I had a great reading month in February, I enjoyed pretty much everything I read although I'm still searching for my first five star read of the year! I read 9 books in total so here's my thoughts on them.
Stats
My first read of the month was this really interesting non-fiction that explores how new breakthroughs in forensic science are helping to identify John and Jane Does in cold cases. I'm a massive fan of true crime in any format and this was a fascinating topic to explore. Laurah Norton is more of a journalist than a scientist but is very knowledgeable on the subject.
I liked that we were mainly focusing on one case from the 90's and it was really engaging to follow them as they describe the different methods used when it comes to identifying unknown victims. Some parts are quite scientific but it never gets too textbooky. Definitely recommend if you like exploring cold cases and want to know more about the science behind it all.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
I'm trying to read as much as I can from my 26 in 26 cause I barely made a dent in last year's list so I decided to pick up Water Moon which I've been meaning to read since I got it in an Illumicrate box last January. This is a fantasy set in Tokyo where a young woman runs a pawn shop that specialises in regrets and choices. When her father goes missing, she's joined by a stranger who agrees to help on her quest to find him.
This sounded so up my alley which is why I was slightly disappointed that I didn't fall in love with it. I will say that I loved the magical elements in here, there's puddles that turn into portals, a night market in the sky and travel by paper. It's very creative and enchanting. I also liked the characters but I didn't feel any particular attachment to them by the end and I thought their relationship was a little flat.
All together, it just didn't flow very well. The characters just constantly jump from one place to the next and I think the world building needed a lot more attention rather than just creating a mystical vibe. I did like the writing and I'm intrigued enough to pick up her newest release at some point.
The Secret Book Society by Madeline Martin
I love a women focused historical fiction that breaks the social expectations of the time period and this one definitely delivered with those themes. A widower creates a secret book club in the Victorian era, inviting three young women to attend and in turn they build friendships and the courage to fight for their freedom.
I enjoyed this one but didn't love. I think the characters and their separate stories were all interesting in their own right with Eleanor and her desire to escape her controlling husband being my favourite. I also liked getting Lady Duxbury's story told through her diary entries and the way this book confronts how women were threatened with asylums for stepping out of turn. I think the characters just became a bit too one-dimensional by the middle of the book.
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Another one from my 26 in 26 (smashing it!) and a book that I've had for years. I've read a few Sarah Dessen books now and I always enjoy her writing. This one follows Macy as she takes a summer job with a catering company and how she's coming to terms with her father's recent death and that feeling that she doesn't know who she is anymore.
This is probably one of the best YA contemporaries I've read in a long time. They used to be my go to genre but lately I've felt like i'm aging out of them. This book still holds up though 22 years after it was released. Macy is a really great character to follow, she's trying to hold on to her old self but through new friendships she slowly realises that she's been doing everything to please everyone else in her life.
I really liked following her on this journey, the supporting characters are all great and the romance is developed really naturally. My only drawback is that I felt that we didn't really get to see them confess their feelings/have that big moment at the end as much as I would have liked, which disappointed me after so much build up.
How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Two romances in a row? Who is she? I picked this one up cause one of my fave bookstagram accounts has been raving about this book for the past year and I was thoroughly intrigued. Helen, a writer is having her books turned into a tv series and Grant is hired as a screenwriter on the project. However, these two have a very complicated history and working together forces them to confront their buried past.
Whilst I liked the first half of this book, by the second half I wasn't as hooked on the plot or the characters. Helen and Grant are two people that probably shouldn't be in a relationship with each other if we're being completely honest, their past connection is just too messy. I kept going back and forth between liking them together and then thinking 'why would I root for them, they make no sense'. There's loads of drama going on and some odd choices when it came to the sex scenes. A decent romance but not one I'd be pushing on people to read.
I had no idea what I was in the mood for next so I basically just browsed my shelves until something jumped out at me and it was this book. Set in Australia, Lucy has always had a complicated relationship with her mother-in-law and when she turns up dead, all eyes are on her.
I really liked the writing style of Sally Hepworth, the decision to switch between Lucy and Diana's POVs as well as alternating the story through flashbacks worked really well. As the story unfolds this becomes less a thriller and more a domestic drama. The characters were equally fascinating though, they weren't particularly likeable but they felt realistic in their choices. I'm definitely inclined to pick up more of Hepworth's books now.
The Impossible Fortune (Thursday Murder Club #5) by Richard Osman
I've been impatiently waiting for my library hold to come in so I could devour this book. This series is always a surefire winner for me, I love this cast of characters and the antics they get up to. In the latest installment we have an uncrackable code, a missing best man, car bombs and a hidden fortune.
I adore this series and will lap up anything Richard Osman writes. I love the British humour that Osman does perfectly and I pretty much flew through this. Entertaining and hilarious as always.
This year I'm also trying to make a dent in the NYT's best books of the 21st century list. I have them all on a spinny wheel and this was the one that came up next. This is a graphic novel memoir that explores the author's childhood and her early twenties focusing on her relationship with her dad and the events surrounding his death.
I think because I read this as an eBook, it possibly didn't make as much an impact as it would had I read it physically. I don't read a ton of graphic novels so for me this was just ok. I liked the art style and seeing how the author came into herself and confirmed her feelings about her sexuality. I didn't feel much of an emotional impact though personally.
Shop Girl by Mary Portas
I finished off the month with another memoir, this one about growing up in 60s/70s London in a big Irish family. I really liked the way this was told, in short snapshots that reveal the author as a bit of a wild child growing up. It takes a really emotional turn after a death in the family, it was really sad to see how Mary's relationship with her father deteriorated in her teens. It was an interesting memoir that explored how the author didn't fully know what she wanted to do with her life and how she worked her way into the world of design and shop windows in the 80s. It also showcases a lot of the music and nostalgia of that era though as well as the realities of living in a working class family during those years.
Reading Challenge Update
Making decent progress with Beat the Backlist and PopSugar and I'm happy that I've finally read a few things from my 26 in 26 list!
What did you read in February? Have you read any of these? Leave a comment below. Happy Reading!
No comments
Post a Comment