What We Read in February 2026

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These posts keep getting published later in the month, but you know what? I’m aiming for fun bookish content, not perfection. So, here we have our list for February!

Cathy

The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith

Another re-read (or re-listen) for me in February. I think I listened to the audiobook a couple of years ago and came back to it during Feb while it was snowing heavily outside.

Claire is Head Librarian of Hell’s Unwritten Wing and her day-to-day job mainly entails repairing and organising books, as well as keeping an eye on restless stories that risk materialising as characters and escaping the library.

One day, while trying to retrieve a character that’s come to life, Hero, with her assistant, Brevity, and a nervous demon, Leto, Claire has a run in with Ramiel, an archangel who’s convinced that Claire is in possesion of the Devil’s Bible, a powerful weapon in the power struggle between Heaven and Hell. And the race to find the Devil’s Bible begins – and Claire knows she needs to get her hands on it before Ramiel.

I like A. J. Hackwith’s writing style, the story is easy to follow along with (I find this particularly important when listening to the audiobook). The characters are generally sympathetic and I like the vibe that the author has created – especially the library and Valhalla.

I’m not convinced I left it long enough between reads with The Library of the Unwritten because I can recall some details but can’t remember when they happened in the story. I’ve tried my hardest to focus solely on what I’m hearing from the audiobook but have to keep reminding myself to do that, otherwise the story runs away from me.

However, I stick with my original rating from October 16, 2022 (according to Goodreads) and give it 4 stars.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Joli

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (Audiobook)

This one had been on my TBR forever. So when I stumbled upon it in a search for audiobooks currently available at my library, I decided to give it a try.

I understand why it’s a national bestseller (I mean, Joan Didion is one of the most celebrated American writers). I enjoyed the raw and insightful reflections on grief and love, and felt like she really captured that out-of-body feeling you get when a close loved one dies and you’re just…floating.

That said, she also tells quite a few stories that involve…well…being really rich. They travel a lot and generally live a pretty opulent lifestyle, and I had a hard time connecting with that. I actually found myself getting a little bit bored at times.

So, I rated The Year of Magical Thinking a 3.75 on StoryGraph.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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21 Rituals to Change Your Life by Theresa Cheung

This book…had some flaws for sure. But I became really interested in the idea of daily rituals and wanted to write about it for my ADHD newsletter, and there weren’t many books out there that I could find about it. So, I tried this one.

The premise is that if you just simply do this, your life will be changed. 100% for the better. *Eye roll.* Oh and you have to do all the rituals every day for 21 days straight. Miss a day? You have to start all over again. *Double eye roll.*

There were also a ton of run-on sentences in here, making it pretty difficult to read.

That said, I was able to tease out some helpful ideas on daily rituals and what they can do for your life. But because of the exceptions above, I don’t really recommend the book as a whole. It could be a decent one to skim at least if you are interested in adding daily rituals to your life.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Mothers and Other Fictional Characters: A Memoir in Essays by Nicole Graev Lipson

I loved this book. I came across it in a recommendation from one of my favorite authors (Kim Hooper) and ended up writing down so many fantastic quotes in my journal. I so appreciate very real and unfiltered essays on motherhood and its many paradoxes. I’m hoping to write a full review on this one but we’ll see if I can find the time!

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Organizing for the Rest of Us: 100 Realistic Strategies to Keep Any House Under Control by Dana K. White

Another short one I read in February, Organizing for the Rest of Us was a book I heard about in a podcast. It was decent—a short, sometimes funny read with some useful household tidbits. The main idea is that you have to declutter before you can actually organize your home, which is an idea I’m already familiar with so the book was a little redundant for me.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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The Favorites by Layne Fargo (Audiobook)

The Favorites was my book club’s pick for February. We always read romance in February, so it’s not my favorite month…heh. I went with the audiobook version of this one which I think was a good choice. It’s got a whole cast of narrators, which adds to the entertainment factor. I especially loved Johnny Weir’s parts.

