February | Wrap Up
February was an ok reading month for me, thank goodness. I mean, it wasn’t my best, but I finished 5 books (3 more than in January) and didn’t hate any of them, so I’m taking that as a win.
The first book I read in February was Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. This book has been super-hyped all over the bookish internet, with glowing reviews; everyone seems to love it. Usually when this happens I end up being disappointed in the book; my expectations are so high it’s pretty much impossible to meet them. Sadly, this was the case with Daisy Jones & The Six. I enjoyed the format of the book, written through quick snappy interviews with a wide cast of characters, but I found it hard to connect with any of them and didn’t much like any of them, to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate this book by any means, but it just wasn’t the amazing story I was expecting due to the hype. It was a fun, quick read, but made no lasting impression on me. 3/5 stars.
Next up, I decided to join in with #blackhistorymonth and #blackathon. I read Binti and Home by Nnedi Okarafor. These are the first two books in an inter-planetary sci-fi trilogy, and I found them to be thoroughly engaging and readable. While reading this, I was reminded of The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers – the books share similar themes of different species living together and trying to get along. Okorafor writes an engaging story, but I wish there had been a bit more to them. These books are so short (novellas, really), and I think they could’ve benefitted from a. lot more detail. Perhaps I would’ve been happier with the three books of the trilogy merged into one, mainly because I am impatient and don’t want to wait for the final part of the story! I gave both these books 3/5 stars.
Continuing on the #blackhistorymonth and #blackathon theme, I then picked up Sula by Toni Morrison. This was the first book by this author that I have read, and I was a little hesitant to pick it up. I enjoy literary fiction but sometimes it can be a bit toooo literary for me, and I feared Toni Morrison would fall into this category. Happily, I was proved wrong. Sula is a beautifully written story of friendship and racial and sexual inequality. Morrison manages to pack so much into the less than 200 pages of this story – she is a masterful writer and I will definitely be reading more of her work. I gave Sula 4/5 star.
The last book I read in February was Long Bright River by Liz Moore, which was the only book I managed to finish for #thrillerathon. I was totally immersed in this story, hooked from the beginning, and swept along with the vivid characters. You can read my full (spoiler free!) review of this here. This was a 4 star read for me, but definitely my favourite of the month.
