February 2026 Reads

After a rocky start to the year, only finishing three books in January, I was determined to get through a book a week in February, and I crushed that goal. I actually finished five books, and also finished the audio book I started in January. And because I was ahead, I snuck in a non-fiction book at the end of the month, which I'm still working on.

1) First, The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer. This is the audio book I started in January. I do love to have an audiobook on the go, so I can listen in the car, but depending on how much driving I do, these may not get finished in a single month. The experience is more similar to watching a TV show, where you watch in episodes over a longer period, whereas, a book is often more like a movie to me, where I will binge it in a couple of days. I enjoyed this one. Clover was a relatable protagonist. She has experienced rejection and so keeps to herself, her pets and her elderly neighbor her only friends. Of course, this isn't really healthy, and through the course of the story, we see her tentatively make new connections, with successes and failures along the way. There were moments when her behavior had me yelling "what are you doing?" at her, but I was rooting for her throughout. Overall the story was moving and engaging, without being particularly dramatic, which makes it a contrast to most of the books I read this month.

2) Go as a River by Shelley Read put her main character through much more trauma. The book covers the period between World War II and Vietnam, through the experiences of Victoria, who is a teenager when the story begins. We follow her through first love and loss and struggle and perseverance. The books shows us different aspects of human suffering through Victoria and the other characters and it has a satisfying ending. I binged this one in a day or so, and the writing is really evocative of the time and place.

3)Next, I moved on to Clytemnestra by Constanza Casati. I enjoy the genre of retellings of classical myths and history, and last year I read Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. This book covered the same period, but from a vastly different perspective. Clytemnestra is the sister of Helen (of Troy) and is married to the brother of Helen's husband. We get to see the girls' childhood and early life, before they are separated by marriage and then we watch Clytemnestra become a successful ruler as she is left behind when Agamemnon goes to war with Troy. I enjoyed the story and a glimpse at a different side of a familiar tale. I do think that these retellings are becoming a bit too common, and I don't think I'll embark on another this year. I am looking forward to the movie of The Odyssey that is coming up, though.

4) After a couple of literary fiction books, I selected a thriller next, and continued this theme for the rest of the month. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell was the first. I recognized the name of the author and was surprised I haven't read anything by her before. I enjoyed this one, and binged it pretty quickly. As the title suggests, we have to work out what is really going on in the book, and decide if people are really as they seem. Even though it doesn't have terribly surprising twists, it keeps you interested in the characters and creates suspense about how everything will turn out. I will definitely read more by this author.

5) I recently watched a Netflix show His and Hers, based on a book by Alice Feeney, another writer whose name was familiar, but I hadn't read anything by. So, when I saw a book by her on my TBR list, I chose it next. I was surprised when I started reading that the book was set in the UK, and then saw that the book of His and Hers was also set in the UK. The Netflix show was set in the US. The premise is that a writer, who has experienced a decent level of success, is reeling form the disappearance of his wife, and retreats to a Scottish island to work, where he suspect that there is more to the local inhabitants than meets the eye. This one did have a lot of twists and surprises. I don't necessarily think that the ending holds up to too much scrutiny, but it is a page turner until the end.

6) For the final thriller (I'm planning to take a break from them after this month!), I chose All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham. It follows Izzy, a mother whose infant som was abducted a year earlier, leading to the end of her marriage. Through flashbacks, we learn that she carries guilt from her childhood. This one was another page turner, and I have to credit the thrillers for getting me to my reading goal this month! There are some twists, but none of them feel too outlandish and the ending is satisfying. I will look out for more by this author, I hadn't heard of her before.

I didn't get any further with Wuthering Heights, hopefully I'll complete it by the end of the year! As I'm ahead with my reading list, I started A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara Wertheim Tuchman, a history book about 14th Century Europe. I might not finish this one, as it has over a thousand pages, and I don't want to get behind with my March reads!