lately with lila february 2026 | a moody month

Hello again, dear friends! I hope all is well for you and if it’s not then I hope brighter days head your way soon! What a month it’s been for me, friends! I didn’t get much reading or posting done because February was a particularly emotional month for me (see the life update section below for all the deets), but I did binge two entire seasons of a new-to-me Netflix series, so there’s that. I also got in some good time with friends and worked on a few arts and crafts projects, all of which helped make the month a bit brighter. But enough of my yapping, let’s get into the wrap up!

here at the haven

As February was quite a chaotic month, I only managed to post my January wrap-up (despite wanting to post more).

over on life in technicolor

I also recapped my 2025 in obsessions over on Life in Technicolor. I know I ended up sharing this post on the last day of February—which is arguably quite late for this type of content—but I wanted to really give my best recommendations.

I received ALC copiess of the audiobooks of The Trident and the Pearl by Sarah K.L. Wilson and The Fox Hunt by Caitlin Breeze about a week before their publication on February 24, so I’m currently trying to read them as fast as I can (without losing out on comprehension and reading/listening experience). So far, I’m really enjoying both! The Trident and the Pearl is an ocean-based romantasy about a queen and a sea god who must work together, and The Fox Hunt is a revenge-fueled dark academia fantasy—so both are right up my alley!

This past month I binged the entirety of Netflix’s The Law According to Lidia Poet Season 1 and Season 2 and fell head over heels for the series! It’s an Italian series, and I watched the dubbed version (I couldn’t find a subbed version, but it might be out there), but it was still so wonderful! If you’re a fan of Kerri Maniscalco’s Stalking Jack The Ripper, then definitely check this show out!! It’s about an Italian woman in during the gilded age who studied to be a lawyer, but her application to the bar association is refused solely because she is a woman—but fear not! She is able to act as a “legal consultant” of sorts under the watchful eye of her older brother, whose family she lives with. The Law According to Lidia Poet is such an endearing watch, plus it’s full of intrigue and the perfect hint of romance as well! I loved it so much and now I can’t wait until the third season releases!

Rating: what i listened to

Friends, I was going through it in regards to my dating life during this past month, so, of course, I needed to create a good old heartbreak playlist to get out all of my emotions. I tried to choose songs that are relatively upbeat while still being about heartbreak (that way I wouldn’t cry my heart out to them too much) and then I arranged them in order to “tell the story” of my fraught romantic adventures (lol). And I gotta say, I think I did a pretty good job! The resultant playlist kept me going through the month, and it’s got some certified jams on it, if I do say so myself!

for readers

• Fanna groused about modern readers who don’t like to read
• The reader at Bookishcore‘s mom discussed her reading journey as a non-reader and also imagined what jobs fantasy characters would have in real life
• Eleanor told us how to create a cozy reading nook in your home (including tips for small spaces)
• Shannen gabbed about reading outside of your comfort zone
• Rebecca explained the difference between a three-star read and a five-star read for her
• Cup of Tea with That Book, Please went over why they won’t be watching Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights adaptation and also went over how to read more classics
• Jillian ranked the audiobook apps she uses
• Lisa wrote about how to read (and enjoy) more classics
• Kat reread some of her old five star reads to see if her ratings could stand the test of time
• To celebrate the lunar new year, Michelle listed 2026 releases by Vietnamese authors
• Meisa shared five books making their screen debut in 2026
• To welcome the year of the horse, Sela spotlighted books involving horses
• For lunar new year, Veronica shared Asian-inspired fantasies releasing in 2026 to buy with your red envelope money
• Ellyn documented her attempt to train herself to read physical books again after being an audiobook listener for over five years
• Ingrid created a starter glossary for common terms used in romantasies
• Line talked about how standalone fantasy novels work so well
• Krysta investigated if Lord of the Rings presents evil as black and white and also explored how the heyday of YA is over and publishers need to admit it
• Kyles highlighted what she looks for in a “book boyfriend”
• Witty and Sarcastic Book Club showed off books with relationships for people who don’t love love
• Rosina shouted out eight books that made her who she is today
• Morgan ranked all of the Anne of Green Gables books
• Elli explored non-fiction (her new favorite genre)
• Delaney recommended books for your Bridgerton slump
• For Black History Month, Literary Gluttony showed off fantasy and speculative fiction by Black authors
• Sophie discussed why not every fantasy needs to be 700 pages to be good
• Anna explained why you should read romance novels and why you should read books about the experiences of the African Diaspora
• Tree recommended more audiobooks that are great to listen to while going for a run
• Lou spotlighted books with unusual love stories
• Jordan highlighted YA books involving winter sports
• Aria listed books that are by Palestinian authors or are set in Palestine
• Journey did the “Glimmers in Books I Love: Autumn-into-Winter Edition” tag
• Francesca compared Goodreads, The Storygraph, and Pagebound

