March 2026 Recap!
Hi Readers! March, though it was my birthday month, has now finally ended! It seemed like it lasted for a long time, and I’m not complaining, because that was a long time to feel special!
It was insanely hot, things at work were unbelievably complicated, didn’t get to meet my friends at all, but despite it all, ‘it’s my birthday month, so I’m happy” played in my head. I did go to a concert, did a LOT of reading, went to Pune, got to celebrate Gudi Padwa exactly on my birthday, started Year 2 of the tradition of walking 10 kms on my birthday, and most lovely – got messages and calls and video calls and Insta stories and cakes and gifts and so much love from all my closest people. So, though long, it was a wonderfully long month!
~~BOOKS~~
I read FIVE BOOKS across 1415 PAGES in March! After reading 1 book in Jan and 2 books in Feb, I was not expecting to read 5 books this month. So, it was a lovely surprise as I found myself reaching for a book rather than a remote. I found one forever favorite and another that I loved a lot. The others were okay, but I did enjoy them too. Also, a pat on my back for reading entirely from the physical TBR! Check out which ones I loved, liked and didn’t like.
~~LONELY CASTLE IN THE MIRROR by MIZUKI TSUJIMURA~~
Have you ever felt utterly alone?
Like no one ever understood your pain, your trauma, your hardships?
Like no one understood you?
Lonely Castle in the Mirror is for all those people who have felt that way.
Kokoro, an 8th grader, stopped going to school. Then one day, the mirror in her bedroom glistened, so she touched it and went inside it to a castle. In this castle, she found 6 other people, who were just like her, with their loneliness, pain, trauma and hardships. These seven kids, though seemed outwardly normal to each other, each had a story of their own which brought them to the castle, which is governed by the Wolf Queen. I have rated Lonely Castle in the Mirror by Mizuki Tsujimura, translated by Philip Gabriel at 5/5 stars! Read the full review below!
~~STRANGE BUILDINGS by UKETSU~~
What you read on the book cover: Eleven Buildings. One Terrible Secret.
What that actually means:Accidental child death. Three murders. One murder disguised as accidental. One murder. One suicide. Another child death. Again a child’s death by neglect and physical abuse. A couple’s death by fire. One more suicide. Prostitution through debt bondage.
As someone who loved Strange Pictures and liked Strange Houses, Uketsu had become an auto-buy author. But, Strange Buildings changed the equation entirely. While reading the first two books, I was always surprised by how unique they were. But, Strange Buildings did not do it for me. The book’s first 254 pages contain these 11 Files, and the second part contains Kurihara’s deductions, and I had issues with both. I have rated Strange Buildings by Uketsu at 3/5 stars! Read the full review below!
~~HOT CHOCOLATE ON THURSDAY by MICHIKO AOYAMA~~
All of us probably walk through life as the main character, and why shouldn’t we? Just because we are the center of our universe, doesn’t mean we don’t care deeply about the people in our life. But, aside from those we care about,we pass by so many people without thinking twice about them, or what their life must be like or what they are feeling or who they care about. Reading Hot Chocolate on Thursday made me realize that in such a simple yet profound manner. In this book, there are twelve chapters, with characters revolving around each other in the same casual random way. It was lovely how their paths crossed with someone who knew someone who was their closest friend or daughter or so. Just chance occurrences, all very brief, all without any meaning in themselves but meaningful to where the characters’ journey was at that moment. I have rated Hot Chocolate on Thursday by Michiko Aoyama, translated by E. Madison Shimoda at 3/5 stars! Read the full review below!
~~THE MIDNIGHT TIMETABLE by BORA CHUNG~~
The Midnight Timetable was the third book of Bora Chung’s that I have read. I loved the first one Cursed Bunny, I liked the second one Your Utopia, but I’m not able to make head or tails of The Midnight Timetable. As a ghost story concept, it was thrilling in the sense that there are all these random haunted objects or even living things with such history that it makes them unique. That’s perhaps the reason they are all kept in that Institute. But, all the different chapters didn’t really combine well together as a whole. And, as for the individual chapters, I liked only a few. I have rated The Midnight Timetable by Bora Chung at 2/5 stars! I have not written the review yet, but hopefully will get to it in a few days!
~~THE BINDING VINE by SHASHI DESHPANDE~~
The Binding Vine is a tale within a tale within a tale because even though it’s the tale of Urmi, it’s also the tale of all the people around her. And, within all these people, there are endless stories, of motherhood, parenthood, marriage, loss, grief, helplessness, vulnerability and so much more. On the surface, it’s the story of Urmi’s life after she loses her baby daughter Anu. It’s about the story of Urmi’s mother-in-law Mira who was in an unhappy and abusive marriage. And, it’s the story of Kalpana who is unconscious after an accident involving a rape, and her mother Shakutai who is the simplest woman of them all. I have rated The Binding Vine by Shashi Deshpande at 4.5/5 stars! Read the full review below!
~~STATS AND MORE~~
If it’s not books, it’s TV shows and movies. In March, I found top tier content in all these three forms of entertainment. You will probably see which ones I’m talking about in the images below, but honestly, here’s me saying this again – Watch Paradise!
~~LIFE LATELY~~
Slide 1: Last year on my birthday, I was perhaps at my fittest, which is why I decided to walk 10 kms for the first time in my life. Since I’m a sucker for repetitions, I wanted to do it this year, but I wasn’t very sure. I was still working out and walking, just not as regularly. One day I casually asked mom if I should do it, and she said, “yes, why not?” So, that was the deciding factor! I worked out and walked regularly for a week, and then on my birthday, I was out of the house at 6.50 AM and back home at 9.10 AM having completed Year 2 of Birthday 10K Walk! It was the highlight of the day!! 🏅
Slide 2 & 3: The first day of March itself started on an excellent note with a Sonu Nigam concert. I ENJOYED it immensely! I loved my outfit, loved the fact that the concert was in Thane, loved his performance and choice of songs!
Slide 4: The guys at work gave all the gals chocolates and gifts for Women’s Day! It was so thoughtful and I was beyond grateful to be included. 🥹🥰
Slide 5: Happy Gudi Padwa!! 🙏🏻
Slide 6 to 9: Balloons, cake and happy vibes. Grateful. Thankful. ❣️🧿
Slide 10: If you are able to Marathi, perhaps you might find this poem as profound as I did.
Slide 11: 🐚🥹🫶🏻
Slide 12: ✨✨✨
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content. I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.