February was a great reading month for me. I had four 5-star reads and four 4.5-star reads, so I am going to count that as amazing.
2/1: Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail (Bright Falls #2) by Ashley Herring Blake (library ebook, 2022) - Pretty good, but not as great as the first book in this series. 3.5/5 stars
2/3: Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution by R.F. Kuang (library, 2022) - Sometimes I marvel at how smart people are. The scope and ambition of this book were awe-inspiring. Very clever fantasy novel. 4.5/5 stars
2/4: May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes (library audiobook narrated by Andy Paris, 2012) - Ridiculous book. 2.5/5 stars
2/4: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (library, 2022) - This was a bad book. I don't get the hype. 2/5 stars
2/4: The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams (library, 2021) - I adored this romance novel with a zeal you don't normally hear from me. 5/5 stars
2/9: When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (The Singing Hills Cycle #2) by Nghi Vo (library, 2020) - Lovely little fantasy novella. 4.5/5 stars
2/10 Scruples (Scruples #1) by Judith Krantz (library ebook, 1978) - What a weird Rube Goldberg machine of a book. Krantz introduces a character and then all of a sudden we're following an extensive backstory of a minor character in the original character's life and this cycle repeats. Interesting. Dated, offensive language, and extreme homophobia. 3/5 stars
2/11: Overdue: Reckoning with the Public Library by Amanda Oliver (library, 2022) - Mismarketed and therefore very disappointing. 2.5/5 stars
2/14: Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree (library, 2022) - An entry into the world of "cozy fantasy" and I am here for it. It's like a hug in a book. 5/5 stars
2/16: This is Ear Hustle: Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods (library audiobook, 2021) - If you like the podcast Ear Hustle, you'll like this. If you haven't listened to the podcast, I think you'll be utterly befuddled. Definitely listen to the podcast, though. 4/5 stars
2/17: Dealing with Dragons (Enchanted Forest Chronicles #1) by Patricia C. Wrede (library ebook, 1990) - A sweet, charming middle grade fantasy. 4/5 stars
2/17: Heir to Sevenwaters (Sevenwaters #4) by Juliet Marillier (library, 2008) - Another solid addition to the Sevenwaters series. 4/5 stars
2/19: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins (library, 2020) - I have a lot of thoughts about this book. It's accessible and easy to read, but I don't understand the turn the character made at the end of the book. 3/5 stars
2/20: The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks - Dalton (library, 2022) - Near future climate fiction in which a young girl, born in the middle of a hurricane, must survive as climate change destroys her way of life in Florida. Frightening, but masterfully written. 4.5/5 stars
2/22: Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn (library, 2023) - Fabulous romance novel. Kate Clayborn can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned. 5/5 stars
2/23: The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story edited by Nikole Hannah-Jones (library ebook, 2021) - Very well done examination of the history of the US told through the lens of slavery. Definitely recommend everyone read it. 5/5 stars
2/24: Into the Riverlands (The Singing Hills Cycle #3) by Nghi Vo (library, 2022) - This is such a good series of short novellas. 4.5/5 stars
2/26: From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon (library ebook, 2018) - YA is just not for me. I thought the main character was really selfish and the whole book was a slog. 2.5/5 stars
Total: 18 books
Average star rating: 3.83/5 stars
Did Not Finish:
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente - DNF at about 15%. The little girl in this book just rubbed me the wrong way and I think we can all agree that YA is no longer for NGS. If I had read this as a small child, I might have thought September, the little girl, was awesome. Instead, I just got really upset on September's mother's behalf and wanted September to be a little more grateful for the sacrifices her mother had made. So, hey, you know, this is all about me and not the book itself.
(Don't You) Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn - DNF at about 20%. I really struggle with books told from the perspective of an addict. This was not for me.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black - I'm not really into vampire books anymore and I find YA tiresome in its general dramatic nature. Maybe if I'd read this fifteen years ago, I might have had a different reading, but 2023 me DNFed at page 64 (15%).
So many books, Engie!
ReplyDeleteYes! But there were some YA books and two very short novellas, so it does inflate the numbers a bit.
DeleteWe have SUCH opposite tastes-- wish we could be book club buddies.
ReplyDeleteWe live close enough that we could be! If you're interested in coming to our book club, let me know.
DeleteWow, you had a really strong reading month! That is a lot of 5 and 4.5 star books! My reading has been a bit lackluster so far this year. I'm at the whim of what ebooks become available to me, though. Last year was such an epically good year but this year is ho-hum. But it's only February so a lot can change.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up on 2023 yet. I'm sure there's lot of great reading for you to come.
DeleteSheesh, 18 books! My goal is always to read four a month. I need to up my game!
ReplyDeleteIf I were you, I'd be hitting the audiobooks hard on my runs! (But perhaps that's why I'm running soooo slow.)
DeleteI was impressed with myself that I made it through six in February! Well done!
ReplyDeleteHey, it's not a competition. If you're reading and enjoying it, that's all that matters.
DeleteThis sounds like an awesome month, and reestablishes that we are book opposites in many ways. I just finished Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and thought it was exceptional. LOVED IT. Will be thinking about it forever. Now I'm going to go back and read your review of it to see exactly where we diverge.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love that you read Scruples. I read it for the first time when I was in... middle school? High school? It was quite salacious at the time -- so much sex! -- but of course all of the things that make it unpalatable now were just accepted back then, so that rolled right over me.
Scruples was so interesting. It was obviously a product of its time, but the homophobia was just so overt. I mean, I sometimes see it now, but it's crazy how much people in the 70s and 80s thought about other people's sex lives! j
Delete(I'm not going to talk about Tomorrow x3. I did not enjoy my time with it, but I'm glad other people have enjoyed it.)
Engie! Look at that average rating - 3.83! That's such a good average rating for you. Yay for reading lots of great books in February!
ReplyDeleteIt was truly an epic month! Fingers crossed March is the same!
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