for fun

• Elaine analyzed the analog trend
• Rebecca ranted about the problem with modern medical dramas

I’m gonna be real with y’all: February was mostly a downer of a month. On Valentine’s Day I found out a guy who’d been heavily flirting with me for three and a half years who I was really interested in was just using me to cheat on his girlfriend. It was really crushing, to be honest. I was able to pull myself out of that spiral, though, by having compassion for his girlfriend, talking to my friends, and, of course, listening to modern “classic” Arabic songs about what losers men are, lol! But, if I’m being honest, I’m still a little tender and sensitive, especially in the area of romance, due to that situation. I’m trying to slowly get back to baseline, if not better. The sadness and anger come in waves, but those waves have been getting smaller and smaller since Valentine’s Day. One thing I discovered about myself through this situation and that I’m really grateful for is that I’m not the type of woman who blames the other woman when we’re both being played by the same asshole. It’s him who is the problem (clearly), not her—she’s just as innocent and as much of as a victim as I am.

Anyhoo, after that whole fiasco happened, I was able to spend some time taking care of myself (thank god) and it helped me feel better. I went to a craft club event in DC with my dear friend Rowan, and we both had a great time! She brought crochet supplies and I brought supplies to work on my creative journal insert for my “sisterhood of the traveling journal” project. I worked on a spread that ended up being a letter to myself in five years, and I made lots of new friends. It was really lovely to lean into community and whimsy and joy after having such a low month.

In addition, I sang in the funeral of an elderly woman who was in my choir and who was kind of like a surrogate grandmother to me. It was really bittersweet to participate in, but it was lovely to see so many people who loved her come together to share that love with others. I miss her a lot, but I know she’s smiling down from above, with her trademark mischievous wink, smiling whenever we sing.

I also went to the gym for the first time ever! This year, I decided to take exercise and my health seriously, and the first step for that was joining a gym. I had two sessions with a personal trainer, who walked me through a gym routine I can do to get the kind of results I’d like. At first, I was very self-conscious, but going through a plan with the personal trainer and learning the steps helped me relax. I slowly realized that everyone in the gym is (for the most part) paying attention to themselves and their own journey and routine, so there’s no need to feel so self-conscious.

Finally, the month ended with a literal bang when I ended up fainting at the gym and banged up my face pretty bad on one of the machines. I was taken to the ER, but fortunately, I didn’t have any head trauma and I didn’t need stitches. Seeing as fainting is a symptom of POTS, I think I just pushed myself a bit too hard on that day. I’ve now got a big gash on my head and some scratches on my nose, but I’m alright otherwise, and plan on going back to the gym to try again soon.

How was your February 2026? Did you read anything memorable? Is there anything you’re looking forward to coming up in March? What’s on your TBR for the upcoming month? Also! Got any tips for going to the gym and working out for beginners (clearly I need all the help I can get, hahaha)??

Learn more the author of this post:

Lila @ Hardcover Haven

Lila is a 30 year old anthropology student and lover of literature who's been book blogging for an eternity. Her hobbies include reading, singing, writing, arts and crafts, and snuggling her two cats, Snoopy and Clementine.