The 7 Books I read in February
A belated reading wrap up
**Is it now April? Yes indeed. Should this be March’s wrap up? Yes indeed. March was madness for me, so you’re getting Feb now, and March soon :)
Welcome to my monthly reading post!
February was a month where I colored outside the lines in terms of my usual reading habits. Typically I’m staunchly a one-book-at-a-time girl, but this month I was often reading three at a time. I had a chunky paperback that was relegated to nighttime reading in bed only, my most common format of several books on Kindle, AND (drumroll please)… my first ever audiobook! While I won’t be listening to books often, I see myself enjoying it for very specific kinds of reads. If you have an audiobook you LOVED, let me know!
All that said, February was a fantastic reading month, so let’s dig in.
February breakdown:
7 BOOKS TOTAL
GENRE:
3 Science Fiction (a trilogy!)
2 Contemporary Fiction
1 Memoir
1 Horror
FORMAT:
3 physical copies (technically a trilogy compiled into one very large physical copy)
2 digital copies from the library
1 digital Netgalley arc1
1 audiobook - my first ever!
PAGES READ: 1873 (average length 268 - more short books than usual!)
PS: If you, like me, are meticulous about tracking the books you’ve read, I highly recommend the digital reading log templates sold by this seller on Etsy. Simple to use, easy to read, and just a good time for anyone who is interested in their reading stats.
Other than that spreadsheet, I use Storygraph for tracking, reviews, and stats. SG > Goodreads forever!!
And lastly, please be sure to check trigger warnings for any and all books I share.
THE BRIGHT YEARS
by Sarah Damoff
What It’s About:
The Bright Years is a quiet and gripping novel about the ways, big and small, that addiction can grasp a family in its clutches. Ryan and Lillian Bright are young and in love, but both harboring secrets from each other that have the power to change the trajectory of their marriage and the life of their daughter. The story is told through 3 separate POVs, all equally impactful and introspective, as the family is ripped apart and put back together in the way that only something truly broken can be - in a completely different way than it started.
Why I Liked It:
I’m drawn to so many aspects of this book — stories that span a long period of time (6 decades in this case), stories about addiction, multi POV, multigenerational family sagas — and it also had some contrasting elements to the books I typically read, such as the Texas setting. It’s readable, relatable (in ways both good and bad), full of richly developed emotion, and the characters will draw you in to the point that their disappointments feel like yours. I highly recommend this one — for fans of Claire Lombardo.
The Bright Years bookshop.org link
LILITH’S BROOD TRILOGY
by Octavia Butler
What It’s About:
In a near future dystopian setting, Earth has reached a fiery end through nuclear war. Most humans have died, but an extraterrestrial species called the Oankali has plucked precious few survivors and taken them into space for safekeeping. The series starts with Lilith awakening hundreds of years after Earth’s demise and coming to terms with her captivity. She becomes an instrumental part of brokering a peace between humans and the Oankali, forging a new path forward for humanity’s existence. The following two books follow her descendants, first Akin and then Jodahs, in a world where human and Oankali have become one, living on a restored Earth.
Why I Liked It:
First of all, it is incredibly plausible that humankind would destroy itself and need to be rescued by an outside source. The alien species in the book cites humanity’s downfall as something they call “The Human Contradiction”, or our tendency to prioritize hierarchy over collectivism, despite our significant intelligence which should tell us otherwise — sounds familiar. The trilogy explores power and oppression, agency and consent, sexuality, colonialism, genetics and family, and so much more. I was so blown away by how quiet and pensive, even passive, the books feel in terms of prose, but they communicate so loudly. Consuming this trilogy felt like a precious collecting of moments over time, of truly immersive encounters, and when I reached the end I was struck with all that I had experienced.
Lilith’s Brood bookshop.org link here
HUNGER
by Roxane Gay
What It’s About:
Hunger is a memoir that details one woman’s lifelong relationship with her body, “a body that she calls ‘wildly undisciplined’”. Through short, compulsively readable chapters that pack an insane punch, we follow her from a traumatic childhood incident into adulthood and see her struggle to escape the grips of that trauma. As its effects manifest mentally and physically, she details what it means to use your body as a shield “in a time when the bigger you are, the smaller your world becomes”.
