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Best Books of February 2021
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Title: Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982Author: Cho Nam-Joo
Rating: 5 stars!
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Warwick Women in Translation Nominee
Brief reason why it was the best: This is an easy choice. I read this book at the beginning of the month and can't stop thinking about it (I even illegally streamed the movie since it's not out in the US, shhh.....). The book is written as an academic report from a therapist and covers the daily experience of women in Korea. It's relatable to daily experiences for women around the world, but I think what's so shocking is just how controversial this book is in Korea. And the ending is absolute perfection. Read it!
- Title: When These Mountains Burn
- Author: David Joy
- Rating: 5/5
- Format: Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Ensemble cast
- Brief reason why it was the best: A rare 5/5 for me! (I'm too nitpicky). This book centers around the drug trade of the rural mountains of NC using three main points of view: a father who loses his son to an overdose who wants revenge on the dealers who sold to his son, an addict who is torn being getting clean and feeding his addiction, and the DEA agents trying to bring the drug ring down. The story is told beautifully and fits in well with the Appalchia genre if you're a fan of Ron Rash or similar writers. It can be gritty and blunt in its descriptions of drug use and violence associated with the drug trade, but it's also heartbreakingly poetic in many facets. A short read at 257 pages, and I flew through it because you do want to find out how it'll all come to head as the book goes on.
I gave two books 5 stars, please don't make me choose!- Convenience Store Woman
- Sayaka Murata
- 5/5
- Audio
- Place I've never visited
- I loved that the protagonist was neurodivergent and unapologetic. Her way of seeing the world is automatically a stark social critique, and I'm here for it.
- Brown Girl in the Ring
- Nalo Hopkinson
- 5/5
- Not used yet, the year is still young
- For one, I've been waiting to read this book for a long time, and it was unavailable, so I'm stoked about that, and it didn't disappoint! It hits so many of the genres/themes I love, including magical realism, urban fantasy, and African Diaspora culture. Hopkinson is also queer and a feminist and I am in love.
Mod
- Author V.E. Schwab
- Rating 5!!
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A monochromatic cover
- Brief reason why it was the best It was a magical story that constantly surprised and never bored.
- The Housekeeper and the Professor- Yoko Ogawa
- 5 stars
- an O for a phrase of the winter challenge
- I took it to bed with me one night to just get started on it, and fought off sleep to read the entire book.
Tsipi wrote: "I gave two books 5 stars, please don't make me choose!- Convenience Store Woman
- Sayaka Murata
- 5/5
- Audio
- Place I've never visited
- I loved that the protag..."
Nalo Hopkinson has some other great books too. I love that she writes about Canadian cities. Her stories show a different, magical side to them.
- Title Homage to Catalonia- Author George Orwell
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book by an author whose name doesn't contain the letters A, T or Y
- Brief reason why it was the best Orwell writes about war in a way I have never read before. He does not sugar coat it. He does not turn it into a hero's quest. He writes about the nitty gritty every day life. He writes about the propaganda. Apparently, his time fighting in the Spanish Civil War was, at least in part, the inspiration for his books Animal Farm and 1984.
Misty wrote: "- Title Homage to Catalonia- Author George Orwell
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book by an author w..."
Similar in point of view is the beautiful little book All Quiet on the Western Front.
During February I only had one 5 Star book:Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - None
I give high marks to the author of this book for her unflinching, soul-baring honesty in this painful look at life as an extremely obese woman. Life is full of prejudices and she shares many of those faced by woman who don't wear skinny jeans. Be kind out there, people. You don't know what others are dealing with.
Mod
Author: Yaa Gyasi
Rating: 5 Stars!
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: Week 5. USA Today's 100 Black Novelists
Brief reason why it was the best:
This book is not for everyone, but if you enjoy character-driven, philosophical books, this one is fantastic. There wasn't a lot of plot, but the words were beautiful and the topics in the book (depression, opioid crisis, god vs. science, immigration) were so relevant and thoughtfully done. I wanted to live in this book.
Mod
- Title Kindred - Author Octavia E. Butler
- Rating 5 Stars!
