I’m really proud of how much I read in February, and as I didn’t review all the books, I thought I’d do a wrap-up with some mini-reviews for you! I read a lot of different books in February, which was nice for the variety, and I also read a couple which have made it to my list of favourites.

If you’ve read any of these too, be sure to let me know what you thought of them!

Albert Jack’s Ten-minute Mysteries

This book was fun as it was basically a load of conspiracy theories (which is excellent) so if you’re a fan of Netflix documentaries about murder-mysteries or UFO encounters, then you’ll love this book! What was also nice about it was that you could easily dip in and out because, as the title suggests, all the stories only take ten minutes to read! It was nice that the author left all of the mysteries open to interpretation too – he tries to make balanced arguments for both sides so the reader could make up their own mind about what they believed.

Turtles All the Way Down

I’ve read a couple of John Green’s novels before and I loved TFIOS so much, but then felt very underwhelmed by both Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. So I was apprehensive when I decided to pick up Turtles… however, I was NOT disappointed! This had everything that I loved about TFIOS and my faith in Green has been restored. Keep an eye out for my full review of this coming soon!

Hybrids, Volume One: Trouble

I reviewed this a few weeks ago (see the review here) and loved that I had the opportunity to read some more sci-fi as I don’t read a lot of it normally! Set on various different planets, including one covered by ocean, this book was refreshing and had such original and unique ideas and concepts. Also, as mentioned in my review, I loved that this book had a glossary at the end to explain all the terminology and jargon – this definitely helped to understand the story!

Letter to My Mother

I’ve been trying to collect the Penguin Modern books, and have managed to acquire about 10 of them so far! I bought a few last month and decided to pick one up in between books. This one was quite simply a long letter from the author to his mother after she died. I liked it and thought Simenon was a good writer, however, I feel as if it would be appreciated more by someone who knew about the author before they began reading.

The Prom

This book was kindly gifted to me at the Penguin Christmas party, and having heard a few things, I was excited to read it! Set mainly in an American high school, it simply concerns two girls who want nothing more than to go to prom together. However, their homophobic town, and overbearing parents make it quite difficult for them to achieve this. This book is based off a musical and I would love to see it!! (Again, full review coming soon!)

Little Darlings

Little Darlings is a thriller in which the protagonist, Lauren, has just given birth to twins. However, one night in hospital, a woman tries to steal them from her, and from then on, she lives in fear of the woman returning. But as no one else was there to witness the event, is Lauren hallucinating, or is there really a women trying to take her babies from her? It’s safe to say this book terrified me, but was so so good! If you’re a fan of thrillers, this is one for you!

Joy and Pain

Click here to read my review of Joy and Pain. Perry works at the mall – he hates his job and has no prospects in live, but when an opportunity arises for him to get payback on everyone who’s wronged him, he suddenly feels more positive about his situation. This thriller has a unique narrative, and an unlikable protagonist; maybe not the best advertisement for it, but I loved how conflicted Perry was and it made the book more interesting because of how much I disagreed with his decisions.

An American Marriage

A couple’s life is ripped apart when one of them is accused of a crime they didn’t commit. Now they must come to terms with their new situation. Unfortunately, this book just did not cut it for me. I was bored of the story, and did not like the characters, so I DNF’d it! Though hopefully, I will give it another go, maybe later in the year.

The Hunting Party

The Hunting Party is a murder mystery where an upper-class group of friends are on holiday in a remote part of Scotland, when one of them is killed. Told from a few different perspectives, I loved the tension this book created. The characters were all a little unlikable, but overall I enjoyed the book and its story.

Brain on Fire

Brain on Fire is a book which documents the ordeal of journalist Susannah Cahalan who, in 2009, began experiencing psychotic episodes and starting losing control of her thoughts and behaviour. This book was so well written, and powerful in its ability to not only educate readers, but make them sympathise with her situation. It’s compelling, fascinating, and I think everyone should read this book to at least make them consider, this could happen to anyone. Read my full review here.

How to Give up Plastic

Again, this book was gifted to me at the Penguin Christmas party. I try and live my life as green as possible, and having already purchased a reusable make-up remover, a moon cup, cotton veg bags, and replacements for things like cling-film, I was interested on the tips this book would have! The author is very good at being realistic in his tips, and lets the reader know that they don’t have to be perfect, they just have to try! Since reading this, I’ve bought shampoo/conditioner bars and a bamboo toothbrush – so feeling a little better about helping make the planet greener!