Sharing all the books I read in February!
Sticking to my 2020 goal to “Scroll less, read more” (aka putting down my phone when I realize I’m just mindlessly scrolling through social media and picking up a book instead), I mixed up my reading this month with fiction, thriller, nonfiction, and an autobiography of a goddess. Because I refuse to think of Julie Andrews as anything other than a god.
DC’s library came in clutch this month with 3 of my longtime requests coming off holds. Actually, about 5 of my requests arrived at the same time 😂. I feel like that’s always how it goes, right?? I read 3 of them last month and renewed the other 2 so I’ll finish those up this month.
Here’s what I read in February 2020:
Little Fires Everywhere | 5 out of 5 stars
Little Fires Everywhere had been on my reading list for a long time. But once I saw it was coming to Hulu on March 18, it really lit a fire (I had to) to pick it up. Little Fires Everywhere shares the intertwined tales of the seemingly perfect Richardson family and the mysterious Mia Warren and her daughter, Pearl. It tells the story of how small moments and choices in life build upon each other, fueling the fire until there’s no going back.
I will say it was a slow start but after the first 50 pages or so, the novel gets really juicy. I finished Little Fires Everywhere in about 3 days, rushing home from work to pick it up each night. Highly recommend you read this before it comes to the small screen!
The Problem With Everything | 4 out of 5 stars
The Problem With Everything was my book club’s book pick and I’m really glad since it’s not a book I’d heard of and probably not one I’d pick up on my own in a book store. This thought-provoking nonfiction examines today’s society and politics, talking about “cancel culture,” the #MeToo movement, the 2016 presidential race, identity politics, and more.
The Problem With Everything was definitely a great nonfiction pick for book club and yielded a solid discussion when we met up over wine and cheese. I kept putting the book down to scribble a thought or feeling. The end of the book, in my view, tried to tie too much up into a neat bow but otherwise would recommend.
Home Work | 5 out of 5 stars
Julie Andrews is a goddess among us mere mortals. I’ve loved Julie Andrews since the first time I saw her fly to Cherry Tree Lane and spin around a mountainside. The woman can do no wrong in my book.
Home Work is an autobiography that briefly touches on her childhood but focuses mostly on her transition from stage to screen as well as her family life throughout that time period. Julie Andrews (I can’t bring myself to just call her Julie) is remarkably candid in this book, delving into her own mental health struggles and those of her family members as well as her husband’s problems with addiction.
Hearing from her exactly what it took to make Mary Poppins made the film that much more magical to me. It’s also crazy after seeing the movie countless times how nervous and insecure she felt about her ability to play the part.
I would highly recommend Home Work if you’re a Julie Andrews fan (who isn’t?) or you love biographies or the history of filmmaking.
The Family Upstairs | 3 out of 5 stars
Between the fiction and nonfiction, I needed a change so I picked up this thriller by Lisa Jewell. The Family Upstairs has everything a thriller could have: A cult. Misdirection. Family secrets. Page-turning suspense that will keep you guessing.
On her 25th birthday, Libby Jones comes into a fortune, inheriting a long-abandoned townhouse in one of London’s poshest neighborhoods. This leads her on a journey to uncover who her birth parents are and the dark history of the townhouse.
Pick up The Family Upstairs for a weekend read or plane book, it will keep you in suspense and guessing until the very end.
Where The Crawdads Sing | 5 out of 5 stars
This is my second time reading Where The Crawdads Sing (re-reading it for book club) and I loved it just as much as the first time I read it.
Kya, known by the people in town as Marsh Girl, raises herself alone in the marshes of North Carolina. In 1969, the town’s hero, Chase Andrews, dies under mysterious circumstances and almost immediately, the town suspects Kya.
Where The Crawdads Sing is a heartbreaking coming-of-age story with a touch of romance, a bit of mystery, and a moving tribute to the beauty of nature. It’s a book I didn’t want to end but had such a satisfying end.
