February Reads 2026

Your Heart Belongs to Me, Dean Koontz

A reread for me and another solid thriller from Dean Koontz, though one built on quite a simple idea but told in a more complicated and expert way than many might manage. I like the outcome as much as the one who wants perfect endings may also dislike it. Sometimes the imperfect is perfect. But I also don’t believe in all the sentiments. Sometimes even the best people believe in the wrong people, take things at face value, and ignore warnings. In short, almost anyone can be fooled at some time in their life, especially when at their most vulnerable. When fooled by a bad person, it’s still the bad person who’s to blame. Alas, like many thrillers, it’s hard to explain without giving the story away.

Project Hail Mary (audio), Andy Weir, Read by Ray Porter

I’ve had this a long time and am so sorry I didn’t listen to it sooner. I’m a fan of Weir’s first book, The Martian, although the ending got a more Hollywood treatment than the book allows for and when I eventually watch Hail Mary, I expect more of the same because some of the long sequences will be simply too long for film. I also want to read this in print now because this immediately became one of my favourite books. Weir does the impossible by making the science not only interesting but entertaining. Some may not agree with me, but I loved every second spent listening to this. Loved every explanation, even those I only got the gist of. And I loved the characters, settings, complications, and problem-solving. When your antagonist is in trouble, dump more on him or her, and Andy Weir definitely knows how to do that. It’s also read extremely well. Seriously, this is one of the best books I’ve come across in a long time.

Horror Tales from England, Various, Kevin J. Kennedy

I bought this because it contains a story by Adam Nevill, one of my favourite authors, so no surprise that out of the five stories I thought his was the best, and I know I’ll read it more than once. Maybe more of a vision than a story, but one that persists in the mind. Nevill takes his readers down into the depths; here he brings the depths to the surface. My second favourite was the last by MJ Mars, but I found each story enjoyable. I was surprised to see two instances of ‘gotten’ in a book by English writers, as it’s not classed as a word in England, although I believe there are some regional instances, but it still took me out of the book.