Rearview Mirror // February 2022

Hmmm… at least it isn’t May yet?? … whoops, I started this in April, but here we are LOL

Favorite February Read

Favorite reread was definitely An Old-Fashioned Girl, although David Copperfield was also fabulous.  Favorite new read was Family for Beginners, another winner by Sarah Morgan.

Most Disappointing February Read

Have to go with Star Sand for this slot.  It started so well and then just… fizzled.

Other February Reads

• 2.5*
  • From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout
•  3*
  • Never Tell a Lie by Hallie Ephron
  • Of Princes and Promises by Sandhya Menon
•  3.5*
  • First Date by Krista McGee
  • For the Wolf by Hannah Whitten
  • The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water by Erin Bartels
  • The Golden Road by L.M. Montgomery
  • Hadley Beckett’s Next Dish by Bethany Turner
  • Made in Manhattan by Lauren Layne
  • Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon
  • Veg in One Bed by Huw Richards
• 4*
  • A Deal With the Elf King by Elise Kova
  • The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor by Shaenon Garrity and Christopher Baldwin
  • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
  • The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
  • Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley

February Stats

• Total Number of Books Read:  24
• Total Pages Read:  8643
• Average Star Rating for January:  3.58
• Longest Book: David Copperfield (776 pages)
• Shortest Book:  Star Sand (206 pages)
• Oldest Book:  David Copperfield (published 1850)
• Newest Book: Made in Manhattan and The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water were both published in 2022
• Top Genre:  Fantasy and Romance (7 books each)

February Challenge Updates

• New states visited: California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, and Tennessee (29% complete)
• Chunksters read (800+pgs): 0
• Almost-a-chunksters read (450-799pgs): 3
• Classics read: 1
• Nonfiction read: 2

TBR Update

This is current as of today, not the end of February.

• Standalones:  488 (down seven!!!)
• Nonfiction:  130 (holding steady)
• Personal (which includes all books I own (fiction and nonfiction), but lists any series I own as only one entry…):  628 (down three!)
• Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series):  252 (up two)
• Mystery Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series): 111 (holding steady)
• New Arrivals – (I have a lot of books that I have been gifted or that I pick up somewhere and they get put on my “oh I’m so excited about this shiny new book” shelf… and then of course don’t actually get read.): 154 (up six!)

Current Reads

• My latest nonfiction, which I just started this week, is The Fall of the Ottomans by Eugene Rogan, a book focused on the Ottoman/Middle East region of World War I.
• My current classic is Gone With the Wind and wow is Scarlett annoying!
• Current fun read is Divots by P.G. Wodehouse.  Only he could make a collection of stories centered around golf still be fun reading!

Last Time on “Up Next”

Did I actually read my probable next five reads from last month?

• In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan – nope, but I did start it.  This one sounds like it’s going to be a fun fantasy full of shenanigans but ends up being a book about a boy discovery his sexuality or something… it was so boring and kind of dumb.  A huge disappointment.
• Pride by Ibi Zoboi – Yes! It was… okay.  The MC was just soooo bratty.
• The Secret Road by Bruce Lancaster – Nope! But it’s still on the TBR windowsill so… soon haha
• The Riddle of the Sands by Erksine Childers – Yes! It was a bit of a struggle, though, as this one really dragged in spots, especially if you aren’t really into boats.
• Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah – Yes! I liked it but didn’t love it.  I’m not sure if I’ll try another Hannah or if she just isn’t for me.

Up Next…

The probable next five(ish) reads –

I’ve been putting all my “very soon” TBR books on my windowsill where I can see them – all the books I’m reading for challenges and such – and then I use a random draw to decide which of those is next!!  So here’s a guess as to which ones are going to come up soon…

• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer – I read the first book in the Lunar Chronicles (Cinder) and really enjoyed it. I bought the rest of the series used on PangoBooks (I love that app!!!) and Scarlet finally came in on Friday!!
• Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith – Litsy has a challenge called Author A Month where everyone votes in December for 12 authors to read throughout the year, one for each month. Many people use it as an opportunity to try new authors, but since I’m really trying to read down my TBR, I use it to read any books already on my list by that author – so some months I don’t participate, which is fine haha  Highsmith is May’s author, and I’ve had this classic on my TBR forever. The Hitchcock film is an old fave, so I’m interested to see how the book does or doesn’t match up.
• Harbor Lights by Sherryl Woods – I’m reading the Chesapeake Shores series and this is the next one up.  I have mixed feelings about these.  I don’t exactly love them.  I think I may finish this series but not particularly read anything by Woods again haha  She’s very prolific and I’m always looking for another good contemporary romance author, but for some reason while her books are perfectly pleasant, they just aren’t magical to me.
• The Lies We Told by Camilla Way – I haven’t had a lot of thrillers or mysteries on my short-term TBR lately, so I’m looking forward to reading this one just for a change of pace!!

Well, that’s a wrap for February, finished up on the first of May!!!  Happy spring, everyone!!