I honestly can’t believe that February is already over? It’s honestly kind of wild how fast this year is going by compared to say 2020 and 2021. In light of how quickly this year is going by, I only got around to reading about 34 books in February, which is a little lower than what I read in January.
Of those 34 books, a few really stood out to me this month, all of the below are 5 star reads for me, and I highly recommend each of them. What were your favorite books of 2023? Did you read any of the ones I did below? I hope you enjoyed this February roundup!
The Fall of Numenor: and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle Earth by J.R.R Tolkien; edited by Brian Sibley
I read this book as part of an online discord Tolkien fandom book-club (TeaWithTolkien). This book takes the Fall of Numenor story that is in The Silmarillion adds in a whole bunch of other contextual history/stories/world building related to Numenor that Tolkien had in his notes and in other places like the appendices of Lord of The Rings. This was a great read and I really liked how it brought all the different pieces of the story into a singular place. This made it a lot easier to understand the story than by reading it in bits and pieces throughout other books/notes etc.
Illness as Metaphor and AIDS and Its Metaphors by Susan Sontag
Another book-club read for this month, this book was incredible and an eye-opener. A short book (192 pages total), Sontag goes in depth to talking about Illness and how cultural perceptions of it, affect the patient. This book is a commonly cited on in a lot of disability writings, and for a very very good reason.
The Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien; edited by Christopher Tolkien
This is the quintessential “white whale”book to read in the Tolkien fandom, for good reason. But I loved this book, and you will too — especially if you love world building, tragic characters, and lots and lots and lots of descriptive scenes. Even though it took me four months to read, I’m going to re-read it soon to see if I get anything new out of it on a second read (I’m sure I will).
The Climate Book edited by Greta Thunberg (ARC -published 14 February 2023)
Listen. This book is going to all my family members, all of my friends, and everyone I know is getting a copy of this book sometime soon. This is a book that absolutely PLEADS for us all to survive, take action, and be aware of what is happening. This book takes the general “awareness” of climate change and adds new information. It doesn’t think pessimistically, it doesn’t try to panic the reader, instead, it provides practical thoughts on what our options are and the possibilities that we have to us for making even a little bit of our climate better. This book helped me feel hopeful and trust that humans can do and be good, and has provided information for anyone who wants to learn more, do more, and take back the helpless feeling in the face of this global crisis.
Leaning toward the Light: Poems from the Garden for Growth and Wellness edited by Tess Taylor (ARC — publishing August 2023)
This was just a beautiful anthology of poetry and filled with wonderful prose and a few recipes interspersed throughout. I loved the layout of this book, and the different themes (all related towards aspects of gardening and healing). This is the book for someone who loves nature, gardens,a nd healing.
