I chose the wrong month to post my reading list late, because we’re already a third of the way through February. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks over here, but I still wanted to talk about the books I’m hoping to get to this month. They’re maybe a little bit ambitious, especially considering I’ve only finished one book in the last week, but I think I can do it.

January was a big audiobook month for me, since I was busy trying to finish knitting a baby blanket before the baby was here. But now that it’s all done and gifted, I’m still in a major crafting mood. I’m trying to get back into it and maybe knit some things I can wear in a place that never gets cold. So I am hoping to get through a few more audiobooks this month. However, it’s been a while since I’ve sat down and picked up a physical book, and I do miss it. So I’m going to try and make it a point do make time for that in February.

I think I put together a pretty fun reading list for this month. I’m planning to do a little bit of romance reading, get to a book I meant to read in January, and also pick up some books for Black History Month. Here are the top five books I’m hoping to read in February:

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

This book has been everywhere recently. And while I typically avoid books that are getting a lot of hype, I am too intrigued by the idea of a cozy fantasy romance. It’s about an orc who decides to give up her life of questing and killing and open a cozy little coffee shop. Which just sounds like the perfect cozy weekend read. I have a few days open in my schedule this month, and I think I might set one aside to treat myself to a nice cup of coffee and a pastry and sit and read this book.

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert

You all know I’m not the biggest YA reader, so I’m still kind of on the fence about this one. But I do love Talia Hibbert. I think I may have accidentally put a library hold on this a while back while I was browsing for a new audiobook. I got the notification the other day that this book was ready to read, so I think I’m going to give it a shot. There’s a chance this might annoy me (like most YA books do nowadays), but there’s also a chance this is a fun romance. And I think romance might be a good pick this month since I get through them pretty quickly and I want to try and make it through more than one book in February.

This one is about a romance between the straight-A star football player with OCD and his ex-best friend, who is a social media conspiracy theorist. Which actually sounds kind of fun. I love that Talia Hibbert writes romance characters who struggle with chronic illness or mental health issues. So even though I’m not the most excited about reading a YA romance this month, this is definitely one of a very small number I’m willing to give a chance.

Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire

This is the eighth book in the Wayward Children series. Which follows characters who at one point went through a doorway and found themselves in another world. Some of the books take place back in our world, and others in some of the fantasy worlds. This is one of the books that functions as a standalone, and I think follows a character we haven’t met yet. I’m excited to find out more about it.

I had meant to read this last month when it came out. But I definitely struggled getting to anything other than audiobooks, so it just didn’t happen. But I’m looking forward to picking this up in February. It’s a really short book, so perfect for getting to a few extra books in February. Because the next on on this list is long.

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain

This book has been sitting on my shelves for a while now, and it’s just kind of intimidating. But when I was looking for a new audiobook to listen to the other day, I kept seeing this one and decided I should probably just cross it off my TBR. I’ve read Ibram X. Kenji’s work before, and cannot recommend it more. So I’m curious to explore the essays he helped curated in this collection.

Four Hundred Souls is the four-hundred-year history of the Black American experience. But told in the form of essays written by scholars, writers, historians, journalists, etc. Which honestly kind of sounds amazing, and I’m looking forward to reading it. It’s also (obviously) the perfect book to pick up for Black History Month (even though I think we should all be reading books like this year-round).

Recitatif by Tony Morrison

In the spirit of squeezing as many books as I can into what’s left of February, I also decided to try and get to this short story. I’ve had the audiobook for a while, but haven’t gotten around to it. I think it might be a great pick to listen to when I need a break from the much longer nonfiction Four Hundred Souls. This book is about two women who have known each other since they were children and have encounters at various stages of their lives. Every time they meet, they disagree. But they’re still drawn together by a deep bond.

What’s intriguing about this book is that you go into it knowing one woman is white and one is black. But you don’t know which is which. A lot of their disagreements (at least the big ones) revolve around race and racial identity. I’m very intrigued to read this and see what my impressions are. And if I can figure out which of the women is which. It’s been a long while since I’ve read anything by Toni Morrison, and I’m excited to pick up more of her work.

That’s it for what I’m planning to read in February! I’m hoping to get to more books, but we’re already a good way into the month, so I’m trying to refrain from being too overly ambitious. Hopefully when you come back in a few weeks for my wrap up, I’ll have a few books to talk about.

What are you planning to read this month? Are there any new releases you have your eye on?

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