Why I Liked It:
I need everyone to read this book. One thing that infuriates me is the assumption so many people have about WHY other people exist in a fat body - because they think we’re lazy, or undisciplined, or don’t care about our health. I will spend the rest of my life trying to explain to people that, despite it being none of your business, you will NEVER know someone’s health or personality by looking at the state of their body. This book should help you understand that, and, if needed, help you to find empathy for fat folks — something that far too many people are lacking.
Hunger bookshop.org link
THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART
by Monika Kim
What It’s About:
Described as Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister the Serial Killer, this is a story about a family unraveled. It follows Ji-Won, a young Korean-American girl whose father has recently deserted her, her sister, and her mother after an affair. The men in this book are all perpetrators — of fetishization, of objectification, of adultery — and Ji-Won is done sitting by the sidelines and watching. What starts as an appetite for fish eyeballs becomes more sinister and compulsive until it can only be described as all-consuming.
Why I Liked It:
Interestingly I have been delving into the female rage → cannibalism pipeline and this was one of the better examples I would point to. Reading this book feels like a slow descent into madness (complimentary). At first it feels unclear what is reality and what is not, but the journey is indulgent and witty nonetheless. This was a fantastically unsettling look into the role that fetishization plays in relationships and the nuanced experiences of the Asian American women who navigate them.
The Eyes Are The Best Part bookshop.org link
THE RACHEL INCIDENT
by Caroline O’Donoghue
What It’s About:
This is a coming-of-age story set in Ireland that follows two best friends, Rachel and James, who start the book as strangers. With a rather bleak undertone, we see them navigating young adulthood together through an array of extenuating circumstances, most of which involve one of Rachel’s professors and various romantic entanglements. It’s a story of secrets and betrayal shot through with the endearing, frustrating naivety of not just becoming an adult, but doing so in the midst of a recession.
Why I Liked It:
This was my first and only audiobook. I actually think this was the perfect book to listen to — the humor is dry and funny, and the personality of the characters really came through. While certainly witty and lilting at times, the book has a lot of dark undertones and struck a unique balance of remaining realistic but intriguing. It has really stuck in my head as well, which is always a good sign. This was one of those very popular ones that I was hesitant to pick up, but ended up reading for book club. And I’m glad I did!
The Rachel Incident bookshop.org link
My Immediate TBR:
For the first time, I *actually* have started keeping a list of what I’m going to read next - I add titles to the list as library holds or NetGalley requests come through. Here’s the current list! *as of end of Feb
The Dream Hotel | Laila Lalami (currently reading, obsessed - read if you like Black Mirror)
Loca | Alejandro Heredia (currently listening and enjoying - a queer novel set in 90s NYC said to appeal to fans of the show Pose)
The Patternist Series | Octavia Butler (my new bedtime read. I have a combo of all 4 books in 1, and I love a CHUNKY paperback for bed)
Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth | Ingrid Robeyns (trying to read some nonfic. Fuck billionaires :) )
Sunny Side Up | Katie Sturino (think I’m obligated to read this one as a NYC plus size fashion girl who worked in swim)
The Girls Who Grew Big | Leila Mottley (by the author of Nightcrawling)
The Shutouts | Gabrielle Korn (sequel to Yours For the Taking, have had it and been meaning to read for so long)
Too Soon | Betty Shamieh (a “fun and flirty” multigenerational story about Palestinian-American women)
Aftertaste | Daria Lavelle (a speculative food fiction and also ghost story? I am intrigued)
There are a few more but I’ll pause here and we’ll see how many of these I get through between now and next month’s reviews.
Let me know if there’s anything else I should seek out and add to the TBR, or any I should prioritize because you loved them!
Don’t forget to share your favorite books of the month + let me know what you’re reading next. And if you’ve read any of the books mentioned here, I’d love to know what you thought! Any that you’re now planning to read? Tell me!
advanced reader copy