This was a short reading month, and a busy time for me, so I didn’t get as much reading done as I would have liked. I read The Girl at Midnight by Melisa Grey and A Court of Throne and Roses, and I’lll have in depth reviews of those next week, but here’s what else I read in February.
Audio Re-Read
I listened to Gabi, a Girl in Pieces Isobel Quintero in one day. At work. Mondays I do a report that takes all day but doesn’t require much concentration (I monitor high demand and purchase additional copies of items that have a high hold ratio). I was the only one in the office, and no one bothered me all day (this never happens). So I got to spend the whole day with Gabi and my spreadsheet.
Gabi recounts a year of her trials and triumphs during her senior year of high school, and it is hilarious and heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once. She is negotiating her identity and sexuality as a fat Mexican-American girl. There are a lot of issues in this book: teen pregnancy, rape, abortion, coming out, drug abuse. But it never feels inauthentic or like an after-school special. And such a great voice! Gabi is so memorable.
The narration was perfect, and really captured the intimacy of the story as well as the flair for Spanish. I bought a physical copy and read it last December, but I’m really glad I listened to the audio.
Sci-Fi Dud
I have been looking to read more sci-fi that is really more space fantasy than true science fiction (because I’m writing one!) so I thought Red Rising by Pierce Brown would be a good one, since it has been so popular.
It sucked. I couldn’t even finish it. The voice of the protagonist, the info-dumping that tried to be world-building, the derivative premise. UGH. I haven’t been so wrong in judging whether or not I will like a book in a long time. I really wanted to like it and thought it would be a fun, escapist read, but it literally made my skin crawl. I wanted to throw this book across the room.
Up next I’m going to try The Martian, which isn’t normally a book I’d be drawn to, because it’s just one guy trying to survive and I’ve been wary of those kind of books since 7th grade when I had to read The Old Man and the Sea and The Hatchet back to back, but I’m trying to branch out and read more adult fiction and more sci-fi and some trusted librarians have said I might like it. I’m also going to try Garth Nix’s A Confusion of Princes. But if you’ve got a suggestion for a sci-fi book set in space to add to my list, let me know!
Trilogy Finished
Horror, suspense, and mystery are not usually my preferred genres, but I loved I Hunt Killers and Game so I was excited to finish Barry Lyga’s trilogy with Blood of My Blood. It was so delightfully creepy, but really thought-provoking. I started the audio version, but it was too scary. I thought Charlie Thurston did a fantastic job—his Billy Dent voice was the perfect kind of creep—but I was on edge every morning as I drove to work. I devoured the rest in print.
The characters in this series are all so layered, and the suspense is mostly psychological even if there are some bloody parts. I don’t recommend this to anyone who is easily creeped out, but for someone looking for a dark thriller, there is nothing that compares.
Diverse Read
Though I don’t by any means plan to only read one diverse book a month, and some I will write longer reviews for, I’m committing to reading and highlighting at least one diverse book a month. In February I read The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds.
It took me some time to really get into this one, because I often struggle with books about teens who lost a parent. My dad died with I was 14, and his lifelong illness defined a lot of my childhood. These books often hit too close to home, and bring up all those feelings I had, or are so different from my experience they rub me the wrong way, even though I know that everyone is entitled to their own feelings and reactions and everyone’s response to grief is unique. This is a totally personal thing (see my review of Sara Zarr’s How to Save a Life.)
But Jason Reynolds can write. Matt’s voice is spot on, honest and raw but still a bit defensive at times. He’s lost his mom, his dad isn’t handling it well, but he’s still trying the best he can. Reynolds just nails his loneliness. And I loved his relationship with Lovey, and how they met, and how there’s a bit of romance without it feeling like a typical romance. The story is much more about grief, family, and new friendships. This is a book I’m going to have to get into Mister BS’s classroom library, because I know his students will really love it and relate to it.
What did you read this month? Let me know your favorites or most disappointing reads in the comments!
wrapped up in books 
I’m on the hunt for space books I love as well. There are so many…fake outs. Did you try Tin Star? It’s a short little thing but rather enjoyable. It’s also one of the only space books I’ve really enjoyed recently.
I also recently read GABI and THE BOY IN THE BLACK SUIT and loved both! Strong voices, powerful stories, and such real characters. So often I thought “I can’t relate to this exact situation, but I KNOW this feeling.” Glad you enjoyed, too!
They were both great! I have been having way better luck with contemporary/realistic YA than with fantasy lately.