February Reading Wrap Up

 So  February was a bit of a slower reading month for me.  It is of course, also only 28 days long. I feel like given 2-3 more days I might have finished off at least the one ridiculous romance I've been dipping in and out of all month!

Things at work have been super busy, and I was very sick for a week or so, and that did not improve my reading opportunities at all! 

I finished 14 books in February.  One was a 53 page novella,  which maybe should count more as a short story. 

February was a HIGH QUALITY reading month.  Almost everything I picked up was polished and dense and required me to engage a bit more heavily than some of my usual fare. I really enjoyed almost everything I read as well. 

I think if I had to pick a favorite I'd have to put Cat Rambo's  You Sexy Thing  and John Chu's The Subtle Art of Folding Space into a cage fight and see which won. 

Thankfully I'm non-violent and the two can just share a spotlight. 

Oddly with February being Black History Month, I did read a lot of diverse books.  I do try to read diversely all the time, but I was also fortunate in that many of the books I had on hold by diverse authors happened to pop up as available this month. 

So.... 

Books in Translation: 

1/14   or 7% of February's reading. SO LOW!  I read The Plotters by Un-Su Kim  and it was FANTASTIC.  I can see this a a taut little mini-series. 

Books by Diverse Authors: 8/14  - 57%  Over half the books I chose this month were by Diverse authors. 
   This was the month to be reading diversly and I somehow managed to get a lot of books from the library that fit the bill. The number might actually be a bit higher, but some authors don't entirely put all of their specifics out there for the world, and so if I am not totally sure, I just count them in the less diverse pile. 

Non-Fiction: 1  book- 7% 

This is the sole non-fiction book I finished.  TO be fair, I picked up several more and kind of DNF several of them,  Boring... and bland.  One was about physics but the guy just kept making Star Wars jokes and I was over it after a few chapters. 

Books that relate to my Outer Space Theme: 8/14  or 57% 

I really am enjoying this theme.  

March may be jam packed full of reads, mostly because I have several books that I started in February and am slated to finish in the first few days of March, giving me a  bit of a Head Start on things.  I struggled a bit in February with "Overconsumption"  borrowing tons of books from the library only to have them ride around in the car for 3 weeks... unread.  So hopefully I will either be able to read more, or, restrain myself a bit in the library, though I definitely want to find a bit more translated literature to pump up the volume! 

Book Review: Burn Down Master's House by Clay Cane

 Wow!  Just WOW!!!

I had this book tagged on Libby and thus I was able to borrow it almost immediately with it came out. 

It's kind of unique that it is the first book I have finished in February, Black History Month in the United States. 

This is a really unique piece of writing.   I was initially attracted to the cover, because it is a piece of art that really grabs the attention. 

Ray Jean-Giles is the cover artist.   And I really am awe of the cover. 

I honestly did not know what I was getting into, which tells you the power of a cover.  I put that book on "Notify me"  and borrowed it asap. 

It could have been anything. 

The author starts off by explaining that indeed this is going to be an uncomfortable book for some. I wasn't sure exactly where I'd fall in the comfort zone, but I decided to give it a go. What I got is a deeply engaging and at times very satisfying piece of quasi-historical fiction. It was not a comfortable read, and in this era where readers are looking for cozy fiction, this one is not that. 

Readers follow 4 loosely interconnected enslaved persons as they face absolute horror in every day life. 

If anyone ever trots out the narrative that slavery had some kind masters and that it couldn't have been all bad, etc- this is the book to point them to. Because I felt that this laid bare the brutality- both intended and thoughtless-that characterized American slavery. 

