February Reading Recap

Happy March and happy almost spring, book lovers! I don’t know about you, but I’m dreaming of the days that I can sit outside with a good book, birds chirping, and a gentle breeze blowing. Until then, we’ll have to settle for reading inside.

February was a great month of reading, with a few 4-, 4.5-, and 5-star books. I hope you’re able to add some to your TBR.

Until next month, happy reading!

My Friends by Hisham Matar

Quick Synopsis: As a child growing up in Benghazi, Khaled’s life was changed while listening to a haunting story being told on the radio. Eager to explore more of the world and to get out of Benghazi, Khaled attends college in Edinburgh. While studying there, he attends a protest against the Qaddafi regime, where he is shot. Finding himself living in exile, he encounters the author of this beautiful story he heard on the radio so many years ago. Here, a beautiful friendship is born.

Strong Points: At one point, you can’t imagine going a day without talking to each other, and before you know it, you can’t remember the last time you spoke. Sometimes friendships naturally come to an end. That’s life. The author captured this beautifully.

Weak Points: This is a “me” problem, but going into the book, I only had a base-line knowledge of Libya’s history. I didn’t realize the seriousness of attending a protest like the one Khaled attended and how it could force you into exile if government officials found out. Aside from that, I felt very disconnected to the characters. Throughout the book, I felt like an observer and never got a chance to know them intimately. Khaled lacked emotions at times. By page 300, I was ready to be done with the book. It’s certainly not a story where much takes place, and I’m usually okay with reading those types of books, except when the characters are robotic and the writing becomes repetitive.

Writing Style: 3/5 

Characters: 2/5 

Plot: 3/5 

Flow/Pacing: 2.5/5 

Overall Rating: 3/5 

Not Recommend

For fans of: Day by Michael Cunningham, The Fetishist by Katherine Min, & Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange

Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World by Leah Hager Cohen

Quick Synopsis: Having been raised at New York’s Lexington School for Deaf, a school her father worked at, Leah Hager Cohen gives readers a look inside her world as a hearing person raised in this deaf community.

Strong Points: I really enjoyed the stories of the different students and their journeys through high school. It was also interesting how the author felt left out and, at times, disconnected from her fellow students. Even when she could sign proficiently, she knew she would never be able to fully connect to them because they relied on facial expressions and nonverbal cues to communicate. While this came naturally to her deaf peers, it didn't come naturally for Cohen and people of hearing, who instead used the tone of their voice to convey what they were trying to communicate. At times, she felt jealous of this tight-knit community. There are plenty of books depicting people who are deaf and their challenges in a hearing world, but not too many of the opposite. 

Weak Points: This book was published in 1995, so some of the content/figures were a little outdated. When it came to the schoolboard meetings where they decided on policies, it was pretty obvious what was the right decision for the students. For example, should they continue to make their students learn to speak so they could “fit in better with society," even though the students hate it? While reading this in 2024, I know the answer is no. But back in the day, they thought they were setting up the students better for success by being able to communicate with their hearing bosses or someone at the grocery store if they had a question. I can imagine in the mid-90s that this book was cutting-edge, though.

Writing Style: 4/5 

Plot: 4/5 

Flow/Pacing: 4/5 

Overall Rating: 4/5 

Recommend

For fans of: I’ll Scream Later by Marlee Matlin, Good Kings Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum, & Inside Deaf Culture by Carol Padden

You Dreamed of Empires by Alvaro Enrique, Translated by Natasha Wimmer

Quick Synopsis: In 1519, the conquistador Hernan Cortes arrives in Tenochtitlan (today’s Mexico City), speaking different languages, getting trapped in a labyrinth of a castle, looking to speak to the king (who ingests hallucinogens to get through the day), only to realize this might have been a bad idea.

Strong Points: The writing was silly and whimsicle. The story was so odd in a fun way. Each character was peculiar and hilarious. It was something completely different and a nice palete cleanser.

Weak Points: As soon as the book started with an email from the translator saying that she tried her best, I knew I was in for a challenging book. And when I turned the page and saw two dozen Hispanic names and how each of them connected to each other, I knew I was screwed. Especially since I was reading it on my Kindle and wouldn’t be able to refer back to that list easily. That being said, after about 30 pages, I did get the hang of who each character was. At times, it was a little challenging, but well worth it.

Writing Style: 5/5 

Characters: 4/5 

Plot: 4/5 

Flow/Pacing: 4/5 

Overall Rating: 4/5 

Recommend

For Fans of: Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertir, Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park, & Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

Quick Synopsis: Clover, a death doula, gives her clients beautiful endings to their lives but has trouble living her life to the fullest. After being hired by a man Clover’s age to sit with his grandmother on her last day, Clover begins to ponder what she wants out of life.