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) Past, Present, Future
- Brief reason why it was the best - It was hard to choose just one book this month but this was so well done and was clearly my best read. I am not a big historical fiction fan and that aspect of this book had made me hesitant but the sci-fi and glowing reviews had kept me intrigued. I am glad I never gave up on it as the writing and narration were fantastic, I was drawn in for that start. The story itself was a little crazy, fast paced and incredibly thought provoking.
I read 16 book in February and I'm pretty easy with my ratings!- Title -
When She Was Good- Author - Michael Robotham
- Rating - 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - print library book
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - a book posted in one of
the ATY Best Book of the Month Threads (Sept 2020 - but I would
have read it regardless
- Brief reason why it was the best - I read a lot of these
mystery/thriller/suspense books and Robotham's consistently get 5
stars from me. His recurring characters are brilliant but flawed and
SO well written. I will read anything he writes.
Honourable mentions to Close Your Eyes, Long Bright River, Grown Ups and Regretting You. Each got 5 stars and 2 of them kept me up past 3am as I finished.
I had two 5-star reads this month and five 4-star reads. I would have to say the best book of the month was the ARC I read of Casey McQuiston's next book, One Last Stop.I used it for prompt 50, a book published in 2021 (it comes out in June)
I decided it was the best of the ones I read this month because of the characters, both main and minor.
- Title: Calculated Risks
- Author: Seanan McGuire
- Rating: 5⭐️
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - A book whose title and author both contain the letter "u"
- Brief reason why it was the best - I love this series but the last book left me a little cold. This wrapped up the story nicely (The last book also ended on a major cliffhanger). Plus I pretty much love everything Seanan McGuire writes.
- Title - Olive Kitteridge- Author - Elizabeth Strout
- Rating - 5 star
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) - Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) - None (yet)
- Brief reason why it was the best - Great characterisation. Made me sad though. PS for anyone doing the spring reading challenge, there are an awful lot of tulips!
Title: The Galaxy, and the Ground WithinAuthor: Becky Chambers
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Hardback
ATY Prompt you used it for: comfort reading
Just full of kindness and the desire to mend bridges, not break them. My favourite batch of her characters yet, loved them all.
- Title These Violent Delights- Author Chloe Gong
- Rating 5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) for Popsugar and The 52 Book Club
- Brief reason why it was the best Romeo and Juliet meets American Gangsters meets Godzilla but in Shanghai 1920s which sounds so picturesque.
Lizzy wrote: "Misty wrote: "- Title Homage to Catalonia- Author George Orwell
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book ..."
Thanks! I've put it on my TBR list.
Mod
- Title: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race
- Author: Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Rating: 5*
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Kindle
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 4. A book with a monochromatic cover
- Brief reason why it was the best: Very thought provoking, especially as its about race in the UK, rather than the US
- Title: The Galaxy, and the Ground Within
- Author: Becky Chambers
- Rating: 5*
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Kindle
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 13. A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020
- Brief reason why it was the best: A wonderful study of character and the interraction of a group of very disparate individuals
- Title
- Author T.J. Klune
- Rating - 5✰
- Format - Paperback
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
A Book set in an island
- Brief reason why it was the best
A heartwarming book exploring the love in a found family with absolutely adorable characters.
- Title: The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives- Author: Dashka Slater
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir
- Brief reason why it was the best: Story that examined important issues that did a good job of demonstrating the nuances of the case.
Had to go with 2 books this time:Title: Invisible Girl
Author: Lisa Jewell
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): It wasn't for ATY, but the prompt was a book with a flower on the cover
Brief reason why it was the best I love this author's writing style and I thought the premise and exploration of the topic was very interesting. I also loved the creepy twist toward the end.
Title: Red, White & Royal Blue
Author: Casey McQuiston
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): Also not ATY, but the prompt was A book recommended by a colleague
Brief reason why it was the best I absolutely loved the characters and their relationship, and especially loved Alex and Henry's texts and emails.
Mod
- Title: Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race
- Author: Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Rating: 5*
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Kindle
- ATY Prompt you ..."
Not a problem to have two! I haven't had one yet this year.
Title: A Tip for the HangmanAuthor: Allison Epstein
Rating: ★★★★★
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): read as ARC, available in HC
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): #32 "A book whose cover shows more than 2 people"
Brief reason why it was the best: An excellent Elizabethan era tale of Christopher Marlowe, poet, playwright and in this book spy, with solid worldbuilding, a great eye for detail, and really conveying the setting and time period while using more modern language. Very well done, lots of fun and emotionally satisfying.
