Happy March! I don't know about you, but I am very ready for spring!
While I didn't read nearly as much in February as I did in January, I feel like the books I did read were quite solid. I didn't rate any of them lower than four stars!
Since I read a couple nonfictions that also counted in other categories, I have left off the dedicated nonfiction category for this post. All covers are linked to Goodreads.
Black History Month
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
★★★★
Genre: Memoir
"Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou’s debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide." (From Goodreads)
This was heartbreaking and fascinating and so well written, although the start of each chapter/section seemed to jump around somewhat randomly, and the ending felt very abrupt. I definitely want to read more by and about Maya Angelou in the future!
Paper TBR
A Blade So Black, by L.L. McKinney
★★★★.5 stars
Genre: YA Fantasy
"The first time the Nightmares came, it nearly cost Alice her life. Now she's trained to battle monstrous creatures in the dark dream realm known as Wonderland with magic weapons and hardcore fighting skills. Yet even warriors have a curfew. Life in real-world Atlanta isn't always so simple, as Alice juggles an overprotective mom, a high-maintenance best friend, and a slipping GPA. Keeping the Nightmares at bay is turning into a full-time job. But when Alice's handsome and mysterious mentor is poisoned, she has to find the antidote by venturing deeper into Wonderland than she's ever gone before. And she'll need to use everything she's learned in both worlds to keep from losing her head . . . literally." (From Goodreads)
From the very first page, I was hooked. Why don't we have more fairytale/classic retellings like this?! I loved the characters, the portal element (I'm a sucker for portal world fantasy), and the plot. Wonderland was just so WONDERLAND (in the best way possible). And the way Alice's "real life" was balanced with her Wonderland life was well done, in my opinion (although I don't think her mom is overprotective, as the Goodreads description claims ...).
So those were the things I loved. There were a couple things that didn't sit quite right. For one, I thought Alice was way younger when her dad died, and that we were going to have a huge time jump to when she was actually ready to start fighting Nightmares in Wonderland, but ... nope. She's seventeen when her dad dies, and it's three months later that Hatta deems her ready to start kicking monster butt. It just seemed a little weird to me. It also annoyed me slightly that Alice seemed to get a crush on someone new every time she turned around (okay, that's not true; she only had a crush on Hatta, Chess, and Xelon). And while I kind of ship her and Hatta, the vibe is kinda weird. (Why do AiW retellings always try to pair Alice up with the Mad Hatter?!) I loved that Poets, in Wonderland, are medics/herbalists, and that they make Verses (medicines/potions), and that the more powerful the Poet, the stranger their speech; however, I felt like this was not consistent for Maddi throughout the book. We learned that she had to drink a special potion in order to speak normally, but by the end of the book, she spoke normally whenever she appeared, yet she didn't seem to be drinking any potion.
Despite these quibbles, I really enjoyed the book and I already got the second one from the library! (I just need to finish a couple other books before I start in on it.)
Book Club
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: Genius, Power, and Deception on the Eve of World War I, by Douglas Brunt
★★★★.5 stars
Genre: History
"This instant New York Times bestselling 'dynamic detective story' (The New York Times) reveals the hidden history Rudolf Diesel, one of the world’s greatest inventors, and his mysterious disappearance on the eve of World War I." (From Goodreads)
This was an excellent book!! I learned so much while reading it (my favorite parts were actually some of the footnotes that were only tangentially connected to the narrative) and I felt like the final chapter and epilogue connected everything together so beautifully and left the reader with something meaningful to think about. I loved how this book was not only about the Diesel engine, but about the man who invented the technology and about other public figures during his lifetime who were affected by his work, such as Wilhelm II and John D. Rockefeller. I will say, the third quarter of the book was a little too technical for me and I found my eyes glazing over more than once. The other three quarters, however, were fantastic. Highly recommend!
Mood Reads
The Blood Spell, by C.J. Redwine
★★★★
Genre: YA Fantasy
"A dark and romantic epic fantasy retelling of the Cinderella story, about a girl who must team up with the prince she despises to defeat an evil creature threatening their kingdom." (From Goodreads)
While Ella Enchanted still has my heart, this was a pretty darn good retelling of Cinderella! You can read my full review here.
Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty
★★★★★
Genre: Fiction
"If you knew your future, would you try to fight fate? Liane Moriarty’s Here One Moment is a brilliantly constructed tale that looks at free will and destiny, grief and love, and the endless struggle to maintain certainty and control in an uncertain world. A modern-day Jane Austen who humorously skewers social mores while spinning a web of mystery, Moriarty asks profound questions in her newest I-can’t-wait-to-find-out-what-happens novel." (From Goodreads)
This book lived up to the hype! I don't usually read books just because they're popular, but I kept seeing Here One Moment all over my Goodreads, and I must have read a review of it that piqued my interest, because for some reason I got it out of the library last month even though it was not on my list, and I devoured it.
Not only was this book wonderfully written (the writing style reminded me of Fredrik Backman's, especially in the beginning), but the question it asks ("if you knew when and how you were going to die, what would you do differently?") made me think. I loved all the characters and was so invested in their stories. I also absolutely loved the epilogue!
Reading Challenges
Organized challenges I'm participating in:
2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge - 3 books
Fantasy/Sci-Fi Reading Challenge - 1 book
2025 New Release Challenge - 0 books
My personal challenges:
Books I Didn't Get to Last Year - 2 books
National Month - 1 book
Middle Grade - 0 books
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