The best authors are those who read extensively. Here is what I’ve been reading lately.

If you're interested in learning more about the non-fiction books I've read and the insights gained from them, be sure to listen to the Two Booked Up podcast.

February was all about fiction! Many were fairly harrowing, which slowed me down after my January effort of twelve books.

All the books I read in February were either chosen to meet the prompts in the 2025 Reading Challenge, or slotted against the prompts after the fact. Over the last few years of undertaking the challenge, I have enjoyed completing each year's list and diversifying my reading as part of that.

February also featured a rarity for me - I stopped reading a book I wasn’t enjoying. In 99% of cases, even when I’m not really enjoying the first few chapters, I persevere in the hopes it will grow on me. But this time, the book was too bleak. I may try it again in a few months. But for now, it’s shelved.

Fiction Reads

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This book was chosen for the prompt, ‘27. Author from Africa’. Set in 1960s Nigeria, this powerful novel follows the intersecting lives of Ugwu, a houseboy; Olanna, a woman who leaves her privileged life in Lagos for love; and Richard, an Englishman captivated by Olanna's twin sister. Amidst the turmoil of Nigeria's civil war, their loyalties are tested in unexpected ways. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's acclaimed work explores themes of race, class, and love’s complexities, winning the Women’s Prize for Fiction. It’s a remarkable but, at times, harrowing read, particularly the Civil War scenes.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Meeting the prompt, ‘34. Dark Academia’, I realized I hadn’t read ‘The Bell Jar’, even though I had studied Sylvia Plath's poetry. Published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, it’s her only novel and is based on her own life. Esther Greenwood wins an internship at a New York fashion magazine in 1953, hoping to achieve her dream of becoming a writer. However, she struggles with depression, a suicide attempt, and challenging relationships while experiencing a society that undermines women's ambitions. The novel is a modern classic, and despite the harrowing themes, I’m pleased to have read it.

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

This book had been on my TBR (To Be Read) list since a well-read Instagram friend recommended it. It also met the reading challenge prompt, ‘35. Intriguing Cover’. With three main characters, Opaline, Martha and Henry, across two timelines, it mixes mystery, historical fiction and romance! When a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder where nothing is as it seems. Despite the at times confronting themes, I really enjoyed this book.

Bridget Jones Mad About The Boy by Helen Fielding

I decided I had to read the book before I saw the movie, and this choice also fulfilled reading challenge prompt ‘5. Book Becoming Movie/Show in 2025’. The third book in the Bridget Jones series, I’d not read this when it came out more than ten years ago, but was happy to return to Bridget’s world. With trademark humour and her predictable ridiculousness, as well as some very moving moments (yes, I shed tears), this was the fun, light-hearted read I needed after my earlier choices in the month.

The Life of Houses by Lisa Gorton

Another selection to meet a reading challenge prompt, ‘11. Published in 2015’. I wanted a book by an Australian female author, and had started another book published in 2015 (see comment above). This was my next choice - and it didn’t disappoint. Lisa Gorton is an acclaimed poet, and this book won the 2016 Prime Ministers Award for fiction. The book explores the tensions within an Australian family when Kit, a granddaughter unfamiliar with her estranged relatives, spends a holiday with her grandparents and unmarried aunt. Her mother, recently seperated, sends Kit there so she can focus on a developing a new relationship. Kit’s presence brings unresolved family issues to the surface, intensified by past grievances and her grandparents’ declining health.

Thoroughly Disenchanted by Alexandra Almond

Another reading challenge choice, this time to meet the prompt, ‘3. Romantasy’. Romantasy is not a genre I usually read, despite it being the ‘it’ genre of the moment. With immortality, magic and stormy nights bringing strangers, Genevieve and Oliver have lived confined to Riverswood Manor for the past hundred years. Then a new stranger, Ella arrives, bringing hope and secrets that could help them escape their eternal confinement. With the support of Ella and their friend Fionn, Genevieve and Oliver must confront their feelings and the manor’s dark history to break the curse that binds them. Good fun with a queer love story, magic and immortality all rolled in! And, in a surefire sign of a good book, I couldn’t put it down and kept thinking about it many days after I’d finished it.

Non-Fiction Reads

Enchantment: Reawakening wornder in an exhausted age by Katherine May

My well-read mother recommended this book, which was unusual for her, as she generally prefers fiction. Having read and enjoyed Wintering (also by Katherine May), I was intrigued. A beautiful, gentle memoir exploring the ways we can reconnect to ourselves through the natural world. Through intentional attention and ritual, Katherine May finds nourishment in the quiet reconnection with her environment. An enjoyable, enlightening, calming read. And as a bonus, it met the reading challenge prompt, ‘50. Bestselling Memoir.’

I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself by Glynnis MacNicol

I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself: One Woman's Pursuit of Pleasure in Paris by Glynnis MacNicol

I can’t recall where I read about this book, only that it was recommended by a well-read contact. Maybe a bookish friend, or perhaps someone I follow on social media? Either way, it sounded fun and I added it my library list. And it didn’t disappoint! I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself is an intimate, insightful, and powerful memoir of an intensely lived experience. After sixteen months in solo isolation in NYC during the Covid-19 lockdowns, Glynnis is determined to document the beauty, excess, and triumph of a life that does not require permission. I wasn’t sure what to expect and was a little nervous it might be too explicit, but ended up enjoying this book a lot, and recommending it to others. And, it fulfilled the reading challenge prompt, ‘40. With Chapter Titles’.

What have you been reading lately? Do you have a recommendation for a book you read and loved?

*Please note that while I enjoy supporting local bookstores and libraries, I also recognise and appreciate the convenience of purchasing books online. This post may include affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase using one of these links.