February 2024 Reading Roundup
Has it really already been four weeks since my last reading roundup?
It’s been a mixed reading month. I awarded my first measly 2-star ratings — but I very much made up for it when I found my second 5-star read of the year, and a strong early contender for my favourite book of 2024!
Throughout February I found myself opting for podcasts over audiobooks, which stopped me finding the momentum to match January’s seven-book run, but I did still manage to make my way through five books this month. Plus, I started working my way through Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings — but, if I stick to my chapter-a-day plan, you won’t see my thoughts on that one until April’s roundup.
Without further ado, here’s everything I read in February in chronological order.
Motherhood — Sheila Heti
Audiobook | 2 / 5 ⭐
As a woman in my late twenties, the question of whether or not I want children regularly takes up rent-free space in my head.
The way Motherhood had been described to me, I expected to come out the other side with some kind of clarity on my position, or at least reassurance that my inner monologues on the subject aren’t an isolated experience. Unfortunately, I was only left with more questions than answers.
The narrator came across as unlikable, self-indulgent and unaware of her privilege as a white woman with all the time in the world to mull over her decision. It was clear early on that she’d already made her choice, so the narrative wasn’t nearly as much of a rumination on the subject as was promised.
Speaking of narrative — is it in the room with us? I was surprised to learn that this was actually a fictional account and not a memoir.
Overall, an important subject that I’m glad to have read a new perspective on, but felt sorely lacking in execution.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous — Ocean Vuong
Library Book | 3.5 / 5 ⭐
This might ruffle some feathers, as I know a lot of people absolutely adore this book. It’s not that I disliked it — 3.5 / 5 is a 70% rating, after all — it just didn’t quite live up to the hype for me.
Written as a letter from the son of a Vietnamese immigrant to a mother who cannot read, On Earth covers a lot of emotional themes in its 240 short pages, from family bonds and generational trauma, to war, to personal identity and the human experience.
Vuong is first and foremost a poet, which definitely comes across in his prose. There were many stunning individual quotes I picked out and saved to return to. However, this writing style (I saw a fellow reviewer describe it as “1000 slam poetry entries disguised as a novel” 🤣) meant that the narrative often jumped around and I struggled to connect with the characters and their stories as a result.
Undoubtedly an important and poignant read, it just didn’t quite live up to the very high expectations I had set in my mind (which is almost certainly a me problem!).
Betty — Tiffany McDaniel
Library Book | 5 / 5 ⭐
Just when I was about to hit a reading slump after a string of underwhelming reads, Betty came along to pick up the pieces (and then shatter my heart, pick up those pieces, and shatter it all over again).
A story of both tragedy and hope, Betty tells the tale of a girl born 1954 to a white mother and a Cherokee father. We follow the titular character throughout the personal and generational traumas that shape her formative years growing up in the Ohio Appalachians.
I’m don’t often get tearful when I’m reading, but by the end of this book, I was full on ugly-crying; apologies to the poor librarian who has to process my tear-stained return*.
I loved this book so much that I already have a whole post dedicated to it, so I won’t continue to rattle on here. I’ll just urge you to consider picking Betty up in the near future (but be sure to check trigger warnings first, if needed).
*for legal reasons this is a joke, the book was returned intact
Empowered Women with ADHD — Estelle Rose
Gifted Book | 2 / 5 ⭐
I really wanted to love this book, as it was very kindly gifted to me for Christmas after sitting on my wishlist for a while.
In the midst of the UK’s current shortage of ADHD medication, I’ve been seeking out research and advice on how best to manage the condition without it. Estelle Rose’s self-published manual seemed to fit the bill, promising realistic advice from someone with decades of lived experience.
Unfortunately, the book fell flat on those promises. The tone was extremely informal, which I’m sure some people would connect with, but personally I found it to draw my attention away from the value of the advice. At times it even came across as patronising and played into exaggerated ADHD stereotypes (“Did someone say cookies? Mmm, cookies…” is an actual line thrown in the middle of an otherwise valuable paragraph).
The advice itself often felt out of touch. For instance, there is a whole chapter dedicated to the ‘benefits’ of ADHD — not a problematic subject in itself, but one that has to be handled with care. Instead, Rose handles it clumsily, and frames many symptoms as ‘superpowers’ — something that gave me such a visceral reaction I immediately wrote and published a whole personal essay on the subject.
The advice on nutrition bothered me too, with Rose spouting generic advice with a very black-and-white mindset. We have to remember that on some days, eating anything at all needs to be considered a win for ADHDers.
Overall, Empowered Women with ADHD offered some useful tidbits, but they were few and far between and to be honest, I was skimming the chapters by the end to find them.
Tress of the Emerald Sea — Brandon Sanderson
Library Book | 4 / 5 ⭐
Was it wise to pick up a second Brandy Sandy while already working on The Way of Kings? Possibly not, but when I spotted this 2023 release on the library shelf at the end of January, I couldn’t resist snatching it up.
Tress of the Emerald Sea follows a girl with a simple life, happy upbringing, and no desire to leave the small island on which she was born — not your usual fantasy heroine. When her best friend goes missing, she must leave it all behind to stow away on a merchant ship and sail the seas (seas made not of water, but of powerful spores) in search of the mysterious Sorceress she believes took him.
I had a great time reading this whimsical, witty standalone. It provided a nice change of pace from Sanderson’s usual style and from the emotional novels and chunky fantasy sagas I’ve been reaching for lately.
That being said, I wouldn’t recommend this as your first Sanderson novel. While it is a standalone, there are lots of fun, subtle references that would go over the head of a newcomer. Having only read the Mistborn saga and 20% of The Way of Kings myself, I’m sure there was plenty that even I missed, and I’m sure I’ll re-read this down the line when I’ve continued my journey through the Cosmere.
How Successful Was My February TBR?
Betty — Tiffany McDaniel ✔️
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous — Ocean Vuong ✔️
Tress of the Emerald Sea — Brandon Sanderson ✔️
The Way of Kings — Brandon Sanderson — Currently Reading
Yellowface — R.F. Kuang ❌
Motherhood — Sheila Heti ✔️
March TBR
The Blade Itself — Joe Abercrombie (March pick for the Fantasy Sickos Book Club)
The Poppy War — R.F. Kuang
Hamnet — Maggie O’Farrell
Piranesi — Susanna Clarke
Ariadne — Jennifer Saint
Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? — Dr. Julie Smith
Why We Sleep — Matthew Walker
Period Power — Maisie Hill