February reading round up...

[My February reading was inadvertently very pink...]

In a Dark Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

A really well written and claustrophobic thriller about Nora who hasn't seen her former best friend Clare for ten years, until out of the blue she gets an invite to Clare's hen party. Deciding to go, the weekend goes down a dark path as the lies of the past come back to cause trouble. I must admit I guessed the end fairly early on, but that didn't affect my enjoyment of the book as there were so many interesting and intriguing characters and Ware's writing provided the perfect amount of suspense without taking it too far. 4/5

The Widow by Fiona Barton

Technically I didn't read this one- I listened to the audio book. I rarely listen to fiction audio books but I'm very glad I gave this one a try. This was narrated by Clare Corbett and she did an amazing job of bringing the story and characters to life. The book itself was a gripping thriller about the widow of a man formally accused of abducting a two year old child. As you'd imagine the story was quite dark but we got to hear from various characters involved including the police detective on the case and a reporter. Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend both the book and audio version. It seems the book is also being made into a TV show and there is a sequel being written! 4/5

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

I tend to struggle with reading memoirs as I find them kind of boring and hard work but Yes Please was an enjoyable mix of stories, anecdotes, lists and opinions. It was honest, warm, funny and uplifting. I dipped into this every now and then for a pick-me-up. I fell in love with Amy Poehler after discovering her through old SNL sketches on YouTube and my more recent obsession with Parks and Recreation and you can really hear her voice and personality in her writing. 4/5

The Death-Ray by Daniel Clowes

Clowes doing what he does best: teenage angst and outsiderdom. Telling the story of awkward teenager Andy in 1970s Chicago and his discovery that smoking gives him super strength leading him to become the death-ray and begin dealing out justice to bullies. Although a super hero story this is set in real life and told with Clowes usual style. I also loved that it cut to mini stories within the story- the layout made it a really enjoyable read. 4/5 

Paper Girls Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughn, Cliff Chiang & Matthew Wilson

(Read in single issues) I love love love this series about a group of paper Girls who discover world changing events in the early hours of Halloween in 1988. Sci-Fi, monsters and time travel collide with growing up, nostalgia, and being a kid in suburban America in the late eighties. The story is fun, the characters are likeable and sassy and Chiang's artwork and Wilson's colours are breathtaking. This is going straight to the favourites list! 5/5  

Jem and the Holograms Volume 1 by Kelly Thompson & Sophie Campbell 

The artwork for this series is so beautiful- I can never resist comics that are pastel heavy! I was too young to watch the cartoon in the 80s so I don't have much knowledge of Jem and the Holograms but the story is about two competing bands The Misfits and The Holograms. Lead singer of the Holograms Jerrica suffers with stage fright until her fathers computer program Synergy allows her to transform into confident pink haired Jem using holograms...yeah the story is a bit silly but it's fun, there's diverse and interesting characters and I really enjoyed it. 4/5

Single issues...

Other than Paper Girls I didn't read a whole lot of single issues this month, but I enjoyed The Jem and the Holograms Outrageous Annual and Valentine's special as well as the Luna the Vampire valentine's issue.

I wish every reading month could be as good as this- nothing below a four star! :)