February Reading Wrap-Up and A List of March Possibilities

February was such a short month and it's already time for another reading wrap-up. My reading year started off in the usual lackluster fashion, but by mid-month things finally began to get back on track. I finished four books in February and set one aside after 30%, but the last two books I read were both 4.5 stars. I hope that streak continues into March!

We also enjoyed visits from our NYC daughter and son-in- law, and an old friend from central NY.

BOOKS READ IN FEBRUARY

Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by Hwang Bo-Reum

nonfiction, essays

⭐⭐⭐💫

A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella

literary fiction, from my shelves

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman

literary fiction, connected stories, family drama 

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Grown Women by Sarai Johnson

Literary fiction, book club selection

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

The slow read of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy continues. I'm reading a chapter a day with a group at Footnotes and Tangents.

MARCH READING POSSIBILITIES

The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman (in progress)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 7 by Beth Brower - reading project

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove by Barbara Demick - nonfiction

Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney - book club

I will also continue with War and Peace and hope to read at least one book from my TBR shelf.

How was your February reading? What was your favorite book of the month?

The Sunday Salon: It's March!

Hello friends and happy March! It seems like this has been a long winter, even in Florida, but March means that spring is just around the corner. While it's still cooler than normal here, the drought has grabbed weather headlines this week. Brush fires continue to burn in Cape Coral and along "Alligator Alley" (I-75 between Naples and Miami) resulting in periodic road closures and diminishing air quality. Ugh!

We had a wonderful visit with our NYC daughter and son-in-law a couple of weeks ago, and then hosted an old friend from central NY. I also had the opportunity to meet a longtime book blogging friend in person. Some of you will remember Melissa and her blog The Betty and Boo Chronicles from our early blogging days. Betty and Boo were the names she used for her young twins - who are now adults and even have real names! We had lunch and talked nonstop about books and life. What a treat! Melissa is still writing about books at You Have Left the Planned Route on Substack. 

Recent reading//

This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman

2026 has been a lackluster reading year but things seem to be turning around at last. This is Not About Us is a multi-generational family drama (complete with family tree) told through a series of connected stories. That structure, reminiscent of Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout and Chorus by Rebecca Kauffman, hits a sweet spot for me.

The Rubinstein sisters have always been close. Now in their 70s and 80s, this book opens with the youngest sister in hospice.

When their beloved sister passes away, Sylvia and Helen Rubinstein are unmoored. A misunderstanding about apple cake turns into a decade of stubborn silence. Busy with their own lives—divorces, dating, career setbacks, college applications, bat mitzvahs and ballet recitals—their children do not want to get involved. As for their grandchildren? Impossible.

I loved getting to know the Rubinstein sisters, their children, and grandchildren. The connected stories allowed me to spend time with family members individually and gradually come to understand their complicated relationships with one another. This was my first Allegra Goodman novel and I look forward to exploring her backlist. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Grown Woman by Sarai Johnson

This is another multi-generational family drama. Centered around four generations of memorable black women, it deals with generational trauma, family secrets, and complicated relationships. There are some difficult issues in this novel, but I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I even ended up borrowing the audiobook so I could continue listening on my walk.

This under-the-radar gem was a 2024 debut novel, but I never heard of it until Modern Mrs. Darcy announced it as the March selection. The ebook and audiobook were both available from my library via hoopla.

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Current reading//

The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman

This is a new release by a favorite author. I'm 50 pages in, but not wowed yet.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

I've just passed the 20% mark in the year-long slow read with Footnotes and Tangents.

The week ahead//

It will be a couple of weeks before our next guests arrive, so we'll focus on home projects and I'll get another appointment out of the way. Unfortunately, that appointment is a root canal! On the plus side, we will be going out to dinner with friends one night, too.

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

 

A Mid-month Sunday Salon: February 15, 2026

Hello, friends. We've finally had a week of normal Florida winter weather... breezy morning walks, cool evenings, and plenty of sunshine! We checked a few more seasonal maintenance chores off our list last week, plus I had my annual physical. The highlight was a glass of wine on the beach at sunset with friends! 