The stories contained in this novel are based on detailed research of actual persons. The characters, like enslaved persons who lived years ago had varying reactions- some defied their masters outright, others in smaller ways, and others slipped away to freedom while exacting a precise revenge.  The story that held my attention the most was of Charity and Larkin where one feels a relief as Charity becomes free, only to have that relief torn away in one short moment.  While these interconnected stories are based on real events, it's also true that no one can really know all the exact thoughts and feelings of another. It is plausible that a bit of a modern feel pops in here and there, but to be honest, I felt like this only added to the depth of the novel. Cane isn't trying to recreate a history, as an author, I felt that he was almost partnered with these figures to bring this period to life in real, agonizing detail so that readers might really take a pause to examine all that we've been taught about slavery in the US. 

The results are a combustible novel that sizzles with revenge, tender love, and defiance. 

In short, I loved it, could not stop reading it, and also hated it.  it took me about 5 days to read it, which is really... a record for me for speed. 

Should you read this book?  Yes. It likely isn't a great one for Book club, but it SHOULD BE.  It's one to put on the TBR. 

   I did the audio book, and it is narrated by Clay Cane himself.  I admit, I didn't really like the hesitating way that he read his work, but I'm assuming that, like everything else, this was a deliberate choice. It did make me sit up and listen carefully. 

First Published :  January 2026

Pages: 288

Available as an Audio Book : Yes   ~ 11 hrs

Trigger Warnings:  poverty, racism, classism, bugs, medical issues, body horror, slavery, SA, 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review Esperance by Adam Oyebanji

  Many thanks to Astra Publishing House/Daw books for the gift copy of Esperance to read and review.

  As seems to always be the case for this reader, a great cover sucked me right in! 

Small attempt at a synopsis: Detective Ethan Krol is called to an apartment in Chicago where a father and son are deceased with their lungs oddly full of sea water. Ethan knows this is strange, but he begins his investigation rather normally. Soon, he is swept wholly into the investigation leading him to Providence RI, and Edinburgh Scotland. 

A second story line introduces us to Abidemi Eniola who arrives in England from parts unknown. She hooks up with a modern gal, Hollie Rogers to help her along her way. Abidemi is super smart and has a lot of cool technology that Hollie's never seen, but sometimes seems like she doesn't quite understand how basic things like, airplanes, or pawn shops work. Abidemi states she has inheritances for several people she has to find and Hollie - who's at a loose end- decides to go along for the ride. 

What Hollie doesn't know is that the inheritances are for Descendants of a Rhode Island Merchant and Ship owner from back during slave trading days. 

Chaos ensues. 

Honestly, I did not know it was possible to write a cohesive novel that brought together classic noir detective fiction, supernatural sci-fi elements, Nigerian spirits/spirituality - the concept of debt to be paid (gbese) and historical events, I would have said that this might be a step to far, but somehow Oyebanji has put it all together into a bit of a Cyperpunk, Sci-fi, Detective Noir and Historic fiction novel that reads nicely and makes sense. 

Is this a book for everyone? No, it really is not.  I think it falls into the weird genre for me and will appeal to Sci fi readers, those who like weird stuff and those interested in cybertech.     I expect readers who enjoy Blake Crouch, or Rob Hart would find this appealing! Could it have a wider readership? It could because it's well written and easy to follow! 

STATS

First Published : May 2025

Pages: 432

Available as an Audio Book :YES

Trigger Warnings: Violence, police action, murder, references to slave trade, medical situations, blood, and injury. distant parent, parent death, child death.  As always this is likely not a complete list, so please read responsibly. 

Book Review: Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi

 Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi came out in April, and I was lucky to get an advanced listener copy to review. 

This is such a unique novel, I'm not even sure what to think of it! I enjoyed it, 5/5 stars!  Onyebuchi is a master, so I knew I'd be getting a well constructed story-line. I did not anticipate the story AT ALL! 

For me Noir has been a genre that I kind of like, but also kind of don't.  I'm a huge fan of the gritty, no frills characters, but I am not always a fan of the utter desperation that pervades the genre. Onyebuchi  strays from the usual noir narrative by adding in a pinch of magical realism, which adds just enough of the supernatural to sort of lighten the general noir darkness. Add in a unique setting  (post colonial West Africa), and I was sat in my seat listening to this one! 

