What a fun reading month February was for me! I was leaning heavily into mood reading this month, and it showed! I was all over the place, and it scratched all my itches. I also had my first 5-star read of the year, from a book that was totally unexpected. Add to that 5 memoirs (what??), 6 books by Black authors, 2 graphic novels, and a book over 600 pages and you have a whirlwind of a reading month! Here’s what I read:
Skye Falling, by Mia McKenzie (Random House 2021): I had zero expectations for this book, which made it even more of a delightful experience than it might have been. I loved Skye and her narrative voice and found myself cracking up on multiple occasions. Read my full review here.
Now Is Not the Time to Panic, by Kevin Wilson; narrated by Ginnifer Goodwin (Ecco, Harper Audio 2022): I loved this short audiobook, largely due to Ginnifer Goodwin’s impeccable narration, but also because Kevin Wilson is the expert at making the bizarre totally relatable. Read my full review here.
The Winners, by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books 2022): I was glad to finally sink into the final book in the Beartown series, and it was just as good as I’d hoped and as emotionally straining as I feared. Did I like the ending? Not at all. Did I think it was well done? Absolutely. Full review still to come.
Finding Me: A Memoir, by Viola Davis, read by the author (HarperAudio 2022): I just finished this this evening, so am still processing my thoughts on it, but I can safely say, it’s fantastic. Davis hooked me in the very first sentence and provided a raw and gripping account of her life thus far. I can’t believe how little I knew about her. Full review to come.
Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe (Oni Press 2019): What a vulnerable and informative work this memoir is. I learned so much about a life that is different from my own, and am grateful Maia had the courage to share this story. Full review to come.
The Black Kids, by Christina Hammonds Reed (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 2020): I’m still not sure if 4 stars is my correct rating here, because there were moments when I was reading brilliance. Other times it was standard YA fare. What I do know, is that this book offers a lot of complexity and nuance to some heavy issues faced by teenagers — and all of us — still today, despite being set over 30 years ago.
Spare, by Prince Harry (Random House Audio 2022): Like everyone else in the world, I read Spare this month, which further endeared Harry and Meghan to my heart. A very interesting, and often horrifying, look into a life that none of us will ever know. Read my full review here.
The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, by J. Drew Lanham (Milkweed 2016): My first slow-but-steady of 2023 felt intimate, lyrical, and thought-provoking. Read my full review here.
I Was Their American Dream, by Malaka Gharib (Clarkson Potter 2019): I liked this graphic memoir a lot, and it served as a great palate cleanser after a much heavier read (see Mr. Backman above). Read my full review here.
The Banned Bookshop of Maggie Banks, by Shauna Robinson (Sourcebooks Landmark 2022): This book was a fun, if forgettable, bookish romp, with great characters, clever moments, and an occasional eye-rolly villain. Perfectly satisfactory. Read my full review here.
The Gold Cadillac, by Mildred D. Taylor (Dial Books for Young Readers 1987): Continuing my read-through of the Logan Family Saga brought me to my first book where I didn’t know any of the characters… I’m still not sure how or where this book fits into the saga and didn’t feel like it was developed enough to stand on its own. Not sure if I’ll do a full review of this one, but maybe, just because I have so many questions.
I have a few books from the library on the docket, and then the world is my oyster! Who knows where my March reading will take me! I’m excited to find out!
She Can't Stop Reading 