February: What I Read this Month

And March's book club pick!

Dear Reader,

I don’t know about you, but February was a much better month on my end. It flew by, of course, and while we had WAY too much snow…

…but even with all that snowy downtime, I didn’t read as many as January! I do think there is a direct correlation between the amount I read and my mental health, and February had me leaving the house a lot more and seeing so many people I love. There was a wedding, baby shower, concerts, workshops and date nights!

That being said, this month had GREAT books! I am still in awe.

Now, here’s what I finished In February…

So. Many. Five. Stars. Seriously, it was a great month.

The Best Listen:

Weyward, hands down.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart's Weyward is an enthralling novel of female resilience and the transformative power of the natural world.

And since it’s a story of three women, it had three different narrators. I loved the writing so much that I immediately pre-ordered the author’s next book!

If You’re Going to Pick Just One:

This is so hard and I’ll give The Lightning Bottles a spotlight below since it was the book club pick, and say Wild Love.

I was never against reading romances, but I truly lean towards other genres more. And when I started this one, I had no idea that I was actually starting a wildly (hehe) popular series! It is open-door spicy, with each book of course with overlapping characters but focusing on a new pair. The author is also Canadian!

I’d Skip It (I Guess):

Reminders of Him - full stop, I read this as I waited for Onyx Storm to arrive and it was okay. I don’t get the Hoover hype, and only grabbed it on KU. The only book of hers I would ever reco is Verity!

Some love stories don’t fade. Some mysteries don’t let go. And some songs—no matter how much time has passed—still echo in the deepest parts of us.

In The Lightning Bottles, Marissa Stapley delivers a gritty, heart-wrenching novel that’s equal parts love letter to the grunge era, meditation on the price of fame, and slow-burning mystery.

At its core is Jane Pyre, a woman once at the center of rock history as half of the legendary duo The Lightning Bottles. But while the world adored her bandmate, Elijah Hart, Jane was never quite given the same love. And when Elijah disappears, the world turns on her completely.

What follows is a cross-continent road trip filled with music, longing, and buried truths, as Jane is forced to confront not just Elijah’s fate, but also the ghosts of her own past.

Stapley’s writing is lyrical and propulsive, weaving a story that feels as melancholic and electrifying as a late-night guitar riff. The novel pulses with themes of fame’s sharp edges, the stories we tell about the people we love, and the way music has a way of binding us together—even when everything else falls apart.

If you love books with messy, complicated characters, a mystery that keeps you hooked, and the raw, nostalgic energy of the ‘90s grunge scene, The Lightning Bottles is a must-read.

And the next pick for March? I can’t wait.

Until next chapter,

PS - if you reply to this email (or any) I can email you back! Just in case you want to chat :)

Scrolled to the bottom? Relatable. Here’s some fun stuff for ya:

📚 What I’m reading: I’ve had Babel on the go for a bit now…whew, apparently it’ll be worth it but it is SLOW.

📆 What’s up next for me: I will be speaking on a panel in March at BrainStation! It’ll be an early morning session, and I’ll share more on LinkedIn closer to.