Despite the month of February being the shortest of the year, I managed to buckle down and get a good amount of reading done. I’ve been trying to stay on top of getting reviews written and staying aware of my deadlines. There was a whole lot of snow this month, which meant plenty of time in the house and relaxing. The weather dropped to much colder temps than we have been seeing, and I think we got more snow this winter than I’ve seen in decades.

February had some really great moments, even amongst the sad ones. Early in the month was the birthday of my niece that had passed away 8 years ago, and then the anniversary of my father’s death fell on Valentine’s Day (because they go by the Hebrew date of death, which is a different calendar than the one we are used to. The family got together and celebrated after temple services in honor of my father, and it was a really nice day. Mom has taken to The Rookie like a duck to water, and we practically flew through four seasons in February. If you have any other suggestions of shows we can watch together, don’t hesitate to share them!

My insomnia is doing better than it was. I have gotten into a more manageable routine at nights, and I’m consistently waking up earlier. Also, my fatigue lifted a lot during February. I’m always afraid of doing too much and feeling that same overwhelming fatigue, but fortunately it really has improved for now. I’ve been putting a lot of energy and focus into self-care, managing responsibilities, and taking care of my mother, although it’s a balancing act that I can’t handle as much as I’d like.

I did some reading from around the world, especially some translated works. Despite doing pretty well and adding some new countries to my map this month, I clearly have to do a little more intentional reading around the world and less set in the US or the UK. My NetGalley ARCs are well managed for now, provided I can buckle down a bit this month. Shameful admission: I am still lagging pretty far behind on the publisher ARCs that I have, with some dating back to 2024. Now I really have to work on not requesting more books and being more selective about my reading.

Here’s some of my February highlights:

• My reading took me to scenic northern New Jersey; Ault, Colorado; a fantasy world based on Irish folklore; the White Cliffs of Dover, UK; the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York; al-Hol refugee camp in Syria; North Carolina; the Cascade Mountains of Washington state; the Canary Islands (part of Spain); The Gambia; and Washington, DC.
• I stayed on top of getting reviews written in a more timely fashion, and plan to continue this trend.
• My blog managed to get like 3 times the usual amount of views for the month. It might just be bots, but it is still thrilling to see my monthly views increase so much.

Here’s my breakdown of monthly totals for February: 

February Totals:

• Books read: 15
• Books DNF’d: 0

Genres Read:

• Fantasy: 3
• Historical Fiction: 1
• Horror: 2
• Literary Fiction: 2
• Memoir: 2
• Mystery: 4
• Romance: 1

Backlist vs. New Releases:

• Backlist books: 3
• 2026 releases: 12

Fiction Vs. Nonfiction:

• Fiction: 13
• Nonfiction: 2

Format Read:

• Print: 3
• Digital: 3
• Audio: 9

Age Range:

• Adult: 14
• YA: 1
• MG: 

My favorite book of the month was Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson.

Here’s what I read in February:

1. Sister Svangerd and the Not Quite Dead by KJ Parker (The Loyal Opposition #1)  (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. Toufah: The Woman Who Inspired an African #MeToo Movement by Toufah Jallow with Kim Pittaway | Goodreads | Amazon

1. Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. A Heart So Green by Lyra Selene (Fair Folk #3) (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. The Stepsister’s Secret by Karen King (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
4. Nightshade and Oak by Molly O’Neill (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
5. Wolf Worm by T. Kingfisher (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
6. Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams | Goodreads | Amazon
7. The Three Witches by Elena Collins (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. This Is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman (NG ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. For Human Use by Sarah G. Pierce (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon
3. The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson (Publisher ARC) | Goodreads | Amazon

1. Born at the Gates of Hell: A Doctor’s Frontline Story of Delivering Babies in al-Hol Camp in Syria by Maria Milland (Libro ALC) | Goodreads | Amazon
2. Supersaurio by Meryem el Mehdati | Goodreads | Amazon

How did your February go? Have you read any of these?