February Book Report

It is that time of the month where I go over all the books I have just read. I am still working through the Bridgerton series. This episode will be exploring two love stories of two different siblings and a friend they call family.

Here is a link to my other podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-simple-discussion/id1843198044

https://open.spotify.com/show/6dTngjtXoqqBomtzGyzKFH

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:52

Hello, and welcome back to another episode of the Let's Talk podcast. My name is Hannah Covington, and I'm glad to be back with you with another episode. And this could be considered an extra episode because it's a special episode that I will be doing once a month. And I said I would keep up with my promise of giving a book report of what I have been reading for each month. And I'm gonna say February was a busy month for me when it came to high school sports after surviving Snow Mageddon of 2026. Yeah, is that what we called that snowstorm that did not melt for it felt like three weeks to a degree and how freezing cold it stayed. Yeah, it made my February very busy, which meant I did not read as much as I did back in January, which okay. Um we all know I like to read, but when sports are making up games means there is less time for reading. And March might be the same way, I don't know yet. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm close to finishing my first book for March, but I'm not gonna tell what that is, you'll just have to wait and see, and I can't wait to talk about it. But I wanna dive into February's how many books was I able to get through? Well, I was just talking about that, and I was only able to get through two and a half books. My goal for each month was three, but February was a short month, but a busy one. I had to make a trip down to Bellingreen to record for my other podcasts. I had a ton of games, which meant I only got through two and a half books. Which book has been my favorite so far this year? That is so hard to say. I I can't pick a favorite. I'm in the middle of a book series, by the way, so it is really hard to pick and choose a book, by the way. I might have to pick the book about Benedict and Sophie's love story. I don't know. That is a very hard question to answer. Am I still working through the Bridgerton series? Yes. I just found out the other day. This is a eight-book series, so it is going to take me a while to get through this series. It might be taking me three months, by the way. I thought it would be a two-month project. It is not that case. It's probably gonna take me about three months to get through this series, and this is the longest series of books I have read lately. Most series that I read are either two to four book range. This is my longest series. Yeah, I just answered that question. I am so I'm looking through my notes because I make notes for each episode I create. Another question I brought up because it was reading Across America Day just recently. It will have already already happened by the time this episode is coming out for you guys. And this was something I asked on my social media pages, both on Instagram and Facebook, and y'all gave me some interesting answers, but I'm not gonna go into that. That is people's answers to me, and I'm not gonna share that. And I would say I would probably prefer my Kindle over a real book. It took me a while to get on the bandwagon for a Kindle. I was I don't know, I had mixed feelings about d getting a Kindle when I got when I was looking into digital reading, but I was tired of bringing real books along with me, buying real books, some of them getting damaged with walking around a campus, and I was like, I'm ready to do this switch and go to a Kindle, and that is why and Kindle books are a ton cheaper than going to Walmart, Barnes and Noble, ordering off Amazon, Target, just to name a few that I have chosen to buy books from. Actually, I've never bought a book from Target, but I buy a lot of books from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. And before we start talking about the latest two Bridgerton books I have read, yeah, the best way I can describe it. I'm gonna pick who is my favorite character of the Bridgerton series. Because you get introduced to so many Bridgerton characters, by the way, over a eight book series, and there's also side books, by the way. I found that out by doing some research, you I shall say. Well, I have been killing some time. It's so funny, you do research on books, and you're like, okay, what type of books do I want to read after I've finished this long series? And you get kinda attached to characters in books. If you're not a book nerd like me, I get super attached to a character, by the way, because there are characters I've grown attached to in other series. I don't know what other characters I've grown attached to in other books. I don't know if I should do an episode on that. But the character I would say say I was grown the most attached to, and she doesn't. I'm getting back to which character would I pick is my favorite from the series so far of how many books I have read. Because so many characters are coming in and out of the series, if you pay attention to the series. And what I find funny from the show to the books is one character that's never mentioned but is very prominent in the show is Queen Charlotte. But I'm not gonna get on a tangent here about Queen Charlotte. Maybe she seemed more interesting for the show than the books. I'll dive into that when I do my Bridgerton show episode. Just stay tuned for that. That is all I'm gonna get at for that little shindig. But what is my favorite character I am going to pick? Oh, it's so hard because you could always pick a featherington, a Bridgerton, which are very big in the series. And you know what's funny is? I'm not gonna pick either of those characters. It's somebody who floats in and out of the story plot, by the way, in a hilarious manner. I love how she always makes me laugh every time I'm opening the book to the show. I am gonna pick Lady Danberry. You are hearing me correctly. I am picking Lady Dam Danberry. She has always been one of my