It’s time for my first half of February book review post! I am sharing what I read in February so far, although I am skipping a few 5 star reads to share later in the month. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: Endpapers
Author: Jennifer Savran Kelly
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Algonquin Books, 2/7/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book is about Dawn, a bookbinder living in NYC in the years following 9/11. Dawn is unsure of their gender identity and sometimes dressing in men’s clothes while other times wearing dresses. Their boyfriend would prefer them to be a man and their boss seems to prefer her female side. (I’m not sure of Dawn’s pronouns but the author uses she/they).
“It’s 2003,and artist Dawn Levit is stuck. A bookbinder who works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she spends all day repairing old books but hasn’t created anything of her own in years. What’s more, although she doesn’t have a word for it yet, Dawn is genderqueer, and with a partner who wishes she were a man and a society that wants her to be a woman, she’s struggling to feel safe expressing herself. Dawn spends her free time scouting the city’s street art, hoping to find the inspiration that will break her artistic block—and time is of the essence, because she’s making her major gallery debut in six weeks and doesn’t have anything to show yet. One day at work, Dawn discovers something hidden under the endpapers of an old book: the torn-off cover of a lesbian pulp novel from the 1950s, with an illustration of a woman looking into a mirror and seeing a man’s face. Even more intriguing is the queer love letter written on the back. Dawn becomes obsessed with tracking down the author of the letter, convinced the mysterious writer can help her find her place in the world. Her fixation only increases when her best friend, Jae, is injured in a hate crime for which Dawn feels responsible. But ultimately for Dawn, the trickiest puzzle to solve is how she truly wants to live her life.”
Dawn discovers a letter hidden in a book which seems to indicate a long ago sapphic love story and she sets out to find the person who wrote the letter. The history discovered via the letter is both queer and Jewish (post World War II) and Dawn begins to try to understand themself through the letter writer as well as through street art in the city and her own art as well. Meanwhile, her best friend is hurt in a hate crime that Dawn blames themself for. There is a lot happening in this character driven book!
Title: Begin Again
Author: Emma Lord
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 1/24/23
Source: Publisher Audio
Why I Read It: Buddy Read
My Rating: 4 Stars
Emma Lord has had some entertaining books in the last few years and I was happy to join in with listening to Begin Again. I enjoyed it but I would really like a separate book about Shay, Andie’s bookstagrammer roommate!
“As usual, Andie Rose has a plan: Transfer from community college to the hyper competitive Blue Ridge State, major in psychology, and maintain her lifelong goal of becoming an iconic self-help figure despite the nerves that have recently thrown her for a loop. All it will take is ruthless organization, hard work, and her trademark unrelenting enthusiasm to pull it all together. But the moment Andie arrives, the rest of her plans go off the rails. Her rocky relationship with her boyfriend Connor only gets more complicated when she discovers he transferred out of Blue Ridge to her community college. Her roommate Shay needs a major, and despite Andie’s impressive track record of being The Fixer, she’s stumped on how to help. And Milo, her coffee-guzzling grump of an R.A. with seafoam green eyes, is somehow disrupting all her ideas about love and relationships one sleep-deprived wisecrack at a time. But sometimes, when all your plans are in rubble at your feet, you find out what you’re made of. And when Andie starts to find the power of her voice as the anonymous Squire on the school’s legendary pirate radio station–the same one her mom founded, years before she passed away–Andie learns that not all the best laid plans are necessarily the right ones.”
Andie is a person who wants to fix things for everyone. I didn’t love her as a main character, hence my desire for a book about Shay! I did like the stories around college life and the friend group that Andie found at school. As far as the audio, I wasn’t a huge fan of the narrator and they way she voiced certain characters!
Title: Legends and Lattes
Author: Travis Baldree
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 2/24/22
Source: Library Audio
Why I Read It: Pressure
My Rating: 3 Stars
I had heard so much about this book that I decided to listen to it. I don’t like fantasy, but it’s not really that fantastical – it is about Viv, who is an orc who opens a cafe. No one in town knows what coffee is – I found this amusing.
“After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success ― not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is. If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone. But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.”
There is a good cast of characters from a variety of species. I really liked the dire cat. Unfortunately, at some point I zoned out and I’m not sure what happened in the story! There was also a bonus story at the end which I skipped, but I don’t think that counts as not finishing, since I did reach the end of the main book – sort of.
