February 2020 TBR
The half a year of January is almost over, so it's time to decide what to read in February!
Educated by Tara Westover - This is the book club book for February and I am super excited about it. I've had this book on my shelf for over a year, but no chance to read it. This is a memoir about the author's upbringing in a survivalist cult. She never set foot in a regular school building until she started college at BYU. Then she went to Cambridge and Harvard. I'm really stoked to read this.
One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus - This one will definitely be the first one I read after I finish my award reading for 2019. I'm excited about seeing where the author takes this story next.
We Used to Be Friends by Amy Spalding - It is time to start reading the books from the 2020 publication year. This one is about a friendship that falls apart. I feel like friends breaking up is even weirder than relationships breaking up.
By the Book: A Reader's Guide to Life by Ramona Koval - I decided to allow myself one more "just-for-fun" book to celebrate the fact that the pressure is off to read award books. This is a book about books and reading, which is the ultimate comfort reading for me.
Dark and Deepest Red by Anne-Marie McLemore - McLemore is a big name in YA fantasy, but I've never read one of her books before. This one has two timelines: 1518 when a dancing sickness sends women dancing to their deaths and casts one family into the limelight under suspicion of witchcraft, and current day when a pair of red shoes sticks itself to Rosa's feet and she can't stop dancing. We will see how I feel about a story where dancing is evil.
Woven In Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez - The summary of this one is really convoluted and confusing. What I can gather is that it is based on some Bolivian folklore and history, which is pretty cool.
What I Carry by Jennifer Longo - First off, what a beautiful cover! Secondly, this is about a girl who is about to age out of the foster care system. She doesn't make friends or attachments of any kind, because she knows she'll likely be ripped away unexpectedly. But now that she's so close to freedom, she ends up making some real friends. I loved the book she wrote about a dancer who goes to the South Pole. Hopefully, this one is as well done.
Layoverland by Gabby Noone - This book sounds hilarious and cute. The main character, Bea, is sentenced to purgatory to atone for her sins. But she gets a chance to get into heaven if she can help 5000 people figure out what's keeping them from heaven. The first soul she's assigned to is Caleb, the guy who caused the wreck that killed her.
Hope In the Mail: Reflections on Writing and Life by Wendelin Van Draanen - This is a non-fiction book by an author of over 30 children's books. This should be interesting in a way most YA non-fiction isn't.
Blood Countess by Lana Popovic - This is a historical fiction story about Elizabeth Bathory who reportedly bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her youth. That part may or may not be true, but she definitely did torture and kill hundreds of girls between 1590 and 1610 when she was imprisoned. This story is told from the perspective of one of her servant girls.
Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz - "Jane" was kidnapped and help captive for seven months. Now, she's returned home and three months later, she's still struggling to return to her former carefree life. But did what she remembers from that time actually happen? This sounds like it will be hard to read, but I gotta read the hard stuff, too. So I will gird my loins and go for it.
Flowers in the Gutter by K.R. Gaddy - This is non-fiction about three teenagers who were Nazi Resistance workers in Germany during WWII and what happened to them after the war ended. I don't love YA non-fiction. Why is 90% of it WWII non-fiction? I don't know. Not a fan. Wish me luck.
Need to read about 12 books a month to reach my goal for the year, so here are my 12 for February. This is a short month, so it might be a challenge to get it all done, but I hope I have picked some books that read quickly so it won't feel too much like a chore.
What do you have planned for February reading?