February '23 Reads

Three more books for 2023! I think that’s a good balance. Although I wouldn’t complain if I started reading more, but I also don’t wanna force myself to read; reading should still be an enjoyable hobby, not something I feel like I have to do.

Which is becoming hard with the start of a graduate program in literature, but that’s a whole other topic.

February was okay for books. Nothing seemed to grab my attention fully and there were a few books I stopped after a chapter or two (but I might try to pick them back up again in March. We’ll see).

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The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse - Charlie Mackesy, read #4 of 2023

Okay, so I take back my previous statement – this book did grab my attention fully. This book is gorgeous, and left me with tears in my eyes. If I had to sum it up, I would say it’s a children’s book for adults.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse is soft and calm and reassuring, which I think all adults could benefit from (just like I think everyone could benefit from therapy). It was like a hug, and Charlie Mackesy’s illustrations are just simply gorgeous, oh my goodness. The found family of the characters, and how Mackesy managed to tell a deep story so simply with words of encouragement was perfect.

I’ve heard there’s an animated special of The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, and I’m eager to watch it. And probably – definitely – cry just as much.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Jack Finney, read #5 of 2023

My second grad school read of my first semester! Technically it’s the third one on the syllabus, but I didn’t have to write an essay on the second one, so I didn’t read it – sorry, Frankenstein!

And, okay, this novel also grabbed my attention, but it wouldn’t be a book I’d pick up just for fun and I wouldn’t have read it if it wasn’t on my syllabus and I had to write an essay on it. But it was fun and that’s something I don’t think most classes on literature include – books just for the sake of being read. No hidden meanings, no dense language, just entertaining literature.

If you find dense language and hidden meanings entertaining, good for you, but that’s not what I’m typically looking for when I pick a book up.

Club Shadowlands - Cherise Sinclair, read #6 of 2023

This one was a lot of firsts for me. First eBook, first erotic romance…

I read this one based on a recommendation and simply because it was free on Kindle. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. It wasn’t bad by any means, just wasn’t 100% what I was looking for. The spice was good – if you’re into BDSM – but that’s all there really was. No great character development, no story outside of the Dom and Sub meeting. Which I guess I could’ve expected.

I guess what I’m looking for is a normal romance – think Book Lovers or Very Sincerely Yours – but with spice. I loved those two books, but they faded to black when I wished they would’ve continued.

If anyone has any recommendations…send them my way.

Honorable mention: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs

I listened to this one as an audiobook, and didn’t count it on my Goodreads yearly challenge, but I figured it could fit here. Whenever I have longer drives – ie whenever I go to visit family – I try to listen to an audiobook to keep me distracted and not focused on finding the *perfect* song while I drive down Florida backroads.

Except I continued listening to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children after I was back home. I read the first few books a few years back, and forgot how much I enjoyed the story. Funny thing about me, I typically only listen to audiobooks I’ve read before so that if I zone out I don’t miss too much.

And yes, I was fully disappointed when I checked Libby and saw that my library system doesn’t have any of the sequels on audio.