February 2022 Wrap Up and TBR

Ah, February. The shortest month of the year. While there have definitely been plenty of ups and downs this month, I can only pray that the current downs in the world can only go up in March. I can only pray that love and peace will always win the day.

It sometimes feels a little trivial focusing on what I’ve read and such when there’re far greater things happening around me. I don’t know if you feel the same way. But I suppose we all need a little something to escape the darkness where we can. If stories can do that for you, I hope you find some solace in such a post like this.

What did I read this month?

It’s been a pretty decent read this month, and I’ve hit some of my goals towards reading different books including 2 graphics novels and 1 memoir.

Most surprising: The Maid surprised me on so many levels because it really wasn’t so much about the mystery after all (review here). It was about the protagonist’s journey and her unique voice/perspective that drove the story forward in the aftermath of a suspicious death at the grand hotel she works at. I absolutely adored the prose and felt like Molly was someone I wanted to see the world as. Reading the end was bittersweet because I didn’t want to let her go!

Hype is real: It’s hard when a book with so many expectations on it doesn’t meet those expectations which kind of ruins the whole experience. Fortunately, Only A Monster wasn’t like that at all, far surpassing what I thought the story would be (review here). Love triangles (one I actually liked) and a potentially vast world full of monsters within our own made for a very entertaining story I can’t wait to continue in the sequel.

Nonfiction shoutout: I came into Things I Should Have Said with minimal bias. I don’t really follow celebrity things like that and feel everyone deserves to give their story. Memoirs can be hit or miss for me, but I thought this was a great conversational story actress Jamie Lynn Spears divides into different parts of her life, focusing on family and faith. There really isn’t much about Britney in here besides the context of growing up with her in the same family. I’m happy I got to listen to this as an audiobook.

Most nostalgic: There’s nothing better than the Lunar Chronicles series reaching its 10th anniversary this year with its first book, Cinder. Perfect timing to read the graphic novels Wires and Nerve focusing on Cinder’s android bestie, Iko, with plenty of appearances from the rest of the gang. The world was great to enter into again, although it definitely needs to be read after the rest of the series.

Buddy reads: Thrillers is our thing here at DTRH and Elevator Pitch is no exception to this. Fives and I went on a fun journey with this story from renowned Canadian author (woot woot!) Linwood Barclay. Let’s just say I would hesitate when getting into an elevator after reading this. Full buddy review will come out next month!

Most Improved: I guess this is like the Participation ribbon in gym class? At least it’s something, right? The Crown of Gilded Bones (review here) was a vast improvement from its sequels and I suppose that’s why it’s rated better because there’s a comparison present. Is it the best piece of fantasy I’ve read? I can’t really say that, but will I continue to read the series? I’m sure some of you know by now I’m a glutton for punishment when it comes to these books.

Ratings:

5 Drink Me Potions

• The Maid by Nita Prose

4 Drink Me Potions

• Only A Monster by Vanessa Len
• Wires and Nerve (volume 1 and 2) by Marissa Meyer

3.5 Drink Me Potions

• The Crown of Gilded Bones by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Things I Should Have Said by Jamie Lynn Spears
• Flirting with Forever by Kendall Ryan
• Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay

2.5 Drink Me Potions

• The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

Current reading list

• The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta
• The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
• The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison Barr

TBR list

• Being Mary Bennet by JC Peterson
• The Iron Sword by Julie Kagawa
• House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

And that wraps up February! Next month will be a long and busy one for me so we will see how reading goes. There are plenty of amazing reads coming out so stay tuned for our monthly anticipations post!

Stay safe everyone! And may we stand in love and solidarity with one another 🇺🇦