Penny's Passion: What I Read in February 2025

Hello and welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday! Since today is the first Thursday of the month, it's my habit to share the books I read the previous month. Here's what I read in February ~

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

I first came across this book in one of the Facebook book groups I follow, where it was highly rated. While I can’t say I absolutely loved it, it was definitely intriguing enough to keep me reading until the very end. There was a lot happening throughout the story, with multiple layers and complexities that kept me engaged. I think it would make for a great book club pick, as there’s plenty to discuss and different perspectives to consider. Here's the summary ~

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.

Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now.

As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again.

Available HERE

Honor by Thrity Umrigar

Last month, our library book club read Honor. The overall theme of the book is quite heavy and emotionally intense, making it a more somber read. Like The Three Lives of Cate Kay, this was also a Reese’s Book Club selection. Interestingly, our book club had mixed feelings about it—some members absolutely loved it, while others found it just okay. It sparked a lot of discussion, especially given its deep and thought-provoking subject matter. Here's the summary ~

In this riveting and immersive novel, bestselling author Thrity Umrigar tells the story of two couples and the sometimes dangerous and heartbreaking challenges of love across a cultural divide.

Indian American journalist Smita has returned to India to cover a story, but reluctantly: long ago she and her family left the country with no intention of ever coming back. As she follows the case of Meena—a Hindu woman attacked by members of her own village and her own family for marrying a Muslim man—Smita comes face to face with a society where tradition carries more weight than one’s own heart, and a story that threatens to unearth the painful secrets of Smita’s own past. While Meena’s fate hangs in the balance, Smita tries in every way she can to right the scales. She also finds herself increasingly drawn to Mohan, an Indian man she meets while on assignment. But the dual love stories of Honor are as different as the cultures of Meena and Smita themselves: Smita realizes she has the freedom to enter into a casual affair, knowing she can decide later how much it means to her.

In this tender and evocative novel about love, hope, familial devotion, betrayal, and sacrifice, Thrity Umrigar shows us two courageous women trying to navigate how to be true to their homelands and themselves at the same time.

Available HERE

A Wish for Winter by Voila Shipman

This book was such a delightful and lighthearted read, and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. While it has a Christmas theme, it doesn’t overwhelm the story, making it a great pick for the holiday season or any time of the year. The characters were engaging, the storyline was charming, and it had just the right mix of humor and heartwarming moments. It’s the kind of book that brings a smile to your face and leaves you feeling cozy and uplifted. Here's the summary ~

Despite losing her parents in a tragic accident just before her fourteenth Christmas, Susan Norcross has had it better than most, with loving grandparents to raise her and a gang of quirky, devoted friends to support her. Now a successful bookstore owner in a tight-knit Michigan lakeside community, Susan is facing down forty—the same age as her mother when she died—and she can’t help but see everything she hasn’t achieved, including finding a love match of her own. To add to the pressure, everyone in her small town believes it’s Susan’s destiny to meet and marry a man dressed as Santa, just like her mother and grandmother before her. So it seems cosmically unfair that the man she makes an instant connection with at an annual Santa Run is lost in the crowd before she can get his name.

What follows is Susan and her friends’ hilarious and heartwarming search for the mystery Santa—covering twelve months of social media snafus, authors behaving badly and dating fails—as well as a poignant look at family, friendship and what defines a well-lived and well-loved life.