My To Be Read List for February 2020

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I’m being more proactive about my reading in 2020. As a part of this goal, I’m mapping out what I want to read each month. My decision to place a book on the list for that month involves several factors.

Why a Book Makes the Monthly To Be Read List

Here is the breakdown of determining whether or not a book makes the list:

• Am I writing a blog post about the book or something related to the book?
• Am I reading the book as part of a buddy read or book club?
• Is the book a NetGalley and feedback is due by a certain date?
• Is it a library book with a pending due date?

February 2020’s To Be Read List

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams

This historical fiction book is part of Williams’ Jazz Age novels, and if you’re a fan of this blog, you’ll know I’m a big fan of Williams’ work. A question was posted in a Facebook book club group where a reader had finished Williams’ other Jazz Age novel, Cocoa Beach, and was upset because she did not at all understand the ending. She was wondering if other readers had felt the same.

The end of Cocoa Beach is a freaking explosion but only IF you’ve read Williams’ previous Jazz Age novel, The Wicked City. Otherwise the ending is very confusing, so I understand the reader’s question.

This made me realize how intertwined all of Williams’ books are including the collaboration novels she’s written with Karen White and Lauren Willig. Characters pop up all over the place and if you haven’t read her backlist, you may get confused or not appreciate the depth of her stories.

So I’m planning a blog post for April of this year to map out all of Williams’ books and who appears where. For that, I need to read a couple more on her backlist to be ready for that post. So I put a A Certain Age onto the February to be read list.

A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn

I am a huge Veronica Speedwell fan, and I was thrilled to get approved for a NetGalley of the next Speedwell book, A Murderous Relation, publication date March 10. With an upcoming blog post of Veronica Speedwell books, I queued this one up for this month. (I will do a post on what the heck NetGalley is, as I realized not many people know, and it’s awesome!)

Death of an American Beauty by Mariah Frederick

I’ve never read anything by Ms. Frederick before, and this little gem popped up on NetGalley as well. I have a post planned in the fall about historical mystery series, so I thought I would pick up this one to check out Frederick’s Jane Prescott series. I’ve read a few pages so far and am finding her writing delightful! I can’t wait to dig into this one.

Emma by Jane Austen

This one is for my amazing bookstagram book club, the Austentatious Regency Readers. It’s a goal for me this year to read all of Jane Austen so I’m super excited to tackle this one.

Whatever Comes Through Libby

I use my library a lot. Like a lot. I love when you get the check out slip, and it lists how much you’ve saved by borrowing from your library. Wowzer, I save a lot! I use the Libby app to get books in audiobook format. I never know what’s going to come in, and I generally listen to audiobooks while I’m doing things. In the end, I consume many audiobooks throughout the month. So we’ll see what comes through in the Libby app this month!

That’s My February 2020 List!

What’s on your list this month? Interested in a buddy read? Just let me know below!