favorites, by the way. I love, love, love her comedy and her wit, and how much common sense she talks to the main characters about, which is one thing I have loved about her coming in and out of every book. Very rarely is she not in a story plot, by the way. She is very present in the series, which is very awesome, and is very well known in the TV series, which I will be doing an episode on that. Later on down the road, when I get a moment to breathe and can watch the whole series through and give my whole take on the Bridgerton series because all of season four is officially out now. I can say that as I'm recording this episode, which is very exciting. I've only gotten to watch part of season four, have not gotten around to part two of season four. But Boyle Boy, it has been spoiled for me, which I was not thrilled about, but if you wait too long to watch a series, that will happen. Is you're gonna get some spoilers, but if you have also read the series, you know these facts. Because the series tries to combine books now since season three, they started combining some books. Yeah, they they started that process in season three, which I find interesting, which supposedly in part two you figure out who Eloise's lover is, supposedly. I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm not gonna delve into that. That's another episode. But I was only able to get through two of the Bridgerton books this past month, which I find interesting. I was hoping to get through three of the books and finish the series in March. I was hoping February, but it's gonna be March. As the case is I'll be officially done with the Bridgerton series for the March book report, which that will be a very big celebration, and I'm super excited. And I hope I remember everything I have read on the two Bridgerton books I read for February. I hope I remembered, because I wrote a lot of key points I wanted to bring up for each book, which I hope I remember all this, because like I said, February was a blur because of life and having a life outside of high school sports. Yes, high school sports has taken over my life since Snowstorm, and I was making up games with other games on top of that. It was pretty dang wild. If only I could explain to you what life is like being a producer for high school sports. Maybe that's an episode I do on one of my podcasts. I don't know. We'll have to wait to see. Maybe it will end up on both. Would y'all be interested to know what my life is like with high school sports? And I bring one of my sports guys in with me? Please tell me I would be interested in doing that kind of episode with you guys. I know it's a pop culture podcast, but I'm willing to dive into what happens in my day-to-day life for eight months of the year, and I get four months off? Yeah, four months off. And I'm doing high school sports for eight, yeah. I know I get sidetracked while I record episodes. But the first book I read this month of the Bridgerton series, and boy, these are some interesting names, by the way, was the first one was called Romancing with Mr. Bridgerton. What an interesting name for a book. I wonder w if Julia Quinn is very creative with her titles or she's just getting just coming up with title names to grab people's attention is what makes me very curious. And I'm only gonna go through a couple points for each book, depending on how much time I want to spend on each episode. Because I know I don't want to spoil books for you, but I want to go through some key points of what I found interesting, which eat with each book, because my goal is with these episodes is to encourage you to get on to wanting to read because reading is a passion of mine. I want to see people of my generation and other generations get back into reading and to stop scrolling on social media. Am I guilty with scrolling on social media? Yes, but I'm trying to work on to read more. I have a goal this year to read 50 books. I don't know if I will make that goal, but hopefully I'll get close to that goal. Six is sixty books is a is a little outrageous. I did not make that goal the year prior, but sometimes you gotta shoot for the stars and hope for the best is what I what I'm gonna say. And you have to have the best book, which is called me talking about randomness. Romancing with Mr. Bridgerton. What is this book about? Let me remember. It is Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton's love story. And how long did it take for them both to realize they like each other? It took forever for Colin to figure this out. Penelope knew for years that she loved Colin Bridgerton. She knew that she liked Colin even before she came out into society. Yes, this is this is a historical period series. I know that's gonna be the first question out of people's mouth as they're listening to this. It's a historical piece and how Penelope knew Colin was the one was she was going on a walk around Hyde Park, which is a famous park in London. I think I've been to Hyde Park, I can't remember. It's been so long ago since I've been to London, and I have been to London, by the way. Little known fact, which is so fun. She went on a walk. That's when they first met the Bridgertons, which was really exciting. I'm so glad. She was so glad. Why did I say myself? She was so glad to meet them. And that's when she knew Colin was the one. That's the one she wanted to marry, and she was willing to wait on Colin. And Colin didn't know what he wanted, did a couple adventures around the world before coming back to London and realizing he needed to marry. And by the time he realized he wanted to marry Penelope was a so-called spinster and was like, Hey, I'm willing to marry whoever or be single for the rest of my life. Even though deep down she wanted to be married like the rest of the females in her age group, where she didn't want to be the one taking care of her mother. And by the point she was considered a spinster. Her sister ha her youngest sibling, who is actually cut out of the TV series, but we'll go into that at a later date, was out in society ready to get married. And one th and one scene I found very interesting in the book was when she was getting overlooked when Colin had just