I READ MORE THAN 100 BOOKS IN 2 MONTHS || FEBRUARY WRAP UP

Hullo, bookdragons!

I apologize if my wrap-up post titles have sounded like clickbait for the past two months but also 1) they’re absolutely true and 2) I was planning to give my February wrap-up a different title but my brain cells haven’t been working efficiently lately. So yeah. Excuse the seemingly repetitive post titles. Thank you very much.

February was a pretty mellow month and I treasured every moment of it because it was basically my last month of relaxation. March marks the start of my second semester of uni and I’m not feeling very positive about it, especially because the student in me has long since died (it’s been dead since last year tbh). However, I have zero choice in this matter because I have already chosen my fate when I enrolled this semester. I’m not going to stop complaining, though.

Academic woes aside, I’m going to share my February highlights with y’all in this post! I read a lot of good books and rediscovered an old hobby in February.

Let’s begin the wrap-up!

A note from 2022: Hello! You might be here from Pinterest looking for Notion templates and I’m happy to report that I finally made a post dedicated to that! For more information about my Notion templates (and more), just refer to this post. Thanks for visiting bookdragonism!

POST OVERVIEW

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✨ Reading
📎 Backlist Book(s)
📎 ARCs
📎 Audiobooks
📎 Webcomics, and Manga

✨ Blogging
📎 February Posts
📎 Blog Hopping

✨ More February Highlights

✨ Goals
📎 Checking February Goals
📎 March Goals

I have officially crossed the 100-book mark in February! It’s probably time for me to increase my Goodreads goal but I find it satisfying to see that I’m more than 200% into my challenge so I’ll just keep it like that for now. Let me have this little reminder of achievement so I can keep in mind that there’s a part of my life that isn’t stagnating 😔

Let’s break down my February reads!

BACKLIST BOOK(S)

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I read more backlist books this month but I mostly listened to them via audiobook so there’s only one listed on this section. You’ll find more backlist books below.

📚 You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria

This was a very addictive read! I loved all the drama and the chemistry between Ashton and Jasmine. As a girl who grew up watching a lot of telenovelas, reading this was a great experience because it felt like I was getting an inside scoop on a primetime hit. This book also highlights the importance of representation and consent in the entertainment industry which I greatly appreciate. This is a great read for fans of romance.

ARCs

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I read four ARCs in February! This is a great feat considering that my brain has been very uncooperative with me lately when it comes to reading huge blocks of text. I’m also happy because I discovered new favorites from the ARCs I’ve read. More thoughts on them below 👇🏽

📚 Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas

I really thought I would love this with my whole heart but…I didn’t. This book feels lukewarm to me. I hate to compare it to Aiden’s debut but this book just doesn’t have the same charm that Cemetery Boys possesses. Yes, it has a darker tone to it but the problem lies in the fact that I wasn’t able to connect to any aspect of the story. I have a lot of thoughts regarding this book. If you want to know more, check out my Goodreads review.

📚 Darling by K. Ancrum

This book took my breath away. This is a terrifying yet entrancing Peter Pan retelling you need to check out. Reading this felt like I was dancing at the edge of a cliff. Flipping a single page filled me with feelings of terror and apprehension. Darling gave me slow burn anxiety but the payoff was worth it. I have a feeling that this book will end up on my best books of 2021 list. Watch out for it when it comes out in June!

📚 The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur

This has one of the most well-plotted mystery storylines I have ever read. June Hur was able to scatter so many clues across this book’s pages without compromising the big reveal at the end. The Forest of Stolen Girls manages to blend historical elements with interesting mystery, making it a noteworthy read. I like a lot of elements in this book but it has some dragging parts which made my attention wander a lot of times. Nevertheless, it’s still a good read overall.

📚 Sugar and Spite by Gail D. Villanueva

This unapologetically Filipino middle grade book owns my whole heart. It reminded me of home and my childhood. It made me laugh. It made me cry. Sugar and Spite imparts a lot of lessons on friendship and gives insight on Filipino history and culture. This tenderly evocative book deserves all the love in the world.

AUDIOBOOKS

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February was definitely a month of audiobooks for me. I haven’t listened to so many audiobooks in a single month before this. If nobody got me I know for sure that audiobooks got me. I just love them so much, okay?

Note: Books marked with the ✨ emoji are audiobooks I listened to on Scribd while those marked with the ☁️ emoji are audiobooks I listened to on Libby. You can get a 60-day free trial on Scribd using my referral code. I get an additional free month if you use it.

