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I’m a bit late to the game with this roundup, but that’s alright! Some months are just like that.
It was definitely a slower reading month than January, but I was still able to complete three books, which I think is rather impressive! I’m still two books ahead of schedule for my goal of reading 52 books this year, so I’m feeling confident.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

My sister-in-law and mother-in-law have been on my case to read this for months (maybe years?), and I finally requested it from the library to give myself a built-in deadline. Plus I went to a Girl Scout conference, which seems like the best time to read about women in space science.
I didn’t read the synopsis, but I thought this would be similar to Hidden Figures based on what my in-laws had told me about it. The first line of the book is “where were you when the meteor hit?” and goes on to talk about a meteor that struck off the coast of DC in the 50s and wiped out a major chunk of the US. So… not quite the same as Hidden Figures.
It was slow going in parts, but I think that was more my mental energy this month and less about the story. I’ve already gotten the sequel from the library and I’m excited to dive in later this month!
Rating: 5/5 stars
Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman

I read His Dark Materials back at the end of 2019, and earlier this year Sean and I watched the first season on HBO, so I was amped to get this one. I actually requested it from the library because they didn’t have it in stock and they bought it so I could read it! (Just one more reason to love local libraries.)
This novela tells the story of how Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison met. It’s a super light read, only about 100 pages, and you get to read everything in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s voice. What’s not to love?
Rating: 4/5 stars
State of the Union by Nick Hornby

This is my lowest rating of the year so far. Up until this point, I gave everything I read either 4 or 5 stars, but this one fell super flat for me.
It’s a really interesting concept: it tells the story of a couple going to therapy. It follows them in the few minutes before each weekly therapy session over the course of 10 weeks.
The idea was really cool, but both people really bothered me, so I never felt that invested in them. It’s a short read (less than 200 pages) so at least it didn’t take too much time.
Rating: 2/5 stars
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