Rebecca

Bookmarked: February

February was a weird little month, with wild yo-yo weather and unusual celestial sightings, and {thankfully} some good reading. It was actually one of those months where I had a hard time picking a favorite read, because they were all generally good … Until the very last one I finished. Nothing like ending the month with a 5-star read!

Keep reading to find out what I’ve been reading, watching, and listening to; as well as a quick recap of life and blog things in general.

📱 The Queens of Crime | Marie Benedict | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early access to this one! As soon as I hear about a new Marie Benedict book, I jump – and this one, while featuring 5 women instead of 1, was another good read. Featuring 5 female writers from the Golden Age of Mysteries as they try to solve a real-life murder using techniques from their writing and/or fictional detectives, this story is at times heartwrenching, but handled well. It’s as much an homage to detective stories as it is a commentary on society.

📖 All’s Fair in Love and Treachery | Celeste Connally | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one is super fast-paced: all the action takes place within a 2ish day period! {There’s a shocking amount of middle of the night activity}. With twists and turns and multiple mysteries that are overlapping and interwoven, this series gets better with each installment.

🎧 Secrets of the Lost Ledgers | CJ Archer | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This series gets better and better! I love the gentle fantasy element, which gives 1920s England a slight alternate-history vibe. The characters are colorful and their evolving dynamics are entertaining. Each book has its own individual mystery, which inevitably ties into the larger mysteries of Sylvia’s father’s identity and who is out to catch Gabe. So much fun.

📱 Celebrity Crush | Christy Swift | ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for early access to this one! When Emmy wrote a book based on her real-life celebrity crush, she never dreamed the chain of events that would trigger. There were some pacing issues for me, but I loved the way social media posts and TV transcripts were worked in the narrative. Overall it was a fun read.

📖 Done and Dusted | Lyla Sage | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’ve seen the hype about this series online, but when one of my Library Girls gave it a resounding endorsement, I decided to give it a whirl. On the whole, I enjoyed it – loved the ranch and small-town setting, and the characters are so good. There is banter and annoyance and all kinds of great family dynamics. What I wasn’t expecting was the level of open-door steaminess, and the language used. {Cursing aside, words from my personal cringe list were used}. Will read the next installment for sure though, as I’m told things balance out {and page-skimming is a very real thing}.

📱 Earl Crush | Alexandra Vasti | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this one. This was such a fun read. From the Regency setting to the clandestine trip to Scotland to the zebra stampede, there were so many twists and turns. We’re talking espionage and undercover operatives, a fake marriage – with very real romance, and endearing characters.

📱 An Overdue Match | Sarah Monzon | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This book was so good. It is a delightfully unabashed love letter to books and characters and a story-fueled life; and as a former librarian, I was nodding my head going “yep, mmhmm” at several points, ha. Evangeline and Tai are both such fabulous characters, and I loved watching him prove her assumptions wrong at every turn. Their struggles, and their faith, are presented in realistic and relatable ways, and this is simply a wonderful read. Bring on book 2!

Watching:
Nights are still cold and dark, and I find myself starting the evenings with a book, and then shifting over to watching until bedtime.

  • 📺 Big Bang Theory (Season 7) | Library DVDs
    Knocked out another season in my slow rewatch. I like these later seasons better than the earlier ones, the characters’ chemistry has really cemented.
  • 📺 Supergirl | Netflix
    Slowly working my way through this one – I can only watch so many episodes “in a row” before the aliens get too much and I need a break. {How on earth did I manage to binge the first season, way back when?}
  • 🎬 Bride and Prejudice | DVD
    A rewatch, since rereading Pride and Prejudice. This is an extremely fast-paced retelling, and really plays up the caricatures of the individual characters {say that 12 times fast}.

Listening:
We still aren’t in full audiobook season yet {once garden watering enters the picture, their consumption will increase dramatically}, so I’m mixing more things into my listening.

  • I savored the cozy indulgence of February’s installment in the A Jane Austen Year podcast. This is truly a cozy listen, and I am open to suggestions for similar podcasts.
  • After a lengthy hiatus, I opened my Spotify app and have been listening to my “primary” playlist a good deal. It hasn’t been added to in years, so it’s a time capsule of sorts as well, ha. Spoiler, it features a lot of Josh Groban, and more than a few Disney ballads. {I actually have a whole separate playlist of Disney anthems, which are excellent to listen to while baking}.

On the Blog:
February saw the return of “regular” blog posts, as opposed to a flurry of wrap-ups and “in review” posts. We had an extraordinary sky-watching moment, and a little more snow. I shared my year-long crochet project, and dipped my toes into the cross-stitching waters. There were blooms admired, and our first official seed-starting day.

