I was reading the newsletter Hmm That’s Interesting about the goodreadsification of literature and it got me thinking about the books I choose and how I choose them. As we see more and more commercialisation of literature, are we seeing the homgenization of books? When books do well, publishers promote those books more than others and they get the limelight. They also then seek out similar genres to keep the success going. This leads to many of the same book genre/story being on a best seller list. Bestseller lists have been around forever, that isn’t new, but with social media, book challenges, book tok, etc, the influence has changed, thus changing the dynamic of the best seller list. A book can go “viral” and not really be that great, while another book that might be incredible gets zero press. We want to say we read the viral book. We want to be a part of what everyone is talking about. Whether that’s good or bad is debatable. I mean, people are reading so that’s a good thing right? Does everything we read have to be a best seller, a quick read, or on the list of everyone we know? I don’t think so. Because of this realisation, I’m starting to hunt for books based on recommendations, not book lists and best sellers. Reviews are great, but I want to hear from you. If you love getting lost in a book, re-read or highlight passages that move you, or are simply sad when the book ends (TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW, AND TOMORROW was this for me and I haven’t had a book like that in a LONG time) I have a favour to ask. I’d like to compile a list of books to read crowdsourced by you, dear readers. I’d like to hear some of your recent favourites, what you’re currently reading, a book you read and loved years ago, or a book that’s on your list that you can’t wait to start. Comment below and I’ll compile the books and post them here so we can all broaden our book list.

So with our further adieu, check out what I read In February.

** Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org where your purchases support local bookstores. I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase on any of the links below. **

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Magical youth. A remote Island. Secrets kept. I enjoyed this book so much. Linus is a case worker for the Department of Magical Youth, and his job is to ensure the “orphanages” are up to standards and the children are being treated well. He does his job. He’s objective. He doesn’t get emotional. He leads a very simple, plain life alone. One day he’s summoned to Extremely Upper Management. They need an orphanage evaluated asap. One he’s never heard of, nor new existed. It houses 6 children the Department of Magical Youth deem dangerous. Linus spends 4 weeks on this island and slowly his “by the rules”, emotionless exterior melts away. Each child here has very special talents and skills. They have all been shunned and bounced around from place to place being told they’re monsters, but they are still children. The Marsyas Island Orphanage is their last hope. And they are thriving here, despite having no contact with any of the rest of the world. Linus slowly begins to see how they have been stereotyped, discriminated, and cast aside simply because they are different. And for the first time in his life, Linus begins to question the motives of these orphanages and the rules in general. This book is full of emotion, humor, magic, and love.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Wow. Just Wow. I had heard this book was great, but I didn’t expect it to live up to the hype. It did. And then some. I just finished it and I’m sad its over. I was hooked from the first few pages. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow follows the decades long friendship of Sadie and Sam. Sadie and Sam meet as kids and bond over video games. They later go on to create their first best selling game while in college and become successful and rich almost overnight. The book follows them through their successes, failures, loves, losses, egos, and insecurities. At times I felt like Sam, others Sadie. I connected with these characters unlike I have in any other book. Ultimately the book is about love and friendship. It’s wonderful. It’s messy. It’s complicated and it requires work. This book will stick with me for some time. It’s written beautifully, and I will for sure be reading it again.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

I enjoyed this psychological thriller even though I started to piece it together about halfway through the book. I couldn’t put it down because I had to know a) if I was right and b) how it would end. Alicia is in a psychiatric hospital for killing her husband and then going completely silent. She hasn’t said a word since the murder and no one has been able to reach her. Enter Theo, a criminal psychotherapist who is slightly obsessed with Alicia and her case. He works his way into the hospital she is at and takes an interest in helping her. Slowly he starts to uncover the truth and follows many leads trying to piece together why Alicia killed her husband or if she even did. If you enjoy thrillers, this a a good one.

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More books I’ve read