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February 2016 Reading Wrap Up and a Look to March

february 2016 reading wrap up

Goodbye February, and good riddance. It’s just been a downer of a month that I am not sad to see gone by the wayside. The sad events were certainly punctuated by some fun moments – new car! Newsies! – but overall I just look back on it with a sigh.

My reading felt slow most of the month, until late last week when I suddenly turned into a reading fiend. I hope I can settle into a more manageable pace soon, but I’m trying not to worry about it too much because why bother? Here’s what I finished in February:

  • Stars Above by Marissa Mayer (short stories, YA fantasy)
  • The Interstellar Age by Jim Bell (nonfiction)
  • American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang (fiction, comics)
  • These Vicious Masks by Taron Shanker and Kelly Zekas (fiction)
  • The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (fiction)
  • HRC by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes (nonfiction)
  • Cat Person by Seo Kim (comics)
  • Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart (fiction)
  • Why Have Kids? by Jessica Valenti (nonfiction, reread)

It’s hard to pick a favorite because most of them seemed to be the exact book I wanted to read in the particular moment I picked them up. Both American Born Chinese and These Vicious Masks were perfect when I was sad and distracted, both funny and smart. The Signature of All Things was gorgeous (if just a little bit too long), and HRC scratched my itch for political comfort reading as the primary season has worn on. All in all, it’s a good month to look back on, reading-wise, even if everything else felt like a garbage fire.

A Look to March

This month, I am committed to finishing Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. I fell off the bandwagon for the #HamAlong, but I need to prove to myself that I can knock out an epic white dude biography if the occasion calls for it. I’m thinking that if I commit to one chapter each day, I can be done by the end of the month.

Other than that, I’ve got a few review copies on my desk that look like they could be fun: A Tyranny of Petticoats edited by Jessica Spotswood (YA short stories about awesome ladies), Charlotte Brontë: A Fiery Heart by Claire Harman (biography), Girls and Sex by Peggy Orenstein (nonfiction), and The Madwoman Upstairs by Catherine Lowell (fiction, about the only remaining descendant of the Brontë family).

Julianne (Outlandish Lit) is hosting the #Weirdathon in March, a “month-long reading challenge to expand your reading horizons and find the strangest books you can.” That sounds super fun, so I’m going to try and participate. I’m not sure quite what I have on my shelf that I would consider weird, but I’m going to take a look.

Overall, I think it’s going to be a pretty good month of reading. And fingers crossed life on the person front makes an improvement as well.

What books are you excited to read in March?

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links through Amazon. If you make a purchase through any of those links, I will receive a small commission.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Sarah's Book Shelves March 1, 2016, 6:41 am

    I agree – good riddance to February! And hope March goes a little better for you!

  • Alex (Sleepless Reader) March 1, 2016, 7:31 am

    Girl Waits With Gun seems so interesting, with great potential, that’s why I’m always disappointing in reading the general like-warm reviews. Maybe it would work better in film? What did you think of it?

    • Kim March 2, 2016, 7:00 pm

      I thought it was a lot of fun — one of those books that kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know what would happen next. I was also intrigued because the main character, Constance Kopp, was a real historical figure and there were lot of historical tidbits and research in the book that really added to the story.

  • Chelsey March 1, 2016, 11:50 am

    I always love the diversity in your book choices; so many different genres. February was a weird month for me too, so I’m with you on being okay seeing it go. Hope your March is much better :).

    • Kim March 2, 2016, 6:58 pm

      February was a really good month in that respect. There was definitely a lot of variety in genres that I enjoyed.

  • Kailana March 1, 2016, 6:15 pm

    I hope that March is a much better month for you than February! Happy reading!

  • Jenny @ Reading the End March 1, 2016, 8:05 pm

    I had a pretty okay February, but March promises to be full of thrills as well as good books, which will be nice. I have a post about that Charlotte Bronte book going up tomorrow morning (I liked it! the Brontes were lunatics!), and I have a huge library bag full of books by my bed that I’m looking forward to sampling this evening. I hope your March treats you better than your February did!

    • Kim March 2, 2016, 6:57 pm

      I’m weirdly excited about the Bronte book. I don’t know much about them at all, so I think it’ll be a fun overview. And I’m going to pair it with some fiction that includes the Brontes which I think will make it even more fun!

  • Unruly Reader March 1, 2016, 11:37 pm

    Can’t wait to hear about Alexander Hamilton. I’ve always meant to read something by Ron Chernow (I’ve heard great things), but I haven’t gotten to it yet.

    • Kim March 2, 2016, 6:56 pm

      He’s a great writer and it’s a good biography… but giant biographies aren’t really my thing, and the way he writes about women bugs me, so sometimes I have a hard time picking it up and getting motivated.

  • Sheila Book Journey March 6, 2016, 8:19 am

    The madwoman upstairs sounds interesting!

  • iliana March 6, 2016, 5:48 pm

    Here’s hoping March brings you much more joy! Looks at least your reading had a lot of variety and some good reads!

  • Katie @ Doing Dewey March 8, 2016, 8:41 am

    I’d highly recommend A Tyranny of Petticoats! I don’t always love short stories or YA and I thought it rocked, especially the ones by nonfiction authors. Girls and Sex is working it’s way up my to-read list too 🙂