Hungry Hungry Wyrm's Book Club: February's Choice

February's Theme: Love, In All Its Forms

⋯ ✦ ⋯

For February’s theme, Love, In All Its Forms, I’ve chosen to read Baking Bad by Kim M. Watt.

I mentioned over on our Facebook page that I’ve been craving a cozy fantasy for a while now. One with warmth, humor, and a sense of community that settles in like a favorite sweater. Nothing I’ve picked up recently has quite scratched that itch, and I’m hoping Baking Bad might finally hit the spot. Between village life, baking, dragons, and strong community ties, it feels like a natural fit for both my reading mood and this month’s theme.

A cozy fantasy, a sense of community, and a place to linger.

Rather than focusing on sweeping romance, this book seems poised to explore love in quieter ways: through loyalty, shared routines, long-standing friendships, and the comfort of belonging. That kind of love feels especially welcome this time of year.

⋯ ✦ ⋯

As I make my way through Baking Bad, these are some of the questions I’ll be ruminating on. If you’re reading along, feel free to ponder them too. And if you’ve chosen a completely different book for February, many of these questions can travel with you just as easily.

Questions to Consider While Reading

• What kinds of love are most present in this story: friendship, loyalty, community, tradition, something else entirely?

• How does the book portray care for others through actions rather than words?

• Did any relationship feel especially comforting or familiar to you? Why?

• How does the village setting shape the relationships in the story?

• In what ways does the Women’s Institute function as a found family?

• What role does shared routine—baking, meetings, gossip—play in creating connection?

• How did the cozy, humorous tone affect your reading experience?

• Did this book feel like an escape, a comfort, or simply a pleasant place to spend time?

• What small, everyday acts of love stood out to you in this story?

• Did reading this book make you crave anything: food, community, or a slower pace?

Sometimes love looks like showing up. Sometimes it smells like bread.

⋯ ✦ ⋯

Still Choosing Your February Read?

If you’re still searching for the right book this month, my best advice is simple: follow the kind of love you’re craving. Don’t let the theme fence you in or make you feel like you have to choose the “perfect” book. Any kind of love counts here—love of a person, a place, an idea, an animal, a craft, or a quiet life.

Any kind of love counts here.

Romantic Love (With Depth)

• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

• Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

Found Family & Chosen Bonds

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

• A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

Family Love, Complicated and Real

• Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

• Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Love Through Loss

• Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

• Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune

• A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

Self-Love, Growth, & Becoming

• Wild by Cheryl Strayed

• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Love for Place, Craft, or the Ordinary

• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

• Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

And if none of those quite call to you, that’s perfectly fine too.

⋯ ✦ ⋯

Questions to Help You Choose

• What kind of love are you craving right now: comfort, connection, passion, healing, laughter?

• Do you want a book that feels like a warm kitchen, a deep conversation, or a spark in the chest?

• Are you in the mood to be soothed, challenged, or quietly surprised?

Theme months are meant for flexibility and exploration.

⋯ ✦ ⋯

I can’t wait to share my thoughts on Baking Bad on 3 March, under the light of the full Worm Moon. It will also be a total lunar eclipse—a true blood moon—which feels like an especially fitting backdrop for a cozy fantasy discussion.

Until then, let us know what you’re reading this month, or what books and themes you’d love to see in future Bookwyrm book clubs. May your February be full of good stories, warm drinks, and the kind of love you need most.

Until next time,

The Wyrm