The Good News: my reading habits from 2023 have continued, and I was able to devour 5 physical books, 8 audio books, and 1 audio/physical tag team. And I only quit three! The momentum continues!
The Hilarious News: I am still a super big MOOD reader and my ratings don’t necessarily follow the trend of my own demographic. So feel free to say “She hated that? Ooh! That probably means I’ll like it!”
The Bad News: February didn’t give me any “OMG YOU HAVE TO READ THIS” books (unless you like spy cats and cursing dolphins – see below). My selection felt a lot like the month we are in: stay the course, try your best, and look forward to better things coming in summer.
Let’s begin the recap!
Format: Physical Book
Rating: 3.25/5
Genre/Topics: Memoir/Advice, SNL, Parenting, Race, Friendships, Acting/Comedy
Warnings: None, other than finding out that Kenan likes the club scene, haha.
Why I read it: Hollywood memoir, Kenan!
I still watch SNL and remembered Kenan Thompson since his days on All That. This was an entertaining memoir, but I wish I would have gone with the audio book – I’m sure his delivery would have made all of the stories so much better. The written version is super unorganized and sometimes repetitive. It reads like a diary or transcripts of random thoughts. So, I’m still a fan and enjoyed his point of view, but the book was super choppy and fell flat.
Format: Physical Book
Rating: 3.75/5
Genre/Topics: Middle Grade Fiction, Friendship, Survival/Reality TV, Everglades, Adventure, Family Relationships
Warnings: Child/Domestic Abuse, Guns
Why I read it: My kid was reading it for a book club.
This is the second Carl Hiaasen book they’ve read this year, and Chomp is far superior to Hoot. While it does delve into issues of parental alcoholism/drugs/abuse, the setting is entertaining (the Everglades as the background for a survival show) and the characters have depth and humor.
Format: Audio
Rating: 3.5/5
Genre/Topics: Middle Grade Fiction, Fairy Tale/Adventure, Friendship, Magic
Warnings: Parent/Grandparent Death, Fairies are annoying
Why I read it: It was an available audio book. One time I checked it out and never read it.
I’m a sucker for any kind of “fractured fairy tale”, and this one was adorable. It’s not a must read and some of the magical plot is clunky, but there are fun twists and entertaining characters. It’s a solid adventure to explain Rumpelstiltskin’s point of view. If you want your middle grade student to eventually binge Once Upon a Time, this would be a good gateway book.
Format: Audio
Rating: 4.25/5
Genre/Topics: Little/No-Spice Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Oops – One Bed!, Fake Dating
Warnings: Grief, Cancer, Guns, Hostage/Suicide Talk, Drowning, Alcohol Abuse, Domestic Violene (I swear this is actually a lighter and funny romance!)
Why I read it: Goodreads “You Might Also Like….”
I don’t like many spoilers, so the biggest gamble when it comes to picking books in the romance genre is wondering what is going to happen behind the cute, animated cover. Last month’s gamble led me to a very explicit scene where I can’t unknow what I know about a character’s penis. This time, there was barely any description of body parts – but don’t worry, she is still regular size and he is SO TALL. (Please text me immediately if you have read a good romance book with a short male character. I need to know it exists.) But this was just a cute, lovely, easy romance. She’s hired to protect him – and is hilariously bad at it – and he is a celebrity with a cute family on a ranch.
Format: Audio
Rating: 2/5
Genre/Topics: YA Fiction, Dystopian Fractured Fairy Tale, Space Politics
Warnings: Global Pandemic, Space Politics
Why I read it: This was one of those books that had been on my teaching shelves for years, and I had never read it.
The concept – cyborg Cinderella – was super appealing. A book from 2012 with the setting of a plague in China was a super bummer. I wanted to like this book so much, but it was extremely bogged down and slow. The last 10% ramps up for a cliffhanger – so you find out that this entire book was just a launch to set up the series. But just like Shadow & Bone, the slow burn of setting things up in book one did not spark my interest to continue the series.
Format: Audio
Rating: 1.75/5
Genre/Topics: Dramatic Fiction, Making Deals with the Devil, Romance – kind of?
Warnings: Sexual assault, Mildly graphic sex, Curses, Unending talk of trees and stars, Suicidal talk/depression
Why I read it: The synopsis hooked me
She sold her soul for an eternity of being forgotten – but she can still influence history? Intriguing! But instead of hearing about being a spy in WWII, we get to hear about how she spends 300+ years hung up on the guy that cursed her? Blargh. I will completely admit that this was a compatibility issue between myself and Addie LaRue. I know that I’m supposed to love the poetic repetition and lengthy descriptions of every single thing, but it was not my jam. It could have used half of the words and been the same story. By the time I dragged myself to the end of the book, I honestly didn’t care if she broke her curse or not. I was exhausted.
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.75/5
Genre/Topics: Underdog Story, Humor
Warnings: Mild Violence, Language
Why I read it: Husband’s recommendation – Huzzah!
This book was just FUN. I totally rate my books on my overall emotions and reading experience. This was just the right book at the right time. I mean, the main character is a substitute teacher just trying to get by. Ha! When his estranged uncle dies, he gets swept up in the world of super villains. Any book that can be totally normal and then easily transition to a world where dolphins hilariously spout profanity for three pages gets an immediate five stars. Oh yeah, and typing spy cats. Winning.