This blog also turned 2 in February and had the second-best month ever in terms of views. Yay for a growing community! I am excited for the growth of this space, and have so many plans and ideas for the months to come.

February was also a very good month for adding books to my collection, with 8 new volumes finding their way to my shelves. I am very excited to have grown my Cranford Classics collection, and I couldn’t resist Jane Austen’s Bookshelf – it appeals on so many levels. I’ve also changed up my Kindle decor, with a Maas-March theme, since I hope to finally start my Throne of Glass reread!

New books!
A Kindle refresh

While we typically have wintery days throughout March here in North Carolina, there are definite signs that Spring is getting closer. The days are getting longer, and projects are being started. It’s an exciting time, and I’m so glad you’re coming along for the adventure.

How did your February go? What was your favorite read of the month? Did you watch something fun? Are you ready for Spring, or clinging to Winter hibernation?

**Disclaimer: As a Bookshop.org affiliate I will earn a small commission on any purchase.**

21 comments

  2. It looks like you had a wonderful February and got to a lot of fantastic books. Yay for ending the month on a five star read. You’ve spoken about it so fondly that I’m definitely going to have to look into it. I’ve been curious about Queens Of Crime too as the idea of real life authors solving a crime sounds intriguing to me. I also understand where you’re coming from with certain words making you cringe. I had the same experience with a recent read. It was only one word but it did irk me every time 🙈

    Sounds like you’ve had some lovely rewatches and I hope you enjoy Supergirl. I wonder if your tastes have changed or if they’ve ramped up the alien content 🤔

    Aww how lovely that your blogs anniversary coincided with one of your best months views wise too 🥰

    Yay for all the new books and pretty spines 😍 I hope you enjoy them all.

    I also hope you have a wonderful March. It’s been sunny for the last few days here which is such a refreshing change from grey skies & constant rain 😂

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    • I definitely feel like I got lucky with my February reads! 😀 And Queens of Crime was a very intriguing premise, that I felt like delivered (always nice). And oh gosh yes, the cringe words 🙈🙈 It’s like whyyyyyyyyy, haha

      Since I’m still in rewatch territory on Supergirl, I’m thinking my tastes may have changed. Or I’m picking up on more details/elements than I did the first time. Not sure I’ll make it through all 6 seasons, but I’ll keep puttering away at it for a little while longer.

      Yay for sun! ☀️ I hope you’re able to savor the solar recharging – we are actually in desperate need of some rain, and should be getting some tomorrow hopefully. Here’s to a fabulous March and only the best reads! ❤

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      • Yay that’s wonderful 🥰 and it’s so frustrating. If they’re used once or twice fine but when they keep popping up they just seem to get more and more cringe inducing.

        I guess it could be either. I suppose in the OMG I need to know what happens next experience of a first time watch you may have overlooked certain elements.

        I hope you get your rain then 🤞 we have some scheduled and I’d happily send it your way 😂 I don’t want to go back to muddy dog walks 😔 thanks, here’s hoping ❤️

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        • We got a whole inch of rain! Yay! 😀 Once that soaks in, we need a little more. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about muddy dog walks, but my yard does get squishy when I walk out to check the garden 😂

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  3. February was all over the place weather wise. An Overdue Match made me an emotional roller coaster. I loved it! I can pretty much act out every episode of Big Bang Theory at this point yet I continue to watch it. I hope you have a great March!

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    • An Overdue Match was so, so, so good! Cannot wait to get my paws on the next book. And Big Bang definitely improves with rewatching I think 😁 Here’s to a fabulous March for all! 💕

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    • Thank you! ❤ I started watching BBT somewhere around the time season 8 or 9 was airing – and binged my way through the earlier seasons, then had to wait for each new season to hit DVD/streaming 🙂 It's nice to go back and rewatch all in one go

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  6. You’ve had such a great reading month. For me I was slacking a bit with reading and audiobooks. Pride and Prejudice 2005 is my fave Adaption of pride and you should check out Becoming Jane its really good movie.

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    • It really was a good month 🙂 Oh I know, Done and Dusted has been *everywhere* lately, haha. Yay for P&P and Jane Austen adaptations! 😀 I hope you have a fabulous March of reading (and life) ❤

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    • An Overdue Match is seriously adorable, and the cover reveal for book 2 happened this week and I need that story! haha 🙂 The covers for the cowboy books are so so good. I don’t mind some spice/open door within parameters – but this one definitely caught me off-guard and made the eyebrows raise. {My library friend who recommended them told me after the fact it made her “clutch her pearls” 😂} So I’m trying to mention when something is a bit *beyond* the {my} line 🙂

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