In February, I looked forward to a Jacob Banks concert. In April, I’m looking forward to a Tom Odell concert and Bruno Major concert. In between those months — March — I didn’t think I would have much going on. But it’s turned out to be the most eventful month yet: I did a photoshoots with three local Philly bloggers, my mom visited me in Philly, Jennifer visited me in Philly, I met up with three groups of friends over one weekend in NYC, and I started a new project (see next section!!). And it doesn’t stop there. On the last day of March, I flew out to LA! The occasion is my youngest brother’s spring break. I’ll be in LA until Saturday (April 6). So yeahh that’s why I haven’t been super active in the blogosphere this month. I’ll be working on replying to comments and catching up on Bloglovin’ throughout this week, and hopefully I’ll be caught up by then!
Guess what y’all?? I started a book blog and joined bookstagram!! I’ve been toying around with this idea since the beginning of January and dipped my toes into it by fiddling around with creating book-related content on a lowkey Tumblr. Then this month I came up with the most brilliant URL, if I do say so myself, which was the last push I needed to go all-in with book blogging.
Introducing… Book Book Bitch!!! (A play on “bok bok bitch” from Crazy Rich Asians. Yo, I’m so proud of myself, you wouldn’t believe.) (Now I’m doubly inspired to read the next two books in the trilogy, which I haven’t gotten around to yet… ~exposed~) There you’ll find bookish flatlays (which have been so much fun to stage, as I don’t really do flatlays for Brunch at Audrey’s), full reviews for every book I read March 2019+, and some of my favourite quotes.
I’m keeping my bookstagram handle PG with @bookbookchick in case anything ever comes of this book blogging/gramming thing, as publishers probably aren’t crazy about profanity.
As for bookish content on Brunch at Audrey’s, I’ll continue to share my reprised monthly reads/tbrs in my month-in-reviews and then link out to Book Book Bitch for full reviews, and I’ll continue to share full reviews for egalleys I’ve been sent to read and review. I’m also thinking that I’ll keep my bookish lifestyle posts on Brunch at Audrey’s, i.e. my favourite secondhand bookshops? Let me know if there’s any other bookish content you’d like to see here or on Book Book Bitch!
Read
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng // ★★★★★ // Disa described this book to me as a “slow burn” and that was so accurate! This book came to me at the perfect time in my life, made me cry, and this might sound a bit dramatic, but also healed me in a way. Now one of my favourite books of all time! If you like character-driven novels, check this one out. (Full review here)
This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel // ★★★★☆ // This is a heart-wrenching story of raising a trans child. Although I’m not a parent or trans, I related to the themes of identity and the unknown. How do you ask the world to accept you for who you are when you’re still trying to figure out who that is? We make so many decisions in life, many before we’re ready to do so; all we can do is take it one day at a time. (Full review here)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Barrows // ★★★★☆ // I watched the Netflix film before knowing it was based off a book! The film and the book were charming in different ways. The film focused more on the romance between Juliet and Dawsey, whereas the book brought focus on more Society members. (Full review here)
Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello // ★★★★☆ // Hermès is my favourite luxury brand, so this title immediately caught my eye when I spotted it at a secondhand bookshop. In this book, Tonello gives a behind-the-scenes look into his lucrative career reselling Birkins, the world’s most coveted and elusive handbag. I’m happy to report that the book proved to be just as fun and punchy as the title! (Full review here)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams // ★★★☆☆ // As the source of several cultural references, I’ve been intrigued by this book for awhile and finally got around to reading it. After browsing reviews, I found that people either loved it or didn’t get it. Unfortunately, I fell with the latter and found the story a bit absurd and erratic, though I could appreciate the humour. (Full review here)
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness // ★★★★☆ // This book didn’t hit me as hard as it seemed to hit most people, but I loved the storytelling and thought the message was important. The topic was heavy, dealing with cancer and grief, and yet was easy to read (and illustrated! if you get that version of the book). (Full review coming soon to Book Book Bitch)
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward // ★★★☆☆ // If you’re into magical realism and southern gothic, this is the book for you. Unfortunately those aren’t the genres for me, but I still gave this book a shot because of its important themes. In the end, this felt like the kind of book I’d be assigned for English class; I’d probably appreciate it more if I took my time studying it or at the very least reading it a bit more actively, but it’s not a book I would typically reach for on my own free time. But that’s just my personal taste. (Full review coming soon to Book Book Bitch)
To be read
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister // I’m participating in the blog tour for this book, which will be published on May 21! Look out for my review on May 15. I’ve just started this book, and from what I can tell so far, it tells the story of a father and a daughter who live alone on a remote island and they spend their days foraging for scents. Imagine an enchanted, fairytale island, but it’s their reality! Or so it seems. As the daughter grows up, so does her curiosity about her life; the world as she knows it changes as she discovers what’s reality and what’s fantasy. I’m just as curious as the daughter to get to the bottom of it!
