February 2025 Reading Recap

Killer board games, conceptual art, and what's saving my life right now...

I’m drafting up this newsletter on the Monday after Daylight Saving Time and dang, the time change really did me in this year. Losing an hour of sleep and then being discombobulated because the light looks different now just feels like one more thing on top of the endless barrage of more things, doesn’t it?

ANYWAY… I read a bit more in February than in January, but everything just felt the slightest bit off to me. I’m sure that has a lot to do with the The Horrors and less to do with any of the books, so let’s just dive right in.

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📘 Get the Picture; A Mind-Bending Journey Among the Inspired Artists and Obsessive Art Fiends Who Taught Me How to See by Bianca Bosker

Bianca Bosker is a journalist obsessed with obsession. After making her way through the world of wine in Cork Dork, she turns her attention to the art world, trying to understand why art matters and how to engage with it more deeply. But the art world is secretive, so Bosker has to find her way in by connecting with gallerists, collectors, and artists who are often unwilling to reveal their secrets. I love a book that makes you feel like a secret insider, and this book does that in spades. Bosker is up for almost anything, and not shy about sharing what she learns and what she still can’t figure out. I thought this one was a delight.

🎧 Deep End by Ali Hazelwood

Scarlett Vandermeer is a competitive diver trying to work through a case of the twisties. Lukas Blomqvist is a world-champion swimmer trying to make it back to the Olympics. The two seem to have nothing in common, until a secret about their sexual preferences leads them to an arrangement during the college swimming season. I thought the romance of the book was very sweet, and liked that it featured two characters with both real problems and real challenges they needed to work through. Their exploration of kink and BDSM wasn’t really my thing, but your mileage may vary.

📘 Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

Hana Ishikawa wakes up on the first morning she is in charge of her family’s magical pawnshop to find it ransacked and her father missing. A charming stranger stumbles in, and the two begin a magical journey to find her father and the stolen items. This book is so lovely, and the main characters are so deeply charming, I think it’d be hard not to fall in love. I wish I’d sat down and read this book in one or two sittings, rather than stretched out over a week or two. The writing is beautiful and the storytelling is very dreamlike, which means the plot jumps from magical place to magical place very quickly. If I left the book for too long, I’d lose the thread of what was happening. Overall though, just gorgeous.

📘 Fear the Flames by Olivia Rose Darling

When she was a child, Elowen Atarah was ripped away from her dragons and imprisoned by her father. Years after escaping him and his torture, she’s grown up and is determined to free her dragons. When fate allows her to team up with “the most feared and ruthless man in all the kingdoms,” shenanigans and a dragon heist ensue. I love books with dragons, and I love books with heists, so I’m probably being a little more generous to this one than it truly deserves. My main critique is that the story took some huge swings from chapter to chapter. In one section, there were some very explicit descriptions of torture and dismemberment, followed almost immediately by flirty banter and heist silliness. I liked it overall and will probably continue with the series, but do hope the tone evens out in future books.

📘 Darkly by Marisha Pessl

Arcadia Gannon is obsessed with Louisiana Veda, a reclusive game designer whose work has gained a cult-like following. When she’s chosen for a coveted internship with Darkly, Dia feels like it might be her path to something greater. But when Dia and the other interns arrive, the world of Darkly is much more twisted and menacing than they could have guessed. I liked this book a lot – a young adult thriller is just the right level of creepy for me, and Marisha Pessel wrote a really twisty, smart, and charming story. This was great!

🎧 The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers

When her fiancé disappears on her wedding day, Lara Barnes begins a desperate search for answers. When she discovers her great-grandmother’s journals, she’s pulled into the story of a dark circus and a curse that’s been plaguing women in her family for generations. This book had a lot going on – dual timelines, mysterious magic, ill-fated affairs, and more – but I still liked it a lot. It felt like it mixed a lot of genres too – fantasy, historical fiction, contemporary thriller – in ways that were mostly effective and engaging. It maybe was just a little too long, but still a good read.

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Final Thoughts

The Lazy Genius Podcast does a quarterly episode called “What’s Saving My Life,” which is just a collection of things that are making life a little bit better. I really love those episodes, so thought I would do a list of mine. Here’s what’s saving my life right now:

• Dungeons & Dragons — My current character is named Marina Poppins, she’s a sorcerer who used to be a governess, she carries an umbrella, and she likes to throw lightning bolts at monsters.

• Nerds Gummy Clusters — I don’t get why these are so good… they’re just the perfect level of sweet/sour and crunchy/gummy.

• Dimension 20 — In addition to playing D&D, I am also watching a lot of other people play D&D. I pay for the streaming service Dropout, but a lot of seasons are available for free on YouTube. Fantasy High is my favorite campaign.

• Regular friend hangouts — I’ve been in a monthly-ish book club for a while, and have a group of friends I get together with most Friday nights, and both of those regular touchpoints are really keeping me sane.

• Treadmill walks — It’s so close to being regularly nice enough to walk outside, but for now 35 minutes on the treadmill really resets my brain.

• Word search puzzles — One way I am keeping my hands busy while watching TV is word searches. I’ve literally done hundreds in the last two months.

• 5 Calls — I have to work myself up each time I call my representatives, but I have been doing it anyway. The 5 Calls app makes pulling up the numbers really simple, and it gives some suggestions for what to say when you do. And once you call, you can mark it off and see how many other people have called about that issue. It’s little, but it’s good.

What did you read in February? What are you reading now? What’s your best recommendation for a book with dragons?