Read:
The Doll Factory – Elizabeth MacNeal (Simon & Schuster, 2019)
Rules for Mothers – Julie Swendsen Young (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2026)
Nesting – Roisin O’Donnell (Hachette Audio, 2025) (narrated by Louisa Harland)
Lost Lambs – Madeline Cash (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2026)
People We Meet on Vacation – Emily Henry (Berkley, 2021)
Ava – Victoria Dillon (She Writes Press, 2026)
The Cursed Friend – Beatrice Salvioni (HarperVia, 2024) (translated from Italian by Elena Pala)
Betty – Tiffany McDaniel (Alfred A. Knopf, 2020)
What I Know About You – Eric Chacour (Coach House Books, 2024) (translated from French by Pablo Strauss)
Homeseeking – Karissa Chen (Books on Tape, 2025) (narrated by Katharine Chin and Kenneth Lee)
Vigil – George Saunders (Random House, 2026)
Did Not Finish:
Creation Lake – Rachel Kushner
Currently Reading
The Two Towers – J.R.R. Tolkien
The Finest Hotel in Kabul – Lyse Doucet
The Singer’s Gun – Emily St. John Mandel
The Distance of a Shout – Michael Ondaatje
Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter – Heather Fawcett
Thoughts:
Another 11 this month. Recently an acquaintance asked me how many books I read in a month and I said probably about 10 and she reacted with such shock that I actually felt embarrassed. Which is generally what I feel when I tell non-book people how much I read. I don’t know how to stress enough that I am not participating in a bunch of other hobbies at the same time. I like going for walks and baking and I listen to audiobooks when I do that. My job is all about books and I like sitting with my family while we all read. I am not well-rounded.
This month’s reading was a mixed bag both in stories and enjoyment. There was nothing in February that I really didn’t enjoy but some were enjoyable in a horribly tense way (Nesting) while others were enjoyable in a brain break way (People We Meet on Vacation). Books like Ava or Vigil are ones I’m still pondering over and find myself wanting to reference in conversation. Reviews coming for those two as well as Cursed Friend, Lost Lambs, and Homeseeking.
What’s Next:
I discovered a new way to borrow books from other library locations and I am now excited to try and track down some books that have been on my TBR for a looonggg time! I’ve been using the library (in its various forms) a lot in 2026 so far and it’s felt very rewarding. Huzzah for public libraries!
At the same time, the Libro.fm ALCs I’ve been able to get are so good and some titles that I’m genuinely excited about and were already on my TBR. I’m trying to alternate between recent additions to some of my more longterm audiobooks titles. As such, once I finish Agnes Aubert, I’m going back to finish Chernobyl Prayers.
2026 Reading Goals:
22/100 books
Theological: 0/12
Translated Works: 2/12 (Cursed Friend from Italian and What I Know About You from French)
Pre-2025 TBR: 4/25 (The Doll Factory and Betty, both from 2020)
Goliaths: 4/6 (I’m counting Homeseeking at 17 hours)
Owned: 3/25 (none in February)
Current TBR: 143 books (previously 140)
Pearl’s Books: (what Pearl, age 11, read in February)
Darkstalker – Tui T. Sutherland
The Sword of Summer – Rick Riordan
Arsenic for Tea – Robin Stevens
Hammer of Thor – Rick Riordan
Skybreaker – Kenneth Oppel
Eragon – Christopher Paolini
Karissa Reads Books 