What I’m reading in February 2022: about breathing, an unusual prison, and a couple of dystopian stories

January was not a great month overall, but in terms of reading – it was stellar! I managed to read 5 books – what a joy! From non-fiction about breathing to dystopian stories and a witch hunt in the 1600s … all books I read were super interesting, each in its own way.

I am particularly happy that, for the first time in years, I read a book in Romanian, written by a Romanian author. And what a book – a super scary and thought-provoking dystopia. Continue reading for more details!

Let’s get the sharing started!

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Currently reading

I am reading The Last Wild Horses by Maja Lunde. It is the third book of The Climate Quartet (more info here) and it deals with the topic of endangered animals – in this case, the Mongolian wild horse. In her characteristic way, Lunde structured the story in 3 narratives – 1880s in Russia, 1990s in Mongolia, and 2060s in Norway.

I requested the book via Edelweiss and I received early access – super grateful that I can read it so soon!

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Finished reading

I finished reading Breath by James Nestor. It is a non-fiction book about breathing – something we all do, and it seems we’re quite bad at it. Pulmonology, biochemistry, psychology and ancient wisdom – this books is mind-boggling. You will definitely pay much more attention to how you breath after reading even a section of this book!

Some time ago I read also Deep by James Nestor (my review) – a must read it you’re into oceans and water-related topics (sports, scientific discoveries, and culture).

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Then I read Metronome by Tom Watson. It is a fiction story about 2 people who are imprisoned for 12 years. Their prison does not have any locks or barred windows, but a house on an island and a lot of ocean… ah, and one more thing: every 8 hours they have to take a pill. Super captivating story, it kept me hooked on from the first page ’till the last one!

I requested this eARC on NetGalley. The book will be published on 31st of March 2022.

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Next I read not a book, but an extract of a book – The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton. It is the sequel of The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton (my review), a book I loved reading!

I requested the book extract on NetGalley and I enjoyed every single word of it. Then I found out about that The Miniaturist is a 2-part movie – it was the perfect incursion to the 1600s Amsterdam, as preps for (hopefully) reading the new book soon!

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Then followed The Familiars by Stacey Halls. This is the type of story that transports you to another world, and it matched perfectly with the previous read & movie 🙂

However, it is a historical fiction book, telling the story of a real witch hunt that happened in the 1600s in England. It is super well written, a joy to read!

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Next book was The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. It is a dystopian / science fiction story about a future where mutations are an ordinary thing … but not everyone is happy with being around the “blasphemies”. I was amazed how contemporary this book seemed despite the fact that it was written in the 1940s!

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Then, after a very long time, I read a book written by a Romanian author: The Useless (RO: Inutilii) by Cornelia Voiculescu. It is a dystopian story about a society where the old people (70+) are sacrificed by their grandchildren. The action takes place after a Third World War, in a totalitarian Norwegian society.

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Reading next

After I finish The Last Horses by Maja Lunde I have another eARC on my list – Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. It will be the first book I read from the author, however I heard so much about her previous book – Station Eleven.

Also, I plan to read at least one Romanian authors for every 3-4 foreign authors. This being said, I’ve already ordered some books written by contemporary Romanian writers – super curious to discover all of them!

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What are your reading plans for the next period? Any new releases you’re super excited about?

Till next time … happy reading!

Georgiana

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Cover photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash