For the Love of Reading: February 2025

It’s a new month and that means it’s time to share reviews of the books I read last month. It was a bit of a mixed bag, as you will see.

A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
At the onset, I really liked this book. I enjoyed the omniscient narrator and thought it would be a good exploration of racial tension in a suburban community. However, after the “big incident” I became uncomfortable and questioned whether this was a story a white author should have written. Its portrayal of race is problematic; the Black characters feel more like idealized symbols than fully developed individuals. On the other hand, the white characters are so over-the-top in their villainy that they lack realism. The whole thing feels like an attempt to elicit sympathy and anger from white readers when it could have been an authentic exploration of systemic racism. I’m not saying that white authors shouldn’t write stories about race and privilege, but I am saying that they need to do it in a way that feels authentic and nuanced.

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Set in 1950s Florida, this book tells the story of a 12 year old Black boy who gets sent to a brutal “school” for boys over a minor offense. What happens there is horrific, both in terms of the cruel, racist system running the place and the ghosts of boys who never made it out. Due does an incredible job blending supernatural horror with real-life terror, building tension by switching between the school setting and that of the family trying to get their boy released. While the ghosts are scary, the real nightmare is the way the boys are treated, particularly Black ones, by the narcissistic and cruel warden. While it is sometimes tough to read, it never feels exploitative or exaggerated. More than just a ghost story, The Reformatory is a powerful look at racism, survival, and the weight of history. It’s the kind of book that leaves a mark. Recommended for fans of horror, it’s like The Nickel Boys and The Shining got together and had a baby.

Piglet by Lottie Hazell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a fast paced but somewhat uneven exploration of power, bodily control, and self-destruction. Hazell’s prose is sharp and immersive and certainly draws reader’s into Piglet’s obsessive (and some might say claustrophobic) world but the story occasionally feels repetitive and the characters lack the depth they need to make them relatable. One of the book’s more perplexing issues is the author’s refusal to reveal what Piglet’s fiancé did that was so devastating. This omission creates intrigue but also leaves a gap in the emotional core of the story and without that crucial detail Piglet’s unraveling feels unnecessary. A decent read but not particularly memorable.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by Victoria E. Schwab
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is going to be an unpopular opinion but I did not love this book. While the premise is interesting (Addie agrees to freedom and immortality but will not be remembered by anyone she meets) the whole thing quickly feels repetitive and dull. I found myself wondering how it all actually worked and spent too much time trying to decipher when the moment comes when she gets forgotten by an individual, a clear sign that I was bored. We’re told that Addie lives through many historical moments over the course of 300 years but the author repeatedly misses actually involving her in anything significant. To summarize: the writing felt forced, there was practically no plot, and the character development was non existent.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
To say I adored this book and wanted to memorize the entire thing would not be exaggerating. I both read with my eyes and listened with my ears and was immediately drawn in my Lamott’s wry humor, sound advice, and sharp observations. As someone who aspires to write a book of my own some day I took this as both a blueprint to follow and a cautionary tale. Highly recommended for anyone who thinks of themselves as a writer.

Definitely not my typical month of reading but I’m grateful for every experience as each one teaches me something, even if it is only about what I don’t like!