For a short month I had a really good one, both with respect to reading and blogging. I’m not sure how I did it, but I managed to post 17 times, 18 counting this one. Maybe nearly two years later I found my groove? I don’t know, but I’ll take it! Keep on reading my monthly book blog wrap-up to find out what made this month so great!

Book Reviews

I posted four reviews in February. From earliest to latest they are:

• Sacrifice by Vicky Walklate
• The Magician’s Daughter by H.G. Parry
• GraphicAudio A Court of Thorns and Roses
• The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten

I also participated in some book memes, which you can find in my February 2023 archive.

Blog Statistics

Every month I share some statistics from Google Analytics because I think it helps put expectations into perspective for other micro-bloggers like me who are out there.

My top five posts for unique (not total) page views in February are:

1. Negative Book Reviews Are Necessary: 168 views
2. ARC Review: Bookworm by Robin Yeatman: 48 views
3. Free Brooklyn Public Library Card: 33 views
4. 2023 Reading Challenges: 33 views
5. February 2023 TBR List: 31 views

I forgot to include an update about my follower count last month. But as of February 26, the time of writing this post, I have 130 subscribers. As always, thank you to my readers for following along! I also figured out how to allow those who don’t have WordPress Reader to subscribe. So that’s a win.

My biggest blog news, though, is that I have a new record stats! I can’t believe it. I have a new record high visitors and views (not counting the anomalous views during July 2022, which I think was a bot)!! The one thing I’ve been making more time for is blog hopping. So maybe the anecdotal observation about blog hopping yields more interaction has something to it.

#BeatTheBacklog

Unfortunately, I finished zero books from my physical backlist that I owned prior to 2023. Hopefully I can get myself back into gear in March.

NetGalley

I submitted two reviews on NetGalley, keeping my ratio near 80%.

Other Bookish Items

I finished nine books, essays, and short stories in February. (And, by the end of today I’ll likely have 10 completed reads!) I discovered that I do better with nonfiction audiobooks than fiction, so I listened to a few things on audio via Libby. As a result, I read more nonfiction than usual because I listen to them while cooking or during other mundane house chores. The books I finished are:

• THE MAGICIAN’S DAUGHTER by H.G. Parry (ARC)
• THE WOMAN THEY COULD NOT SILENCE: ONE WOMAN, HER INCREDIBLE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, AND THE MEN WHO TRIED TO MAKE HER DISAPPEAR by Kate Moore (audiobook)
• SPARE by Prince Harry
• WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (essay)
• TANQUERAY by Stephanie Johnson
• THE SIX DEATHS OF THE SAINT by Alix E. Harrow (short story)
• A COURT OF MIST AND FURY by Sarah J. Maas (reread)
• THE FOXGLOVE KING by Hannah Whitten (ARC)
• HOW THE KING OF ELFHAME LEARNED TO HATE STORIES by Holly Black

I wrote my first discussion post about why negative reviews are necessary. I was really nervous about posting it because, while the book Twitter community seems to have an open mind, you never know who might decide to be closed minded about it. Or if something will randomly go viral (which is one of my worst fears about social media). But I received a lot of support for it, which was awesome. So thank you to everyone who read it, commented on it, or shared it on Twitter.

I rounded up another On My Radar list of posts I enjoyed around the book blogosphere.

I also noticed that the Brooklyn Public Library still offers a free library card to access their ebook collection. It applies to those who are 13-21 and live anywhere within the U.S.

Non-Bookish Items

Peat kindly asked last month how my non-book-related goals were going. So I suppose maybe I’ll add in a life updates section here. I made progress in January, but made less progress in February. I haven’t painted anymore rooms in our house and I made minimal progress on rearranging our guest rooms. However, I have kept up with my fitness goal of working out 4-5 times a week. There was one week where I only fit in two work outs, but I’m fairly consistent about it.

I’ve been thinking about becoming a vegetarian/pescetarian. I haven’t fully made the switch yet, but I did buy a cookbook with tons of recipes. So, I’m excited to try some of them out. I tried out the cauliflower biryani recipe, which was ok. The roasted cauliflower part was great, but I wasn’t as pleased with the flavor of the rice. So I need to find a better recipe for that part.

I also started a bunch of different pepper seeds, along with some eggplant and other items, a couple of weeks ago. Most of the pepper seeds have popped up, but a few are giving me trouble. Peppers have always been one of the more finicky seeds to germinate, in my experience. But spring is on the horizon!

How was your February in the bookish world?