My 5-star reads for February:- Title: The Memory Police
- Author: Yōko Ogawa
- Rating: ★★★★★
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Audio
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): n/a (but could work for #12. A book eligible for the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation)
- Brief reason why it was the best: Riveting and beautifully written. Very relevant, but not preachy. Magical realism, with an edge. Someone who liked Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad or Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being or Exit West would likely enjoy it. (I loved all of these.)
I had a busy month and read some standout books. Others I gave 5 stars to this month were: Flowers Over the Inferno (another book in translation be a female author, and excellent; came recommended by someone whose taste I respect!), The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Warden, The Shawl, Berlin Game The City Born Great, and Hair Love
- Title: Jane Eyre- Author: Charlotte Brontë
- Rating: 5
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A love story
- Brief reason why it was the best: I can't believe I never read this before. It was so good. And so easy to read compared to other classics.
I finished 3 books last month.My favourites were:
- Title: The Wicked Deep
- Author: Shea Ernshaw
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 25. A book set on an island.
- Brief reason why it was the best: Shows the true meaning of love + the misteries and twists were amazing!
- Title: The Kiss of Deception
- Author: Mary E. Pearson
- Rating: 4 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 14. A book set up in a made-up place
- Brief reason why it was the best: Great fantasy elements, strong heroine, royalty and great romance! Plus the twists.
- Title Calculated Risks- Author Seanan McGuire
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Ebook
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) A book written by an author of one of your best reads of 2020
- Brief reason why it was the best: I adore this series. The world is fantastic, and I'm madly in love with most of the characters. And Seanan McGuire always makes me smile
Title: The Four WindsAuthor: Kristin Hannah
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: Print (found it at Costco!!!!!)
ATY Prompt you used it for: Not sure yet, but can fit in a state I've never visited, written by an author of one of my best reads of 2020, a book related to past/present/future (past), or published in 2021
Brief reason why it was the best: I loved the story, I loved the writing. I fell in love with the characters. I loved the ending. This book will easily be a top contender for best book of the year for me!
Title: The Sherwood RingAuthor: Elizabeth Marie Pope
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for: Flowers/Greenery on Cover
Brief reason why it was the best: A fun middle grade adventure, with a little of everything--ghosts, mystery, military intrigue, romance... just a very satisfying comfort read.
My favorite book in February was A Seal Called Andre: The Two Worlds Of A Maine Harbor SealGrowing up in Maine, Andre was a local legend. He passed away when I was 12ish so I heard the stories but never got to see him in person. It was nice to read the whole adventure from beginning to end. It was also interesting that how it came about 50 years ago would never be allowed today. Times have changed a lot (and for the better!)
February was a good reading month for me, with great books. It also included an audio re-read of what I now consider my comfort book - What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon, 5 stars.The biggest surprise was A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. I was looking for a book from Japan, and the cover looked like it might be quirky and engaging. It is, but it is also so much more. It fits prompts related to Islands, cross-genre, magic, a country you never visited, and others.
The main characters are a young Japanese girl, a Zen Buddhist Nun, a woman from British Colombia, and their families. The beginning was a little weird/quirky, but it turned out to be the most interesting and complex book I've read all year. It has a lot of darkness (attempted suicide, bullying), and a lot of warmth and love. There are a few elements of Buddism, fantasy, and sci-fi. It also has some great bits of historical fiction, including a powerful story of a kamikaze pilot, and the earthquake in Japan.
The audio is good but also a little unusual. The author narrates and she voices the characters just as she imagined them. After I listened to the audio, I picked up a copy of the book. She includes great (often funny) footnotes on some of the Japanese pop-culture terminology, and many other topics. It blew me away.
Better late than never! Title: Empty: A Memoir Hardcover
Author: Susan Burton
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Format: Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for: Just a side read.
Brief reason why it was the best I love memoirs in general, but I thought this author excelled in her description of scences from high school.
Title: The Poet XAuthor: Elizabeth Acevedo
Rating: 5
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) 1. A book related to "In the beginning..." This is a debut novel
Brief reason why it was the best
It is a moving coming-of-age story written in verse.
