In February I had surgery on my nose to fix a deviated septum, which required quite a bit of time at home to recover. So between surgeries and lots of snow days, I read more than usual this month.
Here’s what I read in February:
- The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown
- Kin by Tayari Jones
- Today Tonight Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon
- Mismatched by Anne Camlin and Isadora Zeferino
- Heartwood by Amity Gaige
- People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present by Dara Horn
- Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
- Playground by Richard Powers
- Our Numbered Bones by Katya Balen
- Solito by Javier Zamora
My favorite reads:
I highly recommend Solito, especially in the current climate where immigrants are being attacked in so many ways. Solito describes Javier Zamora’s journey as a nine-year-old from El Salvador to the United States. It’s a harrowing, at times heart-breaking journey, and Zamora effectively writes in the voice of a nine-year-old, as he leaves his home for the first time, travels through different countries, experiences extreme deprivations, and has to rely on the care of strangers. There’s a tone of wonder and terror and longing that is unforgettable.
Our Numbered Bones and Kin were both excellent. See my reviews (links above) for more.
I enjoyed Heartwood, especially by audio – it’s a story of a woman who disappears from the Appalachian Trail in Maine, and the Park Warden determined to find her. It’s a slow-moving mystery/thriller, and the longer the search goes on, the less likely it becomes that she’ll survive. This is a book that focuses more on character development than action, and I loved the way each character connects to nature. I learned a lot about trail walking and forest searches.
I read Today Tonight Tomorrow as I was recovering from surgery and it was exactly what I needed. The two main characters are long-time rivals graduating from high school, and the story is set on their last day of school. For four years they’ve egged each other on to various high school successes — but what happens now that they’re no longer rivals? Both characters are Jewish and I appreciated how that was explored. And it’s just really cute.
Disappointing reads:
Great Big Beautiful Life is my least favorite book by Emily Henry. I appreciated that Henry took a new approach, combining contemporary romance with historical fiction. But the story didn’t grab me, and I found the ending tied things up a little too neatly.
On the blog:
I reviewed Kin, People Love Dead Jews, Playground, Our Numbered Bones, and Solito. For Top Ten Tuesday, I posted on books for armchair travelers.
Books for challenges:
- Reading Jewishly: People Love Dead Jews, Today Tonight Tomorrow
- Nonfiction: Solito, People Love Dead Jews
- Speccy Fiction: The Book of Doors, Playground
- Backlist: Solito, Playground, Mismatched, People Love Dead Jews
What I’m reading in March:
I signed up for too many ARCs this month! I’m very excited to have ARCs from Felicia Day and Jenny Lawson, and I’ve been wanting to read something by Marie Benedict. I’m currently reading a biography of Judy Blume by Mark Oppenheimer. I’m enjoying learning about her and reliving many of the stories I loved like Blubber and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (and I’m realizing how many books of hers I haven’t read). I’m listening to Hula by Jasmin Iolani Hakes. It’s beautiful so far, an exploration of the history and identity of Native Hawaiians – and I definitely recommend it by audio because of the use of Hawaiian language.
That’s my February wrap-up. We’re seeing signs of spring and I’m looking forward to nicer weather in March. I’ll be volunteering at my library’s spring book sale, I’ve got two teacher job fairs to attend, and we’re excited for the start of the Washington Spirit’s season (our women’s soccer team). I hope you’re staying warm and reading something good!
