How is it possible that my mind is still in 2023 time, but somehow, we’re already two months into 2024? How does this make sense? It’s March 1st while I’m finishing this post, and even with an extra day in February, this year is going by really fast, but I’m excited for spring.
I can feel the new season starting to bloom around me. The days are getting slightly longer, and even though it’s still freezing here in England, the cherry blossoms are out, and I’m starting to feel the extra energy that comes with the spring and sunny days.
This month’s challenge was to listen to a fiction audiobook for the first time. I chose Iron Flame, which I ended up combining with my Kindle copy. I would read a few chapters and then move to the audiobook while I did my jigsaw puzzle, making it easier to follow.
YA Reads
Fable and Namesake by Adrienne Young
How I read it: physical copies from the library
Genre: YA, pirates, romance
My rating: 4/5
I love a good pirate story, especially if it has a bit of romance, ship politics and a little bit of magic. Adrienne Young is becoming one of my favourite writers, and this duology was everything I wanted.
Adult fiction
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
How I read it: on my kindle and audibook
Genre: Fantasy, romance
My rating: 4/5
I loved the first book so much that I couldn’t wait for Iron Flame to become available in the library, so I paid £11 for a Kindle copy, which is something I never do! While I liked the story, it took me ages to finish, and I preferred Fourth Wing. I also didn’t know this was going to be a 5 book series, which sucks, for me. I usually avoid long series because of my commitment issues. But Rebecca Yarros has been in a chokehold right now, and I can’t wait for the third book.
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
How I read it: on my kindle
Genre: Fantasy, romance
My rating: 3/5
I love all the stories Ali Hazelwood writes; she’s great at building up a romance story, but I always, and I mean always, hate the sex scenes she writes.
This was the love story of a marriage by an alliance between a vampire and a werewolf, and I loved the build-up to their story until the sex scenes, which, this time, were worse than usual, in my opinion. But the story is great, and I loved the somewhat realistic world she built where humans, werewolves and vampires live in harmony-ish.
Non-fiction read
Strong Female Character by Fern Brady
How I read it: physical copy from the library
Genre: Memoir, autism
My rating: 5/5
I was browsing the top ten non-fiction charts in my local library, and this book caught my eye. I had never heard of Fern Brady or this book, but the title is great, and once I realised it was the memoir of an autistic woman, I was sold.
If you’ve visited this blog before, you might know I discovered I’m autistic two years ago. It’s a passion of mine to collect stories of other autistic women, to learn about their experiences, and to see how similar or different they are from mine, and Fern’s story, well, it broke my heart.
Her family life and her mental health struggles all sound so much harder than the life I had to endure growing up. She became a comedian and is doing a show later in the year in my town, and I bought tickets right after I finished the book. I can’t wait!
For most autistics existing in a world not built for them, anxiety is the baseline and constant background hum that their daily life has to play over.
I like meeting new people as it means every day is a new opportunity to redeem yourself, to make a fresh start at being seen as a normal woman and practice at it. It’s when people get to know you that they realise something seriously off and that’s harder to rectify.
Well, this was my February wrap-up. In the end, I only read five books this month. I’m going to Spain next week to get surgery on my nose and then to visit my family. Hopefully, post-operation, I’ll have time to catch up on my reading and work on my blog. Also, I’ll be surrounded by cats, which will be amazing.
Willow in Winter 