Offbeat Offline: March 2026 (Plus Introducing a Mini Hiatus)

Welcome to Offbeat Offline, where I bring you up-to-date with what went on in my life during the month just gone, give you a sneak peek of my next shenanigans, and share my favourite posts of late!

What happened last month to yours truly? A medical emergency regarding my dad and a whole lot of average suffering on my part. Needless to say, I've been even more tired and overwhelmed than usual (to be honest, my parents did their best not to weigh on me except for the most necessary errands - but hitting the supermarket and unloading grocery bags from the car twice in the same day isn't a breeze, y'all. At least my hubs can drive me, but still...). What else? I read - obviously. I even produced one full review and three minis, so yay?

📚 THE NEW, THE OLD, THE TRIED AND TRUE. ARCs/new books, backlist, rereads...despite the familiar problem that arose at the beginning of the month, my bookish game was strong enough. I plan on revisiting as many beloved reads as I can this year (an endeavour I started in 2025, but I hope to double the number of my rereads in 2026), and at the same time I want to stay on top of the new books that catch my eye (the ones I can get to at least). It's not that hard when you don't have a life - unless there's an emergency at home that stunts your progress, that is 😬. Anyhow, here's the rundown of these latest weeks... 

Approvals (3):

• Solace House by Will McLean (NA, multiverse)

In the summer of 1993, broke student Alex Lane joins a team clearing out Solace House, a Victorian mansion bequeathed to the university by a reclusive hoarder called Flayne. The other students are a mixed bunch, but Alex quickly falls into a close friendship with the lively, redheaded Ella.

When the crew begins sorting through piles of junk, they stumble upon Flayne's journals, in which he details his obsession with his missing mother, his discovery of a place called Bewise, and - most mysteriously - his belief in another realm lying parallel to ours, along with coded instructions as to how it might be reached.

As the students delve deeper into the house's secrets, one of them becomes obsessed with deciphering Flayne's strange opus and its promise of another world...and they may be willing to sacrifice everything, and everyone, to get there.

• Unnamed Bones by Lora Senf (YA, supernatural)

Reckless, depressed, impulsive and sixteen, Harrow Lane is going to an island that shouldn’t exist to look for answers about the death of her father—the father who accidentally cursed her shortly after she was born. Things immediately go very wrong—beginning with the sinking of the boat that brought them to the island and an ominous chuckle from something that shouldn’t be there—and keep getting worse in ways they couldn’t possibly imagine. Harrow and friends came without being invited and whatever lives there doesn’t like visitors.

With no way to reach the outside world and no understanding of the rules of the island, Harrow and her friends are in mortal danger, and knowing who can and can’t be trusted is a thing they left back on shore. Matters are only complicated by Harrow’s emotions—she’s given her biggest feelings human faces and personalities and does her best to keep them locked away in a seedy motel she built in her mind. But emotions are sneaky, and she’s having to face them at the worst possible time. It’s creating sort of an “Inside Out in hell” situation as they fight for survival against a creature that seems to be made entirely of terror and who very well might spell the end of the world.

• White Rabbit by Abigail Rose-Marie (Adult, contemporary)

In a yellow house perched on the crumbling edge of Massachusetts Bay, eleven-year-old Penelope Willows is living in the shadow of loss. Her father is gone, leaving behind only whispers and shadows, while her mother drifts further away each day, lost in her own grief. Left alone in a home that seems frozen in time, Penelope clings to her routines, counting everything she can—logs by the stove, soup cans in the pantry—hoping to hold the world together.

But this is no ordinary house. It once belonged to the poet Sylvia Plath, and her presence lingers in every corner, her ghost becoming an unexpected companion to Penelope. As the days stretch on, Penelope begins to hear the echoes of Plath’s poetry in the wind, feel her sadness seep into the walls, and see her ghost in the mirrors and empty rooms.

When Penelope’s mother begins to withdraw further into her own world, leaving Penelope more isolated than ever, the girl’s grip on reality starts to fray. Haunted by the absence of her father and the presence of a ghost, Penelope must navigate the treacherous waters of memory, madness, and the fear that she, too, will be lost to the abyss.

(Note: the protagonist is a child, but this is an adult book in nature).

Reads (6+1 DNF):

• The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert (YA supernatural/contemporary/mystery)

This one blends all-consuming (you might very well say toxic) friendship with a supernatural mystery that leaves you enough breadcrumbs to figure out its direction, yet throws you for a loop multiple times before you decipher it, and hits you with a last couple of twists you couldn't have seen coming. An addictive puzzle with minimal gore or violence, but a dark core - though it ultimately ends up in a much healthier place than one might expect.

• Butterfly Effects (Incryptid #15) by Seanan McGuire (Adult, urban fantasy)

Telepatic predator and amateur mathematician (a.k.a. Johrlac) Sarah Zellaby gets abducted and carried to her home world by her own people, to be tried for the supposed crimes she committed eight years ago. McGuire tackles themes of roots, identity, individual-vs.-collective, oppression, guilt/blame, loyalty and family of choice, peppering them with a whole lot of coming-into-your-powers stuff. Also, the mix of tension, action, humour and heart is top-notch. Also, also...I love Sarah 😉.

