February is almost here!
Last month, I shared some sort-of-goals I wanted achieve during the first month of 2022, and you can read about how I did in my January Wrap-up post, coming in a few days. But for now, let’s talk about the next few weeks!
Here’s my February Prospectus, a collection of books I’d like to read and new books releasing soon which I will maybe-probably-eventually tackle, if the stars align.
5 Books I’d Like to Read This Month
I’m not the type to make a firm reading schedule, but some books languish on my to-read list for far too long and for no good reason. So here is a small collection of books I’d like to prioritize during the upcoming month.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Pachinko follows one family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan.
Master of Poisons by Andrea Hairston
Djola, righthand man and spymaster of the lord of the Arkhysian Empire, is desperately trying to save his adopted homeland, even in exile. Awa, a young woman training to be a powerful griot, tests the limits of her knowledge and comes into her own in a world of sorcery, floating cities, kindly beasts, and uncertain men.
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. Vivek’s closest bond is with Osita, the worldly, high-spirited cousin whose teasing confidence masks a guarded private life.
The Valley and the Flood by Rebecca Mahoney
When Rose’s car breaks down in the Nevada desert, the silence of the night is broken by a radio broadcast of a voicemail message from her best friend, Gaby. The last one Gaby left before she died. So Rose follows the lights from the closest radio tower to Lotus Valley, a small town where prophets are a dime a dozen, secrets lurk in every shadow, and the diner pie is legendary. And according to the town’s third most accurate prophet, they’ve been waiting for her.
Once Upon a Quinceañera by Monica Gomez-Hira
Carmen just wants to make her happily ever after come true. Except apparently “happily ever after” involves being stuck in an unpaid summer internship. All she has to do is perform! In a ball gown! During the summer. In Miami. Fine. Then Carmen’s company is hired for her spoiled cousin’s over the top quinceañera. And Carmen’s dance partner is Mauro, her most deeply regrettable ex.
New February Books I’m Curious About
These aren’t books I necessarily plan on reading in February, but it’s always fun to look at the new and shiny releases and see which ones you want to haunt the library for. So here are 8 books releasing in February 2022 that I’m potentially interested in reading:
Good Girl Complex by Elle Kennedy
Contemporary Romance
February 1, 2022
Mac is a people pleaser. It’s exhausting, really, always following the rules. All she really wants to do is focus on growing her internet business, but first she must get a college degree at her parents’ insistence. Mac’s had plenty of practice suppressing her wilder impulses, but when she meets local bad boy Cooper, that ability is suddenly tested. As Mac starts feeling accepted by Cooper and his friends, the secret he’s been keeping from her threatens the only place she’s ever felt at home.
This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Fantasy
February 1, 2022
To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight. The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.
Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertson
Contemporary Romance
February 1, 2022
Celebrity chef Julieta Campos has sacrificed everything to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. To her horror, she discovers that her new landlord, Ramón Montez, is none other than the magnetic mariachi she hooked up with on Dia de los Muertos. Even worse, it was his father who stole her mother’s taco recipe decades ago. Julieta has no choice but to work with Ramón, the man who destroyed her life’s work—and the one man who tempts and inspires her.
Hunt the Stars by Jessie Mihalik
Science Fiction Romance
February 1, 2022
Octavia would do anything to keep her crew together—even if it means accepting a job from Torran, her sworn enemy. When Torran offers her enough credits to not only keep her crew afloat but also hire someone to fix her ship, Tavi knows she can’t refuse. But when they uncover a deeper plot, Tavi suspects Torran has been using her as the impetus for a new war. With the fate of her crew on a knife’s edge, Tavi must decide where her loyalties lie. And this time, she’s put her heart on the line.
When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill
Historical Fiction
February 8, 2022
Marie Antoine is the charismatic, spoiled daughter of a sugar baron. She’s the leader of all the children in the Golden Mile, an affluent strip of Montreal. Until the day Sadie Arnett, dark-haired, sly, and brilliant, moves to the neighborhood. Marie and Sadie are immediately united by their passion and intensity, and they attract and repel each other in ways that light each of them on fire. Soon their childlike games take on a thrill of danger and then become deadly.
I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson
Contemporary Romance
February 22, 2022
It’s been months since Kian has heard from his ex, Hudson, but an urgent text has them meeting at a café. Hudson has a favor to ask—he wants Kian to pretend to be his boyfriend while his parents are in town, and Kian reluctantly agrees. The dinner doesn’t go exactly as planned, and suddenly Kian is Hudson’s plus one to the wedding of the season. But their fake relationship is starting to feel like it might be more than a means to an end, and it’s time for both men to fact-check their feelings.
Daughters of a Dead Empire by Carolyn Tara O’Neil
Historical Fiction
February 22, 2022
With the execution of Tsar Nicholas, the empire crumbles and Russia is on the edge of civil war—the poor are devouring the rich. Anna, a bourgeois girl, narrowly escaped the massacre of her entire family in Yekaterinburg. Desperate to get away from the Bolsheviks, she offers a peasant girl a diamond to take her as far south as possible—not realizing that the girl is a communist herself. With her brother in desperate need of a doctor, Evgenia accepts Anna’s offer and suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of the war.
The Verifiers by Jane Pek
Mystery/Thriller
February 22, 2022
Claudia is used to disregarding her fractious family’s model-minority expectations: she has no interest in finding either a conventional career or a nice Chinese boy. She’s also used to keeping secrets from them, such as that she prefers girls—and that she’s just been stealth-recruited by Veracity, a referrals-only online-dating detective agency. Claudia thinks she’s landed her ideal job. But when a client goes missing, Claudia breaks protocol to investigate—and uncovers a maelstrom of personal and corporate deceit.
So there you have it! 5 books I hopefully/maybe will try to tackle this month and 8 new releases to ~think about~ over the next 4 weeks.
I hope you have a good February! I’ve heard good things about Hunt the Stars.
Excellent list! In February I’m planning to spend some time on nice fat books, as January was a month in which I read loads of shorter ones. So I’ve got The Bone Shard Emperor and Louise Erdrich’s new book, The Sentence, on the docket for sure. After that I’ll see what I’m in the mood for.