February Reading Wrap-Up

Books Read

(2/7) Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum (★★★★☆ – print, indie bookstore, 2024) – a sweet, heartwarming book about a bookstore owner and the people who visit her shop

(2/8) Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (★★★★☆ – e-book, Libby, 2024) – a Pride and Prejudice retelling, except in this story Elizabeth Bennet is trans and Darcy is a closeted gay man

(2/9) The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer (★★★★★ – audiobook, Libby, 2023) – a beautiful story about grief, dying, and what it means to live a good life

(2/11) Heart the Lover by Lily King (★★★★★ – print, indie bookstore, 2025) – a companion to Writers & Lovers with beautiful writing and a story I can’t stop thinking about

(2/17) Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver (★★★★★ – print, indie bookstore, 2024) – the trope of the celebrity falling in love with a regular person will never get old to me, and this one was excellent

(2/18) A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales (★★★☆☆ 1/2 – audiobook, Libby, 2023) – a locked-room mystery involving a strange murder and a woman teaming up with her nemesis to find the killer

(2/19) Wayward Girls by Susan Wiggs (★★★☆☆ 1/2 – e-book, Libby, 2025) – this historical novel about the real Magdelene laundries was harrowing, and I really wish the last 100 pages had been edited down

(2/25) You Are Not a Before Picture by Alex Light (★★★☆☆ – audiobook, Spotify, 2022) – a great primer on diet culture and body acceptance

(2/27) The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by K.J. Charles (★★★★☆ – print, indie bookstore, 2023) – one of those unexpectedly great romances involving two men from different walks of life 

(2/28) After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid (★★★★★ – print, Amazon, 2013) – marriage-in-peril books are not typically my jam, but I should have never doubted that TJR would make this story compelling and difficult to put down

Book Stats

• # of books read: 10
• # of pages read: 3,327 pages
• Genre breakdown: romance (3), fiction (5), mystery/thriller (1), nonfiction (1)
• Format breakdown: print (5), audiobook (3), and ebook (2)
• Fastest read: Heart the Lover (3 days)
• Slowest read: Most Ardently, Wild Eyes, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen, and After I Do (9 days)
• Star average: 4.1

Superlatives

• The best book I read in February: The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
• My favorite romance in February: Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver
• The book I didn’t expect to love as much as I did: The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles
• The book that lived up to the hype: Heart the Lover by Lily King
• The book with the strongest sense of place: Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum

Reading Miscellaneous

Unread Shelf Project | February prompt: A book by an author you’ve never read before: I chose Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop for this prompt, a book I bought in London. It’s not often that I pick up a book on a whim based on the synopsis alone, but this one called to me and had the most adorable cover. (Books it beat out: Homeseeking by Karissa Chen, Umissing by Minka Kent, and The Compound by Aisling Rawle.)

Where I traveled this month: In the United States, I visited California, New York, and Montana. I also traveled to the cutest bookstore in South Korea, a rugged mountain town in British Columbia, and many places throughout England.

DNFs: I had three DNFs in February, but one of those DNFs I will be returning to soon.

• Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic: I only listened to about 1.5 hours of this audiobook. I couldn’t stand the author and didn’t love his very obvious “tips” on how to be a better influencer. Not what I came to the book for!
• The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton: I applaud everyone who kept reading this book for Engie’s CBBC, even though they hated it. I just could not do it.
• A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas: This is the 8th book in the Lady Sherlock series, and I’ve listened to all but one of these books on audio. This time, the audio wasn’t working for me. I was getting very confused by the plot and all the characters, so I set this one aside, and I’ll pick it up again in print.

Something I learned from my reading: All about the U.S. Magdalene laundries (fashioned after the Irish Magdalene laundries), thanks to Wayward Girls. I had no idea these places even existed, and wowwwww.

What’s Coming Up in February

Here are some of the books on my upcoming TBR for this month:

• Inhale Exhale by Nicole MacPherson – I am so very excited to sit down and read this novel, since it’s, of course, written by our very own Nicole!
• Homeseeking by Karissa Chen – This is the book I’ve chosen for March’s prompt for the Unread Shelf Challenge. Both Sam and Lisa have raved about this book, so I have high hopes!
• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro – I’m currently in the middle of this book! I wanted to abandon it after 30 pages, but I told myself to keep going, and I’m really glad I did.
• Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston – This will be a reread for me, and it’s about damn time I did.
• What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon – I picked up this romance on a whim at a romance bookstore because I’ve loved this author’s books in the past. I hope this one is just as sweet!

What was the best book you read in February? What about your least favorite book?!