No Spoiler summary (because spoilers are the baddest thing ever!) Boubacar is a former soldier, former police man, turned private eye for hire in a post-colonial West African country (possibly Mali, possibly not).  Work is not going well, and he's ready to hang it up- deal with his expenses and wait as the Harmattan comes in. The world, however, has other plans for Boubacar. A seriously injured woman stumbles into his home/office and disappears, only to be seen again in a most peculiar circumstance and Boubacar is drawn in to a intense investigation.  He, and the reader, are taken on a grand adventure across the city where he encounters terrifying enemies and unexpected allies. It's quite the mash - up of genres, and for it worked very well. 

   I was attracted to the novel because of the author, but also the title...as my first trip to West Africa was during a Harmattan, which was memorable. It's hard to describe, but that year the dust was so thick, our plane had to land in a different country- which was exciting- except for the lack of Visa for that country. It is easy to imagine the events of the story unfolding in that heavy dust which does sometimes just swirl around a person. 

Dion Graham narrated and his rich clear voice brought the character of Boubacar to life for me! 

STATS

First Published : May 2025

Pages: 336

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: violence, blood, death, grief, racism, (not a complete list- be responsible!)

Book Review: Curdle Creek By Yvonne Battle-Felton

 Wow.  What on earth did I just read? 

I picked up Curdle Creek on a whim.  I think I saw it as I was browsing through the library and decided it seemed like it would be for me. I liked that it was ostensibly about a creek- even though I could tell from the blurb that the creek was not really part of the plot. Water theme 2025, going strong- ish. 

 I will say this book really gave me a surprise, I felt like I knew what was going on, until I didn't and I found myself so very confused. So to say there is a plot twist is an understatement. There *is*  a PLOT TWIST. 

With (hopefully) no spoilers here is a quick overview.  Our main character Osira is a 45 year old widow living in a strict community where the rules must be followed or one might find themself turned out in a rather grim manner. Osira has always followed the traditions without much thought, and she's always had pretty good luck.  As her luck changes, she starts to question the validity of everything she's learned in this very small, closed community. She is thrown into a well as part of a ritualistic punishment, and finds she can jump realms, or "Well Walk" , thus escaping the community, only to join another at the other end of the Well. 

  Lots of themes up for discussion with Curdle Creek. Family relations, isolated communities (benefits and risks), the value of ritual, motherhood, belonging and home, and likely a few more. 

   What I found most interesting about this book was the roles that people play in each community.   Each new area Osira encounters is different, but they all have a (VERY CREEPY) slot to place a person in, in some cases going so far as to give the new-comer a new name, that is the same as the person he or she is replacing. I'm not sure about others, but many times in my life when entering into a new job/church/friend group I've found that some persons are often quick to try to assign a "role" allowing them to sort of decide who that person is and how they will participate and interact. As a bit of a "weird girl" this hasn't really worked out too well for me, and it doesn't work that well for Osira, though she tries hard to pretend that it is the best way for everything. I don't think that was the author's intent, but I think the story really helped me realize just how much people want things to be well defined and predictable - AND in turn how often, people do a lot to fit that assigned role so that things feel "easy" for those folks. At least in Curdle Creek, this kept the peace, but it kept it in such a way that no one really seemed to feel happy or relaxed or authentic in any way. No one trusts anyone, and no one seems to be capable of love. 

  Did I love this book?  Based on Vibes -NO, no I did not!  It was creepy, dark and foreboding and in each moment, I was feeling deeply concerned and distressed. The author was able to create all of those emotions with just some words on a page, so that's a lot of talent.  Uncomfortable talent, but talent none-the-less and honestly, very amazing. We are primed up for a happy ever after, I don't know that most of us are primed up for an absolute daily grind of horror that Curdle Creek delivers!  

