Monthly Wrap Up – February 2021

By popular demand on Twitter, I started reading The Priory of the Orange Tree, which means I didn’t get round to reading much else when it came to my physical TBR! However, I did continue on my goal to get through my entire NetGalley shelf (which would be going a lot better, if I stopped requesting books even before I finish the one I’m reading!).

Books read this month

This month I read a total of 7 books (3 physical and 4 ebooks)

1. My Brother by Karin Smirnoff (ARC)
2. The Swimmers by Marian Womack (ARC)
3. Little Gods by Meng Jin (ARC)
4. The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 
5. Tender is the Flesh by Augustina Bazterrica 
6. Dear Child by Romy Hausmann (ARC)
7. Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami

Favourite books read this month

Little Gods by Meng Jin
This February release is a wonderful novel about identity and motherhood which I adored. Jin has a wonderful way of being able to craft realistic characters with a real depth, not just through the character’s perspective but through using the perspectives of other characters too. A perfect way to illustrate the layers of a single person and how easy it is to have many faces.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
This 800 page beast of a novel is an absolute delight to read and the perfect fantasy escape from the world. Shannon has created a new classic of the genre with a whole cast of very different characters and a world that has so much history and lore that it felt very, very real. Also this novel has dragons, need I say more?

Tender is the Flesh by Augstina Bazterrica
Bazterrica offers a whole new way of looking at dystopian fiction with this short, but brutal, novel. This deliciously dark and addictive read is definitely not one for the faint of heart, but if you have the stomach for a special kind of slaughterhouse then this is definitely not a novel that you want to sleep on!

Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
Kawakami presents a very interesting perspective on what it is like to be a woman in modern Japan. From the extremes that some women go to in order to meet their impossibly high expectations of beauty (I had no idea bleaching nipples was a thing until I read this book) to the perception of women without a family (a husband or child). It was such a refreshing, and eye-opening, read.

How did your February shape up? Did you make a good dent in your TBR or would you rather forget February happened?