Format: Audio
Rating: 2.75/5
Genre/Topics: Coming of Age story, Mob Mentality, Friendship, Outcasts, Artists
Warnings: Extreme Teen Angst, Mental Health, Attempted Sexual Assault
Why I read it: I really liked Nothing to See Here.
Kevin Wilson has a great way of making unlikable characters likable. I enjoy his writing style, but this book was a tough read. It oozes teen angst and obsession. So if you want a super creepy book with 90’s teens and cult like behavior, this might be for you!
Format: Audio/Physical Tag Team
Rating: 1.25/5
Genre/Topics: Fiction, Riddles
Warnings: Foster Care, Miscarriage, Child Abuse
Why I read it: The synopsis sounded up my alley.
Willy Wonka – but with books? Sounds good, right? This book had so much potential with that premise, but it was so uncomfortable. It could have been FUN!!! But instead, it swapped out Charlie Bucket with an insecure 26 year old named Lucy. The riddles were simple and the book was slow. It was a game of how many awkward and creepy relationships could fit in one book: Lucy promises a kid with lots of trauma that she’ll be his mom, Lucy and the illustrator have a super awkward romance, Lucy has daddy issues with the author, Lucy and her estranged sister, Lucy and the abusive ex, the author and the other contestants that are just kind of hanging around with their own trauma. I could go on. No fun at all for a book that has WISHING and GAME in the title.
Format: Audio
Rating: 4.25/5
Genre/Topics: Rivals to Lovers, Writers, Second Chance Romance
Warnings: Adultry, Grief, Mild/Medium Spiciness (they do it, you guys)
Why I read it: It was a grumpy/sunshine sure thing.
I read this last year as my gateway to romance and Emily Henry books, so I went back for the audiobook. I flew through the reread/listen and really enjoyed revisiting this story. The tension! The banter! The miscommunication was more frustrating than I remember, but it’s still just a solid little romance about a couple of very stubborn writers.
Format: Physical
Rating: 3.25/5
Genre/Topics: Second Chance Romance, Friendship Reunions, Holiday Fiction
Warnings: Friend Suicide/Grief, Bullying, Adultery
Why I read it: A friend loaned it to me!
Nory owns a cute bookshop in London but needs to reunite with her snobby friend group for a wedding. The romance with the hot gardener is lovely (and fades to black when things get going), but the love story is buried underneath the drama of the annoying friends. Overall, it’s a lovely Hallmark type holiday movie, but it would also be the same exact story with 100 fewer pages and 10 fewer characters.
Format: Audio
Rating: 4.5/5
Genre/Topics: YA Fiction, Social Justice, Teen Experiences
Warnings: Racism, Language, Police Shooting, Riots, Drugs
Why I read it: It kept popping up as an available audio book, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t read it yet.
I will totally admit that I read to feel good and escape – so I put off reading this heavy book for way too long. However, I’m glad that I finally read/listened to it, as it lived up to all the hype and chatter surrounding it. This is a textbook for empathy and seeing things from different perspectives. It’s heartbreaking and beautifully told and intense and hopeful and depressing and all other feelings in one book. The audio book was very well done.
Format: Audio
Rating: 1/5
Genre/Topics: Fake Dating Romance
Warnings: Lots of Doin’ It
Why I read it: DMPL Challenge Author
Hey. I know that you flew to see me for the weekend and you can’t keep your hands off me – but do you even like me?
I’m a confident career woman, but why won’t he text me? I feel pretty, but other girls are so much prettier. Does he even like me?
If you like those vibes, you will love this book.
Format: Physical
Rating: 4.25/5
Genre/Topics: Sci-Fi
Warnings: Language, Mild Violence, Set in 2020 Covid times
Why I read it: I loved Starter Villain.
Sometimes you just need to escape into a world where average food delivery employees get caught up in a top secret world of traveling to other dimensions and studying Godzilla-like monsters. Why not? With a great cast and fun banter, I am 2/2 on enjoying John Scalzi novels. And any author that can make a book set in 2020 lighthearted is a star in my book.
The February Quit List! Drumroll pleeeeeeeease:
She’s a big city woman. He’s a country boy. They both have secrets.
Do you remember when Whose Line is it Anyway did film noir spoofs? That is how this book is written, but I think it was trying to be serious. I seriously thought it was a parody. When I’m literally laughing out loud during a thriller, I need to embrace it or stop immediately. This one had short, choppy sentences oozing with cliches that were super cringe-tastic. Within 24 hours of meeting her, the dude was “drawn to her like a moth to the flame” and wanted to bite her plump bottom lip. Even now, if I described the plot, it might seem interesting – but it’s just so uncomfy. I quit this book rather early on but still had to hear about the woman’s “blue, blue eyes” at least three times. DNF @ 16%.
I’ve seen this author everywhere and saw positive reviews of this while looking for a thriller. Apparently, I am just not in the mood this month, hahaha. Infidelity, a shoe obsession, bullying, teacher accusations, and so much teen angst. It was better writing than the Jeneva Rose book – and I’m sure there was a cool twist coming – but it’s a pause for now. DNF @ 27%.
It’s not a bad book. In fact, it’s a promising fairy tale adventure. However, I was not in the mood and the characters just couldn’t pull me in – even when the audio book narrator had a fun accent and did voices. DNF @ 23%.
That’s the February wrap up! I’m in the middle of 3 very promising books, so stay tuned for March!