Forever Lost in Literature: Month in Review: February 2026

It always happens that January is the slowest month ever, and then suddenly every subsequent month speeds by. It never helps that February is short, though!

In personal news.. February was a ridiculously busy month! I started one new part-time job, then started another contract job, started a handful of community college courses (learning new things, apparently I can never get away from it, haha)... and then got offered a full-time position I'd been interviewing for, so... my free time has extremely limited! This has definitely been reflected on my blog, as I'd once again managed to pick things back up, but then once again life had other plans, haha. March is not looking like it's going to be letting up anytime soon, but I've been working on being as organized and efficient with my time as I can, so we'll see how it goes! My husband and I also took a short weekend trip to Mammoth at the end of February, so that was a fun little getaway and also a beautiful one. Believe it or not, I'd actually never really seen or been in snow before, so it was a fun first for me.

In reading news, it was a slow month and I really struggled to get through some books. But at the end of the day, I'm always just happy if I read anything, so I can't complain too much. I particularly enjoyed Strange Animals and The Gales of November. I'm also woefully behind on many of my ARCs, but what else is new? I also started and didn't finish a small handful of books this month--some I plan to finish, others I'm not sure. I've listed my thoughts on them all below!

How was your February and what books have you been reading? How's the new year been? Any reading-related goals? Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!

# books read: 10

Strange Animals by Jarod K. Anderson
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Thoughts: I really liked this and my review is up on the blog!

The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon
Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: This was fascinating! Of course I'm always up to read about more shipwrecks, and I really loved learning more about the Great Lakes.

What Stalks the Deep (Sworn Soldier #3) by T. Kingfisher
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC
Thoughts: I haven't loved Kingfisher's Sworn Soldier series quite as much as her other work, but I finally got around to this one and thought it was pretty solid!

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: And, naturally, more shipwrecks...

The Optimists by Brian Platzer
Source: Publisher | Format: Hardcover
Thoughts: This was a very thoughtful and interesting read, I'd recommend it mainly to contemporary fiction readers who like an epistolary style. I should have a review up for this one soon.

The Tricky Business of Faerie Bargains by Reena McCarty
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This had a strong start, but lost me a little in the middle. Still, I think many readers will really enjoy it! My review will be up in April closer to its release.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles #2) by TJ Klune

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: TJ Klune is so hit or miss for me these days, which has made me incredibly hesitant to pick up this sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. This was a perfectly cute sequel that didn't overly stand out to me, but that will absolutely make fans who are looking for more of The House in the Cerulean Sea happy.

Eden of Witches, Vol. 3 by Yumeji
Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: I'd been meaning to continue this series and I'm still not sure exactly how much I like it, but I'm definitely intrigued enough to keep reading!

Eden of Witches, Vol. 4 by Yumeji
Source: Library | Format: Ebook
Thoughts: Pretty much the same thoughts as I had for volume 3 for this one!

Home is Where the Bodies Are by Jeneva Rose
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was a very random and unexpected read that I saw on Libby and just decided to give it a shot. It had an interesting enough beginning, but by the end I remembered why I don't read all that many thrillers anymore.

To-Be-Finished:

Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman
I absolutely plan to finish this one! Despite how exited I was to pick it up, I just wasn't feeling it at the time, so I'll probably try again in March or April.

Weavingshaw by Heba Al-Wasity
I think I've been enjoying this one, but I feel like I've somehow been trying to get through it for nearly the entire month of February and I just feel like it's never ending. I do plan to finish it, though, as it is an ARC and I"m curious to see what's going to happen.

The Library of Amorlin by Kalyn Josephson
This is another one I started and just wasn't really connected with, so I've set it down for now. This is another ARC, so I'd like to give it another shot.

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett
And another ARC that I'm not sure if I'm going to finish. I desperately want to love it (or at least like it), but it's just really not working for me for some reason and I can't find myself interested in the characters or the plot that much.