Top 5 Books I Want to Read in February 2021

Image by Daria Khoroshavina

My last Top 5 didn't go exactly as planned. In the back of my mind, I really wanted to read horror and I knew I was going to read my mother-daughter book club pick so I only read two out of five of the list. Plus, I DNF'ed The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter because I was looking for more fast-paced reads and that one was just going too slow.

In February, I do have two of the books I didn't get to in January on my mind. Also, the mother-daughter book club pick for this month. As well as an ARC I'm planning on reading and reviewing at the beginning of February so we will see what I read off this list. I'll definitely have to adjust my expectations and reevaluate this list in the future. But, the books below are truly the ones I am most excited to read this month. I've got some fantasy, a romance of course, a horror book, and a middle grade read.

"She’s the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death. Beware of her. Mind her. Death guards her like one of its own."

The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa­­--a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.

Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks--alone, except for her fox companion--searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.

But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?

Remote Control is one of two of the under 200-page books on this list so I am confident that I'll get to it this month. It just has the coolest premise ever. I love mythology and angels so to have this centralized on the adopted daughter of the Angel of Death is making me geek out.

If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.

If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.

For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.

But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.

 Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?

I have to pick a romance to read in February. I chose A Pho Love Story because it sounds like the sweetest romance that I could possibly pick. I love food fiction and this has two competing restaurants. It has a forbidden romance between the teenagers of said restaurant owners. It's perfect.

"I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me."

Born under the crumbling towers of Oren-yaro, Queen Talyien was the shining jewel and legacy of the bloody War of the Wolves that nearly tore her nation apart. Her upcoming marriage to the son of her father's rival heralds peaceful days to come.

But his sudden departure before their reign begins fractures the kingdom beyond repair.

Years later, Talyien receives a message, urging her to attend a meeting across the sea. It's meant to be an effort at reconciliation, but an assassination attempt leaves the queen stranded and desperate to survive in a dangerous land. With no idea who she can trust, she's on her own as she struggles to fight her way home.

I'm trying to read books on my shelf this year and I just received The Wolf of Oren-Yaro for Christmas. I could use another book with a strong female main character. And I really want to get into adult fantasy even if it is slow. I'm more of a fast-paced reader but I am determined to get used to reading slower-paced adult fantasy. There's a whole bunch of books out there I am missing out on by not giving them a try.

Eleven-year-old Maybelle Lane collects sounds. She records the Louisiana crickets chirping, Momma strumming her guitar, their broken trailer door squeaking. But the crown jewel of her collection is a sound she didn't collect herself: an old recording of her daddy's warm-sunshine laugh, saved on an old phone's voicemail. It's the only thing she has of his, and the only thing she knows about him.

Until the day she hears that laugh--his laugh--pouring out of the car radio. Going against Momma's wishes, Maybelle starts listening to her radio DJ daddy's new show, drinking in every word like a plant leaning toward the sun. When he announces he'll be the judge of a singing contest in Nashville, she signs up. What better way to meet than to stand before him and sing with all her heart?

But the road to Nashville is bumpy. Her starch-stiff neighbor Mrs. Boggs offers to drive her in her RV. And a bully of a boy from the trailer park hitches a ride too. These are not the people May would have chosen to help her, but it turns out they're searching for things too. And the journey will bond them into the best kind of family--the kind you choose for yourself.

I'm trying not to read as many melancholy books this year because they don't do anything good for my mindset. However, I can't help being drawn to them and The Lonely Heart of Maybelle Lane doesn't seem like it'll crush me. It sounds really sweet. I love the found family aspect and the idea of the main character collecting sounds. This book sounds like a very me book. 

You don't know their fire is coming until it's too late. That's exactly the way the witchfinders like it. As an isolated enchantress, Odette knows this too well--she lost nearly her whole family to the last round of executions, barely escaping with her own life. All the magic she could conjure wasn't enough to protect her mother and sister, a burden that leaves a despondent Odette practically wishing she'd burned with the rest.

Now it's five years later, and as the last witch left from her village, Odette has exiled herself to the nearby woods where she's sworn off all magic, hoping instead for quiet and for safety. But no witch has ever been permitted a peaceful life.

It starts with crows tumbling out of the clouds and spectral voices on the wind that won't leave her alone. Then there are those midnight visits to the graveyard that she can't quite remember in the morning and the strange children following her everywhere she goes. Odette wants to forget magic, but her magic doesn't want to forget her. Meanwhile, the former friends she left behind in the village are cowering together, hiding from the ghostly birds they believe she's sent to torment them for abandoning her. But that's only the beginning of their problems, as Odette soon discovers their worst nightmare is about to come true--the witchfinders are returning. And this time, the decree is clear: to burn the witch that got away.

With the men drawing nearer to the village, Odette must face the whispers from the dead and confront her fear of her own growing power if she wants any chance of stopping the army of witchfinders determined to rid the countryside of magic once and for all.

I have been in a horror mood. I wanted to jump into this genre last year but did so half-heartedly. I want to keep up the momentum and read Boneset & Feathers. It sounds more witchy fantasy than horror but I've read reviews that say it's definitely horror.  I've gotten more hyped to read this as the year's gone on. I'm really looking forward to this one and since it's under 200 pages. It's the type of short book I need these days.

What book would you like to hear my thoughts on the most?

What are you planning to read this month?