February 2025 Book Mail
In which I'm too tired to come up with a funny email title
As you read this, I have just returned from my sojourn east in search of an apartment and am probably sound asleep in my bed as apartment hunting all day and hanging with friends all night while the world cracks around you is exhausting. Have some book thoughts.
February Reads
The Nightmare Before Kissmas - Sara Raasch
A friend of a friend mentioned offhand they were reading a ridiculous romance novel and when I discovered that this book was a thing that existed, I knew I had to read it myself. Nicholas “Coal” Claus is the Christmas Prince and Heir is a bit of a party boy prince but when his father (SANTA) announces he has to marry the Princess of Easter (his best friend and his brother’s long time crush), party time’s over. But wait! The Prince of Halloween shows up to also compete for her hand. And yes, Halloween and Christmas fall in love. But you guys, THE LORE IN THIS BOOK. Holidays are somehow both holidays AND countries. Every holiday has its own kind of magic but also the real world exists and Coal goes to Yale. There is a coup plotline. This book is BONKERS and there is a sequel coming out in March where Coal’s brother (Kris) has an enemies to lovers thing with the Prince of SAINT PATRICK’S DAY called Go Luck Yourself and it’s so dumb and it’s so fun thank you for existing.
The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz
This was a recommendation from my manager at the library, Lizzie, who has great taste in books so I was excited to get to it. And it’s so fun! A thriller almost completely contained to the world of publishing, it follows a once celebrated up-and-coming writer who has stalled after his first book and is now teaching in an MFA program in rural Vermont. And things go from there. Lizzie was very clear you should go in knowing as little as possible and I think there’s definitely something to that. Lots of twists and turns, a million inside baseball hints for the publishing world, and just a little too real at times for people who’ve worked in and around the industry. But it’s fun and a sequel (titled, of course, The Sequel) just came out so I’m looking forward to reading that, too!
Murder in Season - Mary Winters
This is the third book in the Lady of Letters series and it was honestly a bit of a let down. This was a short book, under three hundred pages, and I think that’s where it failed. I’m not saying a book has to be long but it felt like this was just hitting beats without fleshing out anything. Things happened but I didn’t have a chance to care about any of it. And they were good plot beats, too! If it had given itself even fifty or sixty more pages to breath, to explore emotions and fill out scenes, it would have been a very good book! But as it was, it felt like someone was just rushing to meet deadline and that’s unfortunate because I have been enjoying this series. I’ll read the next one but fingers crossed it feels like a little more effort was put in.
This is one of those books I probably wouldn’t have picked up on my own and but thanks to a suggestion, I absolutely devoured it. In Sweden, a journalist is burnt out and retires to a tent in the country to just be in nature for a bit. While there, she stumbles upon a strange group of folks that seem to be living in the forest. The story of each of those people (and the journalist’s) is explored as the story jumps forward and back in time, seeing how each person got to where they are now and whether a new member of the group will complete it or finally make the cracks show. The writing is extremely clever, the characters are all so distinct (even when they made me infuriated (I might have gasped aloud reading this in a coffee shop at one point)), and when I saw this had won awards in its native Sweden, I was unsurprised. It’s long but it reads super quickly. It doesn’t come out (in English) until March but I highly, highly recommend it!
The Golden Spoon - Jessa Maxwell
This book is what if there was a murder at an American version of GBBO? Six bakers head out to rural Vermont for Bake Week, hosted by America’s Grandmother, Betsy Martin at her family estate, Grafton. We pop between each of the baker’s POVs, as well as Betsy’s as things start going wrong on set and each baker seems to have a hidden motive or secret. This book was a quick, fun read. Chapters don’t tend to last longer than three or four pages and the book itself is under 300 so it goes fast. It becomes fairly clear halfway through where the story is going but the characters are interesting enough to follow along as they get there, too. It’s not a groundbreaking mystery but it was fun enough that I’ll check out her newest book.
In completely non-shocking news, quitting your job and moving cross country is incredibly overwhelming. Knowing I only have two weeks left at the place I spent the last seven years is both exciting (something new!) and terrifying (oh god, the unknown). I have, as yet, been unsuccessful in the new job hunt but I’m hoping a DC address will be more appealing to employers. Also, I used appetizing at first but that seemed much too awkward an adjective.
Speaking of DC addresses, apartment hunting is exhausting. I think I finally found the place I like (on the very last appointment of the week) which is conveniently down the street from one of my good friends, which is lovely. This is also the good friend who regularly fosters kittens so even better. Fingers crossed that they approve my application. I would like to give them money for that cute little brick apartment (and easy access to kittens.)
In the meantime, though, I’ll keep doing my side hustles (I just finished my first pass on a manga and am going to start reading a review book) and read/watch horror films for this newsletter. If you want to give me a hand in all that, remember you can support me for $5/month or $35/year and I will read any book you send to me and devote a whole bonus newsletter to it. I just got my first selection from my pal Acorn and I’m looking forward to reading it (once it comes out in March!) Put more on my plate! I will have a lot of free time soon.
See you in two weeks for some spooky (and not so spooky) flicks!