Home Remedies by Xuan Juliana Wang // A collection of stories set in China and America. The form reminds me of Sour Heart by Jenny Zhang. I love supporting Asian/Asian-American authors/stories! To be published on May 14.
I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi // Who doesn’t want to be? Recommended to me by Xin!
So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport // I forget where I discovered this title but… #goals. I need to be better yo.
Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple // This was a popular title quite awhile ago, and I finally got it in from the library! Looking forward to breezing through this. I want to know where Bernadette disappeared to.
Death Notice by Zhou Haohui // The title and bright yellow cover caught my eye in the library. I love thrillers and I love supporting Asian/Asian-American authors/stories; Zhou Haohui is one of China’s most popular authors and I’ve never read him, so it’s about time I guess!
The Distance Home by Paula Saunders // I admit that this was a cover “buy”/library-borrow. I don’t know much about it, but it seems to be a small-town story that focuses on family dynamics.
Movies/TV shows
A new show I discovered this month was Selling Sunset. It’s a docusoap following real estate agents of The Oppenheim Group. I love apartment tours, but these luxury properties in Los Angeles are another level! There’s also plenty of catty drama between the gorgeous real estate agents. A guilty pleasure.
Of course, I’m caught up with the new season of Queer Eye. The highlight of the season for me was when one of the Jones sisters got her smile back in S03E03 :’)
I also caught up with Atypical, am currently catching up with The Good Place, and am rewatching Criminal Minds.
Spendings
Knowing I’d have two full weekends out with friends this month, I was really anxious about keeping to budget this month, thinking I’d be spending way too much eating out. But surprisingly, it turned out that I spent less overall in March than in February or January. I only spent slightly more eating out this month than in previous months, but I spent a lot less on “other,” so I guess that’s the category that makes the greatest difference for me. That’s been enlightening to realise, as I’ve stressed myself out a lot about spending on transportation, coffee, bubble tea, and eating out, but I guess “other” is the category I should really be targeting when it comes to budgeting.
Monthlies – 61% // Rent, utilities.
Transportation – 10% // In previous months, I spent most in this category Lyfting to and from the gym. This month I stopped Lyfting back from the gym, opting to walk and/or take public transportation instead. Now that the weather is gradually warming up, I considered taking public transportation to the gym as well, but walking and public transportation are both SUCH time sucks, so I decided against it. In the end, cutting back to Lyfting only one way to/from the gym didn’t save as much money as I hoped it would, but I’ll still be keeping it up. Some money saved is better than no money saved, and it’s probably good for me to get that vitamin D.
Groceries – 9% // Spent less this month.
Coffee – 3% // Spent more this month. I’ve been reconnecting with local bloggers to do photoshoots, and we always start off with catching up over coffee. And have also simply been enjoying more beautiful days out because of the weather, coffee included.
Bubble tea – 2% // Spent more this month but probably consumed the same amount of bubble tea as in past months — had visitors and bought people bubble tea.