Strong Points: Let me start out by saying that I would never have normally picked up this book myself; it was selected as February’s book for my book club, and I was hesitant to start it because it’s about a death doula, but wow, oh wow, is it so much more than that. While sure, it’s a little sad; it is about dying after all. It also has so many rich layers that make you want to throw all caution to the wind and live your life. The characters are very well developed, and the storyline and setting are somehow comfy and cozy. The bite-sized chapters make it easy to say, “Okay, one more chapter.”

Weak Points: There weren’t really any weak points.

Writing Style: 5/5 

Characters: 4.5/5 

Plot: 5/5 

Flow/Pacing: 4.5/5 

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 

Highly Recommend

For Fans of: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, & The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

One Woman Show by Christine Coulson

Quick Synopsis: The story follows Kitty throughout her life as told through the format of the Met’s strict labeling system that is used to describe paintings.

Strong Points: What initially drew me to this book was the format, and what kept me reading was also the format. It was cheeky. When Kitty was traveling somewhere in her story, the label would say “traveling exhibition." When introducing Kitty’s bridesmaids, the label said “on loan.”

Weak Points: The story itself is a little meh. Since the format of the story is the labeling seen at art galleries, there was very little background on how the main character arrived at that time in her life. You couldn’t get into their heads or see their motives. While I didn’t hate this, I certainly wished there was more context. If you’re looking for a light and fun read, I would recommend this one. If you’re looking for an in-depth story, I would say this book isn’t for you.

Writing Style: 4/5 

Characters: 3/5 

Plot: 4/5 

Flow/Pacing: 4/5 

Overall Rating: 4/5 

Recommend

For fans of: So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan, Family Family by Laurie Frankel, & The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel

Quick Synopsis: How did one couple steal over 300 pieces of artwork worth over $2 billion without getting caught? Finkel dives deep into the criminal's world to examine why and how he did what he did, and why he displays all of his stolen goods in the attic of his mom’s house. 

Strong Points: I liked the woven perspectives of the FBI when they were searching for this person who was stealing artwork and Stéphane's while he was actually stealing the artwork.

This story is a perfect example of how, if you do something with enough confidence, you can pretty much get away with anything. As someone who has an irrational fear of getting wrongly accused of a crime and getting thrown in jail, I can’t imagine actually committing a crime, being stopped by security, and staying calm and confident enough to walk out of the building without massive stress sweat. That's probably what separates a criminal like Stéphane from the rest of civilization.

Weak Points: While the writing wasn’t anything to write home about, the story was so compelling that it made this a page turner.

Writing Style: 5/5 

Plot: 4/5 

Flow/Pacing: 4/5 

Overall Rating: 4/5

Recommend

For fans of: The Trail of the Lost by Andrea Lankford, All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley, & The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

Quick Synopsis: A graphic novel about a villain and a shapeshifter who team up to expose the wrongdoings of the kingdom to the people.

Strong Points: After watching the animated movie Nimona, I had to get my hands on the graphic novel it was based on. I have never read a graphic novel and now understand why people do. Stevenson’s illustrations were beautiful. As someone who can’t even draw a stick figure, I was super impressed by this, as well as the fun storyline. The storyline was not your typical “monster” storyline. It slowly morphed into a deeper storyline that tugged at your heart.

I think I might have to read more graphic novels. Also, if you love the smell of a brand-new book, you’ll love the smell of a brand-new graphic novel. They really should figure out how to bottle that scent or make a candle out of it.

Anyway, I can’t recommend Nimona enough!

Weak Points: I didn’t pick up any weak points in this one.

Writing Style: 4/5 

Characters: 5/5 

Plot: 4.5/5 

Flow/Pacing: 4.5/5 

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Highly Recommend

For fans of: The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jenn Wang, Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol, & Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino

Quick synopsis: Adina’s home planet is dying. Born to a human, she’s sent out to live on earth to see if it’s hospitable, reporting her observations back to her people via fax. Along with observing humans, she also feels all of the human feelings: happiness, loneliness, and anxiousness, as well as what it means to be human.

Strong points: Seeing humans as aliens might see us was hilarious. Particularly this one observation Adina made of seeing someone you know on the street and putting your head down so they don’t see you, but getting offended when they don’t say hi to you. Do they like me? Surely, they saw me. Why are they ignoring me? Humans are strange animals. It was quirky and fun, yet so heartwarming and deep. The ending made me cry. I could have read 300 more pages. If you only read one book this year, let it be this one!  

Weak points: Nada!

Writing Style: 5/5 

Characters: 5/5 

Plot: 5/5 

Flow/Pacing: 5/5 

Overall Rating: 5/5

Highly Recommend

For fans of: Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar, Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky, & Your Utopia by Bora Chung

“Anyone questioning whether god exists need only consider the brevity of a dog’s life span. If there was a god, let alone a benevolent one, dogs would have life spans similar to parrots.” - Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino