Reading wrap ups are a bit of a paradox for me because on one hand, I do love them a lot, given that they let me look back on a reading month and reminisce on all my reads. But on the other hand, actually doing that makes me feel like I’m being pushed towards the edge of a cliff that has a cushion two feet from it. I know that I love it and I’ll be fine, but that anxious gremlin inside me is always trying to convince me to just slowly back away. Which is why my January and February 2024 reading wrap ups have taken so long to put up, even though I’d started writing both of these on time.
So I decided to do what I’ve done multiple times before: combine my January and February 2024 wrap ups into one blog post. I mean… You’ll have to read through 32 books, but I’m super excited to actually tell you all about these because there are some absolute crackers in here.
Before we move on to my wrap ups, however, just a quick note: I made a YouTube short for my January 2024 reading wrap up and a full video for my February 2024 reading wrap up. I’ve also made dedicated videos for some of the books in here and I’ll mention and link them as and when these books appear.
First up, here’s my January 2024 reading wrap up! YouTube short link here: January 2024 Reading Wrap Up.
BOOKS I READ IN JANUARY 2024
1. Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
Excerpt from the review I posted here on the blog. Link here: Roman Stories.
Roman Stories has Jhumpa Lahiri’s trademark vagueness, the not naming of characters which, ironically, make them more relatable. She writes of feelings that could be universal or specific, depending on how you see it. You’ll find yourself lingering at the foot of those steps, at a piazza waiting for the Procession to pass by, by the sea, in a cafe drinking coffee and eating panettone, over Italian words that you don’t have any idea what they mean – she’s stark and vague in her writing, all wrapped up in the most beautiful of words, using metaphors no one else would ever think to use.
That said, while these stories hold on to their loveliness and the political points that she makes without saying them outright, there’s something missing in them. It started off wonderfully for me, the middle flagged before picking up in the last couple of stories. And for that recovery, I will forever be glad.
2. The Mountains and the Masters by Anurag Sharma
This was a review copy that I read and reviewed on my channel. If you’d like to go check that out, here’s the link: The Mountains and the Masters.
Aarya lives in the Neel Valley with his grandmother and has always felt a connection to the mountains. One day, when he is late returning from a shopping trip to the village, he finds that his beloved grandmother has passed away. Heartbroken and alone, Aarya retreats into a shell. He only gets a reality check when his friend checks in on him and tells him a story, bringing him back to reality in the process. Aarya decides to shake himself out of the pall and set out on a journey to the mountains.
What Aarya’s journey looks like is what The Mountains and the Masters is all about.
This book has a lot of heart, made better by the poetic and lyrical writing. And although it does get a little extra at times, it transports you to the mountains. It may sound like a typical book about spirituality but it’s not, because the questions it asks and the answers it gives lie in the nuances, in its exploration of human behavior. However, all of this is roughened by awkward sentence structure and abrupt shifts in what Aarya is talking about. It’s still a good read, though.
3. The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
This is a book that I’ve been struggling to write a review for ever since I finished reading it because it’s such a nuanced murder mystery/thriller to review! We learn of the murder – which is standard in a murder mystery – and the murderer – something different here – early on in the book. But watching the police and detective Galileo tie themselves up in knots when they learn each twist, when they learn each reason behind it all, when they realize what has happened is absolutely thrilling. And that ending will either end you or fill you with a slim form of hope for humanity. I’ll keep the rest of the gushing to myself because I don’t think words can do justice to this masterfully crafted story. What a brilliant, brilliant book!
4. Right at Home by Bobby Berk
I read this for the Queer Eye vlog that I’d been wanting to put up since September but which I finally put up on the day season 8 released. If you’d like to go check that out, here’s the link: Queer Eye vlog.
Right at Home is Bobby’s first book in which he talks about home design in the most Bobby, fun way ever. He has simple yet sophisticated tips and tricks, told in his typical witty manner as he talks about colors, textures, contrasts, the effect all of this has on your mental health and how disorganization is both a symptom and a cause of mental unwellness. Bobby very lovingly, with his characteristic banter, tells you that you can start off small. The biggest thing I love about this book is the humor, one that makes it 100x better!
If you’re looking for home design inspiration, then this is a book you should definitely pick up.
5, 6, 7. The Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch
From my review on Instagram:
This trilogy is about Ethan Burke, who wakes up in a hospital in a small Idaho town called Wayward Pines. The nurse seems friendly enough but when he asks for his personal belongings, she deflects, raising Ethan’s doubts. He soon finds that there’s so much more that’s wrong with the situation because neither can he make contact with his wife and son, nor can he leave the town because there are electric fences surrounding it and the road keeps circling back into town. What Ethan does in the face of this terrifying new reality, forms this entire story.
All three books are written in Blake Crouch’s typical crispness, although it becomes a little draggy in book 2. The events of this book are horrifying as they alternate between gory and violent, raise questions, and give you some answers that you might not like, because these answers are not solutions; they’re the eventuality. I sympathized with Ethan and his family and although I wanted to smack them on the head, I don’t know, man. Maybe I would have made similar choices.
But that ending pissed me off so much! I feel my eyebrows scrunch in an irritated frown even months after finishing the last book. Like… Why? When you’re going to do something anyway, why not give yourself some time to breathe? Ughhhh!
8. What You Are Looking For Is In the Library by Michiko Aoyama translated into English from Japanese by Alison Watts
From my review on Instagram:
Five people, some of whom don’t know that they’re looking for something, some of whom don’t know what it is they’re looking for, end up in the local library at different times. They are guided by the felting-obsessed librarian, who seems to know what it is they’re looking for exactly after all of them answer the question, “What are you looking for?” vaguely. The question seems to trigger something deep inside them, the finishing touches given by the books that the Sayuri Komachi recommends to them. And the end results are various combinations of validating, motivating, compelling, tear-jerking, joyous, and so much more. And isn’t that what we are after our whole lives? The answer to the question, “What are you looking for?” ?
I’m so glad I got to experience this book that feels like a warm hug, like sitting by the fireplace and drinking hot chocolate, like a mother’s loving caress, like a lover who feels like home, like a friend in a land far from you, reading the same words, experiencing it like you are – it is the whole package.
I did a full video review for this book on my YouTube channel. Here’s the link if you’d like to go check it out: Video Review: What You Are Looking For Is In the Library.
9. Antoni: Let’s Do Dinner by Antoni Porowski
This was, again, a book I read for the Queer Eye vlog. I don’t have much to say about this book because there were more non-vegetarian recipes in here than vegetarian and I’m a vegetarian. I can’t comment on the writing because there isn’t much to comment on, since Antoni’s writing style is more of a to-the-point, matter-of-fact vanilla writing and doesn’t focus on connecting with the reader. But it gets the job done for anyone who eats the food he mentions in here.
10. Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree
This is a prequel to Travis Baldree’s first book, Legends & Lattes, and both of these books are so cosy, so warm, that it makes my little heart extremely emotional and happy. This is about Viv, the orc mercenary from L & L, who is injured and is sent to a sleepy beach town called Murk. Not one to keep silent, she goes about exploring the town and hence, discovers an old, almost-out-of-business bookshop where, after meeting the owner, she decides to spend her time. But no matter how far from adventure Viv goes, adventure comes looking for her. How will Viv handle her newfound friends and knowledge forms this entire story.
And what a lovely story this is! Every bookworm has had a dream of one day owning a bookstore (like in Bookshops & Bonedust) or opening a book café (like in Legends & Lattes), or both. And these two books validate those parts of us so much! The very memory has me grinning, my heart turning gooey and eyes turning into hearts! These two – I can’t talk about one of these books without the other – are stories for the ages because of how warm and fuzzy they make you feel!
Love, love, love them! If you haven’t read them already, please consider this a very fervent book recommendation from a friend and pick them up asap! ❤
11. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
From my Instagram review:
Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen is an absolutely stellar book that, the more I talk about it, makes me want to talk about it just a little more, just like those “5 more minutes” in the mornings or “I wish they were here with us” or a beloved one who has passed.
Kitchen has two stories, both talking about grief and how dealing with it drains your own life force. But it is also about hope, about knowing how to handle your grief in the present while appreciating the past and respecting the coming future enough to work on yourself. It’s compelling, it’s glaring, it’s daring, it’s lovely – all rolled into one, and then some.
This is a fantastic piece of literature, a short book that is under 200 pages long, but what it talks about will stay with you long after you finish it. And then some. Highly, highly, highly recommend!
12. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Zora Neale Hurston’s most famous book is about Janie Crawford, a Black woman in the 30’s trying to stay true to herself and her values. Her grandmother forces her into an unhappy marriage, but Janie, unable to stand it, runs away with a man traveling through her town. They go on to Eatonville where Jody, Janie’s husband, becomes mayor. She realizes that all that matters to Jody is his ambition and his ideas of what a woman should and shouldn’t be. When Jody passes away, she meets Tea Cake, who she declares to be the love of her life. They move from this town and settle down in a place that makes them happy, only for Mother Nature to cruelly interfere in their lives and for Janie to find her way back to Eatonville.
This is a beautiful portrayal of a Black woman who fighting hard against society’s set rules about who she should be and instead, determinedly works to find the version of herself she loves the most. Her search for independence is an epic in itself and her perseverance in not letting society bog her down with its dirty politics in that search is so refreshing and empowering in itself. And as against what the title might tell you – that it is a story about God – Their Eyes Were Watching God is a very human story in its struggles, in its happiness, in its finding love.
An exquisite piece of Black literature – the zenith, even – this is one book that I’ll recommend with all my heart!
BOOKS I READ IN FEBRUARY 2024
If you’d like to watch me talk about my February 2024 reading wrap up instead, here’s the link: Sonali’s February 2024 Reading Wrap Up.
These first 14 books are the romance books that I read for the vlog, which you can watch here: Romance Reading Vlog 2024. I also did a full blog post for it too, which you can read here: I Read 14 Romance Books for Valentine’s Day 2024.
1. I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
Chloe Green attends a Christian high school in a small Alabama town called Willowgrove where she is a straight A student and all she wants is to win valedictorian. Standing in her way is perfect Shara Wheeler, the principal’s daughter and a community favorite. Just one month before graduation, Shara kisses Chloe and on the night of the prom, vanishes, leaving Chloe confused. Chloe soon realizes that she’s not the only one Shara kissed. Shara’s boyfriend Smith and her neighbor Rory are also part of what feels like an elaborate scavenger hunt that Shara has organized. But now that these three are thrown together, layers are about to come off and expose more of Shara, the web that she has woven, and her character, which in turn reveal details and truths that they didn’t want to admit to themselves.
This is such an interesting premise, and there was so much promise in it, too. But it ended up being a mish-mash of all these ideas that kept colliding against each other and intermittently spurted out coherent paragraphs. The classic Casey McQuiston humor is there, but it feels half-hearted at best.
And by the time I reached the end, it felt like I’d read two completely different books. One where Chloe and Shara had this whole pissing contest cum power struggle, and the other where suddenly, the whole school had turned into a community of sorts. I get it; a book can be two things at once, and I agree. But it should also meld those two things seamlessly together so that it feels like one singular thing with different facets. This book just didn’t do that.
2. The Soulmate Equation by Christina Lauren
Jess is a freelance statistician and an almost-30 single mother. She loves her work even though she has to work really hard to keep her head above water, and is tired of the dating ‘market’ because of the kind of men that she has come across. She is all but swearing off of them, much to the horror of her best friend, Fizzy. They come to know that the broody man they drool over every morning in their coffeeshop work sessions, who they ‘lovingly’ call Americano, is actually one of the founders of GeneticAlly, a company that specializes in compatibility score calculations based on people’s genes.
Fizzy sees it as a kind of a universal, cosmic sign and pulls Jess along to an intro, and they end up giving in their samples. But Jess gets called in because they have had a never-seen-before compatibility match between her and, you guessed it, Americano, whose name is River Peña.
Now GeneticAlly, in the face of an impending IPO, want Jess to get to know River better and are willing to pay her for it. And Jess, in the face of bills and the impossible cost of living, especially with a 7-year-old in the house, accepts. As Jess and River get to know each other and make appearances at hotshot events, Jess realizes that River isn’t as uptight as she thought him to be. But is the compatibility match the only reason they are willing to try to get to know each other? Is it their choice? Or is it pure fate?
The characters are fun and funny, thanks to the typical Christina Lauren humor that has me snorting with laughter. Jess and River might seem a little meh at times, too bland as characters, but they make up for it with their chemistry. Speaking of chemistry, the concept of genetic testing to see romantic compatibility is an interesting one, even though you have to scrunch your eyebrows and concentrate to go over and over the fact that it is NOT eugenics. No, sir, thank you very much.
What I love about Christina Lauren is that unlike many authors out there who ignore every other character and culture in their bid to centre their main characters, Christina Lauren brings out the reality of the mosaic that the world is. And although The Soulmate Equation isn’t my favorite Christina Lauren book, I still like it quite a lot because of these very things.
3. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
Briana is an ER physician whose brother, Benny, suffers from renal failure. Her divorce will be final in a few days and her brother needs a kidney donor asap. But she will get a promotion soon, so she can make things right. Right? Wrong. Because there’s a new doctor who’s joined the hospital she works at and she’s just learning that the promotion is on hold because of him. She’s starting to really hate the guy when Jacob sends her a proper, heartfelt, handwritten letter apologising for everything. A lot of back and forth ensues, changing Briana’s mind, and when Jacob decides to become a kidney donor for Benny, it tips her over the edge.
Jacob, on the other hand, is shy and has social anxiety. It is also troubling him that his ex is now getting married to his brother, a fact that his family hates and is prepared to disown both of them for. To avoid this, Jacob reluctantly asks for a favor from his new friend, Briana, who is more than happy to grant it to him, given what he’s done for her brother. And it is about to become one of the sweetest games of either of lives.
Listen, I love Jacob because of the shy, socially anxious, kind, loving introvert that he is and I love Briana for never taking anyone’s shit and giving it right back, okay? But I swear to God, there were times when I wanted to crack their heads together because they were being such dumbasses. I get that you need some amount of dumbassery in a romance novel in order to build tension but this level was just *frustrated sounds* Because if you just bloody talked… *facepalm*
But otherwise, I love the build-up, I love their chemistry, I love how they understand each other. Which is why it frustrated me so much, you know? It is still a laugh-out-loud, enjoyable story, because Abby Jimenez knows how to make the reader keep going because they’re laughing and enjoying the characters and their banter so much. I mean, I don’t like the fact that every one of her books has ended with the characters getting pregnant, because it gives the impression that that is what a woman or a couple needs to aspire to as the ultimate happy ending. But the stories themselves are super fun.
4. Icebreaker (Maple Hills #1) by Hannah Grace
Anastasia Allen is a champion figure skater who thrives on control and knows what she is doing or supposed to be doing at any time of the day. It is important if she wants to represent the USA at the Olympics. Nate Hawkins is the ice hockey captain and an all-round team player, a model captain. When there’s a mishap on the hockey rink, the hockey team is forced to share a rink with the figure skating team. And when Stassie’s partner, Aaron (wrinkle nose) gets injured, Nate offers to help her even though he doesn’t know the first thing about figure skating.
Snark and sparks are about to fly, but it doesn’t matter because Stassie is focused on her goals and has no time for a relationship.
This book! I tell you, this book turned me into an unhinged hyena! There’s so much witty banter in here, be it between Nathan and Stassie or between the hockey team or between Stassie and her best friend, Lola –the writing cracked me up to no end. Maybe the reason why the writing comes off so brilliantly is that the author is English but writing about American people. That English wit and sarcasm screams loudly in here. The romance is hot and heavy and steamy but also very sweet. The combination of Stassie, a fierce, sassy, loving, ambitious woman and Nate, an understanding, gorgeous golden retriever of a human feels like divine justice. It just makes sense that they belong together.
But but but…
As much as I’m extolling the virtues of this book, I must warn you that if you are a minor or if you don’t like steamy scenes, I’d recommend you DON’T pick this book up because many scenes are R-rated. I wish I could remove those and get you the G version of the book because it will still be entertaining as hell. But I can’t so I’ll settle for this disclaimer.
5. Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
From my blog post: I Read 14 Romance Books for Valentine’s Day.
Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Her only concern right now is to take care of her family and for that, she works at a mechanic shop, trying to make ends meet. One day, she gets talked into participating in a charity chess event by her best friend and there, she ends up beating the current world champion, Nolan Sawyer. Her life takes a drastic turn for the better, what with cash prizes rolling in and opening her eyes to the fact that this is a way in which she can give her family a good life – the life that she thinks she deprived them of.
As the story progresses and we see Mallory go to different tournaments and start winning big, she comes face to face with the sexism that reigns in chess as a sport. And even though all of this is happening, her long banished love for the sport comes crashing back down inside her. Alongside this is the fact that the most famous man in chess, World Champion Nolan Sawyer, is now her rival. And since Mallory has promised herself that she is going to look at this as just another job and not do anything about it, how is she going to contend with her growing love for the sport that’s returning?
This is one of the cutest stories to have come out in a long time and I don’t use ‘cute’ that easily. It has simple, easy, flowy but witty writing. Ali Hazelwood has a way with words that will keep you invested and laughing and giggling. And even though you won’t understand most of what they are doing because it’s heavy chess, like some of the gameplays are not really easy to understand, you can feel that tension, you can feel the emotion behind it. You’re learning while you’re getting entertained and it makes this book that much lovelier.
I love the bond between Mallory and her sisters, but sometimes, I just wanted to punch Sabrina in the face. I mean, I know she’s a teenager and all, but just stop with your attitude already! But as I’ve learned in life, everybody has issues and everybody needs to work through them.
Check & Mate is one book that I will definitely recommend. It is a great YA sports romance that will keep you entertained for its entirety!
6. The Fine Print (Dreamland Billionaires #1) by Lauren Asher
Rowan Kane is the youngest of 3 brothers who have each been left behind a task by their late grandfather. Brady Kane wants Rowan to think of ways to revamp Dreamland, the insanely successful theme park that Brady created and built, and to take over as Director for the six months’ deadline that he’s been given.
Zahra works at a salon on the park premises and when Creator submissions open up – Rowan’s idea of an overhaul – she starts working on a proposal but drinks while doing it because she needs courage. Much to her horror, she accidentally sends it in without proofreading it. But she is shocked when she is offered her dream job because of how honest she was, despite her rude phrasing. And in yet another twist, things get much more complicated when Rowan Kane kisses her.
The premise was so promising, honestly, because of the story being set in a theme park full of roller coasters and rides. But it just hovers at the level of ‘okay, fine.’ The back and forth snark between Zahra and Rowan is mostly entertaining if you put aside the fact that no employee talks like that to their boss without getting fired. Instead, Rowan is intrigued by her and even goes on to chat with her under an alias.
And why is everyone laughing so much in this book? Zahra bursts out laughing, snorts with laughter, giggles, throws her head back and laughs… Granted, some of these are funny but some of these are so unfunny, even a glacier wouldn’t move. Plus, Rowan is so far out of being decent, given the decisions he’s made against the employees that it’s suspicious that it doesn’t get brought up for a major portion of the book, especially since Zahra is one of those employees and is affected by those decisions. I mean, to each their own, I know, but you’ll see why I find this book average and was irritated WHILE being invested in the characters and their arcs. This one was okay at best.
7. The Lover by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This is a short book that starts off pretty calmly, following Judith, who is the younger sister who is expected to do all the work while her older sister, Alice, preens. She and her friends cast a spell to find men to love after which they are sent signs indicating when they will find those men. So when Nathaniel walks in, asking to rent a room, Judith is convinced that he is the one. But he decides to marry Alice instead. Another stranger has also entered her life, looking like a vagrant and asking her for things that can be classified as indecent, especially coming from a stranger.
But how will Judith handle the presence of both these men in her life, given that the whole village is on tenterhooks no thanks to the wolf prowling the forest, forms this entire story.
I really enjoyed this story because for half of it, I was wondering where it was going to go, and when I realized what was happening, I was really interested in seeing how the author was going to take it there. And the end wasn’t even close to what I was expecting! It was creepy, it was horrifying, it was validating for any woman who has ever been strung along, it was satisfying – ohh it was so good! I mean, it was gory, but it was GOOD!
8. Wildfire (Maple Hills #2) by Hannah Grace
Aurora is determined to make her life better and stop acting out to get her Dad to notice her. But at a party thrown by the hockey players, she meets shy Russ and they hit it off almost immediately. They end up sleeping together and Aurora slips out of his room soon after, deciding that this one-night stand will be her last. Especially since she’s going to a summer camp as a camp counsellor and there’s a no-fraternization policy in place there. Russ is a shy hockey player with confidence issues. So when Aurora shows an interest in him, and when he finds himself attracted her, he decides that enough is enough. He has got to get his act together, especially since he’s going to be camp counsellor in the summer.
Imagine their shock when they see each other at camp, not even 24 hours after that night. How they will handle seeing and keeping their hands off each other, given that Aurora ‘escaped’ after their night together, forms this entire story.
I love this book in a different way than Icebreaker because of how different the characters are. Russ is shy, sweet, loving, caring, with a bunch of confidence issues. Aurora is a gorgeous, bubbly woman who is a motormouth, hates silences, is loving, understanding, and gives too many chances to people who have wronged her. Especially her dad. To see how these two characters interact with each other was an absolute delight because they make total sense. The humor, again, is off the charts and in this book, we have Emilia and Xander providing the comic relief, although I must say Xander does most of the heavy lifting. And I love him for it!
There’s a lot of steamy scenes in here, and coupled with the sneaking around they have to do at camp, it feels even steamier. So once again, like I said for Icebreaker, if you’re a minor or you don’t like steamy scenes, this is not a series for you. On the other hand, if you like a well-written college romance with a lot of steam, then this is one you should definitely pick up.
9. Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
This book is part of the Improbable Meet-Cute series by 6 authors, and I absolutely love this one because of how funny, how cute, and just how lovely this meet cute is!
Rosie and her sister Bree are at an expensive spa where Rosie has bought Bree a coupon as a promotion gift. Bree is a lawyer and Rosie, an indoor plant salesperson. And Rosie feels like Bree is the better sister and that Rosie herself has the worst luck, a fact that’s quickly supported by the event where she gets stuck in a flotation tank and the fire department has to be called in. Leo, a firefighter/first responder keeps her sane during this harrowing time and their whole interaction is the stuff of wholesome dreams.
It’s funny, it’s emotional in places, it understandably has that romance-y climactic feeling in the end – it’s just the whole package. You don’t need to read the happily-ever-after in a story like this because there is so much heart in the body itself, no pun intended.
10. The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
The Exception to the Rule starts off with a string of emails between two people who call themselves T and C. C has accidentally emailed T about an assignment instead of his teacher. From there starts a yearly Valentine’s Day tradition where they email each other and even competing to see who emails first. They become close somehow, through those yearly emails, and on Valentine’s Day 2024, decide to meet each other back in their hometown. How their discovery of who the other is goes forms the crux of this story.
I must say that at one point, I was exasperated at both of them but that feeling was fleeting. For a majority of the second half, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, grinning stupidly at my Kindle as I sat in a café, reading this in full public. It’s sweet, it’s cute, and that moment of revelation sent butterflies through my stomach.
11. Terms and Conditions (Dreamland Billionaires #2) by Lauren Asher
Terms and Conditions follows the oldest Kane brother, Declan, who is expected to get married and have a child if he wants to keep his inheritance. But Declan doesn’t have time for all this love crap, so he’s planning to enter a contract with a willing woman for the next three years where they get married and have a child, barring all feelings. It’s all going to be a façade they put up for the public.
Only, Declan scares the woman away and Iris, his secretary who has been helping him plan all of this, is irritated because they’re literally standing outside the venue where they’re supposed to announce Declan’s engagement. In a desperate move, Iris volunteers to be his fake wife, thinking that she’s been working for his dictatorial ass for 3 years, what could possibly go wrong?
Like I said for the first book, this one also has so much laughing, it grated on my nerves. I’m irritated just thinking about how often Iris needs to be shown laughing because she’s such a ray of sunshine. My particular problem, however, is that I didn’t find there to be a smooth transition from when they were platonic to when they realized their feelings. It felt like there was a huge gap in between.
And Declan is just the biggest ahole. I mean, the whole point of the book is to show his character arc and for the time that he is that ahole and hasn’t yet become a better person, ooooh I wanted to knock his head into the desk! What is it about the sunshine x grumpy trope that allows for the man to be an ahole to the woman and get away with it most times? “I understand why you are the way you are,” or some such variation of it the woman says, and I’m like, “But that’s just an excuse, babe!” Will she listen to me? Noooo of course not!
But I’ll give Lauren Asher one thing. The female main characters in her books do not let these billionaires steamroll all over them. They put their foot down when they go too far. Yes, they are forgiving too and I wish they wouldn’t give in in a few days. But that’s the beauty of them. They will show how strong they are by putting an end to the Kanes’ a-holery but will also be forgiving and understanding of the failings of a human being. And for that alone, I applaud the author.
12. Stage Dreams by Melanie Gillman
This is set in the New Mexico territory of 1861 where we follow Grace, who is a trans woman running away from home in Georgia to avoid conscription. She is in a stage coach trundling towards freedom when Flor, the Great Hawk, robs the coach and takes her ransom. But when Flor realizes Grace’s situation and tells her about her plans to steal plans from a Confederate gala, Grace offers to help her, much to Flor’s shock. How these two make it in and out of this gala, and how their equation shifts and changes over all this forms the entire story.
This is a short queer historical romance graphic novel that gives you a taste of the old Western landscape through the windows of its panels. It somehow transports you back there and is thrilling towards the end because even if you don’t know American history, you’ll be rooting for these two. And if you want to know a bit of American history, the cartoonist Melanie Gillman has included snippets related to mentions in the novel towards the back.
This graphic novel is short, it’s sweet, it’s thrilling, it’s queer – I loved it! If you can get your hands on this book, please do read it!
13. Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory
Unfortunately, this isn’t a writing style that I enjoyed.
This is about Daisy, a serial smiler, who’s fixating on how she won’t go into her usual bakery on Valentine’s Day because the baker always glares at her and she will just spend her day at home watching rom-coms. But she is tempted in the end – because who can say no to blueberry hand pies? – and enters the bakery. The baker in question, Harris, looks up and immediately scowls at her – what was she even thinking – but before she can do anything, an earthquake strikes and she is trapped in the bakery with this handsome but rude owner. She knows that she is finally going to wipe that scowl off his face. But how she does that is what this little story is about.
I really wanted to like this book, but I don’t think Daisy’s brand of humor is for me. It is kind of awkward and half-baked at best – pun fully intended – and even though it’s not technically insta love because they have met before, at that end, I was like… Girl, what are you doing? And boy, you’ve got to do better! You can’t go around glaring at women you like. What is this, middle school? “Oh, he treats you like that because he likes you.” Just no.
14. Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
Worst Wingman Ever is about Holly, who is a hospice nurse and is caring for her dying grandma. She returns to her car one day to find a Valentine’s Day card on her windshield and is amused to see what it actually contains. This mistake leads to an exchange of notes and little gifts, and a burgeoning affection between these two anonymous strangers. But what happens when Holly stops coming to this apartment building?
This is such a sweet story, more about Holly’s relationship with her grandma and her and her sister reminiscing about Grandma’s badassery than anything. But it also impresses upon you the importance of being kind, even to strangers or especially to them. Holly and John might not know who the other is, but to see them be understanding of each other without any expectation is somehow reassuring.
Those were the books I read for this year’s romance reading vlog. Now moving on to the rest of my February 2024 reading wrap up:
15. Heroes by Stephen Fry
This is the second in the Mythos trilogy by Stephen Fry, the first being Mythos and the third being Troy. In this trilogy, Stephen Fry takes us through Greek mythology – the myths, the stories, the legends – from where so many modern things, terms, and concepts stem from. In Mythos he started from the very beginning, where everything kicked off from, the Titans, the Gods, and everything in between.
In Heroes, he takes the spotlight onto the heroes, the demigods, the powerful ones who were chosen by gods and kings to go on quests, maybe to prove a point. We read about heroes like Heracles, Jason, Orpheus, and Atalanta, their lives, their labors, what they are known for, all the way to their deaths or them gaining immortality. Because, you know, the gods are proud and they can do whatever they like, including smite a whole town because they didn’t pay them tribute.
Stephen Fry has a witty manner about him, one that comes out in full force in this book. He takes us through all these heroes’ stories, accompanied by a fun commentary, putting in disclaimers from time to time saying that hey! Look! We know the gods were like this! Times were like this! This is not me being sexist. And I’m like… I know Mr. Fry, I know.
Loved this one and would highly recommend this series if you’re looking for books on Greek mythology and everything that it encompasses.
16. Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher
This is the story of the middle Kane brother, Callahan, or Cal, who is an alcoholic. He has a shipload of issues and being the rich guy that he is, can afford to not work at all. But grandpa Kane has left him a task if he wants to keep his inheritance. He needs to sell the Lake Wisteria house, one Cal grew up in. Cal ends up in Lake Wisteria, only to come face to face with Alana Ortiz, his first love, one he walked out on all those years ago. And the curveball here is that Grandpa Kane has made it such that Cal and Alana now co-own the house, Cal has to live there for 3 months, and he cannot sell it without Alana’s approval.
But Alana has a daughter and her concern is stability for that little girl. Apart from the shock that Cal receives on seeing Alana’s kid, how he will cope and whether or not he can stay away from Alana the second time around, forms this entire story.
This is probably a better executed arc than the first two books because there’s nobody in this book saying things in a temper or just for the heck of it, to create drama. It talks about alcoholism and how it affects your relationships once it gets its claws into you. Cal and Alana’s back and forth and them fighting their attraction that threatens to bloom all over again is entertaining to watch. But I felt like it was way too long and too roundabout and repetitive, just for the heck of it. It didn’t need to be 500+ pages long, with so much unnecessary fluff.
I liked how strong-willed Alana is as a character, but other than that, there was no redemptive quality to the story as such. I got this feeling of, “Why isn’t this book over yet?” multiple times throughout the book.
17. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah’s comedy is hilarious but it’s also kind somehow WHILE pointing out centuries of racism and colonization with some of the best rejoinders ever. So obviously, after seeing his comedy and the kind of person that he is, I knew it was time for me to read his memoir, Born a Crime, one that I’d been putting off for way too long. And Born a Crime is like watching one of Trevor Noah’s specials. It has heart, heartbreak, his truth – all of it in a witty narrative that will pull you in and keep you there. Especially when he talks about his mother. The love, the admiration, the understanding, and the adoration he holds for her is the most heart-warming thing ever.
Trevor Noah talks about Apartheid and things that happened in South African society when it did and as he does, he gives us snippets of South African history and its peoples. I learned more about South Africa through these snippets than I ever did before. And parallel to this, he moves into the story of his life, telling us about how it was illegal for Black and white people to mate at the time but since his mother is Black and his father white, how society deemed him as illegal. And hence the title of the book – Born a Crime.
His growing years, everything he had to endure, his mother’s marriage to an abusive man who would go on to put a bullet in her head – Trevor Noah tells it to us in a detached but affected manner. It is one of the best memoirs out there and I don’t just mean that in a this-was-written-by-one-of-my-favorite-comics way. I mean that it is extremely well-written, ebbing and flowing perfectly as needed, inserting factoids as and when needed.
So yes, Born a Crime has become one of my favorite books of 2024 and one of my favorite nonfiction books of all time. Highly, highly recommend!
18. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is about April May, a graphic designer, who on her way home from work one night finds a seemingly interesting art installation, a robot of some kind. She is fascinated by it and wanting the world to see it, calls her friend, who is a podcaster, to bring his video equipment. They film a video – calling it Carl – and upload it to YouTube, which goes viral by the time she wakes up the following morning. News trickles in that there are several Carls in different cities of the world and since April May was the first to document it, she is thrust into the spotlight.
How April May handles her fame in her ambition to make a mark on the world and how her life and relationships suffer forms this entire story.
And my God, April May is insufferable! But she is very aware that she is insufferable, that she is making questionable decisions, that in the moment, she didn’t know better. It makes it a tad bit better but not completely.
What I really liked about the book is that Hank Green, as someone who has seen Internet fame, does a commentary on how that very fame can go two ways – you can either let it get to your head, or you can turn it to your advantage and do the right thing. It’s very thought-provoking, but then again, the way he goes about it is way too roundabout and confusing. I get that it’s supposed to do exactly that – to provoke thought – but it felt to me like I was being preached to like someone was telling me in a very disapproving manner, “You should know better.” But how will I know what you’re saying? You’re the author. You’re the one who made up this world. You tell me!
And even though I’m not a fan of April May, every time her friends looked at her as if she was doing something wrong without telling her outright what they think, had my brain screaming at them. I mean, she’s annoying on a whole other level because even if they did say something, she wouldn’t take their advice, she wouldn’t listen to them. She’d do whatever the hell she wanted to. But COME ON!
So even though I loved the premise of the story – about social media fame, it’s fickleness, how it can be either destructive or constructive – the structuring of the story itself, I wasn’t a huge fan of. It’s an okay book, but I wish that structuring could have been done better, is all I’m saying.
19. Fullmetal Alchemist – vols 1-2-3 by Hiromu Arakawa
And what an experience it was!
This is the story of the Elric brothers, who are alchemists. Both are teenagers, but given what they’ve gone through, they are esteemed and feared alchemists in the land. In a ritual where they attempted to bring their dead mother back to life, Edward lost an arm and in return for Alphonse’s soul, which he infused into a suit of armor, lost a leg too. They are now roaming the lands on the lookout for the one thing that will restore their bodies – the Philosopher’s Stone.
In their travels, they meet different people ranging from people who need their help to merciless enemies who will stop at nothing to get the famed Elric brothers out of the way.
You might think that with a subject as this, the book would be one journey filled with somberness. And while that is true for part of the story, given how intense the themes of loss, grief, and soul-searching are, the other part is absolutely, adorably hilarious.
And it is especially noteworthy because when it turns into somber lane, it becomes so intense and introspective, that you can’t help but wonder like I did, “Where has this been my whole life?” Because when a story asks you about humanity and the lengths humans will go to for power, and the moral implications of it all, you stop and think.
That’s why I LOVE Fullmetal Alchemist and I LOVE that it is my first manga ever! Thank you to the people who advocated for me reading this series. Forever indebted to you!
20. A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum
This is a book by a Palestinian-American novelist that follows a mother and her daughter, 18 years apart. One timeline starts in 1990, where 18-year-old Isra is left with no choice but to marry Adam and move to America. We follow her life as she adjusts to a brand new life in a new country, but also one that isn’t that different from the life back in Palestine.
Another timeline follows 18-year-old Deya, Isra’s daughter, in 2008, who is being forced by her grandmother, Fareeda, to meet with suitors because she says that that’s the duty of a woman. Deya doesn’t agree that that is the only way forward for her but there seems to be no other in sight. She and her sisters have been told that their parents died in a car crash. But when a person from her past comes knocking, Deya begins to see her life and her mother’s, and her community as a whole in a completely different light.
This was a book that I had to put down time and again because of the fury raging in my veins as I read the misogyny towards these female characters, dictated by ‘tradition’ coupled with the barbarism that is the occupation and continued genocide of the Palestinian people.
In Fareeda’s character, we see patriarchal conditioning and how sometimes, going through something means that a person will pass that on to another in the name of tradition, by taking it for granted, instead of breaking the cycle.
We see how daughters are looked down upon in so many cultures and sons are seen as something to aspire to. We see how it is seen as okay in many cultures that the “man of the house” raises his hand against a woman. That it is normal. That it must be the woman’s fault because why would a man do that otherwise?
We see how a woman is confined to certain roles – like cooking, cleaning, motherhood, being the dutiful wife – and she isn’t supposed to raise her voice or question her husband or think of going out alone or talk to another man, no matter how innocent that is, or aspire to study, because of what use is a degree when your duty is to your husband, to your house, to your cooking, to your children? A woman must bear children as soon as she is married because otherwise, of what use is she? And god forbid she bear a girl child! She’ll have to live in disgrace for the rest of eternity! And if she bears four girl children like Isra did, she is done for.
I loved Sarah, though, because her character development was the best among all the characters. She becomes a voice of reason and that’s something I appreciate, although I didn’t like that at times she began to spout lines like a self-help book.
The book basically talks about holding fate in our own hands and deciding what to do with it. Which is an admirable thing in itself and I do admire it. But I felt like the ending was rushed and a little too abrupt. Because no one like Fareeda – and I’ve seen a couple of characters like this – does anything like that. Overall, however, it is a book where you see Palestinian culture, about things that resonate because there are so many things that us Indians have in common, culturally, with Palestine, the food, the tea, the treatment of women, and so much more. Read this book and I promise you it will leave you a different person than it found you.
So those were my recent reads – my January and February 2024 reading wrap ups. Which of these books have you read? Which ones do you want to read? What did you read in January and February 2024? Did you find any favorites? Let me know in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
Meanwhile, if you’d like to watch my January 2024 reading wrap up and February 2024 reading wrap up, the links to the YouTube videos are here down below:
January 2024 Reading Wrap Up | February 2024 Reading Wrap Up
I’ll see you in the next blog post.
Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life! 😀
The Melodramatic Bookworm 