That said, it was very well plotted and executed. As a reader, I was uncomfortable, I did think hard about the plot and how Osira's situation related to our modern situations. None of the characters are particularly loveable, and I did not find myself cheering for anyone at all, in fact, I had to take a break from the novel because I was just feeling all the sad feels.  (and Yes, I read a fluffy Cowboy Romance to help!) I suspect this was the aim of the author so - very successful. The ending was not to my liking because of course- it was entirely open ended, and that just... drives me bonkers, but for other readers this will likely open up avenues to speculate! 

The author herself is interesting - an American now living in the UK.  She's done a nice Ted talk you can view here. 

This book is a great one for "Summerween" or to save for actual spooky season. 

STATS

First Published : October 2024

Pages: 304

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings: death, grief, bullying, racism, cult/religious trauma, paranoia. (not a complete list- be responsible!)

Book Review: The Color of Water By James McBride 4.5/5 stars

 James McBride is a household name after his Absolute Banger - The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. 

In 2024 this book was everywhere, and I wanted to read it and also didn't want to read it, so in the end, it being in very high library demand, I never picked it up.  I'm imaging I'll find it at my lovely used store soon enough because so many copies were sold, it's going to drop in there soon.   

But, as I am reading on my 2025 Water Theme, I did decide to pick up The Color of Water: A black man's tribute to his white mother.  To be honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like this book. 

But, my water theme demands I pick things up that don't seem to be exactly my style. In this case, I am so glad that I did. The one message that I took away from this novel is that, despite what people say about the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's in America, things really were not exactly as orderly and homogenized as people would like to believe. 

McBride's Mother, an immigrant, grew up in a strict household. She left, married two different black men, had 12 children and raised them in a chaotic world.  Reading this in 2025 it's easy to sort of "move the timeline" especially because of the dual timeline.  The James timeline is that of the 1960's-1970's and beyond while Ruth's timeline starts way back in the 1930's. So sometimes it's easy to think of Ruth's life as mostly happening around say 1974 - when the world was a more tolerant place than it was before and would be after. 

We are generally taught - in the US-  that things like inter-racial marriage, and 12 children wasn't really something happening in the 1940's and 1950's but reading from Ruth's story it's obvious that while she stood out, she knew several other people in similar relationships/families.  So, I love that this book really shows this as not an unusual phenomena, but something that did occur occasionally (more frequently than textbooks or advertising from the times show), despite it being risky and difficult. Ruth was a brave woman, just by existing every day with her family.  

There is more to this story than just that, but I think it's one that gives different things to different people, and that for every reader there's areas that are so relatable and meaningful and others that slide by- like water in a stream. And for me, what really stood out was the time frame for Ruth's life and how she really did take the harder road and had no real regrets about that.  

Did I enjoy it, yes! I thought it was worth my reading time, and I really did enjoy especially Ruth's timeline. Do I recommend it, also Yes. Will it be one of my top ten reads? Not that likely despite it being a good piece of writing, and very impactful, I suspect it will fall into one of those books I recommend, but didn't love with my whole chest. This is likely because it was just too real, and reminds me that we're still a society working on itself.  This is a great book for book clubs, classes, and event that want to generate discussion. 

STATS

First Published : 1995

Pages: 336

Available as an Audio Book : YES 

Trigger Warnings: parent death, child death, SA, child abuse, racism, poverty, 

As always - this is not a complete list, read responsibly! 

  

Black history Month reading recs, but make it Epic Fantasy... ?

 As  I mentioned in January, I am always actively trying to diversify my reading, so when content creators- who do not normally promote anything diverse started to trot out their "What I'm reading for Black History Month"  I had a moment of eye rolling...and then I got over it. 

  Books about the Black experience  are important.  I feel like they are essential to understanding my American experience.  One that most influenced me was Isabel Wilkerson's  The Warmth of Other Suns. I also found that The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander was excellent  and Homeward  by Angela Jackson-Brown gave a great perspective on the Civil rights movement in the 1960's. 

