February Wrap Up

My February

This month should have been a lot more exciting because I turned 18! I couldn’t celebrate the way I’d like to, but I had a chill night in with my family so it wasn’t too bad. The rest of the month has been the usual online school, except we got snow for a few days which I still can’t believe! It’s been hard to keep up my motivation up especially as A-Levels are still uncertain and I don’t know what I’m working towards anymore, but reading and blogging has helped me keep some kind of routine and I’m grateful for everyone here!

This month was LGBTQ History Month in the UK! There are lots of resources on LGBT+ history, and here are a few recommendations that I read/watched/listened to if you’re interested:

• History Extra article on a brief guide to LGBT+ history
• History Extra podcast on the big questions of LGBTQ history
• You’re Dead to Me podcast on LGBTQ History
• It’s a Sin, a Channel 4 mini-series on the AIDS pandemic

Here are my weekly updates for more details of my reading and week in general:

• 01/02-07/02
• 08/02-14/02
• 15/02-21/02
• 22/02-28/02

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Reading Stats

9 books and 3381 pages so 120 pages a day!

♡  my average rating was 3.94

♡  4 physical books, 5 ebooks

♡  3 fantasy, 3 contemporary, 1 romance 1 historical fiction, 1 classic

♡  4 YA, 5 adult

I read more pages per day than in January which is great! My rating last month was 3.9 so it’s similar, although last month I had a much bigger range of ratings. Finally I’ve read some YA!! My genres are different from what I usually read and I want to read more sci-fi and horror but I’m happy with my reading this month.

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The Books

★★★★★

No 5 stars this month!

★★★★☆

The Black Coast: Wow. This was a great first book in a new fantasy series! I loved the balance of detailed focus on characters and the wider world and its politics. I have a full review here if you’re interested. 4.5 stars!

Assassin’s Apprentice: Another great start to a series! Assassin’s Apprentice was very slow, but it was worth it for the complex characters, intricate worldbuilding and political intrigue. The last 50 pages really picked up, and I can’t wait to carry on with it soon, even if I’m intimidated by the size of the next book!

The Weight of the Stars: I originally thought this was a sci-fi, but it’s more of a contemporary with space elements. I liked the found family dynamic, and Ryann and Alexandria’s characters specifically (although some of Ryann’s actions specifically didn’t make sense?). I was so invested in their relationship and the ending hit me hard, I cried. It was so beautiful and we finally got more space!

Yolk: Another great ARC I read. It’s a YA contemporary that explores so many themes, including Jayne’s eating disorder, Korean-American identity and her relationship with her sister. It was hard to get into at first but I grew attached to the characters, who were so real and flawed, and by the end I was crying hard.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club: I need to read more queer historical fiction because this was everything. There were a few plotlines and characters that felt unexplored, but apart from that it was a great insight into Chinese Americans and the lesbian community in the 1950s, and a heart-warming coming of age romance. I will have a review up soon!

Transcendent Kingdom: Another ARC! Transcendent Kingdom is coming out on 4th March in the UK. I didn’t think anything Yaa Gyasi wrote next could even compare to Homegoing, but Transcendent Kingdom is a good attempt. It’s so different to Homegoing but you still have Gyasi’s beautiful writing style and complex characters, which are explored in much more detail here. There’s a lot of reflection on science, religion, addiction and family dynamics which were very insightful.

★★★☆☆

Normal People: I had conflicting feelings about this, because while I was invested in Marianne and Connell’s relationship (who would have thought I’d like a straight romance so much?), and their individual characters, it just didn’t blow me away and I felt cheated by the ending, because not much feels resolved and I don’t think the characters grew as much as they could have. Still, I enjoyed it enough, so it was a 3.5 stars for me!

Shadow and Bone: I was surprised by how much I liked this because I had such low expectations going in. It is nowhere near as good as Six of Crows but it was interesting to see more of the world and how the magic system actually works. Some aspects definitely have that generic YA fantasy vibe, but I think there were some interesting themes explored and complex characters. The sequel has a lot of potential so I’m excited to see where it goes next! This was 3.5 stars for me too.

☆☆☆☆☆

I didn’t give a rating to Julius Caesar because I’m not too sure how to rate plays, and Shakespeare plays in particular. It’s probably not my favourite tragedy I’ve read but I loved the process of analysing the play, and I’ve studied the end of the Roman Republic so it was interesting to see it in a different light and the way it explored power. Every time I read a Shakespeare play it feels easier so hopefully I can read more this year!

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Thanks for reading! How was your February?

—ella♥

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