February Reading Edit

Plus, my Weekly What

Taking an unplanned Instagram break (that’s still happening, by the way) sure has freed up some extra time and focus for my reading and I love that for me.

I read 28 books in February. Here’s a little breakdown of my reading month:

• 24 library/Libby borrows

• 2 gifted from publishers

• 2 are books I own (The Hunger Games and Mansfield Park)

• 10 backlist titles (36%), 18 frontlist (64%)

• 12 audiobooks, 8 print, 6 hybrid reads (print + audio), 2 ebooks

• Finished reading the Aspen Words 2025 Longlist ^🎉 (The Road to the Salt Sea and Lilith were the final two selections I needed to read.)

What’s working well for me right now in my reading life is heavily leaning into whatever sounds best regardless of pub dates, or FOMO, or any other (okay, very few, but an intentionally selected few!) outside influences (my social media break is also helping in this regard.) I am especially thankful for my reading practice considering the current state of reality. I enjoy reading in community and it’s very freeing to do so fully on my own terms. I intend to continue following my personal instincts and mood wherever it wants to go as long as it’s toward a book!

Here are my favorite reads from February:

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Let’s chat February reading!

• What did you read in February?

• What was/were your favorite book(s) of the month?

• Have you read any of my February favorites?

• What’s working well in your reading life right now?

• Anything, let’s chat!

What I’m…

Reading

• Leaving by Roxana Robinson. On the surface Leaving appears something of a late in life second chance romance, two people who haven’t seen one another for 40 years when their paths cross by happenstance in their early 60s start up a love affair, but it’s really much more layered than that. An intimate and nuanced look at the complexities of love, family, parenthood, romantic relationships, and marriage. I really enjoyed the writing and themes explored.

• Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Winner of the Booker Prize this is a deeply introspective look at humanity and our place in the world told through the experience of a small group of astronauts orbiting the Earth. The writing and philosophy are definitely the features here. At just over 200 pages it packs an outsized punch. I saw this described as nature writing from space and this rings true to me.

• Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte. Longlisted for the National Book Award I’ve seen this described as the first Incel fiction and… this tracks. This is a collection of intersecting short stories grappling with loneliness, alienation, social standing, and feelings of rejection by society, partners, friends, relationships, reality. While this book is surely not for everyone due to vulgarity I found it smart, perceptive, challenging, original, wry, and acerbic. I absolutely could not look away from these stories once I started reading, even if I wanted to.

• Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers. Literary leaning historical fiction set in mid 1960s London about an art therapist at a psychiatric hospital fascinated with a new patient, a 37-year-old man brought in following a minor domestic disturbance with his ill, elderly aunt who expires shortly after arrival. The man has a overgrown beard and hair, is mute, and acts as though he’s unfamiliar with the world outside the crumbling Victorian from whence they came. This is just a really great story with more layers than an onion! Eccentric characters, mystery, gothic elements, dual timelines, AND it’s inspired by true events. An excellent reading experience for me.

Listening

• Fresh Air: This Anti-Social American Life. Another interview with Derek Thompson, writer of The Atlantic piece The Anti-Social Century. I can’t stop thinking about the concept of “donating our dopamine” to our phones and how apt a descriptor that is. Here’s a writeup of the main points if you prefer reading over listening.

Watching

• Only Murders in the Building, Season 4 (Hulu). We are nearing the end of season 4. I’ve really enjoyed this show and I think this season has been the best since the first season.

• We Live in Time (Max). I liked this. The MCs are really well acted.

Eating & Drinking

• My kid requested Tuesday night tacos and I was able to pull together these Crispy Black Bean Tacos with pantry items. They were tasty and quick so I’ll be bookmarking this recipe for future use! I served them with some fruit and a dipping sauce made with sour cream, salsa, and taco seasonings.

• Our favorite Sloppy Joes + Sweet Potato “Fries” (roasted, seasoned sweet potatoes cut into fry shape)

• For breakfast these Instant Pot Egg Bites are a frequent flier. I double the recipe to make 14 bacon cheddar bites. They reheat well for early mornings. My kids eat two with toast on the side. I’ve been using these molds for years, they’re very handy.

• My oldest turned 15 this week. I made him this epic Cookies and Cream Cake, a frequent birthday request that tastes like an Oreo in cake form, which is to say like an Oreo only better.

Links + Loves

• I mentioned recently reading Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear us Apart. This book will absolutely be going on my list of WTF is Even Happening reading recs. Here is an excellent in depth write-up of the book: The Case for Kicking the Stone. (Los Angeles Review of Books)

• Finalists for the second annual Libby Book Awards (Libby Life) have been announced. I like following this award given by a panelist of librarians and library workers with 20 categories across a range of genres.

• I really enjoyed this Brief History of the Library of Congress (Book Riot). The Library of Congress is fascinating to me falling right at the juncture of my interest in history and books.

• A Break From Your Smartphone Can Reboot Your Mood (NPR). A first of its kind month-long study found a two week break from using the internet on smartphones left 91% of study participants feeling better. Specifically, participants experienced marked improvement in their attention spans, mental health (71%), and overall well being (73%), the impacts were larger than the study’s authors anticipated. Notably: “One of the surprising findings is that the decrease in depressive symptoms was on par — or even greater than — reductions documented in studies of people taking antidepressant medications.” I think these results yell speak loudly. Having been off Instagram for around two weeks myself, I can attest to these findings.

• This is How We Fall Out of Love with the World (Culture Study). “Not having the toilets cleaned is the point. Not getting the VA prescriptions automatically filled is the point. Making public services worse is the point. Making people (further) dislike and devalue public infrastructure — the point. How else do you get millions of citizens on board with a handful of robber barons profiting off what rightfully belongs to the public?” A thoughtful and important reflection on the current cutting/restructuring of our government by the billionaires who hate it. TL;DR: The enshittification is the point.

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