    I recommend these books all the time; recently a friend of mine told me he was looking for books outside of the history/experience type genre, and that while he has read books like the 1619 project, and the autobiography of Malcom X, and James Baldwin, he is now reading a lot of epic fantasy.  He shops mostly at the large book retailer big box store and said he didn't really see black authors in that fantasy section.  So... of course... I had to let him know that there are black authors writing in all genres, not just the genre of the black experience.  I presented him with a copy of Rage of Dragons which he is reading and seems to be enjoying!

  And then, I decided perhaps more people would like to know about some black authors that write fantasy.  This will obviously be books I've enjoyed- and not a comprehensive list.  I've tried to promote authors I don't see quite as often...let me know who your favorites are!!! 

 FANTASY: 

Evan Winter is a Canadian author who has written a wonderful epic fantasy series. He originally self published but the series has since been acquired by Hachette - Orbit.  This is an African inspired fantasy world full of dragons (yes dragons!), magic, political conniving, generational drama and more.  With short chapters and an absorbing story, this series is hard to put down once you've absorbed the beginning set up. 

Tracy Deonn's Legendborn series has been a smash hit.  This book is marketed as YA, but I see many many adults enjoying it so much. Marketed as a fresh take on Arthurian legend, this book is packed with action, adventure, a little bit of romance, tied in with a modern collegiate experience. Hitting as an instant NYT Best seller, I can't say this is not a well known series, but, I feel it deserves the recognition. 

TL Huchu is the author of  The Edinburgh Nights series featuring Ropa Moyo a precocious go-getter living in Scotland, and learning - the hard way- all about Scottish magic. 

These books are set a bit in the future in Scotland and feature a melding of Scottish and African Magic. Also created for a YA audience, they still appeal to adults. 

For me Huchu is an author to watch.  He's inventive, and sometimes bizarre, but overall, I've enjoyed this series 

Roseanne Brown has a fantasy duology inspired by West African Folklore - A Song of Wraiths and Ruin .  Royalty and a refugee come into conflict in an action packed adventure filled with magic, PG romance, deception and intrigue. Definitely recommend! 

David Anthony Durham has The Acacia trilogy- High Stakes fantasy where characters rush to avenge a death and restore an empire to it's former peaceful glory. 

 This really has it all, a character centered story in a world that's being reshaped by conflict. 

NK Jemisin is a giant in Fantasy and Scient fiction. 

The Dreamblood  duology seems to be overshadowed by some of her other works, but it shouldn't be overlooked. We start in an ancient city-state  where Peace is the law, and it is kept by priests who will heal, calm and also eliminate those who are considered corrupt. As those story opens, dreamer are being murdered and our main character must find the source, protect the people, and restore balance. 

Indie  Author  Deston Munden brings us a duology complete with dragons (yes), pirates (yes!!!), dragon pirates?  yes!!!!

Complete with found family  and wild adventure this duology would be comfortable in any fantasy lover's collection. 

Marlon James is well known, and his Dark Star Trilogy has been awarded several accolades.  
  I had a pretty hard time getting into Black Leopard, Red Wolf, but once I got beyond the beginning which had me a bit alarmed for "the boy" this is a super engaging fantasy full of all the adventure, heroes and villains a person could want.  And the second book- totally flips the narrative around and gives the reader such a fresh perspective, surprising and entirely engaging. 

Antoine Bandele is a author of fantasy for both children and adults. I was of course captivated by The Sky Pirate chronicles.  Based on the cover, I initially though this to be YA but it indeed for adult readers!  I loved the Sky pirates and especially enjoyed a strong female pirate character! 

 So, in the realm of fantasy, there are tons of diverse writers creating amazing tales to take us away from present  times, inspire us to new heights, and give us those experiences that we probably shouldn't enjoy in real life. I'm SURE I missed tons and tons of authors, (maybe even you!)   let me know your favorites so I can add them to my never-ending TBR! 

What's on your reading list for February?