Friday, March 3, 2023

Month in Review: February 2023


February has been a true whirlwhind–has it been hectic for anyone else? This latest storm we've had here in Southern California has absolutely thrown us for a loop and as much as I love the rain, I think I'm pretty much done with it at this point, haha. We officially have four big leak points in the house we're renting, the largest of which is in our bedroom and has grown so much that I'm genuinely concerned about the structural integrity of the ceiling at this point (and we won't even think about the other potential issues...). So far, it's stayed far away from my bookshelves, so the important things have been saved, at least. Let's cross our fingers that that's the end of the rainy season for us!

This was probably one of my worst reading months I've had in... well, a really long time. 🤣 Things have been very chaotic in my life reading has been really hard to fit in. At least half the time I actually have had time to sit down and read like I want to, I end up being too stressed or anxious to actually focus very well on the book, so it's just been a slow process. I'm really hoping that March calms down a little, but I'm not sure if that will be the case–at this point, I'm already just rooting for a good second half of the year, haha! The best reading news I have from the month of March is that I finally read The Fall of Koli, the third book in the Rampart Trilogy which I've been procrastinating on since it came out, and it was amazing, as expected. 

My slow reading also meant my blog activity was a bit slow as well, and I apologize if I've been a bit AWOL with commenting and visiting blogs and everything–I've been trying to catch up when I can, but it's taking me a while. :) I'm starting to realize that me reading a number of 2023 ARCs early at the end of 2023 was a life-saving move because March is pretty full with reviews so far (as long as I can finish them all!) so I'm hoping it will be a more active month. I'm currently reading a number of fantastic books, including the newest upcoming Jekua release, Makanuele Rumble by Travis Riddle, The Fairy Bargains of Prospect Hill by Rowenna Miller, and The Sapphire Altar  by David Dalglish. I'm moving slowly through them all, but I'm really enjoying them all as well. 

How was your reading month of February?? What books did you read? Let me know!




# books read: 6
   

The Fall of Koli (Rampart Trilogy #3) by M.R. Carey
Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: What an ending! M.R. Carey wrapped this trilogy up incredibly well and I can't believe it took me so long to finally read this.

Chaos & Flame by Tessa Gratton & Justina Ireland
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This was a really fun and unexpected read! I enjoyed this introduction to a new fantasy world and found the characters really engaging. 

The Mimicking of Known Successes by Malka Older
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: I didn't connect with this one quite as much as I'd hoped to, but it was still a fun new sci-fi world to explore, and I think this will be a big hit for mystery fans. 

Tantalus Depths by Evan Graham
Source: Audible | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was such an interesting sci-fi. I think it went a little too heavy into info dumping at times and had a very hard sci-fi feel to it occasionally, but overall I thought the plot itself was fascinating and I would happily read more from Evan Graham in the future. 

Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: I have a lot of mixed thoughts on this one. I liked some aspects, but also just couldn't really get into this. I can see a lot of people liking this one, though!

The Broken Darkness by Theresa Braun
Source: Author | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This was a really fun collection of short horror stories. I was very impressed by Theresa Braun's creativity and was excited to explore each story. 


DNF/To-Be-Finished:
The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
Why: I will absolutely be finishing this book! This is temporary DNF because I had a feeling once I started it that I was really going to like it, so I wanted to wait to read it in a month where I could hopefully give it a bit more focus. It's not out until June, so it felt reasonable to hold off on for now. But I can't wait to get back into it!



(other than reviews)



Can't-Wait Wednesday:

2 comments:

  1. I'm sorry to hear about the leaks! That kind of thing can be incredibly stressful. And I haven't been getting through very many books either. I'm hoping March will be better!

    Tantalus Depths is intriguing and in spite of the issues I might have to give that one a pekk.

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  2. The storms were so bad! I missed all the rain because I just moved out of LA, but now I'm in the local mountains and of course our first winter here we get the biggest snowstorm in 40 years, lol. I hope your March is better for you! I totally understand distractions, I've been fighting them myself.

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