February Reads

February is gone and March is upon us! I read six books last month and am a little nervous about what I'll get through in March, since there are some big changes on the horizon for my little family (logistical challenges, sure, but good changes!). Who knows, maybe I'll be in desperate need for an escape from the chaos and will be able to read a ton (wishful thinking, probably). 

The books I read this month were an eclectic bunch, four of which were for book clubs or buddy reads, on and off the blog. That has been one gift the pandemic has given me- frequent bookish interactions with people! 

The first book I read this month was Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta, which I bought immediately after hearing him on The Armchair Expert. My grandma has Alzheimer's, so I am always very aware of how to keep my brain healthy, which this book provided some good reminders of. I don't think it was necessarily anything I hadn't really known, but it did make me more motivated to get more sleep, be mindful of medications and diet, and also look for ways to cognitively challenge my brain. 

For my two regular book clubs I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, which I wrote a little about here, and I also read Interior Chinatown by Charles Wu, which I absolutely loved. Wu's commentary on immigration, stereotypes, class, and family dynamics was darn near perfect, and I still keep thinking about it. 

I read another book my another Asian-American author this month, If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha, after seeing it all over the place. Like The Midnight Library, I thought there were flaws but I appreciated the fact that it really makes you pause and reflect on bigger issues, in this case standards of beauty, sacrifice, and friendship. My complaints include awkward, uneven character development, a reliance on withholding information from the audience (there are plenty of books where keeping details from the past is done effectively, but I thought it just became super overdone here), and a sort of lackluster ending. If it was summer I'd definitely put this in the slightly more literary "beach read" category. 

I also read Jessica Francis Kane's Rules for Visiting which was quirky book about a socially awkward landscape architect who was trying to rekindle friendships. It was much different than I thought it was going to be- I think I'd liken it to a lighter version of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, in a way. I appreciated how Kane tied in elements of botany and travel, as well as some important thematic links to family and mental health. If this book had to be described as an experience I'd say it was a cozy blanket and some coffee- comforting and enjoyable. 

Julie and I did a co-read of Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison here. 

Total: 1856 pages