• White Rabbit by Abigail Rose-Marie (see above)

If you enjoy stream-of-consciousness and coming-of-age narratives with a literary edge, this is an exquisite example of the genres (or their intersection). The author tackles grief, trauma and mental health, and takes young Penelope on a journey (both literal and figurative) of discovery and acceptation, at the end of which she isn't magically "cured" or transformed, but at least given a chance to heal. I stopped at 4 stars because Penelope sounds a lot older than her age sometimes, and at least one of the big reveals can be foreseen early on; but I found this story to be compelling, emotive and unlike everything I've ever read.

• The Bone Door by Frances White (Adult, portal fantasy)

Right off the bat, I realised the story was different from what I'd envisioned (highly classic-fantasy coded, for one, which is a dealbreaker for me), but I trudged on...until, after Ch.9, I had to admit that reading was becoming a chore, so I threw in the towel. Plot and world aside, the characters are essentially blank slates and get thrown together in an out-there situation right away, which prevented me from getting attached to them. I'm sure there's a great story unfolding in the 3/4 of the novel I haven't read, and according to some reviews, an emotional one as well - but I couldn't bring myself to continue.

• Into the Windwracked Wilds (The Up-and-Under #3) by A Deborah Baker (MG, portal fantasy - novella - reread [pub. 2022])

It takes a lot for the story to find its footing, but when it does, it makes you fall in love with its characters all over again, or more than ever (mainly the Crow Girl, who may be one of the most inventive creations McGuire ever came up with - and if she had been developed just a little more, one of the most heartbreaking as well). Structurally it's a bit of a mess, but by the end I wasn't caring (that much) anymore. Here's my old review.

• Under the Smokestrewn Sky (The Up-and-Under #4) by A Deborah Baker (MG, portal fantasy - novella - reread [pub. 2023])

The last installment in the Up-and-Under series, though whimsical and enjoyable, had the potential to be so much more. For all its build-up, the Impossible City feels quite underwhelming, and the ending sort of negates the purportedly high stakes of the journey to get there. However, the journey in itself is entertaining and full of fanciful, vivid imagery; the narrative gives us all the answers we need; and one of the main characters, though in a state of "suspended animation" for most of the story, gets a last chance to shine. Here's my old ARC review.

• Whirly World by Brandon Jones (Adult, afterlife - reread [pub. 2023])

Afterlife meets theme park with a side of superpowers and time loops, all wrapped in a mystery. Inventive, captivating, funny, yet emotional and profound at times, Whirly World is a brilliant debut that's sure to quench all my fellow afterlife aficionados' thirst for beyond-the-veil stories with bite and, ultimately, a sweet core. Here's my old ARC review.

Reviews (4):

• The Bad Ones by Melissa Albert (see above)

On the blog next month.

• The Bone Door by Frances White (see above)

DNF mini review coming next month.

• Butterfly Effects (Incryptid #15) by Seanan McGuire (see above)

Midi (😂) review on GR for now.

• White Rabbit by Abigail Rose-Marie (see above)

Mini review to come.

Normally at this point I would list the reviews I plan on posting and the TMST prompts I plan on answering in April, but as I said above, I'm taking (most of) the month off. But I will resurface on Tue. 28th, in time for a TMST round-up where I'll answer all the April questions. In the meantime, here's the TMST prompt list for the rest of April, in case you want to join in:

• April 7th: Do you like spoilers? Do you read the last chapter first?
• April 14th: What do you still love doing that you loved as a kid? (a question I submitted)
• April 21st: How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
• April 28th: What's your favourite sports team?

🏥RUNNING IN THE FAMILY. As you already know, my dad fell at home and banged his head on a piece of furniture, which caused a small cerebral hemorrhage and a couple of broken ribs. This is his second injury in two months - the other being when a guy opened his car door without looking and sent him (with his bike) sprawling on the concrete (he got a lot of bruises and broke his pinkie on that occasion). It could have been worse, right? Except he's still pretty banged up after almost a month. And do you remember when my mom lost consciousness, allegedly due to a new medication, at the start of February? I mean, what sorcery is this? I know, I know - they're old. But...not every old person gets such a string of accidents...

😫 BELLY UP. My IBS has been flaring up lately - like, A LOT. The bloating is real. Nothing I've tried so far helped - some probiotics (like Kijimea) even make it worse for me. And I'm really confused about what I can or can't eat, because there are fruits and vegetables that get labeled as good or bad for this problem depending on the article you read. Also, I know that stress has a big hand in this condition, which means I'm basically fucked 😭.

PUBLISHING NEWS/TIPS

• Kit lists 10 queer SFF books she's excited for in 2026.
• Author B.C. Johnson tackles the White Room problem in fiction.

THINK-PIECES, DISCUSSIONS, ORIGINAL FICTION

• Krysta asks if you enjoy books with schools of magic.
• Briana discusses BookTok and the literacy crisis.
• The Orangutan Librarian weighs on the Great Prologue Debate.
• Sam shares her bookish buzzwords.

REVIEWS/RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Orangutan Librarian (again) recommends powerful Persian books.
• Ethan reviews Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin.
• ElunedHermitCrab reviews The OKs Are Not OK by Grace K. Shim.

OTHER

• Kit (again) reviews the game Sub-Verge.
• My favourite Christopher Pike book (YA supernatural thriller Remember Me) is getting a movie adaptation for Tubi.

That's it for now. My next post will be up on April 28th, and it will be the TMST round-up I mentioned above. In the meantime, I'm going dormant for a while! but you can still find me on the usual SM, if sporadically (I usually check in once a day).

So, what were your highs/lows in the past month?

(Oh - and Happy Easter if you celebrate! 🐣).