In 2026, I plan to read at least 52 books, for one per week, and I did so well in January I only had 40 to go. February was even better. I will have finished 19 books, leaving 21 to go. I have been on a reading binge lately. It may settle down, but I still guess I will well exceed my yearly goal.
Given I read so many, I will do my summary as a part one and a part two. In this post I will cover the books I had planned to read in February. In the next one, I will cover the bonus books I read above and beyond my TBR list.
So what was on the February TBR? And did I finish them all? All but one. Not too bad!
- The Midnight Library, by Matt Haig
I had a lot of trepidation reading this one, given that the MC’s cat died at the beginning of the book and she very quickly attempts s******. I was afraid I’d end up giving it a DNF. I ended up reading it anyway given that my fantasy book club was reading it this month. It was not as heavy as I was afraid, thank goodness, and I liked it. It’s a great look at second chances, the power of choice, and finding meaning in your life. I give it four stars and I recommend it.
- The Disappearing Names and The Disappearing Bloodline, by Avis M. Adams
These two are from the The Lavender and Time Series, which is a young adult time travel fantasy series. I finished book 1 as a five star reread. In it, the girls travel to 1901 Portland to save Sam’s family. I wanted to refresh my memory for book two which released on the 23rd. I am starting it now and will complete it by the end of the month. I have seen snippets prior to publication, so I know it is great, and I am very excited for a new time travel quest to 1920’s London where the girls try to save Nicole’s family. I can’t wait! I will do a full review later, and I plan also to interview Avis about her series.
- The Cloak and It’s Wizard, by RZ Nicolet
This was a fantasy adventure where a magic cloak chooses it’s own wizard. Its new owner isn’t happy about that, but starts getting noticed by all the bad actors due to her powers. I had this one as an advanced reader copy. It was fantastic. It is so creative and so much fun. The cloak as a main character was unique and it had a great voice. I highly, highly recommend it.
- Crossfire, by Heidi Herman
I met Heidi at a writer’s retreat last year and I got to hear a lot about this book. I finished it this month and I really enjoyed it. It is book one in the Life’s A Rodeo Series. It is women’s fiction, but there’s a romance element, as she finds a new relationship. The MC has to manage threats against her business balanced against the personal life she never has time for. I loved that there were some great family dynamics that were an added bonus in this title. I highly recommend it! I plan to do a full review soon.
- Whispers At Midnight, by DD Black
This is book 5 in a series of FBI thrillers set in the Pacific Northwest around Seattle. I’ve met DD Black at a writer’s conference and I always love his thrillers. I never miss his books, and I highly recommend him. This title was a deep dive into a years long conspiracy of brainwashing and programming children. It was ambitious and deliciously dark.
- Hidden Vegetables, by Heidi Herman
This was a cookbook. It’s on my list because I have a goal to read through 12 cookbooks that I own this year and find recipes I can use to help me eat healthier. My word for the year is ‘nourish.’ It was written by the same author as Crossfire. It speaks to me because my husband is a super taster, someone with genetically enhanced perception of taste, that makes most vegetables bitter and unenjoyable for him to eat. This cookbook talks about ways to ‘hide’ vegetables in other recipes so that picky eaters and super tasters still get the health benefits without the unpleasant tastes. I enjoyed browsing through this. I found lots of great recipes to try, and the Crock Pot Pasta Bolognese-style sauce is my pick for dinner next Sunday evening! I can’t wait! It actually includes beets and celery hidden in the recipe.
- The Prophet, by Khalil Gibran
This was a reread for me. I read it years ago, and it was on my list this month because I promised myself I would read more poetry in 2026, with the goal of enriching my prose. It’s got lovely poetic language, and I enjoyed the immersion. It is widely quoted, and I highly recommend it if you haven’t picked it up yet.
- The Deadly Book Club, by Lyn Liao Butler
This was a fun read. I enjoy mystery thrillers for escapism. I picked this up at the Kauai Writer’s Conference. It involves a book club solving the murder of one of their members. It was devious. Everyone was a suspect and none of them seemed to have had an opportunity to kill the victim. I did NOT guess the ending. If you love a peek at rich, entitled people in a sunny paradise being cut down to size by a twisty mystery, this may be for you.
- The Fever, by Megan Abbott
This was a medical thriller that has been out for a while. It was blurbed by Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl. It’s about a community where an outbreak seems to be attacking teenage girls. Is it hysteria or is it a real hazard? I picked this up via a promotion. I was pretty intrigued by the premise, and thought I would like it. That said, after diving in, I found that this book was not for me, and I can’t quite put my finger on what wasn’t working. It’s my first DNF of the year. I am sure it’s great – just not for me.
- Poe Prophecies: The Black Cat, by P. Anastasia
This was book 2 in The Poe Prophecies Series, about a teen who attends a paranormal academy centered around prophecies in the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe. I picked this one to continue the series, and because it’s a novella, which meets one of my prompts. It was a quick read and added some new aspects to the overall series arc. I liked it. It’s also making me want to read some Poe.
- The Princess Diarist, by Carrie Fisher
Last on my original TBR list, was Carrie’s memoir specifically about her time filming Star Wars. This book met a couple of prompts (has a bookface cover, has a related movie to watch). I really wanted to geek out about behind the scenes Star Wars facts. Sadly, there weren’t many. The first third of the book is Carrie’s 40 year look back at her brief affair with Harrison Ford. The second third was her actual diary entries from that time. Some of it was typical young adult anguish and some of it was the beginnings of some decent poetry. The last third was Carrie’s reflections about her experiences with Star Wars fame over so many years. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll like this peek inside Carrie’s life. If you want shooting the movie Star Wars stuff, look for a different book. It gives more insight into Carrie than it does into Star Wars, and given the discussion in part three, I am sure it paid the bills. I didn’t dislike it, but it wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for.
Here’s a graphic with the covers if you want to take a look.
As noted, I’ll release another post with all the bonus books!
If you have a favorite read to recommend for March, or a favorite book challenge for 2026, be sure to comment!
Thanks for reading!
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