25 Books in 2024: My February Book Roundup
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I’ve set a goal to read 25 books in 2024. Why 25? Well, I read 22 last year and I wanted to increase my numbers. Since my (probably) neurospicy brain likes nice round numbers, I went with 25. I’ll be keeping track of all the books and giving you a monthly update. At the end of February, I am at 7 books read!
Welcome to my February book roundup! In February I finished reading the following books (in order of read):
- Winterset Hollow, by Johnathan Edward Durham (5⭐) Audiobook narrated by the author Don’t meet your heroes. A man and his two best friends go to an island to visit the estate of the author of their favorite children’s fantasy book. Think Winnie the Pooh meets Frog and Toad meets Alice in Wonderland meets Peter Rabbit meets anything Stephen King meets Get Out. If you enjoy horror and adore any of these classic characters, then this book will not disappoint you. This book was a masterpiece of a debut novel, and I truly hope that Johnathan Edward Durham will write more!
- The Bodyguard, by Katerine Center (4⭐) Audiobook narrated by Patti Murin After reading Hello, Stranger by the same author in January, I knew I had to go back for more. This tale of a female “Executive Protection Agent” working for a famous yet elusive movie star was everything I expected in the best possible way. It was the perfect chaser for the more dark and serious Winterset Hollow. Katherine Center is quickly becoming one of my favorite comfort reads. Her happy, comforting stories warm my heart like a big hug wrapped up in a cozy blanket and leave me with a smile on my face.
- The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride (1.5⭐) Audiobook narrated by Dominic Hoffman The story of the community on Chicken Hill in Pottstown, PA. Don’t be fooled by the mystery set up at the opening of the book, because it won’t return until almost the very end. This attempt at the Great American Novel instead tells the story of well over 40 of the town’s residents while failing to connect them all in any satisfying way or establish a protagonist. I really wanted to enjoy this one, and while there were many things to enjoy, as a whole this book missed the mark for me. The characters are well-written and begin to develop nicely, but it seemed like each time I began to invest in a character’s story arc, the book took a sharp turn toward someone else. Chona is the character who comes closest to the main character, and I feel like the way her plot ended did a great disservice to her.
Please note: my star ratings are a measure of how much I enjoyed the book, and do not in any way claim to be a measure of the quality of the writing or the content. Did I once again rate a rom-com higher than a more serious book? Yes. Sorry, not sorry.
At the end of February, my 2024 book ranking looks like this (in order of enjoyment):
1. Winterset Hollow 2. The Midnight Library 3. The Bodyguard 4. Hello, Stranger 5. The Ten Thousand Doors of January 6. Mister Magic 7. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
Coming up in March…
I have started the audiobook of Star Wars: Light of the Jedi although, I am not sure if I will finish it. This book is way outside of what I would usually pick for myself, and so far I can’t really get motivated to keep listening. I’m not a quitter though, so we will see what happens!
I am also nearly done reading Bora Chung’s short story collection, Your Utopia. I intended to finish it for February, but then accidentally left it on my desk at work where I was reading it during lunch and didn’t get to do that. I am really enjoying it, and it seems unlikely that it won’t be completed in time for my March Roundup!
There are many other books on my list, but I’d also love to hear from you! Is there anything you think I would love to read? Leave me a comment and let me know!
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