I feel like I just wrote my January wrap-up and already, here we are in February. While we’re still in the thick of winter here in Atlantic Canada, the days are at least starting to feel longer and we’ve actually had some sunshine lately! Winter can be absolutely brutal on your brain when it’s nothing but darkness and freezing temperatures, so I’m trying to take solace in the small signs that show that at some point, the air might stop making my face hurt.

February was a great month all around for me. We made progress on some of our house projects, including getting all the way to just finishing touches needed on our office and home library, we spent a lot of time with family, and personally, I read a ton of fantastic stories. Life has been busy and fulfilling and feels a whole lot like things are back to normal. After the long slog and isolation that was the pandemic, it’s really nice to feel like we’ve reforged connections with the things that have always been important to us.

Books Read in February 2023

I feel like I’m on a roll this year. Last year, I’d be lucky to get 4 books in during the month, often struggling to get over the finish line. Lately I feel like I’ve just been devouring everything I pick up. I know that the amount that you read is not nearly as important as just enjoying the experience, but there are so many amazing books out there that I’m always dying to get my hands on that I can’t help but want to squeeze in as many as possible! February was a great month for that.

This month I read:

1. Book Lovers by Emily Henry: gosh it’s been so long since I read a contemporary romance and this just hit the spot in so many ways. I’ve been describing this book as sunshine in a literary format because it was just so warm and fuzzy and cliched in all the best ways. Plus a book about people who love books? Yes please. I rated it 4 stars, and you can ready my full review here.
2. Promise of Darkness by Bec McMaster: this was a fantasy romance with a lot of overlapping tropes from current popular series like ACOTAR and Blood and Ash. There were times where the overlap felt a bit extreme, but the book did diverge into some unique plot lines and magic that kept it entertaining. I rated it 3 stars, and you can read my full review here.
3. Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson: this was a re-read for me, my husband bought me a copy for Christmas and I couldn’t resist revisiting Lawson’s hilarious approach to a memoir about mental illness. Typically I find stories focused around such heavy topics like depression and anxiety to be taxing, but Lawson brings so much humour to all that she does. Her writing is a little scattered and weird, but I find it endearing and relatable. I rated this book 4 stars and you can find my full review here.
4. The Awakening (Zodiac Academy #1) by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti: I’ve wanted to read The Zodiac Academy for ages and this did not disappoint for me. The series is a contemporary fantasy with a unique magic system that ties in elements, orders, and astrology. It was a little soapy in the best possible way and I found it exceptionally entertaining. I rated it 5 stars out of pure enjoyment and you can find my review here.
5. Gild (The Plated Prisoner Series #1) by Raven Kennedy: this is another series I’ve wanted to read ever since I saw it blowing up on Instagram and WOW I loved it. It’s an inventive retelling of the story of King Midas but I didn’t  find knowing anything about the story in any way helped me see where it would go. There were twists and turns to the plot that I genuinely did not see coming and the cliff hanger at the end I’m still thinking about. I rated this book 4 stars and you can find my review here.
6. A Light in the Flame (Flesh and Fire #2) by Jennifer Armentrout: this was the second book in the prequel series to Blood and Ash and I liked it way more then I expected to. There was a lot of depth to the personal experience that Sera, the heroine, was going through. The plot took some trademark twists that Armentrout is known for and I found the whole reading experience super enjoyable. I rated this book 4 stars and my full review can be found here.

So as you can see, February was a busy reading month! I made it through all but one of my books in my physical TBR so I released myself from my book-buying ban and ugh, I just love buying books, there is nothing more satisfying to me. These are the ones I’m hoping to get through in March that I’ve already picked up:

• Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
• Hell Bent (Alex Stern # 2) by Leigh Bardugo
• The Empire of Gold (Daevabad trilogy #3) by SA Chakraborty
• The Dragon Republic (Poppy Wars #2) by RF Kuang
• Ruthless Fae (Zodiac Academy #2) by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

In February, I also started listening to audiobooks for the first time ever! People in my life have been recommending them to me forever and I just never got around to giving it a go. I’m using the Libby app connected to my local library and started with Broken by Jenny Lawson. I’m hoping I can use audiobooks to knock a few of my long-term books off my digital TBR.

Speaking of TBRs…

To Be Read (TBR) Lists

As usual, at the start of the month I went through my phone screenshots to see all the books that were recommended that I wanted to add to my TBR. Here’s what I added this month:

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt: I saw this recommended on Instagram, it’s a story of friendship, reckoning, and hope, told from the perspective of an octopus, which sounds weird and wonderful.
• Writers and Lovers by Lily King: a story of a woman desperately wanting to be able to live a creative life, wrapped up in a romance.
• Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill: a collection of fairytales poetically retold for a new generation of woman.
• This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohter and Max Gladstone: a science fiction about two agents altering history through multiple universes with romance intertwined.

What I’m Loving Right Now

Last month I chatted about my love for Bookstagram, my Novel Companion, and local indie bookstores. Obviously I still love all of these things, but this month was full of different kinds of joy, some related to books and some not.

Things that are currently making me happy include:

1. Getting outside with my pup and a good audiobook

In February, I decided that waiting for the weather to stop being cold would mean that I’d just never see sunlight again. I started forcing myself to use some of my lunchbreak to get outside and walk my dog and I am 100% better for it. I’ve been throwing in my earpods and listening to an audiobook while I walk and honestly, after the first 3 minutes, I’m not even cold anymore. The serotonin boost from some sunshine and fresh air has been much needed and good for my soul.

• Spending time with my nieces and nephews

We have nieces and nephews that range in age from 2-15 years old and spending time with them all has been filling me with happiness. They’re all at such different life stages and all growing and learning and honestly, they’re all really cool. Like, definitely cooler than my husband and I are. I just love spending time with them and getting to learn more about who they are and what they’re fired up about. They bring me so much joy.

• Fall Guy

I’m obsessed with the video game Fall Guy to an obscene level. I typically make my husband play it with me at least once a night and even though I’m usually tragically bad at video games, I’m getting better at this one through sheer brute force. It’s just such mindless fun, I love playing a few rounds before I settle into a few chapters of my book before bed.

As you can see, February was a great month! I’m headed into March with a full heart. Did you read or do anything spectacular in February? Let me know!