That said, I really didn’t enjoy the kind of ridiculous drama in this book. It just keeps coming and coming, until you’re kind of like “Okay, what else could possibly go wrong? Oh right, of course, now there’s sabotage involved. Why not?”

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Molly

The Girls by Emma Cline (Audiobook)

Evie Boyd is staying in the vacation home of her former roommate while she figures out her life. Despite being well into middle age, she feels directionless, with no career or family to ground her.

Her old roommate’s son unexpectedly drops in, not realizing his father had given Evie leave to stay there. He remembers her as the girl who was involved in a famous cult murder case in the 60’s, bringing the memories of that time to Evie’s mind.

In 1969, 14-year-old Evie meets Susanne, an alluring young woman who brings her to The Ranch, where she meets Russell Hadrick, the group’s leader and an aspiring musician.

Evie watches The Ranch and the girls who call it home unravel as Russell’s dreams dissolve and his influence over his followers grows darker. Suspenseful and reflective, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

For another take on this one, check out Joli’s review of The Girls.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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The Ingenue by Rachel Kopelke-Dale

Saskia returns home to Wisconsin after the death of her mother. A former piano protégé, Saskia dropped out of Juliard and now writes SAT questions for $15 an hour and boxes in her free time.

She expects to inherit The Elf House, her mother’s family estate, and is shocked to learn that her mother instead left it to Peter, a colleague with whom Saskia had an affair when she was just fourteen.

Baffled by this turn of events and haunted by her past with Peter, Saskia takes it upon herself to unravel why her mother chose to break custom and leave The Elf House to someone outside the family.

I found this story a bit slow until the third act, and then I couldn’t put it down.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Bottom of the Pyramid by Nia Sioux

As a former Dance Moms fan, I was excited to read Nia’s memoir of her time on the show. While some of her tales were familiar, she shed light on other events and revealed behind-the-scenes details of her time on the show.

Nia writes clearly and confidently, and although her story is not an entirely happy one, I was glad to read it.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon

This is a prequel to Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree, a stellar epic fantasy about a holy kingdom whose royal line protects the world from slumbering dragons.

Among the Burning Flowers primarily follows Marosa Vetalda, the crown Princess of Yscalin. As her kingdom is overrun by draconic beings and her father is revealed to be a less-than-faithful king, Marosa makes calculated sacrifices to try to protect her people from the dragon waking in the mountain outside her city and find a way to contact the outside world for help.

I enjoyed returning to this world, and the chance to get Marosa’s perspective on the events leading up to The Priory of the Orange Tree. However, I felt that some of the content did not entirely serve the story, and the book did relatively little to shed additional light on the overarching series.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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Renee

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

In December 1926, Agatha Christie went missing for 11 days. Her car was found abandoned near Surrey, and her whereabouts became international news. When she was found at a hotel in Harrogate, registered under a fake name, she would never say what happened to her or why she disappeared. Only that she couldn’t remember.

The Christie Affair takes that disappearance and imagines what might have caused Agatha to flee her home, her daughter, and her philandering husband, Archie. It imagines the people she’d encounter, how she would keep herself hidden, and how these events would change the course of her life.

The writing is so lush, letting the reader imagine the scenes in rich detail, which made it such an enjoyable story. I did struggle a bit with keeping all the characters straight on the audiobook version, so I’d recommend a print copy.

Very clever in how it creates a Christie-esque mystery to explain Agatha Christie’s disappearance. Trust the process. I did not see the twist coming at all, and I loved that.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | StoryGraph

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The Sisters of Book Row by Shelley Noble

The Sisters of Book Row had so much of what I love in historical fiction novels: strong women as main characters, a dash of old New York, and historical context for modern day issues (we are still banning books and trying to suppress women’s healthcare, after all). 

I recommend this one to anyone who will always read banned books.

Check out my full review here.

Bookshop.org | Amazon | Goodreads | Storygraph

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That’s it! That’s what we’ve been reading. What did you read in February?