Happy Wednesday, book friends! The chocolate is on sale, the sun in shining, and… we’ve got six more weeks of winter according to fellow Pennsylvania resident, Punxsutawney Phil.

If you’re not from the U.S. you might not know what I’m talking about, so I will briefly explain Groundhog Day. Basically, it’s an annual tradition where we let a groundhog decide whether it will be a long or short winter, based upon his shadow. And this year, he’s feeling a long winter ahead, much to my dismay. Remind me again why I live where the air hurts my face?

But I digress. Last weekend I managed to convince myself to get out into the cold by booking a weekend getaway with the soon-to-be Mr. Your Book Friend and our dog, Azula. With a cozy cabin fire awaiting me, I could stomach a bit of hiking through snow covered trails.

Secretly, was I luring Andy into the woods so I could sit by the fire and read? Perhaps. But we managed to balance the weekend out okay in the end. We even snagged a spot at a very popular local restaurant for a Valentine’s Weekend meal.

As you can imagine, the weekend away gave me plenty of time to read, and I finished a whole book during our trip. I’ve been reading at a pretty quick clip this month, so there’s plenty to share!

(Full disclosure: Specific book links are Bookshop.org affiliate links. Books noted with an asterisks were advanced reader copies, which I received in exchange for my honest review).

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Recent Reads

Since last we book talked, I’ve finished quite a few great reads, including With Love From London* and The Switch, two UK-based stories with alternating POVs.

I enjoyed them both a great deal, with generous helpings of tea on the side, as always happens when I read books set across the pond. I’ve got reviews of each book that you can check out if you’re interested.

“With Love From London” is a Bookish Scavenger Hunt Through the Past

“The Switch” Would Be 10% Better Without This One Issue

I also had the joy of reading Kate Spencer’s upcoming NYC rom com, In a New York Minute*, which felt very classic rom com in all the best ways (meet cute included). My full review of that one went up last week as well.

“In a New York Minute” Is a Love Letter to Rom Coms & NYC

Audiobook-wise, I jumped at the chance to read Ali Hazelwood’s Audible-exclusive novella, Under One Roof. This was a steamy quick read that I enjoyed overall, though I do think certain elements of it didn’t work as well in the compressed format.

At points, the story felt a bit rushed, like a few key character aspects weren’t fully developed/explained, which made the climax (pun intended) feel a bit sudden and therefore underwhelming for me personally. Nevertheless, I am eagerly anticipating the release of the other two books in this STEMinist romance novella trilogy.

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Current Reads

I just started Once There Were Wolves. Here’s a brief snippet from the Goodreads synopsis to give you a sense of it, in case the hype has missed you:

Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team of biologists tasked with reintroducing fourteen gray wolves into the remote Highlands. She hopes to heal not only the dying landscape, but Aggie, too, unmade by the terrible secrets that drove the sisters out of Alaska.

Inti is not the woman she once was, either, changed by the harm she’s witnessed — inflicted by humans on both the wild and each other.

This is a thriller, a genre that I struggled to find footing in last year, but something about it just kept calling to me. So, I decided it would make an excellent palette cleanser between all these romance ARCs I’ve got in my NetGalley queue.

So far, I’m enjoying it, even if I wouldn’t call the reading experience pleasant, exactly. The language is beautiful and I’m definitely invested to see what comes next.

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Up Next & On To You

Color me overwhelmed with my options for next reads!

Someone at Berkley decided to smile upon me and grant access to two of my longstanding NetGalley requests — Sadie on a Plate* and The League of Gentlewomen Witches*, both set to release in mid-March. I’m trying to work through my shelf in chronological order, which means these will be up next in the list.

But, I also got a couple of Authentic Book box deliveries (the January box and then a special edition for Valentine’s Day), which means I’ve got shiny new copies of Weather Girl and The Bright Side Running Club that I’m eager to start soon, as well.

Essentially, I have no idea what I’m going to pick up after I finish Once There Were Wolves. I think it will depend on whether I feel ready for another straight-up Romance or want to read something more general fiction-y next.

That’s what I’ve been up to, reading wise. Now it’s your turn. What are you reading this week? What have you recently finished?

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