What I Read in February 2025

A pretty decent reading month, if I do say so myself! February started off very slow with reading. It felt like it took forever to get through Le Morte d'Arthur and Mad Honey (though I enjoyed the latter much more). And I had to take nearly a month break in listening to Yellowface. Everything just felt a little disjointed, but I read some pretty good pieces! 

I think I've found a way to help me get though my older additions in my "to read" list. I will listen to them! There are quite a few memoirs or "intellectual" books on the list and I think this will be the easiest way for me get through those. I'm always itching to get the latest hot read, but there's a reason these books were put on my list 5 to 10 years ago too. I've already got a few lined up in my Spotify. 

I just have one more book to read from that fateful Goodwill buying extravaganza and then onto the spectacular lineup I have in my TBR. I don't think I've been this excited about my books sitting in that pile for the longest time. It feels so good!

What I read in February: 

Le Morte d'Arthur a Rendition in Modern Idiom by Keith Baines (Sir Thomas Malory) ⭐⭐⭐

Honestly? I read this so I can say that I read this. It's the closest I can come to reading Sir Thomas Malory's original piece. I can't really recommend anyone read this. There is so much Arthulian legend out there and it's more entertaining than this book. There was no story. It was a  bunch of knights fighting each other for no reason most of the time. And I am pretty sure everyone was bi-sexual. Just watch Merlin (who, by the way, was barely in the book). 

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Finney Boylan ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

I really didn't have any idea what this book was about when I picked it up. It was a little bit of a thriller, a little bit of romance, and a little bit of a how to guide to keep bees. The twist, to me, was easy to spot, but I can see how people would have missed it. I recommend!

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I picked this up for my book club, but it has been on my list for awhile now. This is one of those books that stays with you. Dr. Kalanithi was a neurosurgeon turned patient with cancer. His ability to see and know exactly what was happening to him and to live his life as he wanted was amazing to read about. It was a sad book, but I didn't cry until the epilogue which was written by his wife. 

This will stick with me forever: "Don't you think saying goodbye to your child will make your death more painful?" "Wouldn't it be great if it did?" I said. Lucy and I both felt that life wasn't about avoiding suffering. 

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I listened to this book. It's the first fiction piece I have listened to in awhile. I think I would have preferred to read it on my own, but I did have a lot of fun listening to it. This was insane and I really wanted to scream at the main character to get her shit together multiple times. It's a great look at the publishing world and racism. 

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben ⭐⭐⭐.5

This has been on my list for awhile now as well! I think I originally added it in my "to read" list because of Emma Watson's book club. I listened it to and thought it was pretty neat. Kind of slow, but it's a book about trees. I definitely think trees are "alive" like animals and this was just a really cool science-y look at how trees live. 

The Million Dollar Mermaid by Esther Williams ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I didn't know what to expect from this book. I picked it up at Goodwill randomly about a year ago and it's just been sitting in my TBR pile. I didn't even know who Esther Williams was! Now I do! This was an interesting read about the mid 1900's (what a weird thing to type) Hollywood set. As a woman, it sounds terrible (as it still does, to be honest). I really want to watch some of her films now. I wonder if mermaids will make a comeback in Hollywood.