☁️ Know My Name by Chanel Miller

This is a gut-wrenching memoir that will make you think deeply and feel greatly. The audiobook narrator is Chanel Miller herself which made this reading experience even more impactful. I found myself tearing up a lot of times while listening to it. Know My Name is an incredibly important book that everyone should read.

✨ I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn

I Love You So Mochi gave me a lot of fluffy feelings that I wanted to bottle up and keep forever. Reading this felt like I was also on a journey of self-discovery in Japan alongside the protagonists Kimi and Akira. Aside from the cute romance, I love how this book highlights Kimi’s relationship with her grandparents. After reading this book, I figured that I should give more YA romance books a chance.

✨ Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali

I ended up loving this book so much! It’s sweet, insightful, and powerful at the same time. Love from A to Z is not just a story about first love. It tackles a lot of important societal issues and leaves a powerful message to its readers. The journal-type storytelling is charming as well. I really want to make a marvels and oddities journal now, except that my life is too dry I probably won’t have anything to write in it 😭

☁️ Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

This book didn’t pull any punches (pun intended) and hit all the right places. I love the pacing very much and it has a lot of action-packed scenes that kept my restless brain engaged. However, I think it’s better to consume this book physically or via e-book to fully immerse yourself in the world. I’m hoping to read the e-book for the second book so I can get a better grasp on the story. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed reading this one!

✨ Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera

This Afro-Latinx retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice destroyed me in the best possible way. This book did justice to my most favorite Greek myth and gave so much more to the story. If you’re a fan of Greek mythology, Hadestown, and painful stories in general, I really think you should read this one.

✨ The Girl and the Ghost by Hanna Alkaf

I breezed through this audiobook because it was that good. The Girl and the Ghost is a page-turner that is both spooky and warm. It’s so easy to love this story and its characters which is a testament to Hanna Alkaf’s stellar writing. I can’t recommend it enough.

☁️ The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

The audiobook brought so much life into this story that my eyes were red-rimmed by the end of it. I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book but the story really hit me hard on the chest when I dove into it. The Death of Vivek Oji is a story about grief and gender identity that will pierce through your heart. It’s a short but very captivating read that will make you ponder and feel.

✨ Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

This was fun enough but for some reason, I don’t feel strong emotions for this book. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I wasn’t able to connect to the story and the characters as much as I thought I would. This wasn’t a bad book, of course. I enjoyed the magical elements and the adventure but…something just fell flat for me. However, I still recommend this to readers who are looking for magical middle grade books to binge in one sitting.

☁️ In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

This memoir is so brilliant I could weep. The lyrical writing style with its short but hard-hitting chapters is something I highly admire. In the Dream House illustrates the horrors of domestic abuse in a unique structure that makes use of the second person point of view. The storytelling is inventive but devastating. I highly recommend the audiobook which is narrated by the author herself.

✨ A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

This book is so warm. That’s the perfect way to describe it. Reading about this girl who’s trying to heal her heart after a series of unfortunate events was a heartwarming experience. I also liked the romance aspect of it, despite the (sort of) fast progression of the characters’ relationship. This is a YA contemporary book that you’d love to curl up with on a cozy day.

✨ Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers

Reading this book felt so cathartic. Honey Girl is more than a love story between two women who got drunk and married each other in Las Vegas. It’s a story of loneliness, fear, acceptance, and finding your own place in the world. It also spoke to the deepest, loneliest parts of myself and I love it so, so much. Everybody needs to read it.

WEBCOMICS & MANGA

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I’d probably be in a reading slump by now if not for webcomics and manga. You’re welcome to give me recommendations on the comments below because I can’t get enough of them.

📚 Horimiya Vol. 3-12

I still find this series cute although I find the story quite underwhelming sometimes. I guess I’m just looking for more plot development. I still have a few volumes to read and I’m hoping to catch up before the series concludes this month. I will miss all the characters when it ends 😭

📚 Something About Us Vol. 1-5 by Lee Yunji

I binged the entire series in one day because it’s so unputdownable. This webtoon rekindled my love for bestfriends-to-lovers. It’s an immaculate example of the trope that I couldn’t help but go feral over it. There’s a lot of suppressed feelings, yearning, and pining. I was all in my feelings while reading this.

