February Reads 2024
February Reads 2024: 8 Books I Read this Month
By: Brittany Shields
This month was full of 2024 releases!
I read five books from my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2024 and enjoyed all of them but one.
I also fulfilled 4 prompts for this year’s Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge and one from last year’s that I still needed to complete… almost done with that challenge but I still got some stragglers to get to!
This was a pretty good month of reading. It’s nice to have so many five star reads!
I’ve got lots more coming down the pipeline so stay tuned for next month’s reads.
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1. The Clinic by Cate Quinn
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2024]
[Fulfilled ‘A book set in the Pacific Northwest’ prompt as part of Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge]
“‘Please. Call me. I need to tell you something about when we were kids. I need to tell you before it’s too late.”
That’s the last voicemail Meg has from her sister, Haley, before she sees on the news that Haley committed suicide at a luxury rehab clinic.
But Haley died of heroin injection and Meg knows Haley would never do that. Something is amiss and she is willing to commit herself to the same rehab clinic to find the answers. She doesn’t need a cover because she has her own addiction (to oxycodone) that she needs to kick anyway if she’s going to keep her job taking down the loan sharks at casinos.
A shark among sharks, Meg’s priority is to find out what happened to Haley, but her own trauma and addictions might keep her from getting anywhere helpful.
That’s the set-up of this very good thriller and if it wasn’t for all the f-words I would say this would be a definite must-read.
Read my full review to get more plot and character details, see what I liked about the setting, and hear about the author’s own personal experience that set the tone for this book!
2. A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption by Becket Cook
Genre: Memoir
[Fulfilled ‘A book with a cover you don’t like’ prompt as part of Shelf Reflection’s 2023 Reading Challenge… also I don’t have strong feelings about the cover, it just didn’t feel engaging for the type of story it is; when it comes to memoirs I prefer a picture of the author on the front]
“It wasn’t about simply changing my mind, but about changing my mind and heart. I can’t explain all the mechanics of this radical transformation. I just know that no one can be in the very presence of the living God and remain the same.”
Becket Cook, born in conservative Dallas in a large, wealthy, Catholic family, headed west and ran in some elite circles of Hollywood doing set design and living an unapologetic, gay lifestyle.
His book is not an account of ‘fixing his gayness.’ It truly is the story of redemption from a man who wanted nothing to do with God or anything Christian, yet discovered something even he couldn’t deny.
“My motivation for writing this book is not to win a debate. It is not so I could be right and you wrong. More than anything, my hope is that you will come away with a better understanding of this complex issue, from every angle, so you can make informed choices that affect eternity.”
He transparently tells us about his childhood, his coming out, his boyfriends, his career, and his feelings of discontent— there had to be something more in the world. Something that would give him more meaning and purpose than the fleeting relationships that left him empty and alone.
I think it’s a non-threatening book that can act as an introduction into considering the biblical point of view from someone who has seen Christians as the enemy but discovered something that changed his mind.
Read my full review to see a list of common questions Cook addresses about being gay, some discussion on identity, hear more about the encounter that changed Cook’s life, and get a list of additional books I would recommend related to this topic.
3. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Genre: Rom-Com
[This book was the Winner for the ‘Best Romance’ category of the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards Reading Challenge ]
[Fulfilled ‘A rom-com’ prompt as part of Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge]
“Even when something beautiful breaks, the making of it still matters.”
The ‘happy place’ that was a group of friends (and their significant others) normal vacation house in Maine for many years is now being sold.
This year’s week-long vacation is the last hurrah and the book end to a lot of special times and memories. But Sabrina and Wyn have been broken up for months without telling their other friends.
They don’t want to ruin the week- and their other friends impromptu wedding- by telling them now so they must pretend they’re still together and that everything is fine when it is far from that.
Read my full review to see why this wasn’t my favorite Emily Henry book, experience my soap box on happiness, see what I thought was funny, get a content advisory, and hear some more comments on the book.
4. All This Twisted Glory (This Woven Kingdom #3) by Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Fantasy/ YA
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2024]
[Fulfilled ‘A book with a purple cover’ prompt as part of Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge]
“She had to accept as fact that sometimes revolution demanded darkness in exchange for light.”
This is the third book in a series so if you want plot details, see my full review so I don’t spoil anything.
