March 2026 TBR

We’re already in the final month of the quarter! This is going to be a super busy month for me as I’m visiting family multiple times, need to write about four essays, start applying for jobs and also start some serious work on my dissertation that I’ve been seriously neglecting. That being said, I’m also hoping to get quite a bit of reading done! That might be partially wishful thinking, but I do at the very least have about 7 hours worth of train rides to read on!

Without further ado let’s take a look at my March TBR!


Clicking on book covers will take you to the Bookshop.org UK site (except if the book is not available on the site), where your purchases support local independent bookshops. These are affiliate links and I get a small commission – this does not affect the price you pay. Titles link to The Storygraph.


Herlands by Megha Mohan

All over the world, there exist women-led communities. Megha Mohan researches their roots in a search for alternative way of living and coexisting for us all.

This is an early March release that I found out about recently when researching Q2 releases for an upcoming post and Waterstones happened to be doing a 25% off preorder sale at the time so I got myself a copy!

Women in Imperial China by Bret Hinsch

Condensing the key ideas from his multi-book series on women in Imperial China, this book gives an insight into the lives of women from prehistory to the Qing dynasty (1644-1912).

I need to do a lot of dissertation reading this month but I’m not putting most of it on this TBR since I might do some dipping in and out of books depending on which parts are most important, but I am including this book since I want to read it for a general background knowledge and I’ve already started it. I’m on about 37%.

The Apothecary Diaries Vol 1 (Light Novel) by Nastu Hyuuga

A girl with a penchant for medicines (and even more for poisons) gets kidnapped and sold to the palace as a serving girl, where she uses her knowledge to solve mysteries, crimes and ailments.

Ever since I watched the anime last year, I’ve been really looking forward to reading more of this story, so I asked my sister to get me the first light novel for Christmas. This is definitely going to be my low-pressure fun read for the month!

The Elsewhere Express by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Two people meet on a train for the spiritually lost – not the dead, but the living who have lost their way and their purpose.

I pre-ordered this book and it was on my January and February TBR, but I just haven’t gotten around to it. Third times the charm?

Two Women Living Together by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo

In South Korea, two women reject both marriage and living alone, redefining what family means. Now in their late 40s, they reflect on society and the comfort of their cohabiting friendship.

I started buddy reading this with a friend last month and we decided to extend it into March since we’ve both been busy. I’m currently about a quarter of the way in and enjoying it so far.

이상한 나라의 스물셋 [The Strange World of 23]

Short stories about the difficult process of growing up and living in the world with other people in your young twenties.

I had this on my February TBR and didn’t pick it up at all, but my goal for this month is to finish the story I’m on, since it seems much denser and harder to read than the ones after it, so I’m hoping it’ll be relatively easy sailing after I get over this hurdle.


Summary

In total, there are five books and half a short story on my TBR this month, so pretty similar to last month! The highest priority (apart from my dissertation reading, obviously) is to finish the book (Two Women Living Together) and the short story that I’m part way through. After that it’s to make sure that The Elsewhere Express doesn’t end up on a fourth TBR!


What books are you planning on reading in March? If you’ve written a TBR, please leave me a comment so I can check it out!

Keira x

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14 responses to “March 2026 TBR”

  1. WordsAndPeace avatar

    good luck for your heavy load in March.
    I read The Apothecary Diaries , but as manga, and stopped after vol 2, too slow and repetitive.
    MY March TBR – one Japanese title:
    https://wordsandpeace.com/2026/03/02/the-top-7-books-to-read-in-march-2026/

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    1. Keira @Keira’s Bookmark avatar

      From what I can tell, the light novel is much more condensed than the manga – volume 1 one of the light novel is equivalent to the first four volumes of the manga! (That being said, the light novel story is also way ahead of the manga, so there are still 15 volumes. I actually just finished volume 1 of the light novel and enjoyed it (despite it being really close to the anime, actually, so I very much already know the details of the light novel up until about volume 4) – definitely going to try and make my way through the rest of the series slowly (slowly because these books are expensive!). That being said, the descriptions of eunuchs got a little bit repetitive xD

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  2. shanaqui avatar

    Ahh, The Apothecary Diaries is pretty fun! I want to get back to it, I think I need volume five next. Hope you enjoy!

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    1. Keira @Keira’s Bookmark avatar

      Volume 5 of the light novel, I assume? I’m looking forward to getting to that point since I think vol 1-4 is covered pretty well by the anime, so my need to know more of the story will only really be satiated when I get to volume 5!

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  3. Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits avatar

    Looks like a good variety of books! I hope you enjoy reading them.

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  4. aquavenatus avatar

    I’ve been watching, The Apothecary Diaries with the teen patrons at work (I’m a teen librarian), and now I plan on watching Season Two on Netflix. I doubt the teens will read either the manga or the light novels.

    Let me know how The Elsewhere Express is because you’ll read it before I do.

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    1. Keira @Keira’s Bookmark avatar

      I decided to go for the light novels after watching the first two seasons of the anime because they’re much further along in the story and also more compact (manga volumes 1-4 are in book 1 for example) – which not only means that reading the series will be cheaper for me, but also that I can get to the point at which the show ends more quickly. Apart from that, whilst I do occasionally enjoy manga it’s hard for me to rate it more than 3.5 stars most of the time because I feel like they don’t dig deep enough and the voluminsation makes each individual instalment lack a sense of story structure. So reading the light novel lets me give it a fairer chance to live up to what I found to be a really good TV adaptation.

      I am currently reading The Elsewhere Express – only about 30 pages in, but I am enjoying it so far! I hope to post a review of it when I’m done, so definitely keep an eye out!

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      1. aquavenatus avatar

        If enough teens enough the anime series at my library, then we’ll consider ordering the Light Novels for our collection.

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        1. Keira @Keira’s Bookmark avatar

          Sounds like a fair plan!

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  5. Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense avatar

    The Elsewhere Express looks really interesting. I hope you enjoy those train rides and you are able to get in some quality reading.

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    1. Keira @Keira’s Bookmark avatar

      I just started it and so far it’s going well, although I’m only 30 pages in!

      Thank you – I actually did get in some quality reading (finished two books!), especially since the wifi was not working well on my trip back so I couldn’t get any work done like I had originally planned. I was very lucky that I had gone to a bookshop and picked up another book to read after finishing the one I took with me on the trip down!

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  6. Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies avatar

    I’ve seen The Elsewhere Express pop up on a quite a few lists recently! I love the look of the cover — I hope it’s good!

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    1. Keira @Keira’s Bookmark avatar

      I’m just about 30 pages or so into it so far and I’m enjoying it!

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