What I Read in February 2024
February was quite a busy month for me but I managed to read 26 books!
Branded by Eric Walters
The story of a teen boy dealing with his school adopting a new dress code, this book was a great quick read! The Orca publishers have so many great low-level-high-interest books, and this would be a fantastic read for a 7th-10th grader! 7/10
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
This has been on my to-read list forever but the 720 page length was intimidating. I ended up finishing it in 3 days. Though I found the droning on and on about the whale cumbersome, I enjoyed the overall storyline. 4/10
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Booktok finally got me to read this one. I didn't form any type of attachment to Juliette in this book and I found all the other characters to be fairly one-dimensional. That being said, I enjoyed the premise of a girl with powers being locked away and it definitely gives X-Men vibes so I'll be reading the 2nd one eventually. 3/10
Captain America The Winter Soldier: The Secret Files: Junior Novelization by Tomas Palacios
This book was exactly what I wanted it to be: a junior novelization of one of my favorite movies. 8/10 would recommend especial for 3rd-8th graders who love the MCU.
I know I may be in the minority here, but I LOVED the Ms. Marvel series. I find Iman Vellani absolutely charming and I love how she brings the character to life. In fact, her performance in The Marvels changed my opinion of Captain Marvel. Needless to say, I was excited to read this and I was not disappointed. I ended up staying up past my bedtime to finish it! 10/10
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Ugh. I do not see the appeal of this book. I found all the characters unlikable and the plot line did not keep my attention. It felt like old-timey Kardashian nonsense. 2/10
Four Great Plays by Henrik Ibsen
This one was a mixed bag for me, but it's been on my shelf for a few months so I bit the bullet. The four plays contained in this collection are Ghosts, The Wild Duck, An Enemy of the People, and A Doll's house. An Enemy of the People and A Doll's House were both quite interesting but I found myself slacking on the other two. I ended up finding movie versions of all four and watching after I read each which definitely upped the level of enjoyment. All together 6/10
Twist Me by Anna Zaires
Wow, y'all. This one was spicy AF! Kidnapped girl on a private island. I was pleasantly surprised with the storyline as well. Toxic? Absolutely. Did I still enjoy it and order a copy for later? Yep. 10/10
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass The Graphic Novel by Meg Medina
Frist let me shout out to illustrator Meg Valentine Vargas because the art style of this graphic novel was so enticing! 10/10 for you specifically and I will be looking for more books with your work.
As far as the actual story: I love Piddy. She's such a typical teen but in the best way possible. I was bullied with threats like this in 6th grade and this book took me right back to that anxiety and annoyance. My only critique was wishing we'd seen a little more of Yaqui herself. 9/10 would recommend, especially to middle and high school girls looking for a quick read that won't feel stale.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
I adored Fangirl so of course I had to read Carry On! I quite enjoy Bas and Simon's frenemy relationship and I liked that it wasn't 100% insistent on Harry Potter. Though I did lose a little of the climax, I'd still recommend to Rowell fans. 7/10
Project X by Jim Shepard
This was the story of two boys planning a school shooting. It was difficult to read as someone who works in education, but I found the storytelling so compelling I couldn't put it down. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to teens, but I can see where the appeal would be. I would, however, recommend to adults who want to start to understand the mindset of why children commit these acts. There is obvious influence from the Columbine tapes, so please take care of yourself when reading if that is something that might harm you. 8/10
Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Nielsen does it again! This time, the story was a girl living in Nazi-occupied Poland who joins the resistance. Chaya and Ester were both so loveable. I'd recommend for ages 10+ with a caveat that kids reading be mature enough to understand the horrors of WWII. 10/10
Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers Volume 1 by Don Heck, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby
A collection of comics from the masters of Marvel! This was a great read and brough to life a lot of origins of the Avengers. 8/10
Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus
This was a re-read to refresh myself on the mythology. The story of Prometheus going against the wishes of Zeus to bring his creation fire, and humanity using that for good and evil. 7/10 only because I forgot what a struggle Aeschylus is to read.
The Selection, The Elites, and The One by Kiera Cass
I'm reviewing these all together because I audiobooked them at a casino and I'm not 100% sure where the breaks in the storyline were. That being said, DAMN! I didn't expect to like these anywhere as much as I did! America is now in my "heroine's wall of fame" with Katniss, June Osborne, and Beatrice Prior. She's relatable and I found myself cheering for her. This series was a great fix while I was waiting for The Bachelor to start! 10/10
TL; DR Shakespeare by Sparknotes
I LOVE this resource and would recommend for any middle or high school classroom where Shakespeare is taught! It would also be a fantastic resource for English majors. The illustrated breakdowns of setting, characters, important quotes, and major plot points was a great way to refresh! 8/10
After: The Graphic Novel Volume 1 by Anna Todd
I devoured this book and I was furious that my library didn't have Volume 2 so I could continue the story. Hardin is the worst and reminds me of my first college boyfriend, so of course I couldn't wait to see Tessa fall for his toxic chaos. 10/10
Geek High by Piper Banks
This book was in a free giveaway at my library and I am so glad I grabbed it. The first 1/2 of the book moves super slow but once it hit it's stride it was awesome. Miranda was charming from page 1 and the greyhound representation made my heart happy. (I have my own crazy greyhound named Loki and I'm trash for greyhounds in general.) 7/10 because it was hard to get into, but 9/10 from the halfway point on.
Heartless Prince The Graphic Novel by Angela De Vito and Leigh Dragoon
The artwork in this was GORGEOUS. Truly gorgeous.
I understand that in a graphic novel you can't always do as much character building, but the characters felt so flat, which is such a shame because the storyline was FIRE. This was an impulse buy to get my cart over the minimum for free shipping, but I'm so glad it's in my collection now. 7/10
The Iliad by Homer translated by Robert Fagles
Not my favorite translation, but still solid. The classic tale of the Trojan War. 6/10 for the translation, 9/10 for the plot
The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross
This was my "hot girl walk" book for the week and I found myself walking extra to listen to more of Brienna's story. The worldbuilding here where girls are trained and then selected by a patron was so interesting! I'm looking forward to the second book in the series. 9/10
Take Me With You by Andrea Gibson
A quick poetry read with lovely illustrations exploring gender, politics, sexuality, love, family, and forgiveness. 8/10
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac
If you have WWII interested kids, buy this book. If you are interested in the codebreakers of WWII, buy this book. If you want a great story of an oppressed indigenous Navajo boy overcoming his past and finding pride in his heritage, buy this book. I'd recommend for ages 8+ if the kid is mature, and 10+ if not. It's written at a very child-friendly level but is compelling enough for adults. The story is written as a grandfather telling his grandchildren the story of his past. 10/10
Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV
This was something I stumbled upon while clicking through library resources and it was fantastic. The vibes are very Stranger Things/ Four in the paranormal mystery sense. I'd recommend ages 13+ but with a violence trigger warning. 8/10
If you read any of these and want to share your opinions, please do! I'd love to hear if you agree, disagree, or think I didn't give a book you like a fair shake!
Comments
Post a Comment