proposed to her and she was trying to tell her family that Colin had proposed to her. Her mom thought Colin had came over for her younger sister, which I found quite hilarious, was she has always been overlooked in the family because she's always been the quiet, shy one. Her mom thought Colin was over there for Penelope, or not for Penelope, but for Felicity, and she was being overlooked, being asked to leave the room when Colin had had enough of it and said he had actually went was over there because he had just proposed to Penelope and they were to be wedded. Which I'm glad Colin finally stood up for her because she was overlooked a lot in the family, if you could not tell in the other books prior to this. It's very well known. What happened in the prologue? Oh, it's been so long. It's been so long since I've read this. The prologue is how she got introduced to Colin first time. I honestly I like this and why I wrote this was why has Penelope Penelope struggled to find find her love of her life and why she ha is now considered a spinster is she's a very shy person. She's considered a wallflower. I don't know what a wallflower is, but she has been she owns up to the fact she w is a wallflower. Nobody wants her because she's not very much out there, is very well known, and Violet Bridgerton feels bad for her while her real mother does not. I find that very hilarious in the series. Because her mom is really out there and Penelope is really not out there. We do not know much about the Featherington daughter's father. He is dead by the point of the book series, if I understand correctly. Yes. And or he's not in the picture. One of the above. We don't know what happened to Mr. Featington. And so we don't know if Penelope is more like her father and not her mother. But we can tell that Violet really cares about Penelope and her well-being. Who is Whistledown? If you have read the first three books of the series by the point if you hit Penelope's love story, you will definitely, definitely be very much aware of Whistledown. She is the one who writes about all the gossip that is happening at the balls, in social gatherings, of the social elite. She writes about it. After every event, she writes about it. And people are always wondering who is who is Lady Whistledown, by the way. And I find Lady Whistledown to be very quite interesting, by the way. She's a very interesting soul. And no one and it why this gets bringed up, by the way, is Lady Danbury is wanting to know who is Lady Whistledown? Well, we do find out, and it's a very messy process, that led to Lady Whistledown being figured out, which is Penelope. And she almost puts her her almost marriage on the wrist because of being Lady Whistledown. Colin actually almost does not marry her because she is Lady Whistledown. But he still marries her. If she quits, and she does quit. And someone else tries to claim, I'm not gonna tell who tries to claim to be Lady Whistledown, by the way. And boy, that was really, really messy. That is what made this story so good. I've talked about how Penelope was treated by her family. There oh, this is a good one. I forgot I wrote this down. Who tries to steal Penelope's money? I'm not gonna give that detail white. You have to read the book, but Penelope has made a ton of money off being Lady Whistledown. Her and Colin could live comfortably for a while since Colin is the third Bridgerton and not a Viscount because Penelope had saved her money up, waiting on marriage as a backbone in case something happened to whoever she married, or if she needed to leave a toxic situation, that kind of that kind of ordeal. I don't know how she hid it, it was quite interesting. I don't remember writing this, but okay. How did Lady Whistledown come to be? That is a great question, and I've answered this as Lady Whistledown started when Penelope came out to society and she was kind of wanting to share her thoughts, but she wanted to hide herself. And she didn't mind writing about herself in negative ways, by the way. She at least owned up of if I talk bad about myself, at least it's coming out of someone else's mouth and not mine. I uh I will say I did enjoy Penelope and Colin's love story. It almost felt like it was kind of going down over four books over just this one, because Penelope was always pining for Colin through the beginning of the series to now, even though it really wasn't talked about, but you knew that Penelope had her choice of who she wanted, she tried almost saying someone else, or maybe I don't think that was really talked about in the book. That might have just been a TV show thing. No, that was a TV show thing just to bring drama. But yeah, things from books to T to the media. And I'm gonna move on from Colin and Penelope's love story to Eloise and her lovers story. And let's just say that one was quite interesting because you're left off on a kind of cliff note at the end of Penelope and Colin's love story about what happened to Eloise and why did she run away, right as Penelope announces that she is Lady Whistledown, because all of the Bridgerton ladies were supposed to be protecting Penelope from a certain somebody, by the way, that was blackmailing her. And Eloise step stepped away for for a minute and then disappeared for the rest of the night, and nobody realized that she had stepped away, and then she leads to getting married at the end of Penelope and Colin's book. And that is what leads to this fifth book, which is Penelope's love story. Not Penelope. Why did I just say Penelope? It's Eloise's love story. Eloise and Sir Philip. Philip's love story, which is to serve Philip with love. Which this book is following Eloise's and Philip Crane's love story. And this is not Philip's first marriage, this will be his second marriage, which is very interesting, which is also gonna lead to the sixth book talking about a second marriage, possibly. You'll just have to wait for the March episode to find this all out is all I'm gonna leave it at for that part without not spoiling talking about that book until the March episode recording. So yes. Which love story, and I just said that. But this is the most darkest prologue that I read so far is the best