February 2020 reading recap
February, despite being the shortest month of the year, was an even better reading month than January. I read twelve books in February, including four 5-star reads.
The Ones I Didn't Love
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister
I admit: this book did not appeal to me at all, but I picked it up when Reese Witherspoon picked it as the February book club pick. I have a very poor sense of smell, so it's not terribly surprising that a book all about smells might not be for me. I also found the story problematic in many ways. I enjoyed the second half more, but I'm not the right reader for this book. (2 stars)
Island of the Lost by Joan Druett
This exploration of a crew shipwrecked on the Auckland Islands had all the makings of gripping nonfiction. While the story is fascinating, the execution was underwhelming. I listened to the audio, so it's hard to know if it was the writing or narration (or maybe both) that made it hard to engage with this book. It was interesting enough to finish, but I did speed it up to 1.35x. (3 stars)
The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
This novel about a new charter school in a town that sounds a lot like Boulder, Colorado is filled with drama, but I didn't buy any of the characters as real people. I love problematic, rich white people novels, but this one didn't fully work for me. (3 stars)
The Ones I Liked
Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
I chose to listen to this one because it has a full cast, and I'm glad I did. The different narrators really made me feel like I was on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint X. The story centers around the disappearance and murder of Allison, a college student, on the last night of her family vacation on Saint X. Initially, two island men who work at the resort are suspects, but when they're cleared of the crime, it remains an unsolved mystery and part of pop culture/true crime lore. Many years later, Allison's sister, who was seven when she disappeared but is now an adult living in New York City, gets into a cab driven by one of the suspects. Alternating between the week of the crime and present day, told from the perspectives of many characters, Saint X was an audiobook I listened to compulsively. Its explores many important issues of privilege, crime, and hypocrisy, and it's a mystery of sorts too. As I listened, I loved it. I found the ending a bit of a let down, but it made me a fan of Schaitkin. (4 stars)
His Favorites by Kate Walbert
#MeToo novels are having a moment, and this slim (160 pages) novel is a good one. Reflecting back on her time at a boarding school, this novel explores her high school relationship with a male teacher from the present day. Walbert's writing is lovely, and I read this book quickly. I kept waiting for a wow moment that never came, but if you want a quiet, contemplative, #MeToo novel, this is a good one. (4 stars)
The Ones I Liked A Lot
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn by Kristi Belcamino
The fourth (of six) in the fantastic Gabriella Giovanni, a San Francisco crime reporter, mystery series is the best yet. The first in the series is Blessed are the Dead, and they should be read in order (in my opinion.) (4.5 stars)
The Pisces by Melissa Broder
This novel is delightfully weird. It's raunchy and feminist and there is a lot of sex, much of it with a merman (yes, really). It is not one I recommend to many people, but it made me a fan of Melissa Broder, and I will read everything else she writes. (4.5 stars)
American Royals by Katharine McGee
This alternate history imagines that George Washington was the first king of the United States rather than our first president. His descendants still rule today. The laws have recently changed to allow the oldest child, even if she's a girl, be the next leader. This novel, the first of a trilogy, is sexy, smart, and fun. I listened to the audio and thought the narrator, Brittany Pressley, was superb. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book, Majesty, which will be published in September. (4.5 stars)
The Ones I Loved
Go to Sleep (I Miss You): Cartoons from the Fog of New Parenthood by Lucy Knisley
I've adored Lucy Knisley's work from the beginning of her graphic memoir career. This a collection of cartoons organized thematically rather than a full memoir, but Knisley perfectly captures the full and complicated physical and emotional experience of new parenthood. (5 stars)
Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland
I picked up Fake Like Me on audio because Xe Sands, one of my favorite narrators, reads it, and it was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best (Mystery) Novel this year. And y'all: it's one of my favorite books of the year. It left me SHOOK. It has so many things I love in it: modern and contemporary art, feminism, a setting near the upstate New York towns Mr. Nomadreader grew up in, smart twists, and 90's pop culture references. I loved it so much, I immediately bought a print copy for my collection (and her first novel, I'll Eat When I'm Dead. (5 stars)
All Adults Here by Emma Straub
I've enjoyed each of Emma Straub's books, and I was thrilled to get a galley of All Adults Here at Midwinter. I started it before I left Philadelphia and loved every word. Since then, I've been recommending it to everyone who has ever parented or been parented, which is everyone. I pre-ordered a hardback copy from Books Are Magic, the independent bookstore in Brooklyn Straub co-owns with her husband. Not only are pre-orders signed by Straub, they're also shipping with bonus goodies (stickers!) Since the publication date got moved from Tuesday, May 5 to Monday, May 4, I also suspect it will be the May Read with Jenna pick and thus a Book of the Month choice too. (5 stars)
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan
J. Courtney Sullivan is one of my favorite authors, and this new novel is another 5-star read. It's not out until June 30, but pre-order it now if you like brilliant novels about parenting, friendship, money, privilege, family, politics, love and life.
Want to read for yourself? Order from an independent bookstore, Book of the Month (for many of these titles!), or Amazon.
The Ones I Didn't Love
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister
I admit: this book did not appeal to me at all, but I picked it up when Reese Witherspoon picked it as the February book club pick. I have a very poor sense of smell, so it's not terribly surprising that a book all about smells might not be for me. I also found the story problematic in many ways. I enjoyed the second half more, but I'm not the right reader for this book. (2 stars)
Island of the Lost by Joan Druett
This exploration of a crew shipwrecked on the Auckland Islands had all the makings of gripping nonfiction. While the story is fascinating, the execution was underwhelming. I listened to the audio, so it's hard to know if it was the writing or narration (or maybe both) that made it hard to engage with this book. It was interesting enough to finish, but I did speed it up to 1.35x. (3 stars)
The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
This novel about a new charter school in a town that sounds a lot like Boulder, Colorado is filled with drama, but I didn't buy any of the characters as real people. I love problematic, rich white people novels, but this one didn't fully work for me. (3 stars)
The Ones I Liked
Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
I chose to listen to this one because it has a full cast, and I'm glad I did. The different narrators really made me feel like I was on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint X. The story centers around the disappearance and murder of Allison, a college student, on the last night of her family vacation on Saint X. Initially, two island men who work at the resort are suspects, but when they're cleared of the crime, it remains an unsolved mystery and part of pop culture/true crime lore. Many years later, Allison's sister, who was seven when she disappeared but is now an adult living in New York City, gets into a cab driven by one of the suspects. Alternating between the week of the crime and present day, told from the perspectives of many characters, Saint X was an audiobook I listened to compulsively. Its explores many important issues of privilege, crime, and hypocrisy, and it's a mystery of sorts too. As I listened, I loved it. I found the ending a bit of a let down, but it made me a fan of Schaitkin. (4 stars)
His Favorites by Kate Walbert
#MeToo novels are having a moment, and this slim (160 pages) novel is a good one. Reflecting back on her time at a boarding school, this novel explores her high school relationship with a male teacher from the present day. Walbert's writing is lovely, and I read this book quickly. I kept waiting for a wow moment that never came, but if you want a quiet, contemplative, #MeToo novel, this is a good one. (4 stars)
The Ones I Liked A Lot
Blessed Are Those Who Mourn by Kristi Belcamino
The fourth (of six) in the fantastic Gabriella Giovanni, a San Francisco crime reporter, mystery series is the best yet. The first in the series is Blessed are the Dead, and they should be read in order (in my opinion.) (4.5 stars)
The Pisces by Melissa Broder
This novel is delightfully weird. It's raunchy and feminist and there is a lot of sex, much of it with a merman (yes, really). It is not one I recommend to many people, but it made me a fan of Melissa Broder, and I will read everything else she writes. (4.5 stars)
American Royals by Katharine McGee
This alternate history imagines that George Washington was the first king of the United States rather than our first president. His descendants still rule today. The laws have recently changed to allow the oldest child, even if she's a girl, be the next leader. This novel, the first of a trilogy, is sexy, smart, and fun. I listened to the audio and thought the narrator, Brittany Pressley, was superb. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book, Majesty, which will be published in September. (4.5 stars)
The Ones I Loved
Go to Sleep (I Miss You): Cartoons from the Fog of New Parenthood by Lucy Knisley
I've adored Lucy Knisley's work from the beginning of her graphic memoir career. This a collection of cartoons organized thematically rather than a full memoir, but Knisley perfectly captures the full and complicated physical and emotional experience of new parenthood. (5 stars)
Fake Like Me by Barbara Bourland
I picked up Fake Like Me on audio because Xe Sands, one of my favorite narrators, reads it, and it was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best (Mystery) Novel this year. And y'all: it's one of my favorite books of the year. It left me SHOOK. It has so many things I love in it: modern and contemporary art, feminism, a setting near the upstate New York towns Mr. Nomadreader grew up in, smart twists, and 90's pop culture references. I loved it so much, I immediately bought a print copy for my collection (and her first novel, I'll Eat When I'm Dead. (5 stars)
All Adults Here by Emma Straub
I've enjoyed each of Emma Straub's books, and I was thrilled to get a galley of All Adults Here at Midwinter. I started it before I left Philadelphia and loved every word. Since then, I've been recommending it to everyone who has ever parented or been parented, which is everyone. I pre-ordered a hardback copy from Books Are Magic, the independent bookstore in Brooklyn Straub co-owns with her husband. Not only are pre-orders signed by Straub, they're also shipping with bonus goodies (stickers!) Since the publication date got moved from Tuesday, May 5 to Monday, May 4, I also suspect it will be the May Read with Jenna pick and thus a Book of the Month choice too. (5 stars)
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan
J. Courtney Sullivan is one of my favorite authors, and this new novel is another 5-star read. It's not out until June 30, but pre-order it now if you like brilliant novels about parenting, friendship, money, privilege, family, politics, love and life.
Want to read for yourself? Order from an independent bookstore, Book of the Month (for many of these titles!), or Amazon.
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I really like Bauermeister's writing but Scent Keeper did not work for me at all.
ReplyDeleteGlad I'm not the only one. I usually like Reese's picks, but this one was a mess for me.
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