📚 So I Married An Anti-Fan by Kim Eun Jeong and Jaerim

This is yet another basic but addictive het romance webtoon that I read for escapism. It’s predictable but the art is cute and the characters make me feel things so I still like it. There’s no complex plot in sight but I’m still excited to see how the story unfolds 😌

📚 Ellin’s Solhwa by Cibeles

This webtoon deserves more attention because it’s one of the best isekai I have ever read. Considering that I’ve read a lot of isekai in the past two months, this is a huge compliment. Ellin’s Solhwa has political intrigue, complex characters, great world-building, and amazing romance. Most of the isekai I’ve read usually don’t pay a lot of attention to details other than romance but this one has so many layers. I can’t wait to uncover them all. (bonus: all the characters are sexc)

📚 Spy x Family Vol. 1-5 by Tatsuya Endo

This is one of the best manga I have ever read. I love the humor, the action, and the characters so much it hurts. I will sacrifice my happiness for this family without hesitation. I can’t wait to read more volumes of this masterpiece. If you’re a fan of the found family trope (who isn’t at this day and age) or if you’re just looking for something good to read, this series is for you.

📚 Kind of Love by various artists

This webtoon anthology is made up of short stories created by various artists. Each story has its own charm and the art quality is top tier. My favorite story from the anthology is Peaches by leehama which is about a woman who’s in love with her bestfriend who’s in love with somebody else. I can’t believe a story wrecked me in just six episodes but here we are. I still can’t get over it to this day.

February was not my best blogging month but I was able to publish a review post so I’m still proud of myself! I’m planning to post more reviews here and I hope I can still do that even with uni hovering at my shoulder like a curse.

Here are my posts for February:

Here are some blog posts I enjoyed reading in February:

✨ Kate and Shenwei wrote an incredibly nuanced and detailed post about white authors writing POC. There’s so much you can take away from this post. I highly recommend you read it.

✨ Gargee posted a list of books that deserve more love. I spotted a lot of great titles and I know you can find some from the list that will interest you as well.

✨ Kal shared her favorite reads of 2020. Check them out on her post!

✨ Em launched The Black Experience 2.0 in honor of Black History Month, highlighting black content creators and their experiences throughout the month. Check out all TBE posts on her blog!

✨ Caitlin wrote a very fun and creative post where she guessed book plots based on their covers. Read it here.

✨ Maha resurrected her blog and shared her most favorite books of 2020. Find out what her top picks are in this post.

MORE FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS

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✨ Perhaps the greatest thing that happened to me in February was that I finally got back into drawing. I haven’t drawn anything (except biology-related things) for three years and it felt good to sketch and doodle again. My art is mediocre at best but I’m learning again which is all that matters. It’s also very therapeutic to draw while listening to audiobooks and I’m kicking myself for not doing that sooner. Will my skills get good enough for me to share my art here someday? I don’t know. Only time will tell. Wish me luck I guess.

✨ I tweaked my Notion pages a bit in preparation for my second semester of uni (original Notion template from @velvetjournal on Twitter). I also filled in my bookish corner with more widgets just because I got bored that one day in February. Here are some pics:

✨ I drowned myself in anime in February as well, to no one’s surprise. I also watched one good sci-fi movie and two Haikyuu movies because I miss the characters so much and the brainrot won’t let me go. I didn’t binge all Haikyuu movies in one go because I’m saving them up for days when I need serotonin the most.

Here are some movies & anime I enjoyed watching in February:

space sweepers

haikyuu!! movie 1: owari to hajimari

jujutsu kaisen

horimiya

black clover

fruits basket season 2

wonder egg priority

fire force

Note: I didn’t binge JJK, Black Clover, and Horimiya in February but I keep up with the weekly episode releases so I included them here.

GOALS

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CHECKING FEBRUARY GOALS

Let’s see if I did well with my February goals!

✔️ Read at least 3 ARCs

✔️ Publish at least 3 blog posts

✔️Organize my Notion pages for second semester of uni

❌ Take bookstagram pictures before my account gets lost in proverbial cobwebs (i felt a spark of motivation two days ago but it fizzled down in about ten seconds)

❌ Start planning out my thesis (we all knew I wasn’t going to do this lmaoo)

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MARCH GOALS

With uni back in the picture again, I’m keeping my goals for this month plain and simple:

✨ SURVIVE

✨ Read at least 5 books

✨ Remember that this blog exists at least once a week

I guess that’s it! I don’t know when I’ll be able to post again but I will try my best to check in once in a while.* I hope y’all had a great February. See you in a hundred years or less!!

*translation= you’ll most probably not see me for a long time but I’m too stubborn to announce a hiatus

How did your February go? Tell me your favorite reads of the month!

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