Title: The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
Author: Jon Ronson
Rating: 5 stars
Format: ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for: 47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir
Brief reason why it was the best: A really interesting, informative and easy non-fiction read
Author: Jon Ronson
Rating: 5 stars
Format: ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for: 47. A non-fiction book other than biography, autobiography or memoir
Brief reason why it was the best: A really interesting, informative and easy non-fiction read
- Title: Married to a Bedouin- Author: Marguerite van Geldermalsen
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: Paperback
- ATY Prompt you used it for: A Love Story
- Brief reason why it was the best: This is the one book I have been thinking about a lot after reading it. I think it is my favorite of the books I have read so far this year.
- Title: Adventures in Music and Culture: Travels of an Ethnomusicologist in West Africa- Author: Rob Baker
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: Kindle
- ATY Prompt you used it for: A book set in a state, province, or country you have never visited
- Brief reason why it was the best: It is very interesting and takes place in Togo and Benin, I really enjoyed it.
- Title From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death- Author Caitlin Doughty
- Rating 5 stars
- Format (Print, eBook, Audio) print
- ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable) AtY #28: A book that might cause someone to react “You read what?!?"
- Brief reason why it was the best - A look at the way different cultures handle the death process and dispose of the remains. This was an interesting book, just long enough to be enticing, and sprinkled with beautiful black and white illustrations that added so much to the enjoyment.
Title: Red, White & Royal BlueAuthor: Casey McQuiston
Rating: 5 stars
Format (Print, eBook, Audio): eBook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): 06 Love Story
Brief reason why it was the best: convincing characters in a story that mostly avoids all the romance cliches combined with clever and comical writing
- Title: Ordinary Grace- Author: William Kent Krueger
- Rating: 5 stars
- Format: Audiobook
- ATY Prompt: #42. A mystery or thriller
- Brief reason why it was the best: It's a mystery, but the novel is multilayered—it's also a bildungsroman. Characters, setting, pacing all excellent.
TitleKeepers of the Covenant
Author
Lynn Austin
Rating
4.5★
Format (Print, eBook, Audio)
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
1 - "In the Beginning...", because it made me think of the Bible, and this is a biblical retelling.
Brief reason why it was the best
I love how Lynn Austin brings life again through story to people from several thousands of years ago.
TitleThe Four Winds
Author
Kristin Hannah
Rating
5
Format
Audio
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable)
18. 3 books related to "Past, Present, Future" - PAST
Brief reason why it was the best
It is a beautiful, heartbreaking, emotionally charged rendering of history that you will never find in history books. It is all the more intense because I hear it in a voice and inflections that are intended by the author, not just in my head.
Title: Catherine HouseAuthor: Elisabeth Thomas
Rating: ★★★★★
Format: ebook
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): I didn't use it for ATY, but it would fit prompts 5, 14, & 16
Brief reason why it was the best: It was so creepy and atmospheric and the writing is lovely.
- Title Telephone
- Author Percival Everett
- Rating 5 Stars
- Format Physical Book
- ATY Prompt you used it for A book by an author whose career spanned more than 21 years
- Brief reason why it was the best For some reason I imagined Sterling K. Brown as the protagonist and was immediately pulled into the novel. A real pull at the heartstring regarding parent/child relationships. I've also been trying without fail to find the other 2 versions of the novel.
Title: The Midnight LibraryAuthor: Matt Haig
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Print
ATY Prompt you used it for (if applicable): A winner or nominee from the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards
Brief reason why it was the best: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is the wonderful love child of three of my favorite books: the destiny from The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin, the choose-your-own-adventure of The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, and the butterfly effect of Recursion by Blake Crouch. Needless to say, I adored The Midnight Library. It was short and sweet, thought provoking and just a touch mind-bending. I loved Matt Haig's snappy storytelling and dazzling world-building.
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Midnight Library (other topics)Telephone (other topics)
Catherine House (other topics)
The Four Winds (other topics)
Keepers of the Covenant (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Matt Haig (other topics)Percival Everett (other topics)
Elisabeth Thomas (other topics)
Kristin Hannah (other topics)
Lynn Austin (other topics)
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