Food – 9% // Spent slightly more this month — a lot less than I thought I would be spending. Even after impulsively buying six cookies for $15 from Schmackery’s one time.
Books – 1% // There’s a secondhand bookshop I pass by between my apartment and my gym that has become part of my weekly routine. My haul includes: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote ($7), Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng ($3), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by JK Rowling ($5), and Graduates in Wonderland by Jessica Pan and Rachel Kapelke-Dale ($3).
Other – 5% // I spent a lot less in this category than in previous months, even if I include how much I spent on books, which I didn’t previously put in its own category. This month, my miscellaneous spendings went to Bruno Major concert tickets, bus tickets to NYC, and thrifting home goods/decor.
Lately
Snagged this gorgeous book at Book Corner! Book Corner is the most affordable secondhand bookshop I’ve found in Philly with $3 hardbacks, $2 paperbacks, and $1 mass market books, except for books tagged otherwise. Got my basically new copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by JK Rowling for $5!
Checked out another secondhand bookshop, House Of Our Own Books, where I snagged a copy of Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote for $7.
Shot with Sarah x Shades of Sarah. We caught up over coffee at Menagerie Coffee.
Spent a rainy day at Vineyards Cafe with a goat cheese, turkey, and fig jam crepe.
Snapshot from the gym. I love blues and oranges together.
My mom visited for a weekend. We stayed at the Rittenhouse Hotel and I swiped all the toiletries. One night we popped by Lush to buy a bath bomb to use in the hotel bath. It was my first time ever using a Lush bath bomb! My mom and I shared the Twilight bath bomb by cutting it in half.
Shot with Chelsea x Organized Mess, ft. take-away coffee cup from Metropolitan Bakery. Check out more shots from our shoot on her blog!
Jennifer visited me in Philly over her spring break and we ate a ton of food. Photographed are brunch at Parc, coffee at Reanimator Coffee, and pasta and pizza at Wm. Mulherin’s Sons.
Rita’s Italian Ice opened for the season on the first day of spring, and they celebrated by giving out free Italian water ice. The line was no joke! Victoria and I met up to swipe some. I topped my free raspberry Italian water ice with an additional vanilla ice custard for a dollar.
Celebrated Delaney’s birthday and new job at her apartment with games and pizza.
Caught a bus to NYC with Bomi. Stayed with her at her boyfriend’s apartment. In the morning I went out to buy everyone cookies for breakfast from Schmackery’s.
Spent the morning and afternoon with her and her boyfriend. I think we were all most excited about gummies at Dylan’s Candy Bar.
Met up with Kat in the evening in Nolita, popped by the Mejuri showroom, and grabbed dinner in Koreatown.
Slept over at Kathleen and Poonie’s in Brooklyn. It was my second time in Brooklyn ever, and my first time going deep into Brooklyn (deep as in further than the restaurants by the Brooklyn Bridge). We spent the next morning at the Brooklyn Art Library where we browsed The Sketchbook Project. (On the blog here)
Back to Philly.
Back to Book Corner. Swiped a copy of Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng for $3. Held myself back from buying The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah for $5, only because it was hardback and very slightly marred. Figured I could borrow it from the library.
Shot with Priyanka x Paint the Town Chic. Haven’t had a chance to go through all the photos yet, but working on it! Philly isn’t in full bloom, but I got a good crop.
I got Pri to snap a quick shot for me in front a fun wall.
After our shoot, I wandered around the neighbourhood, popping in and out of vintage shops. It was the best weather we had in Philly all year, so I wanted to be out for as long as I could! Spotted a curious hot dog warmer at Raxx Vintage. Bought two vintage cards from Raxx Vintage for about $12. Bought a photo frame with an illustrated portrait of a random lady and a some-kind-of-metal fortune cookie (openable!) from Philly Aids Thrift for about $9.
What was your highlight of March? What are you looking forward to in April?