My Month is Booked: February 2023
If you are new to this, My Month is Booked is a monthly link-up (second Tuesday of each month) where you link up one post with either a book review you want people to see, or a round-up of book reviews. Link up at the bottom of this post and please hop around and comment on other posts. As for my own post, I often share bookshop.org links for books – if you purchase from here, I get a small % of any sale and you get to support independent bookstores.
Mini Book Reviews:
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* don’t swipe through to the second photo unless you want the Once Upon a Book Club gifts to be spoiled.
Never Name the Dead by D.M. Rowell
Never Name the Dead is an indigenous murder mystery written by an indigenous author. The book follows Mud who comes home when her grandpa reaches out saying he needs help.
Once there, a man is dead, something is missing, and everyone seems to want to find Mud’s grandfather. This book was really good and reminds me of a cozy mystery where the town and its residents kind of come alive.
I loved learning more about Kiowa history and I highly recommend this one if you want more books by Indigenous authors. This is the first book in the series and I will definitely be reading book two!
What’s crazy and what I didn’t even realize until near the end is that this book takes place over one day!
I was sent this box from Once Upon a Book Club in order to do a review. If you swipe through to the second photo on Instagram, you will see the gifts I unwrapped as I read. I absolutely loved them all.
You can buy this box or something else on their website using my affiliate code to get 10% off:
shootingstars
The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh
This is the first in the DI Ffion Morgan series, and I am curious to read more. This particular mystery is about the murder of a man named Rhys Lloyd. There are a lot of suspects in this one because Rhys is an awful person, and you won’t really be sad that he’s dead. I didn’t absolutely love this one, because I found it to be a bit slow in the beginning. However, it does get better and more interesting as it goes on.
What Lies In the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
This author typically writes YA, and What Lies In the Woods is their adult debut. I’ve heard their YA is better, so I definitely want to check it out. This one, on the other hand, is one of those slow to start, but definitely gets better mysteries again. I really love how many twists the book had. There was really only one mystery that I guessed beforehand. The rest were a surprise to me, and that makes it more exciting!
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
I read all the current A Court of Thorns and Roses books last year and absolutely loved them. Since then, I’ve been curious about Throne of Glass. I did think it was a bit slow to get going, but that tends to be true for a lot of fantasy – at least, when I’m reading it. However, I really loved this one. I thought the mystery throughout was really interesting and I’m so fascinated by all the characters. I have the second book in the series to read soon, so I’m hoping that I will continue to enjoy the series.
Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
This is Talia’s YA debut, and I really enjoyed it. It’s not a long book but it packs a punch. I loved that it felt real. There is a romance, but it’s much more than that. I think the mental health rep was done really well too. Plus, I really liked that it had both POV’s.
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I’ve actually read a lot of other books since the last link-up but I’ll probably do some other book reviews between this link-up and the next so keep an eye out!
If you’ve read any of the above, or are curious about them, let me know in the comments!
And don’t forget to link up here:
I read Throne of Glass years (and years) ago but really had trouble getting into it and never continued the series. But when ACOTAR released I was completely hooked and have loved the series. Go figure!
I’ve read that ACOTAR is more character focused and TOG is more plot-focused, so that could be the reason? I’m hoping I’ll like the rest of the series but we’ll see. I do adore ACOTAR though.
I have What Lies in the Woods from BOTM to read.
I hadn’t heard of this bloghop before. It sounds fun. 🙂
Never Name The Dead sounds like a great mystery.
I haven’t heard of any of these but Never Name the Dead sounds really neat.
Great post!
I loved Throne of Glass, but need to read on in the series. I read A Court of Thorns and Roses first, and loved it, but still need to read on that series too! I also loved Hibbert’s book. Looks like you had some great books here!
Good reading month! I thought the Hibbert one was cute too.
Karen @For What It’s Worth
I am a TOG fan. We actually had a physical ARC from BEA back in the day of that book. It was my intro to SJM. I read two Mackintosh books too which were both great. I will have to check out her newer stuff
My daughter loved the ACOTAR books so I may give them a shot. I agree What Lies in the Woods did start a bit slow, but I really enjoyed it once I dug in. Didn’t know The Last Party was the start in a mystery series. Will check that one out.
Looks like you’ve had some great reads. I really enjoyed Talia Hibbert’s new book.
I picked up the entire Throne of Glass series on kindle recently for like $5.99. Now I just need to actually read them. I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the first one! I haven’t read anything by Maas yet. Happy reading!
Reading that Kate Alice Marshall got her start in YA makes so much sense to me. The flashback parts of her new book are definitely the high point!
Your article on your planned activities for February 2023 was an interesting read. It was great to see the variety of events and activities you have planned, from attending conferences to exploring new places. It’s inspiring to see someone living such an active and fulfilling life. Your article is a good reminder to make time for the things we enjoy, and to prioritize self-care and personal growth. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!
Some spooky reading! It seems perfect though when it is cold outside and you can cuddle up with a good book, all safe and warm! Happy almost March. 🙂
Never Name the Dead sounds really cool. I like that it feels like a cozy mystery because those are the only mysteries I’ve been interested in lately. Also interesting that you got to learn so much about the Kiowa Tribe. I’ve never heard of it but I’m sure there are lots of tribes I’ve never heard of. Hope you have a great reading month in March!
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