What I read in February

New(ish) format:  Title, Author (format - if other than print) - recommendation source - my thoughts

1.  Hell Bent, Leigh Bardugo (audio and print) - sequel - Do I reread the first book or not?  Ultimately, I tracked down a detailed synopsis for the first book because I just couldn't remember as much as I needed to, and my usual trick of diving into the sequel wasn't working.  (Usually, there are enough contextual clues to trigger the memory....and it just wasn't happening, in part because of the framing device Bardugo uses for these books.)  I have to agree with another review I heard.  I enjoyed it - just maybe not as much as the first book.  Without the newness it suffered a bit, I think, and I kind of wanted to shake Alex through the whole book.  The characters seemed more cardboard thin this time around, too...or maybe it was because we just kept retreading familiar beats.  

2.  The River of Silver, S.A. Chakraborty (Book 4, The Daevabad Trilogy) - loved author - This is a collection of short stories about characters in the Daevabad books, and while I'm really charmed, I didn't find that they actually added anything.  It's a real shame because I absolutely adore the trilogy and had high hopes for this collection.  But what we find here is less a collection of stories than character vignettes - really, no plot or action to be found - and while there's a sweetness in revisiting beloved characters, I didn't learn anything new and therefore wasn't swept up as I'd thought I would be.  Read the trilogy, and skip this collection.  

3.  Juniper & Thorn, Ava Reid (audio and print) - preorder from new author - This was an uncomfortable sort of fairy tale because it deals with the reality of abuse and what it does to people.  No one is entirely innocent, and there are some mental health issues and truly horrific sibling dynamics in here because of the abuse the three sisters suffer at the hands of their father.  I appreciated that the happily ever after actually dealt with the ever after - things weren't just bright and beautiful.  Reid is most certainly a writer to watch.  Her books feel grounded in truth in a way that many fairy tales aren't.  More than anything, this book reminds me of a Neil Gaiman quote, “Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

4.  Book of Night, Holly Black (audio and print) - I pulled this book out of my unfinished pile. - As sometimes happens, a book that I didn't care for the first time around hit differently the second.  The truth is that I'm not crazy about unreliable narrators unless they are done really, really well.  And I don't know....something about Charlie rubs me the wrong way, even as my heart breaks for her.  Having said that, this time it was a fun read.  I was pleasantly surprised with the ending, and I do think that Black's shadow magic concepts are original and fun.  

5.  Love, Pamela, Pamela Anderson (audio) - Everyone is talking about Pamela Anderson these days, and I was curious about her book - especially after hearing that Anderson wrote it w/o the benefit of a ghost writer. - Most of what I heard wasn't new - but it was in her voice, and there is power to claiming your own story.  The biggest surprise was how well-read Anderson is, and how talented she is as a writer.  I'm really hoping she chooses to write more at some point because she's incredibly thoughtful and I'm curious about what she'll do next.  

6. Goldilocks, Laura Lem - I think I bought this on the itunes sale table, and it's just kind of sat in my queue for a while. - Given my ambivalence for so long, I was kind of surprised at how engrossing it was when I started reading it - and that ending was awfully exciting.  I had trouble putting it down for responsible grown-up things....like work.  I did think one of the cool things about the book was the framing device, which then threw the whole narrative into question at the very end.  I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long time.  (And damn, it hit home because of our current political climate and environmental reality.)

7. An Unseen Attraction, 8. An Unnatural Vice, & 9 An Unsuitable Heir, K.J. Charles - Sometimes a girl just needs the equivalent of a popcorn movie - a book or books that you can read very quickly, enjoy immensely, and don't have to think about much.  Historical romance novels by better-than-average writers do the trick nicely.  (I found Charles via the NPR Book Concierge a year or two ago....I'm on board for romance writers they endorse.)  This is the third trilogy from Charles that I've read, and what I really enjoy is how they focus on different couples in each book - carrying the overall story along from different POV's.  Plus, they are super hot.  

10. The Crane Husband, Kelly Barnhill - preorder from a trusted author - Squeaking in a tenth book on the last day of the month.  Another fantastical take on abuse and the fallout, this time so lyrically beautiful that I ached reading it.  And that's all I really want to say.