The weird thing about this series is that when you finish a book you just feel like none of your questions were answered and not much happened but somehow you still really enjoyed reading it.
And of course it makes you want to continue reading. This may be a series that is better when you can read each book one right after the other instead of waiting in between for the next book.
I liked this one better than These Infinite Threads and more or equal to This Woven Kingdom.
Read my full review to see my questions on where we’re at in the series and what I hope is yet to come.
5. Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham
Genre: Psychological Thriller
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2024]
“I crave it more than I’ve ever craved anything: the kind of friendship that I once knew so well, not comfortable and contained but something messy and maniacal and real.”
The book, set at Rutledge College in South Carolina, begins with the knowledge that we have a dead body— a frat boy pledge named Levi Butler— and a missing girl— a bold, brash, and unpredictable college girl named Lucy.
And that’s how the chapters divide- before and after.
“Levi is dead, Lucy is gone, and someone has to pay.”
This book asks the question: How far would someone go for friendship and belonging? What happens in a house full of potentially toxic friendships?
Read my full review to see why this book didn’t do much for me and see whether I would still read a different Willingham book .
6. Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection by Charles Duhigg
Genre: Non-Fiction
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2024]
“whether we call it love, or friendship, or simply having a great conversation, achieving connection—authentic, meaningful connection—is the most important thing in life.”
This is a really insightful and interesting book on how we can better communicate with others. Duhigg uses lots of research studies and real life examples from places like Netflix, a jury room, The Big Bang Theory, NASA, and the CIA to show the principles in action.
By looking at typically controversial conversations on topics like gun control, vaccines, and race, we can see how employing these principles really changes the dialogue and allows people who normally disagree to understand each other and bring meaningful connection where we desperately need it.
I think every human should read this book. We may not be able to change the world, but it will do a lot to make our relationships better and stronger and will help us be people who desire and can put into practice peace and consideration in our conversations in a highly polarized environment.
Read my full review to see why Duhigg wrote the book, read what his primary points are, see what my takeaways were, and see what I disagreed with.
7. MonoThreeism: An Absurdly Arrogant Attempt to Answer All the Problems of the Last 2000 Years in One Night at a Pub by JD Lyonhart
Genre: NonFiction/Philosophy/Theology
I think a blurb on the back of the book sums the tone of this book up well:
“apologetic integrity cloaked in irreverent honesty. It reads like the Screwtape Letters baptized in the blood of Captain Jack Sparrow. This is a rare jewel that will make you laugh as hard as it will make you think.”
I really wasn’t sure what to expect with such a unique title. Is it possible to talk about the Trinity with humor?
Lyonhart does not seek to necessarily prove anything as much as propose that the rationale of the Trinity makes as much sense as our existence. Then he carries this same logic through a series of other common objections to God/Christianity.
While philosophy is not for everyone, the formatting of this book (told as a conversation between three friends) is a brilliant way to keep the reader engaged and understanding (mostly) what he’s talking about.
It’s a short read, depending on how many times you might have to re-read a sentence or two, and is definitely worth the philosophical journey!
Read my full review to read my attempt at summarizing some of his basic points, see what I disagreed with, read some of my other comments, and get a link to the author’s YouTube page with more content similar to this.
8. A Forgotten Kill (Daniela Vega #2) by Isabella Maldonado
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2024]
[Fulfilled ‘A book with an obscured face on the cover’ prompt as part of Shelf Reflection’s 2024 Reading Challenge]
“Warriors brought the battle to the enemy to keep others safe, and she was warrior. If that involved sacrificing herself, so be it.”
I loved Maldonado’s Nina Guerrera series and this one is no different. This book had a very different feel than book one- A Killer’s Game- but still had the same protagonist and suspense.
While this is second in the series, it could be read as a stand-alone.
The premise is two-fold: a serial killer that has been operating in the New York boroughs undetected for years, and the violent death of Vega’s father in their home a decade ago.
Agent Vega obtains new information causing her to want to reinvestigate her father’s murder, but in order to access the closed files she agrees to help another detective with the serial killer case.
Her knowledge of cryptanalysis and puzzles helps her crack it open and takes her and her team on a fast-paced investigation to capture him before he kills again.
Read my full review for a content advisory, more plot details, and more on what I liked about this book.
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