way I could describe. Yeah, I could describe. Or maybe I was my brain was so busy I didn't have a moment to breathe and take a moment to read. But because it talks about Philip's first marriage in the prologue. And why and why is the big issue being discussed in the prologue? Well, you'll figure that out through the whole book. Is that Philip has married one of the Bridgerton cousins, Marina, which it sounded like it was not a ideal marriage, apparently, because Marina really wasn't in love with Philip, and Philip was trying to make it last because divorce was not a thing back in the day. The only way that a marriage ended is if someone died. Yeah. And we find out that Marina has been struggling with some mental health issues, as you would call it, back in that day. She was very how did they word it? I can't remember. But she was probably bipolar, is what my guess is. She probably had the postpartum depression from having twins, by the way. Yes. Her and Philip had a swe set of twins, a boy and a girl, Oliver and Amanda. You'll I I'm gonna say the twins' names because they will be very prevalent when I'm talking about this book. Because they are troublemakers. And she never re recovered from the twins' birth. Her and Philip had a very rough time after the twins' birth. He really didn't sp spend as much time as he was wanting after Marina had the twins. He didn't want to hurt her, which is very sad, uh, which breaks my heart, by the way. Very much so. And yeah, sh her heart was very broken, he didn't want to hurt her anymore. And Philip is a botanist. A botanist, which is a very fun job to have as someone of his status, and he was working, he told the person or nanny of the kids, hey, let's make sure the kids get outside today, because it was such a pretty day in that part of the country he was living in. And and they were going to do that, and he was going to find the kids, and he later found that Marina had come outside to enjoy the weather when really she tried to kill herself. And that was what they were trying to address was how did Marina die? She tried to drown herself. And Philip saves her, she ends up getting very sick, which led to her dying. They just played off of she was very sick, and that's why how she died when really she tried to kill herself, and yeah. Which is very, very sad. Where does Philip Crane live? It's not in London, it's in the country. I'm not gonna butcher the name because I feel like there's gonna be people that are gonna come at me, so I'm not gonna say it, but it's a very par a pretty part of England. I have talked about what Philip does in his free time. I did talk about the trauma Phil the trauma that Philip has in why he's very protective of his children, even though they are not the most well-behaved children, because after Marina died, he kind of ignored his children until Eloise came around. Which I find very interesting because a lot of people could not stay with these children because of their behavior. And El Eloise was able to help with that. The trauma he has is letting the children go into any bodies of water because he's afraid of losing them as he lost Marina, which that's totally understandable. If you've lost someone in a certain way, you don't want to lose anybody else you love. And I understand why he's so protective of that. I I find this very interesting. Since Lady Whistledown ended in the fourth book, and this was gonna be an eight-book series, you had to find a way to keep a little bit of something like Lady Whistledown at the beginning of each chapter, was they decided to use Eloise's letters that she had written to people over the years because her and Penelope were about the same age. Is the best way I can say this? Yes, the best way. And so they later were like, okay, how are we gonna do this? It's all letters to either Philip or family members at the beginning of each chapter of how it was gonna tie into the chapter, or it was just random, just one of those kind of funsy parts of letters, which you'll also see in a in the sixth book, sixth book, which I'll talk about that too, which I find interesting. But Eloise is able to tame Philip's children, and the children grow to love Eloise and how she can handle the children, and she also teaches Philip how to be a good father, because Philip didn't know how to be a good father because he was so worried about Marina that Eloise helped him to become a good father and to help his children, because his children were not in a good situation, by the way. You'll learn that in the book. I don't want to go into detail on that, but you will have to read about it to find that out. Oh, this was another good thing I'm gonna bring up is why is the second epilogue written in a different in a different perspective? I'm bringing this up because most of the second epilogues are mainly focused on the couple in the first four books. I don't know if it's gonna be the same way in the sixth book, we'll just have to wait and see. Which I also find very, very interesting is why was the second epilogue written in Amanda's perspective? Because when it was it was written in Amanda's perspective, because it was the season Amanda came out for dating or courting. I don't know what to call it, but it was how Amanda found her lover or husband, which is very interesting because we finally got to learn how did Amanda and Oliver grow up after their father married Eloise and how was family life growing up since his father since their father remarried. And it apparently was a good one because Amanda turned out to be a very lovely young lady. She was a very nice salt, and she was trying to figure out how am I gonna find somebody, and she did. She was iffy about the person, she's a very outdoorsy lady, but she was able to find somebody from a family they didn't much care for, but they had a cousin who turned out fine. It's the best way I can describe it. I hope you have enjoyed this episode. This is my second month talking about some books that I have read. I will hopefully have more books than this month because hopefully life has slowed down for me. Hopefully, I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see. But I hope you have enjoyed this episode. Bye.