Friday Reads 2/14/2025

Holy time warp, Batman! How did we get to the halfway point of February already? And yet, here we are. It's Friday. Let's talk about what we're reading.

Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour by Kate Fox - After I finished the You Are a Badass book, I needed to pick another work book. I stood in front of the shelves for awhile, until this one called to me. It is one of the 10 oldest books on my TBR. I've already read one of those this month, but who am I to resist the siren call of a book? I am enjoying it. Fox originally wrote it for the English to enjoy, but then so many non-English people were using it to help them acclimate to their new English homes. Then they were sending them to their American friends to use when they visited England. She decided to release it in England to make that easier for them. And here it is.

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo - This is a fantasy from my fantasy TBR shelf. It's about a girl in Spain during the Inquisition (bet you didn't expect that!) who is a scullery maid and more than a little Jewish. She goes to mass every day and confession, so that if it ever comes out that she is tainted, she has proof of her piety. Her employer finds out that she has some basic magic and turns her into a novelty act to boost her own status. This little game is about to get out of hand.

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson - I was not content with a book at work and a book at home. I felt like I needed yet another book. This one sits with The Familiar and I pick up whichever one I'm feeling like reading in the moment. Is it also a fantasy book from my fantasy TBR? Yes. But it's got an entirely different setting, so I'm hoping I can keep the stories and characters separate in my mind.

I have a glorious 3 day weekend this weekend so I might actually finish something. That being said, I have no idea what I will pick up next. I will most likely sit on my knees on the couch, leaning over the back of it, staring at my shelves until something jumps off the shelf. Again.