Recent reading//

Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books

by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan

I cannot resist books about books and reading. Every Day I Read  consists of fifty-three short (often just 3 or 4 pages) essays about various aspects of the reading life. This book, originally published in Korean in 2021, was just recently translated into English. I enjoyed the thoughtful, often philosophical, essays about books, reading, and finding ways to incorporate more reading into our daily lives. One of my particular pleasures with this type of book is encountering titles I've read, or at least sampled, over the years. However, since these essays were written in Korean, many (most?) of the books mentioned were, disappointingly, unfamiliar to me. I'm glad I read this one, but also glad I borrowed it from the library.

⭐⭐⭐💫

A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella

This is my latest "read the books I own" selection. Ethan Joella has been on my list of authors to try for several years and I picked up this title on a kindle deal last fall. It's about three people, each going through a difficult time in their lives, whose paths intersect in unexpected ways and, as a result, their lives are all better for the experience. They face challenges, sadness, and struggles, and eventually each character finds happiness or a new path forward. This was a quick, enjoyable read.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Current reading//

This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman

This novel published on Tuesday and I was first on the library hold list. It's a multi-generational family drama told in connected short stories... basically my catnip. I'm really enjoying it so far. (50%)

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Year-long slow read with Footnotes and Tangents

On pause for now//

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

The writing in this novel shines... it is positively gorgeous. But unfortunately, it's not the story I want to read right now. While in the process of trying to commit suicide, a young man named Hai is deterred by an elderly woman with dementia. In exchange for basic living assistance, she takes him into her decrepit home. I was finding their stories to be profoundly depressing and, after 30%,  decided to set it aside for now.

The week ahead//

Today I'll check out a craft show on the island, and then I have plenty of cleaning to do. Our NYC daughter and son-in-law arrive tomorrow for the week, then an old friend from central NY arrives the day after they leave! The first neighborhood gathering of the season is coming up and I'm really looking forward to it. There are still a few people we haven't seen yet this year. 

I'm hoping to squeeze out enough reading time this week to at least stay current with the W&P !

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

 

January Wrap-up and February Reading Possibilities

 January was such a busy month and yet it already seems like a distant memory. Time can be funny that way. We headed to central New York after the holidays to spend a long weekend with my parents. Leaving was especially tough this time, knowing we wouldn't return until spring. It took a few more days to pack and close up the house in Connecticut before we began the trek to Florida. We got here just in time for the coldest weather in decades. There were actually snow flurries as close as Cape Coral - unbelievable! It's still unusually cold, but they're promising good weather for the upcoming week. Fingers crossed!

On the reading front, January was a a slow month, as usual.  

I started my project for the year - a chapter-a-day slow read of War and Peace along with a group at Footnotes and Tangents. All went well for a week, but I didn't keep up during our travels and ended up starting over. I caught up later in the month and am actually enjoying it now. The daily chapter summaries and notes are helpful, plus I even occasionally check in on the chat thread. I will note that I enjoyed the initial 'peace' section more than the current 'war' section!

BOOKS READ IN JANUARY 

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood 

             literary fiction - ⭐⭐⭐💫

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

                               MMD February selection, cozy mystery, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

                            

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 6 by Beth Brower

                                                         historical fiction, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

FEBRUARY READING POSSIBILITIES

Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by Hwang Bo-Reum (finished)

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (in progress)

  

Grown Women by Sarai Johnson

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol 7 by Beth Brower

Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes by Leah Litman

How did January go for you? What was your favorite book?

The Sunday Salon: It's February!

Hello from the very chilly gulf coast of Florida, where it's early afternoon and our wind chill here on the island is still 29 degrees! Today we have all sorts of cold weather cancellations throughout the area - festivals, concerts, and even a library book sale. I've never seen anything like it. We also have an abundance of cold-stunned invasive iguanas lying around. They are basically paralyzed from the cold. This has prompted FWC to set up iguana collection sites around the state where homeowners can drop them off. Sounds like a good idea in theory, but I prefer to leave it to the professionals!

Recent reading//

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Volume 6

by Beth Brower

I've been raving about this series for months as I read them with a small group over at Modern Mrs. Darcy. These books just keep getting better and this is the best one yet! I own the set in paperback, but have also been listening to them on audio. The narration is excellent and all eight editions are available on hoopla.  This is my first 5-star read of the year!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Current reading//

Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books 

by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan

I enjoy books about books and reading, and just started this collection of short essays last night.

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The chapter-a-day slow read continues...

On the blog//

Top Ten Tuesday : 2025 Author Discoveries

In the kitchen//

I've got two new recipes to share this week. The first is an easy Korean-inspired Ground Beef Bibimbap  from skinnytaste. This is a slightly spicy one-pan meal ready in under 30 minutes. I'd never used Gochujang sauce before and liked its sweet/spicy flavor. I omitted the optional fried egg.

Since I had a bag of shredded carrots on hand, I tried Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal from Joy Bauer. The recipe is sweetened with maple syrup or honey (I used the maple syrup) and contains raisins and pecans. The recipe makes a 9 x13 pan, so I cut it into squares and put several servings in the freezer. I also skipped the cream cheese glaze in favor of a dollop of whipped cream. Delicious!

The week ahead//

I've got appointments scheduled with the dermatologist and dental hygienist... not fun, but necessary. At least I won't be missing out on beach time. It looks like highs will be only be in the upper 50s and low 60s all week!  We're also having friends over for dinner one night... it will be good to catch up.

How was your week? What have you been reading?

The Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at Readerbuzz.

 

Top Ten Tuesday : 2025 Author Discoveries

It's been a while since my last Top Ten Tuesday post, but I do like to highlight my favorite author discoveries each year. These are not necessarily debut authors. Many have been writing for years, but I first read them in 2025. Here they are, in no particular order:

FAVORITE AUTHOR DISCOVERIES OF 2025

Michelle Huneven - Bug Hollow, Search

David Nicholls - You Are Here

Marcy Dermansky - Hot Air

Virginia Evans - The Correspondent

Jeanine Cummins - Speak to Me of Home

Beth Brower - The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

Nikki May - This Motherless Land

Charlotte Wood - Stone Yard Devotional

Gardiner Harris - No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson 

Johnathan Mahler - The Gods of New York: Egotists, Idealists, Opportunists, and the Birth of the Modern City: 1986-1990 

Which authors did you discover in 2025?

Find more Top Ten Tuesday Posts at That Artsy Reader Girl

 

The Sunday Salon: January 25, 2026

Hello from sunny Florida. I hope all of you in the path of this monster winter storm are safe indoors, warm, and cozying up with a good book. It's actually warmer than normal here, but we're expecting a cooler week ahead.

I don't have the words to convey how angry and disheartened I am by the news this week, so will jump right into the book talk. 

RECENT READING

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

This short novel, longlisted for the Booker Prize, is heavy on atmosphere and light on plot. The writing, as you'd expect, is very good and it's probably best read in just one or two sittings. I made the mistake of beginning the book before we left on our travels, setting it aside while we were on the road, and then picking it up again ten days later. The spell was broken. I own this book, and will likely pick it up for a reread at some point.

⭐⭐⭐💫

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto

I really enjoyed this book! It's a bit lighter than my usual fare and has me thinking I should read more cozy mysteries. Vera made me laugh, but there were also times when I rolled my eyes at her antics. The plot includes a 'found family' element that I found heartwarming.  Vera Wong's Guide to Snooping [On a Dead Man], the next book in the series, has been added to my tbr list.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

CURRENT READING

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

I'm going to do it this year - finally read War and Peace! Every year I think about giving it a try and this year I learned about a slow, chapter-a-day read sponsored by Simon Haisell at Footnotes & Tangents. I bought the Maude translation, started reading on New Year's Day, and everything was fine for nearly a week. Our travels derailed this book, too. But once we got settled in Florida, I made the decision to start over and catch up. I managed to do that this past week and am slightly surprised by how much I'm enjoying it! We'll see if I still feel that way when we get to the 'war' parts.

There is a set reading schedule, a daily summary with historical notes and asides, plus a daily chat thread... which I've only looked at once or twice.  Wish me luck!

Are you in the storm's path? What are you reading this weekend?