Wrap-Up: What I’ve Read in January + February

Hi everyone! I know I basically start every wrap-up the same way and I’m going to do it again: can you believe it’s March already? I’m both sad about this but also very excited because the weather has been really bad here lately (lots of storms, rain and wind) and I’m really excited for spring to start. We’re already seeing some flowers bloom, and we’re growing some things in our windowsill for the vegetable garden which always makes me very happy!

But I’m also a little sad about it because I fell into a slump in February (you can read a bit more about it here) and I just feel like I haven’t accomplished enough this year. I fell behind on blogging, didn’t read as much as I’d like to, etc. Hopefully I’ll be able to be a bit more productive in March, and I hope these past two months were great reading months for all of you!

(or, read these past 2 months. sorry, didn’t really want to make a new graphic)

The Deep by Rivers Solomon – I started this immediately after listening to a voice message from a friend who was raving about how incredible this book was and she was absolutely right because I loved it and while I really enjoyed the fact that this was shorter, I now really wish it’d been longer because I want more.
poems I sleep next to by Shelby Eileen – I don’t tend to read a lot of poetry but I always want to make an exception for Shelby, and I once again ended up really liking their collection. I had a hard time connecting to some of the poems, but I still thought this collection was beautiful.
If They Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar – This was my first experience listening to a poetry collection on audiobook and, while I did enjoy the experience and thought some of the poems were incredible, I don’t think this experiment was successful because none of the poems stuck with me. I might have to reread this one physically.
Our Wayward Fate by Gloria Chao – I picked this up because I loved this author’s debut, American Panda, and while I didn’t love Our Wayward Fate as much as I did her debut I still really enjoyed it! There were just a few minor things I would’ve liked to see done a little differently.
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire – I had kind of given up on this series after not loving Beneath the Sugar Sky and just kind of losing interest, but I picked this one up on a whim and I’m so glad I did because I absolutely loved it! This very much read like a fairytale and it was so enchanting, I couldn’t stop reading.

Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes- DNF, there was so much going on that it felt incredibly chaotic, and even with so much going on I felt incredibly bored. I couldn’t bring myself to care for any of the characters or things that were going on, which was a bit sad because I really thought this was going to be a fun read.
The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson – Because the second book in this series ended in such a cliffhanger I just had to pick the final installment of the series up as soon as I could and I read the entire thing on release day. I’m really happy with how this series wrapped up and I loved this book.
Crier’s War by Nina Valera – I read this with my friend Maé and I had zero expectations going into this book, but I was still pleasantly surprised! I especially loved the politics and the history that this book explored.
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett – I read this with my friend Lili and, while I did really enjoy the experience and thought the survival aspect of it was fun, I also felt a little bored while reading it. I’m not sure Jenn Bennett’s books are for me, but I guess I’ll try it one more time because I still have Serious Moonlight on my physical TBR.
The Reader by Traci Chee – I reread this because I’m hosting a readalong of this series with my friends Lili and Fadwa and this reread truly established the fact that this is one of my favorite books ever.

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee – It took me about half a year to finally finish it but I ended up really enjoying it! Under a Painted Sky is still my favorite Stacey Lee book but this is a close second.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – I finally picked this one up for a buddy read with my friend Elin after having it on my TBR shelf for years and years and I ended up loving it so much more than I expected and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Destiny’s Captive by Beverly Jenkins – I read this with my friend Fadwa and I was so excited about it because I’ve read and loved Beverly Jenkins before and this had pirates (which I’m a huge sucker for), and I ended up liking this! I just didn’t really like the ending or the way PTSD was explored in this book.
Untouchable by Talia Hibbert – I read this one for the “best friend picks my TBR“-project and I was so excited to start it since I absolutely loved the first book and this series, and the second book definitely didn’t disappoint. I love Talia Hibbert’s writing and her characters and I want to read every single book she writes ever.

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O’Neill – I finally read this after having people tell me to read this for quite some time and I’m so glad I did because I loved it and the tea dragons are now one of my favorite things.
Lumberjanes #64-#68 by Shannon Watters – It’s been a while since I sat down and marathon read a few Lumberjanes issues but this definitely re-sparked my love for the Lumberjanes. I love this series so, so much.
Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass by Lilah Sturges and Polterink – I expected so much from this since I adore the Lumberjanes, and Mal and Molly, the ones this graphic novels was going to be about, are my favorite characters but this was a real letdown. I didn’t actively dislike it, but I was really bored and I don’t think that’s ever happened with a Lumberjanes thing for me before.
Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship by Lilah Sturges and Polterink  – I wasn’t expecting much from this one after not loving The Infernal Compass but I luckily ended up really liking this one!
Raven: Year 2 – Love and War #10 & #11 by Jeremy Whitley, Xenia Pamfil, Christine Hipp and Sorah Sungh – I used to absolutely adore this series but, if I’m completely honest, I’ve kind of lost interest and I’m not sure whether I want to continue. I still have 3 unread issues on my phone that I want to finish but after that… I’m not sure. 

I’m currently reading so many different books (7!!! there’s SEVEN books on my currently reading shelf. WHY) that I think it might be a good idea to make a whole separate post about it, but here’s the three books I’m most actively reading.

I picked A Short Philosophy on Birds by Philippe J. Dubois and  Élise Rousseau up at my local bookstore because the book is incredibly beautiful and I was craving something new and totally different from what I’m used to reading, and a non-fiction book about birds certainly fits that description. I’m not that far into it and I don’t pick it up regularly, but I still think it’s an incredibly fascinating read.
I also started reading The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling by Wai Chim because my friend CW adores this book and I completely trust her recommendations, and I’m about 20% into this book and I’m really enjoying it. I haven’t picked it up in a while and I’m not sure why, but I’m really hoping to finish it in March because it’s amazing so far.
I started listening to Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey because I saw someone recommend it on Twitter and I was craving a short audiobook so I was like *shrug* why not? Sadly I can’t really say I’m enjoying it so far because, to be totally honest, I’m a little bored. I still want to continue it because I’m about halfway through already and it’s short so I might as well finish it but yeah, I kind of regret picking this one up.

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