This was a pretty good month of reading for me with some great non-fiction additions to my list.
2/2: Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon (library ebook, 2023) - Spicy romance novel with great communication about sex. 4/5 stars
2/6: Eye Spy (Valedmar: Family of Spies #2) by Mercedes Lackey (library, 2019) - Solid entry in the Valdemar world, although I worry that Mag and Amily are just developing a habit of sending their children into danger to figure out who they are. 3.5/5 stars
2/14: 60 Songs That Explain the '90s by Rob Harvilla (library, 2023) - Harvilla is hilarious. 4/5 stars
2/15: The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson (library audiobook narrated by MacLeod Andrews, 2018) - Started slow, but by the end I was on the edge of my seat. 4/5 stars
2/16: None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell (library ebook, 2023) - I really enjoyed this thriller. 4.5/5 stars
2/17: A Midwife's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich (library, 1990) - Brilliant historical detective work about an absolute kickass lady, a midwife named Martha Ballard who lived in the late 1700-early 1800s.. 5/5 stars
2/19: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (library, 2023) - Lovely historical fiction loosely based on a couple of Martha Ballard's diary entries. It was quite far away from the reality, but I liked how it proposed some potential answers to lingering questions in Martha's diary. It was wonderful to read it after the Ulrich book. 4.5/5 stars
2/23: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli (library ebook, 2015) - When will I ever learn? Look, YA is just not my jam. It's fine and I'm glad it's out there for people who might find it helpful in their young lives. 3/5 stars
2/25: A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes (library, 2019) - Book club book. Retelling of the Trojan War from the perspective of women. I liked how snarky Penelope was in her letters to Odysseus, but overall this felt like homework. 3.5/5 stars
2/28: The Only One Left by Riley Sager (library ebook, 2023) - I think I might be an easy mark when it comes to thrillers. I literally did not figure out any of the mystery/twists here. I loved the setting, the Gothic-ish mood, and how captivating the plot was. Don't trust me with thrillers, though - I might be an easy grader. 4.5/5 stars
Average star rating: 4.05/5 stars
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Did Not Finish:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski - Such a good, heartbreaking book. I just could not take it mentally. A boy and his dog(s). This is on me, not the author.
theMystery.doc by Matthew McIntosh - I didn't really give this one a fair shot. I read about ten pages and just couldn't deal with a) how huge the physical book was and b) how annoying I was finding the voice. Returned it to the library with no guilt.
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What was the best book you read in February?
My favorite from February was In the Society of Women, which is in the series the Ladies Occult Society by Krista Ball (basically Jane Austen with magic)--though it's book 3 and I forgot, if I knew, that it's a four-book series! So while it was really good, I have to wait until December for the conclusion, sadly.
ReplyDeleteI took out the first book in that series from the public library, but I had to order it ILL and only had it for seven days before I had to return it, so I never read it! This is a reminder for me to try and order it from my university library system so I can have it for a longer time.
DeleteSeven days is not long enough!
DeleteI could have read it in seven days if I wasn't already reading other things! I WILL get to this series, though, even if I have to reorder it ILL again.
DeleteMy fave from February was The Rachel Incident, followed by Today A Woman Went Mad In The Supermarket.
ReplyDeleteEveryone loves The Rachel Incident! I should maybe read that someday.
DeleteI'm making note of The Midwife's Tale and The Only One Left. I got burned out on Riley Sager a while back, but the way you describe it I think I might be an easy mark as well.
ReplyDeleteMy best for February were the two Alphabet books that I read on vacation!
Yay! I'm so glad you gave Sue Grafton a chance. I really do find those books to be a cozy hug.
DeleteI just finished The Other Eden today and March 3 is close enough to February for me (runner-up from actual February is The Wren The Wren). Mostly I wanted to share this sentence from The Other Eden: 'But she did not want to spend the day sitting in her own yard, nor did she want to spend it sitting on the bluff looking at the same old view, contemplating the same old sins, those she regretted and those she exalted.'
ReplyDeleteThose she regretted and those she exalted. I definitely want to hear more about the exalted sins!
DeleteLooking back on it, I would have to say My Brilliant Friend was the best book I read last month! I liked it from the beginning, and then it really picked up steam for me until the end. i'm curious to know what people are going to be saying about it tomorrow. I know most people didn't like it as much as I did.
ReplyDeleteIt's you and me, Jenny. We're the only ones who love this book!! Oh, well. People voted for it, so I'm not going to feel too badly that a lot of people were slogging through it.
DeleteOoooh... I really enjoyed My Brilliant Friend (although I have Thoughts!!!!), but my favorite book in February was The Magician's Assistant. I think Nicole recommended it to me and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteYay! You can join the club with me and Jenny! Defenders of My Brilliant Friend unite!
Delete10 books during the month is amazing! I read 1 1/2 books. (Or rather, listened to them.) The 1/2 is My Brilliant Friend, which I’m enjoying so much! The other was a western called Hunters of the Dead by Steve Hockensmith. It’s part of the Holmes on the Range series, which I love.
ReplyDeleteI do not read many westerns, to be honest, but I read Lonesome Dove several years ago and adored it, so maybe I should delve more into that genre.
DeleteI don't think you are an easy mark, I liked the Jewell and the Sager book too! Sometimes you just need cheap entertainment and I am not going to be ashamed. My grandma reads bodice ripping romances, you know, the ones with Fabio on the cover, and my romance novel is thrillers! I enjoy the fact that they are not overly complicated, they surprise me, and I am entertained along the way.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite book in February was probably Kill Show. I liked the format and it just flowed!
I added Midwife and Frozen River to my list! Actually I do keep a list and note who made the recommendation and I have a lot that are from you; thanks!
Kill Show was so good! I thought it was propulsive and readable. I guess we have the same taste in thrillers/mysteries! I just don't read many, to be honest, because I don't always want those images in my head.
DeleteHa ha. I imagine a lot of recommendations are from me because I read a lot of books and really evangelize for the ones I like. I think we're on the same page on books, though, so hopefully that works out for you.
It looks like you had way more hits than misses. This might be the second time I'm seeing a book about Martha Ballard in a short time and perhaps that is a nudge for me to read one!
ReplyDeleteMy fave for February? The Takedown (your recommendation) was really good, but my fave might have been The Summer Kitchen. (Lisa Wingate) I ugly cried the last ten minutes of it. Good ugly crying, not sad ugly crying.
I love to hear about books that made people cry. Maybe I should write a post about books that have made me cry. It's a pretty small number, but I think it's fun to talk about what books really resonate with us on that emotional level.
DeleteI am also an easy mark with thrillers :)
ReplyDeleteI just don't read very many, so I'm always surprised. LOL. I'm much pickier about fantasy and romance because I read so much of it.
DeleteMy favorite book of February was Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez. So many happy sighs while reading that book.
ReplyDeleteA 4.05 average star rating is amazing! WOOHOO!
It was such a good reading month. I have Yours Truly on my bookshelf so hopefully I can get to it soon.
DeleteWell done! (and a short month, too!)
ReplyDeleteI was pretty pleased with it. So many good books!
DeleteI've read the Feather Thief a few years back, and it did start off slow but picked up a lot. It's really interesting how someone would be so possessed with the Feather trade that they would break in and steal feathers from a museum. It's crazy actually. And I see your reread the Midwife's Tale. My copy is still sitting on the windowsill next to my bed. I'm hoping by later this month or April my schedule will free up so I can read it. It's interesting the Frozen River is far away from reality, so you've got me thinking I need to read The Midwivfe's Tale sooner rather than later.
ReplyDelete