Title: This Is How It Started
Author: Stacy Finz
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Kensington, 2/7/23
Source: TLC Book Tours
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This is a book about grief. Rachel lost both her father and her husband in a short time period and must move on from the past along with her family – two siblings, her mom, and her step mom.
“No marriage is perfect, but in Rachel Ackermann’s eyes, hers came close. From the very start, her love story with Josh was wonderful. There’s just one problem with stories: no matter how great the beginning, there’s also an ending. For Rachel and Josh, it comes suddenly and far too soon. Trying to move on without Josh feels impossible, and it’s tempting for Rachel to cocoon in the dark with the
reminders of the life they should have shared. But her quirky, sometimes exasperating family won’t let that happen. And as Rachel is nudged back into the sunlight, she uncovers a trove of surprising secrets—and an opportunity to save a family legacy—and maybe save herself in the process . . .But it will mean forging an unexpected alliance with her late father’s unpopular young ‘trophy wife.’ And then there’s Rachel’s renewed bond with Campbell Scott, the boy who another lifetime ago broke her heart. Just when Rachel thinks she’s got everything figured out, she learns that in between beginnings and endings lie new chapters . . .”
I liked how the book took place over the course of a year, with Jewish holidays occurring and leading towards Josh’s first yahrzeit (the memorial of a death each year). I wasn’t that much of a fan of Rachel reuniting with her former first love, but this was secondary to the story of her and her family. This book includes references to miscarriage and a car accident.
Title: Promise Boys
Author: Nick Brooks
Genre: YA Thriller
Publisher: Macmillan Audio, 1/31/23
Source: Publisher Audio
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
I thought this book sounded good and it had a full cast audio production which was very cool to listen to. It is about a school for boys called Urban Promise Prep. The principal is killed and three boys of color are the main suspects.
“The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students―J.B., Ramón, and Trey―emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive―and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?”
I liked the way various viewpoints were given as the mystery is unraveled. I expected more of a twist ending, but I liked the book overall!
Title: Atlas of the Heart
Author: Brene Brown
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Random House, 11/30/21
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This book was waiting on my shelf for awhile and I thought it would be fun to read this month. It is a description of 87 different emotions organized together by those that may be confused for each other.
“In Atlas of the Heart, Brown takes us on a journey through eighty-seven of the emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human. As she maps the necessary skills and an actionable framework for meaningful connection, she gives us the language and tools to access a universe of new choices and second chances—a universe where we can share and steward the stories of our bravest and most heartbreaking moments with one another in a way that builds connection. Over the past two decades, Brown’s extensive research into the experiences that make us who we are has shaped the cultural conversation and helped define what it means to be courageous with our lives. Atlas of the Heart draws on this research, as well as on Brown’s singular skills as a storyteller, to show us how accurately naming an experience doesn’t give the experience more power—it gives us the power of understanding, meaning, and choice.”
I feel like a lot of times she was referring back to previous books by her, which I haven’t read. I felt like this book would be useful for a social worker or counselor. It was interesting, but I wasn’t sure what the ultimate point was – maybe just to understand your own emotions and those of others.
Title: It Ends at Midnight
Author: Harriet Tyce
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark, 2/21/23
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
The book begins with the death by impaling of two of the characters and the mystery is regarding what happened to them. Along the way, you learn about Sylvie and her past with her best friend Tess.
“It’s New Year’s Eve and the stage is set for a lavish party in one of Edinburgh’s best postcodes. It’s a moment for old friends to set the past to rights – and move on. The night sky is alive with fireworks and the champagne is flowing. But the celebration fails to materialize. Because someone at this party is going to die tonight. Midnight approaches and the countdown begins – but it seems one of the guests doesn’t want a resolution. They want revenge.”
I wasn’t a huge fan of the story or the conclusion. I have read many way better thrillers! There is reference and some description of past sexual assaults and Sylvie seems quite in denial. She is a judge and does not seem mature enough for the role. I did not guess the outcome, but it wasn’t all that surprising either!
This post includes 7 of the books I read this month. Of these books, 4 were print and 2 were audio. 5 were adult books and 2 were YA. Genres included literary, fantasy, rom com, and thriller, and non fiction.
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
