus (Vol. 2-3) by CLAMP

Moving on! This series continues to be fantastic. I’m really enjoying Watanuki’s friendships going stronger, especially with Domeki (despite how much he professes to hate him.) Something that is always on the back of my mind while reading it is what happens in the later volumes of Tsubasa. Knowing what Watanuki is going to go through later casts such a different light on the experiences that I am reading about for the first time. Volume 3 had one of my favorite stories in it in which Watanuki learns an important lesson about self-worth. We’re also moving along in the Tsubasa timeline now, which is raising the background stakes.

3. A Song for You and I by K. O’Neil

A short and sweet coming-of-age graphic novel with light fantasy elements. It has similar vibes to The Tea Dragon Society with its beautiful natural landscapes, cozy moments, and exploration of identity. I found myself wanting the story to be longer because I wanted to see more of the adventures between the two main characters, especially with the epiphanies that each one has and the direction that it might take them.

4. The Baby-sitter’s Club: Kristy’s Walking Disaster by Ellen T. Crenshaw

This was a fun entry to the series! Kristy’s journey to becoming a coach was a lot of fun and it was refreshing to see her be the one who was blushing and interested in dating for a change since that hasn’t really been explored with her so far. However, I do think that Bart was kind of a jerk whenever he wasn’t with Kristy one-on-one and he acted like a pretty bad coach when his team was sitting in on the Krusher’s practice session, getting way out of line, and even saying ableist things that were called out by the kids rather than their coach. Even though he apologized and acknowledged what a great job Kristy was doing, I don’t think he’s really done enough to rectify how egregious those missteps were.

5. The Baby-sitter’s Club: Mallory and the Trouble Twins by Arley Nopra

Mallory’s story was super cute! You're not supposed to like the twins when they're first introduced, but I could see the overlap in their experiences coming early on. Basically, Mallory is tired of looking like a kid the closer she gets to being a teenager and it turns out that the twins are going through a similar struggle when it comes to appearance and identity. I liked that they were able to connect in this fashion, though I did find myself occasionally frustrated with the parents this time. It felt like they were being slightly unreasonable with their expectations for the sitters.

6. Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison

Sulwe struggles with feeling very different due to her deeper skin tone—even in comparison to her family members. Throughout the book, she wishes that she could be different until she talks with her mother about her struggles and has a dream about the beauty that can be found in the darkness. It’s a very sweet book and beautifully illustrated.

7. I Am a Cat by Galia Bernstein

Sometimes, you just want a deeply silly story and this one delivered. The book follows Simon, a house cat, who tries to prove himself to all of the big wild cats who insist that he can’t possibly be a cat since he’s so different from all of them. Each page explores a different aspect of cats, broadly, and the specific wild cats. It’s a fun book with some education about animals, but mostly very, very cute illustrations.

8. Are You Eating Candy Without Me? by Draga Jenny Malesevic, illustrated by Charlotte Brujin

Brujin’s artwork is delightful in this story where kids accuse their parents of having all the fun without them. They imagine all kinds of silly scenarios and it’s such a treat to see adults acting out the whims of children. I can imagine kids asking their parents to read this one again and again at bedtime to relish in the details of the illustrations.

9. Animal Ark (books 6-10)

Not a bad book in the bunch! You can read about the longer details of my thoughts on each book in my Animal Ark Read-A-Thon Part 2 blog post.

10. Medea by Seneca, translated by Emily Wilson

This month, I found myself thinking a lot about Medea and how she was cast aside by Jason. I hadn’t read the play adaptations by either Seneca or Euripedes, but I was given a glowing recommendation of Emily Wilson’s adaptations in general so I went back to reading Classics for the first time in a while. It was nice reading a play format again and Medea has so many lines compared to her male counterparts (only outdone by the Chorus.) When I was in grad school, I read Euripedes' Hecuba and her treatment as a scorned woman is different for a number of reasons, but the biggest one is that she is a mother whose children were killed one-by-one throughout the Trojan war whereas Medea wielded magic against her own people to assist an outsider. Medea’s own Nurse repeatedly tries to calm her mistress down saying how afraid she is that her thirst for revenge is going to lead to her undoing, but Medea is determined to lean into her darkest feelings. Even so, there is still a logical undercurrent as she breaks down her decisions, Jason's shifting reactions based on what he wanted then versus now, and the punishment that awaits her. She's far from a flat villain and I can see how and why Shakespeare and his contemporaries took so much inspiration from her.

It will probably take me longer to fully parse my thoughts on this one so I might come back to it later on down the road and close read a few passages. Those are muscles I haven't had to exercise in a while and it's fun to sense them activating again.

11. Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries

Is this my favorite book of the year so far? This sci-fi/fantasy graphic novel follows Oberon, a trans man who is navigating the fallout of a nervous breakdown, ongoing depression, and inexplicable migraines. Set on Meridian, an alien planet society has been cultivating after Earth’s atmosphere failed, where society is trying to conduct research to manage the atmosphere/weather, personal gardens, and even restoration of Earth’s lost animals. It’s also relatively common for children to awake into powers, making them Ghosts, such as additional physical strength or telekinesis. Although Oberon grew up without an awakening, he discovers early in the novel that he has become a Ghost and can manifest portions of his dreams into reality. This knowledge comes to him via a dream version of Kon, his unrequited high school crush who seemingly vanished under unusual circumstances. The pair navigate Oberon’s new powers while also trying to process the aftermath of the mental breakdown. There are two things I really loved about this book: its focus on mental health and the solarpunk qualities of Meridian’s focus on community environmentalism. Ries has imagined a fascinating alternate world that deviates from a lot of what I see emphasized in space stories where everything is as opposite to Earth as possible. This planet is definitely different; its natural flora and fauna look distinct to our planet. They aren’t solely trying to make a New Earth by replacing the natural landscape with a replica of our own, but trying to meet somewhere in the middle.

Oberon navigates the novel assuming that he’s the biggest fuck-up and that everyone around him looks at his situation with pity, but he learns over the course of his journey that other people have also been holding in their own fears and failures and that leaning on one another for bravery and forgiveness can help us heal.

**12. The Tale of Holly How by Susan Wittig Albert

Why does this mystery series work so well for me? I liked this entry even more than the first one. The stakes were higher with the mysteries and they were slightly more complex (three loosely overlapping crimes.) It’s a delight to witness the women in town succeeding, especially Beatrix continuing to internalize and exercise the lesson from the previous book in standing up for herself and what she wants. The scene where she describes herself as “muscular” was so satisfying. I also deeply enjoyed the animal segments. Bosworth Badger and the animals at the sett gave me Wind in the Willows vibes and Tuppenny was an excellent small but brave guinea pig living so far outside his element in the English countryside.

Paused Readings

DNFed

Webtoons

April Active TBR

Thank you for reading! ʕᵔᴥᵔʔ

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