Month two down, and yes, it is still raining in the southwest of the UK. I don’t usually mind the rain, but it’s getting a bit much now, especially as it’s leading to so much flooding, which cuts off a lot of our villages (including my workplace!). Is there such thing as a sunshine-dance??

Reading Wrap

In February I read 7 books! I’m not entirely sure how, but I’m so pleased! As with January, it was a really varied month in terms of genre and format, and I really think that this is the key for me at the moment. There were definitely some books I enjoyed more than others, but it was a pretty solid month overall, and I finished it with a contender for best book of 2026!

• Way of the Walker by Salinee Goldenberg. Indirect sequel to The Last Phi Hunter, and as with the first I really enjoyed to Thai mythology explored here. I didn’t like this as much as book 1, but I did still have a good time with it.
• When the Forest Breathes by Susan Simard (e-arc). I’ll read anything Simard writes. This book is about renewal, focusing on the forest ecosystem. Her ‘Mother Tree Project’ is still going strong, and it’s had some really amazing results. Alongside this, Simard has woven her own personal story and it made for a very moving and important read.
• The Gods Must Burn by T.R. Moore (arc). A dark fantasy set on an island where Gods roam and are connected to the forest that grows there. This was a great read overall, though I did have some niggles with some of the characters.
• The Integral Trees by Larry Niven. 80’s scifi was really quite something! Basically a group of humans live on a giant tree that sits inside a ‘smoke ring’ floating in space. It’s very wacky, I was confused for quite a while and the characters aren’t that well developed but honestly it didn’t really matter because it was fun in the end. I listened to the audio for this one and the quality wasn’t amazing.
• Sourdough by Angela Slatter. I really enjoyed this one, which was a real surprise to me. I do like short stories, which isn’t the issue (a lot of people hate them), but these ones have horror vibes which isn’t usually my thing. However these aren’t scary, more so on the level of Brothers Grimm fables, and Slatter writes SO well.
• The Memory Bookshop by Song Yu-jeong (arc). Short and very poignant, like a lot of Asian fiction. I really liked this one, the concept was neat and I enjoyed that we stayed with the same character through the book.
• Mad Sisters of Esi by Tashan Mehta. Fairly certain this is going to be my book of 2026. I loved everything about it, and it made me cry. If you know me, you know that doesn’t happen!

Books Aquired

I didn’t purchase any books for myself during February (my pre-order of When the Forest Breathes doesn’t count, okay.), but I did receive a few from some generous publishers.

• The Secret World of Twilight by Sally Coulthard
• The Return of the Oystercatcher by Scott Weidensaul
• Kill Billionaire by Anders Lustgarten
• Beauty of the Beasts by Jo Wimpenny

I think I am fast becoming a solely nature and climate-fiction blogger haha!

Reading Challenges

Blog Wrap

REVIEWS:

• Ragwort by Sam K. Horton
• Ancient by Luke Barley

DISCUSSIONS:

• Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading With Friends
• Let’s Talk Bookish: What do you collect besides books?
• Let’s Talk Bookish: Reading Star Ratings

OTHER:

• January Wrap-Up
• New Year Book Tag
• WWW Wednesday 04/02/26
• WWW Wednesday 18/02/26
• WWW Wednesday 25/02/26

Life Wrap

You Tell Me: How was your February? What was your best read?