As February rolls in, Los Angeles and its surroundings are still reeling from a challenging January. It’s no surprise if you haven’t had much time for reading lately. However, this month’s curated book list might just tempt you to pause, take some time for yourself, and explore other worlds through literature.
You’ll encounter lively settings, like a bustling Manhattan from the early 1900s, and more somber locales like today’s Baltimore. You’ll step into the competitive, tobacco-tinged atmosphere of Soviet-era ballet studios and contrast the Seattle backdrop of a budding tech genius with a coastal logging town from a revered TV director’s masterpiece. Happy reading!
FICTION
Victorian Psycho: A Novel By Virginia Feito
Liveright: 208 pages, $25 (Feb. 4)
As Winifred Notty becomes the new governess at Ensor House, she harbors a secret—a typical setup for novels set in Victorian England. But Winifred radically departs from convention by revealing upfront that in three months, "everyone in this household will be dead," including her young charges, Drusilla and Andrew. Winifred stands out as possibly the cleverest, most hilariously brutal psychopath haunting the pages of a comedy of manners-turned-horror story, set in an era teeming with repression.
Mutual Interest: A Novel By Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
Bloomsbury: 336 pages, $29 (Feb. 4)
Vivian Lesperance, aware of her queer identity, enters a marriage with Oscar Schmidt, who remains in the closet, with hopes to expand Oscar’s family soap business and create a unique home where both can love freely. As the business thrives, so does Oscar’s affection for colleague Squire Clancey, pushing everyone to confront their personal limits.
Brother Brontë: A Novel By Fernando A. Flores
MCD: 352 pages, $28 (Feb. 11)
Despite its 19th-century title, Flores’ novel unfolds in a dystopian near-future Texas of 2038, where Mayor Pablo Henry Crick pushes forward a neoconservative agenda, including a ban on reading. Chaos emerges when two of the last literate citizens stand against the system, adding another layer to this comfortably eccentric story.
Three Days in June: A Novel by Anne Tyler
Knopf: 176 pages, $27 (Feb. 11)
While it’s a shame Anne Tyler can’t write forever, her latest book is a testament to her unmatched talent. This tale follows Gail Baines, a dissatisfied private-school teacher dealing with her daughter’s wedding, an ex-husband, and a rescue cat. Throughout this engaging narrative, Tyler illuminates how seemingly mundane lives can hold unexpected surprises.
Maya and Natasha: A Novel By Elyse Durham
Mariner Books: 384 pages, $30 (Feb. 18)
Twins Maya and Natasha grow up emulating the Soviet Union’s rise, both training at the Kirov Ballet’s feeder school. Only one can tour beyond the Iron Curtain, leading to the betrayal that splits their lives in two. Durham’s delicate narrative mirrors a finely tuned ballet performance.
NONFICTION
Bibliophobia: A Memoir By Sarah Chihaya
Random House: 240 pages, $29 (Feb. 4)
Author Sarah Chihaya discusses books as "Life Ruiners," reshaping our perceptions and making us question our life’s choices. After a nervous breakdown halted her academic career, she discovered she could no longer read or understand her own life, offering readers a poignant exploration of mental health and intellect.
Source Code: My Beginnings By Bill Gates
Knopf: 335 pages, $30 (Feb. 4)
Gates takes us back to his childhood, upbringing, and education in this memoir, concluding just as he decides to leave Harvard and start Microsoft. For those solely interested in Microsoft’s history, this is a prelude, but it’s a fascinating insight into the challenges and inquisitiveness that shaped Gates.
David Lynch’s American Dreamscape: Music, Literature, Cinema By Mike Miley
Bloomsbury Academic: 288 pages, $34 (Feb. 6)
Lynch, a cinematic genius who passed away recently, has his eclectic body of work examined by film scholar Miley. From "Blue Velvet" to "Twin Peaks," Miley explores Lynch’s contributions to American culture, touching on literature and mixing his cinematic touch with other cultural giants.
Disposable: America’s Contempt for the Underclass By Sarah Jones
Avid Reader Press: 304 pages, $30 (Feb. 18)
Jones exposes how systemic poverty and inequality, emphasized during the pandemic, consistently endanger frontline caregivers. She argues for a new social justice path while starkly portraying the existing grim reality.
Song So Wild and Blue: A Life With the Music of Joni Mitchell By Paul Lisicky
HarperOne: 272 pages, $28 (Feb. 25)
Author and novelist Lisicky beautifully captures the influence of Joni Mitchell’s music on his life, especially during his youth. Mitchell’s songs, resonating with themes of loneliness and hope, provided solace to Lisicky, whose homage to her work reveals that he, too, harbors music within himself.
