February 2018 Wrap Up

February has ended and we’re fast approaching the next month. Can you believe the time moving so quickly? I guess it moves quickly through the shortest month of the year. But I feel the green shoots of Spring starting to break through the ground. I can feel the winter finally thawing out. I think it’s going to be a good one, that March.

For February, I was only able to read four books this month, which feels like a lot but also it feels like I could have done better. I got completely sidetracked by this Korean drama called Goblin that my friend Michaela and I couldn’t resist and it basically took over our lives. I started watching the show on Valentine’s Day, finished the show maybe a day later, and then felt the worst hangover from it for pretty much the rest of the month. It wasn’t until the last full week of February that I felt like I could read a book again without going back to thinking about that show. If you ever get a chance to watch Korean dramas, definitely check out Goblin.

But onto the books! Again, I’ve only read four and most of them were because I requested those copies. Here’s what I read:

The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty

While this felt like a pretty tough read for me (the language was a little too wordy for me), I loved this book. It was a great entrance into a new fantasy series that takes place in the Middle East and uses a lot of Middle Eastern folklore to lend a hand in writing it.

The story follows a girl named Nahri who finds out that she’s part Daevabad, a tribe of folks who were born of fire. Her friend, a djinn, helps her to get back to Daevabad and rightfully belong with her own people again. However, the journey is treacherous with a lot of sabotage and twists. It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat and you’ll definitely fall in love with these characters.

Song of a Captive Bird by Jasmin Darznik

This novel is inspired by the life of Forough Farrozhkad, an female Iranian poet around the early 1960s. I thought this book was so captivating and Forough Farrozhkad’s life wasn’t anywhere from dull. If you’re a fan of her poetry or of women, then you’ll definitely want to read this one.

While the book is based on the life of a real poet, it’s actually fiction. The story Jasmin Darznik writes is basically what she could provide with the research she’s done. Many pieces of Forough’s life was destroyed by her family after she died, so not much exists about her. I also did some research online and really couldn’t find much.

However, you’ll love this story of a modern woman living in the wrong place at the wrong time. Reading through her struggle, you really start to appreciate the freedoms women have nowadays. It’s not perfect, but it’s more than what she’s experienced.

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

I read Free Food for Millionaires as the first book for Words Between Worlds. The story follows a young woman named Casey Han who just graduated from college and figuring out what she wants to do next. However, coming from an immigrant family, it’s difficult to make decisions on your own life when your family wants you to be successful.

Our book club talked a lot about the struggle to make your parents happy and also make yourself happy. How do you choose between the two? How do you show your family that there isn’t failure if you take up a vocation or do something outside of being a doctor or lawyer.

The book resonated a lot with me and the way I grew up, but it definitely reflect my life completely. If you loved Pachinko, then you’ll love this one. I’m not a fan of Min Jin’s wordy writing (I don’t like wordy writers), but it definitely is a great read.

Master Assassins by Robert VS Redick

This final read is for a late blog tour I was participating in. It’s a great read with a few tiny flaws, but it’s also my first foray into male-written Fantasy novels. Seriously, I haven’t even read George RR Martin.

I can definitely see the differences between male and female writers (like more vulgar language and more action and adventure). If you’re into a good action movie, then you’ll definitely like this one. This story follows two brothers (Kandri and Mektu) who accidentally murdered two sons of this vengeful Prophet. Now they’re on the run to save their own lives.

On the way, they meet a ton of people who help them along sharing the same feelings they have about the state of their village’s government. It is a super compelling read with excellent world-building. This has got to be the best example of world-building I’ve ever seen. Without taking away from the story, Robert VS Redick is able to fill in the backstory. It’s pretty well written and I would recommend it (trigger warning: there is some mention of rape and human trafficking).

What did you read this month?