The Best Books You Need to Read This February

This month, read a novel about a wild American Dynasty, a heartfelt story of how our families can shape us, a literary fantasy epic, a guidebook to modern philanthropy, and—just in time for Valentine's Day—what might be the most romantic story of all time.
American Pop: A Novel
amazon.com
Charting the rise and fall of prominent American families is practically a national pastime. Indulge in this novel about the wealthy, headline-making Forster family, the founders of a soda company that rivals Pepsi and Coke. Yet their fortune is not always assured—illness, financial struggle, and wartime trauma threaten to upend the family, and their cash cow. Like the drink that made them famous, the Forsters find that everything can go flat in an instant.
The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation
amazon.com
Even though Jodie Patterson—a mother of five—was a respected social activist who had worked on a number of gender-rights campaigns, she was not prepared for the experience of raising her transgender son. But this is less a story about her son’s individual journey than a broad examination of race, gender, and identity in our country. Patterson’s memoir is a personal portrait of diverse families, and a case for compassion.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf (The Dark Star Trilogy)
amazon.com
The latest from the Man Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History of Seven Killings, this fantasy epic—the first in a trilogy known as "Dark Star"—follows a hunter who joins a search party dedicated to finding a missing boy. On his journey through a fantastical world that's already drawn more than a few comparisons to that of The Hobbit, the mystery grows and changes, and what's found might not always be what one thought he was looking for.
Giving: Purpose Is the New Currency
amazon.com
The founder and CEO of the Epic Foundation
Pride and Prejudice
amazon.com
Is the unlikely story of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet the most romantic of all time? It certainly makes us swoon. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, revisit Jane Austen’s beloved novel and remember why you fell in love with it in the first place—was it the English countryside setting, the dancing, or the fiery banter between them? Or maybe it’s lines like this: “In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
This story originally appeared on Townandcountrymag.com.
* Minor edits have been made by the Townandcountry.ph editors.