News and Updates
Well, we’re on weekend #3 of winter weather here and, while I love having cancelled plans to give me more time to read, I’m ready to have warmer weather! It doesn’t help that I finally got the cold that’s been going through our house for the last few weeks and haven’t felt like doing much. Here’s hoping some more down time with a good book and a cup of hot tea will help out today!
This Week
As we enter into February, we are switching gears from Science Fiction into Romance novels and, specifically, Young Adult Romance fiction this week. This is another genre I don’t usually pick up, but was pleasantly surprised by!
Monthly Reading Challenge: Romance
Weekly Reading Challenge: Young Adult Romance
This was yet another book I put off reading because it was so popular. But several coworkers have recommended it to me and everyone seems to love the show, so I thought I would give it a chance.
I knew nothing about this one going in and was surprised at the depth of the story and the characters. Beyond just treating this as a young adult romance, I’d recommend this to parents of teens as well – especially those going through divorce or tough medical diagnoses. I loved the look at the friendships between the teens and their parents in this book.
If you’re looking for other great books for this prompt, try one of these reads recommended by our StoryGraph community:
- Better Than the Movies, Lynn Painter
- Dating and Dragons, Kristi Boyce
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Holly Jackson
- My Life With the Walter Boys, Ali Novak
New This week
One of our most anticipated books of the year comes out this week – Gregory E. O’Malley’s The Escapes of David George! This nonfiction book is a passion project for O’Malley who has investigated David George’s life for years. From escaped slave, to one of the first African American ministers, to a repatriated settler in Africa, George lived a remarkably lucky life.
One aspect of this story that may surprise readers is the timeline – George escaped slavery before the American Revolution and was transported to Africa shortly after the war. He was even in Savannah during its siege. This may be the first book I’ve read about slavery that did not occur around the Civil War. You can read our full review here.
In Case You Missed It
Last Week’s Prompt
In Gilead, a handmaid must not appear in public alone, she cannot show her face, and she exists to serve and submit. For Offred, those rules are survival, but they’ve already cost her a career she loved, a man who cherished her, and a daughter she can no longer hold.
I gave Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale 4.6 out of 5 stars for its unflinching look at government overreach and religious fervor, even when some chapters are difficult and disorienting. If you enjoy dystopian classics like Orwell’s 1984 or Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, this is a must-read. We chose it for the Read With Lindsey reading challenge prompt “dystopian fiction,” closing out a month of science fiction–themed reads.
Last Week’s Articles
At the end of every month, we look back at the books we’ve read and how they stacked up. We had three 5-star reads in January – all were upcoming releases that will hit shelves soon and I know you will love. Each of these earned a 5-star rating for different reasons – The Dark Lord’s Guide to Dating is a fantastic romantasy and fairytale retelling, The Red Winter is a monster mystery with an LGBTQ twist, and Daughter of Egypt is a dual timeline historical fiction that takes readers through centuries of Egyptian history.
We also chose our Book of the Month for January. You can read more about all of our January book choices and our top book here.
Last Week’s Preview
If you love your historical fiction with dusty tombs, political tension, and women quietly changing history, Daughter of Egypt belongs on your TBR.
We follow Lady Evelyn Carnarvon as she helps uncover Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, and echoing her story, we step back into the life of pharaoh Hatshepsut — the most powerful woman in ancient Egypt. Dual timelines, rich atmosphere, and two women fighting to claim their own power kept me turning pages.
I loved how Benedict wove archaeology, Egyptian independence, and post–WWI England into one story that felt both intimate and epic. This was a 5-star read I didn’t want to put down.
Reading Challenge Prompts
After a month of Science Fiction, we are sliding to another area of the library – Romance. I have always enjoyed light-hearted romance novels and I’m having fun with some of these subgenres. Which of our weekly prompts is your favorite type of romance literature?
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: The Ruler, Penelope Sky
- Current audio book: A Spindle Splintered, Alix E. Harrow
- Book I’m most looking forward to: Revenge Prey, John Sandford
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