February started out as a really strong month of reading, but I fell into a huge slump toward the end of the month. I think I started four different books that I didn't finish. Unfortunately that slump is bleeding into March, and I'm really struggling to shake it off. 

Send me good book recs!

In the meantime, here are the four books I managed to finish in the month of February. I gave them all four stars. 

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've always loved Agatha Christie's books -- she's probably the reason I fell in love with the murder mystery genre. So when I saw this book was imagining what could have happened to her during the 11 days when she mysteriously disappeared, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved the way the author told the story in multiple time periods to craft a fictionalized, but believable reason for her disappearance.

56 Days by Catherine Ryan Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thought this book started a little slow at first, but then it got really good. Two people meet in a check out line days before the start of the pandemic. They go on a few dates, and when the first lockdown order hits in Ireland, they decide to quarantine together. 56 days later, neighbors find a body in the apartment where they were staying. The story jumps back and forth in time to trace the course of the relationship. I haven’t loved many books set during the pandemic, but this one was good.

They'll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nothing helps break a book clump like a YA thriller. Two sisters are vying for coveted cross country scholarships to get out their small town. But then a transfer student joins the team and threatens their dominance — until she goes missing. Plenty of teenage drama mixed into this thriller.

One by One by Ruth Ware
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was another fast and twisty read from Ruth Ware. When a group of tech bros (and gals) go on a corporate retreat to a ski village, people start dying one by one. The story alternates perspectives between one of the chalet workers and one of the employees as you try to figure out who would want to kill them. Definite Agatha Christie vibes in this one.

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