February 2022 Wrap Up Pt. 1

Y'all. I have been a reading fool! You will not believe how much I've read this month already. It's ridiculous. I decided we would all be happier if I went ahead and did this little wrap up now to save us all some time at the end of the month.

Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer - This was the last book I read for the award. It isn't my favorite Brigid Kemmerer book, but I didn't hate it. It was pretty white and there were no gay characters, but the story was pretty good. The intrigue was fantastic. Lots of politics.

Devil In a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley - I read this for a book discussion I didn't even get to go to. It wasn't really for me. It was pretty gritty. Not sexy. It was meh for me.

The Caged Queen by Kristen Ciccarelli - This is the one my dancer was dying for me to read. The main character was an asshole. She got into a love triangle and managed to betray both of these men. I didn't like her very much, but the guys were good, which is hard to come by.

This Is Ear Hustle by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods - I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. I think it was extra awesome for me because I've listened to their podcast so many times that I could hear it in their voices. I really enjoyed it.

Floaters: Poems by Martin Espada - This slim book of verse is really powerful. If you don't know what the title refers to, be forewarned, it isn't pretty. Some of this book is actually beautiful. A lot of it is extremely difficult.

So We Read On: How the Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Engdures by Mareen Corrigan - I like Gatsby. I've read it a few times. I thought I knew what was happening there when it was written. I was very wrong. I really like Maureen Corrigan and this book didn't change my mind on that. I learned a lot about Fitzgerald and Gatsby and what people have thought about it over the decades.

I Woke Up Dead At the Mall by Judy Sheehan - This looks like a fluffy, funny, teen rom-com. It is, but it's not just that. It's also about living life while you're alive and not giving in to the darkness. It's about friendship. It's about forgiveness. I enjoyed it. It wasn't earth-shattering.

Do you see this? 7 books read this month and we're just over half way through. I do still have a rather large book on the horizon, so I don't know if I can continue this pace, but I am super impressed with myself right now.