Best Books of February
As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.
So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.
These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from February.
The Push (Ashley Audrain): This was a hard read in the sense that it was an engaging read, and it held my attention on every page, but I didn’t understand why she wrote it; what she was trying to communicate. Its central question is what if your child is a monster? What if you give birth or are raising someone who is a dangerous human being? It didn’t really answer said question, but I’m curious where this author goes next, storytelling-wise, because I liked the writing a lot.
Fellowship of the Ring (J.R.R. Tolkien): Not a first-time read by any stretch of the imagination, but it felt like a good time to spend a few minutes daily on Middle Earth. I’m re-reading all three parts this year, and it is such a nice journey with old friends.
If I Disappear (Eliza Jane Brazier): A thriller about a podcast listener trying to solve the disappearance of her favourite true crime podcast creator. It was a little far-fetched and veered into Stephen-King-just-throwing-this-creepy-thing-in-there-for-no-reason-except-to-creep-you-out territory. But overall an enjoyable read.
The Viscount Who Loved Me and An Offer From a Gentleman (Julia Quinn): Two more Bridgerton books. There’s a lot of mewling, and I gave Benedict one raised eyebrow. But the books are enjoyable, and I’m mid-way through the fourth one.
This Is Not the Jess Show (Anna Carey): The title is clunky but the book is a lot of fun. It’s literally The Truman Show, except in book form, and updated for the current era with influencers, iPhones, and social media. Similar but updated ethical questions, too, and a very interesting ending. I enjoyed this one a lot.
What did you read last month?
5 comments
Interesting list! I have been wondering about “The Push.” From what I’ve heard, it sounds a bit like “We Need to Talk About Kevin” by Lionel Shriver. (I’ve never read that one either.)
I read 7 (!) books in February, which is pretty good for me, especially when February is a shorter month…! They’re all reviewed more fully on my blog.
* “The Child Catchers” by Kathryn Joyce — a real eye-opener about Christian churches and adoption.
* “The Blue Castle” by L.M. Montgomery — one of my very favourite books ever, read & discussed over a period of month with a LMM Facebook group.
* “Belgravia” by Julian Fellowes (who created & wrote “Downton Abbey”), about two families in 1840s England connected by a long-hidden secret that threatens to be revealed.
* “Unimaginable: Life After Baby Loss” by Brooke D. Taylor (who blogs at By the Brooke). Beautifully written and highly recommended!
* “The Young Clementina” by D.E. Stevenson, read & discussed with my DES online group. This is one of her early novels, written in the mid-1930s, and it reflects the times, but the quality of the writing endures even when the plot is a little thin or cliched.
* “Sourdough” by Robin Sloan (the February pick for the Gateway Women book club). Kind of weird/quirky, but I enjoyed it overall. It made me think. (And crave bread, lol.)
* “Chronicles of Avonlea” by L.M. Montgomery (also for my LMM Facebook group). This is a collection of some of Montgomery’s early short stories. Some of them are very dated — and overall I prefer her novels — but there are her usual wonderful characters and vivid descriptions to recommend it.
Interesting: I have never read any of these books, and the only one I’ve heard of is Fellowship of the Ring. Books I read and enjoyed in February:
Anxious People by Frederick Backman. This was my book club’s February selection. I like it a little less than the author’s A Man Called Ove and a little more than his Beartown.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I read this one on your recommendation, Mel! Really, really good.
Two books by Karin Slaughter: Broken and Fallen. These two books are part of the author’s Will Trent series. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed both.
I read three other books that were OK but mostly forgettable, so I’m not including them here. 🙂
Ha! I got a collection of the first 3 Bridgerton novels last week and finished them off yesterday. I’ve read them all before and enjoyed them, but those two were not my favorites. However, the collection had the second epilogues for all of those novels, so that was fun. Plus, I got two other tangentially related…sort of prequels to the Bridgerton series and finished one of those. It’s hard for me to read anything other than that kind of nonsense lately, but I just got Barack Obama’s latest, so we’ll see how that goes. I read one of his earlier ones and I didn’t dislike it, but I enjoyed Michelle’s Becoming so much more because I can identify better with her.
Ooooooh… Good ones! Ew, mewling. Hate that word. The Push sounds fascinating, I see it EVERYWHERE. And if it’s like We Need To Talk About Kevin, I loved that book although it was disturbing and a tough read at times. If I Disappear sounds good, too!
I read 9 books in February (in part because of February break and unfettered time to read):
– I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom
– Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (LOVED)
– The Removed by Brandon Hobson
– This Is My America by Kim Johnson (LOVED)
– Blackwood by Michael Farris Smith
– The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins (LOVED)
– What Would Frida Do? A Guide to Living Boldly By Arianna Davis (loved learning about Frida Kahlo, didn’t love the “self-help” bent)
– Roman and Jewel by Dana L. Davis
– Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn’t Built for You by Jenara Nerenberg (LOVED, fascinating take on neurodiversity with a an eye on women in particular)
Yay, I actually read some books (!) in February, all three of them were four-stars on Goodreads.
I finished Barack Obama’s A Promised Land. I found it very interesting, especially reading about the inheriting a crisis straight after election (and the parallels I could see with Biden inheriting the pandemic) but it is a dense read, so took me some time. (And only covers his first term!) It’s very much about the job and what was behind their decision-making, which I enjoyed, and I loved the (often too brief) comments about the international leaders. It only occasionally dips into lighter, lifestyle, living-in-the-WH anecdotes.
I devoured The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. He’s a British comedian I’ve seen on TV, a very bright cookie, and he’s written an intelligent, funny mystery which deals with the occupants of a retirement village in a sensitive, understanding way. That’s what I liked so much about it – it was an honest book. Recommend for an easy, enjoyable read.
The Long Drop is not, as Aussie/Kiwi slang would suggest, about an outdoor loo, but about a murder case in Britain, based on a true story. I listened to the audiobook, but almost wish I had read it. Detailed. Interesting. And the characters are well drawn.