February felt like a slow reading month for me, but the numbers show otherwise. I got sick near the end of the month, and that boosted the total books I was able to read. Also, it appears that last month the books I tackled weren't particularly difficult, and only a few were literary, which also contributed to the relatively high number.
1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This is only the second e-book I've ever read. This was my favorite book as a child and at one point in my life I could recite entire long passages of it. Alas, no more.
2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Probably my favorite book I read last month. Review here.
3. The Lifespan of a Fact by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal. One of the more interesting books I've read in ages. Not a book to be read straight through, despite its slimness. Review here.
4. Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. Review is forthcoming.
5. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. Review here.
6. Juliet by Anne Fortier. One of two audio books I managed to "read" this month. Review here.
7. Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani. A middle-grade book. Review here.
8. All Woman and Springtime by Brandon W. Jones. I probably won't review this one.
9. Home by Toni Morrison. Not sure why this book was so short, but it felt practically incomplete. That woman can write, but she didn't write enough of it this time around. Far be it from me to post a bad review of Toni Morrison, which is why you won't see one here. :)
10. The Lion is In by Delia Ephron. This book was pure fluff, but it was fun. Review here.
11. Say Nice Things About Detroit by Scott Lasser. Not sure I'll review this one, either. But Steve Carrell has bought the movie rights and plans to produce/star/direct or whatnot. Which means I kept seeing him as the main character as I was reading, which is too bad. Not that I don't adore Steve Carrell, but it's just so limiting for the imagination that way.
12. The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan. Definitely the biggest disappointment this month! Review here.
13. An Uncommon Education by Elizabeth Percer. Review forthcoming.
14. The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller. Review here.
15. Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LeFevers. This was the first in a planned YA trilogy. If you love historical fiction and fantasy and a little romance, give it a twirl. I love the tagline, Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf? But I don't think I will be reviewing it.
16. Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green. The other audio book. Review here.
1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This is only the second e-book I've ever read. This was my favorite book as a child and at one point in my life I could recite entire long passages of it. Alas, no more.
2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Probably my favorite book I read last month. Review here.
3. The Lifespan of a Fact by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal. One of the more interesting books I've read in ages. Not a book to be read straight through, despite its slimness. Review here.
5. The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. Review here.
6. Juliet by Anne Fortier. One of two audio books I managed to "read" this month. Review here.
7. Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani. A middle-grade book. Review here.
8. All Woman and Springtime by Brandon W. Jones. I probably won't review this one.
9. Home by Toni Morrison. Not sure why this book was so short, but it felt practically incomplete. That woman can write, but she didn't write enough of it this time around. Far be it from me to post a bad review of Toni Morrison, which is why you won't see one here. :)
10. The Lion is In by Delia Ephron. This book was pure fluff, but it was fun. Review here.
12. The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan. Definitely the biggest disappointment this month! Review here.
13. An Uncommon Education by Elizabeth Percer. Review forthcoming.
14. The Year of the Gadfly by Jennifer Miller. Review here.
15. Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LeFevers. This was the first in a planned YA trilogy. If you love historical fiction and fantasy and a little romance, give it a twirl. I love the tagline, Why be the sheep when you can be the wolf? But I don't think I will be reviewing it.
16. Another Piece of My Heart by Jane Green. The other audio book. Review here.
I'm reading The Fault in Our Stars now! Thus far, it is awesome. But I'm vaguely trying not to get attached to the characters, for fear of future sadness. I am expecting to fail at this.
ReplyDeleteHave you cried yet? Have you laughed yet? Have you cried yet? 'Cause I was mostly doing both of those throughout my reading.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm definitely jealous of your reading this month. The Fault in Our Stars is now on my TBR list, and I can't wait to pick up a copy.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I just received a copy of The Red Book for review, but I'm a lot more hesitant to start it up after reading your thoughts even though I've adjusted my expectations down some.
That is definitely a productive reading month! I'm studying Alice with my class at the moment, they love how weird it is.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you read a ton of great books this month. I still haven't read The Fault in Our Stars, and have skipped all reviews so far just be on the safe side. I have a feeling it's going to be heart-breaking. :)
ReplyDeleteSo much good stuff here! I cannot wait to graduate so I can read. Less than a year, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it, I can do it. Breathe in, breathe out.
ReplyDeleteYour reviews mean that my local library will be very busy locating copies for me....
ReplyDeleteSorry you were ill but what a blissful excuse to just keep on reading. I'm going to start The Fault is in Our Stars soon, it sounds soooo good. I wish I hadn't read what you said about Say Nice Things About Detroit! If it's going to become a film I'm morally bound to read it LOL, and now I'll be seeing Steve Carell on every page too. The last time that happened to me was picturing George Clooney while reading The Descendents ... not too shabby.
ReplyDeleteBEAUTIFUL RUINS draws you in from the first page, combining disparate worlds--1960s Italy, modern day Hollywood and London, the Europe of WWII, even 1840s California--and characters into a can't-put-it-down page turner that culminates in a satisfying, and far from stereotypical, ending I couldn't wait to get to ... And wasn't disappointed when I did. A rarity with sweeping epics that dole out bits and pieces of the story to keep you guessing.
ReplyDeleteFast-paced and frothy enough (lots of sex and drama) to be a beach book, it's smartly written, exquisitely detailed and will stick with you far longer than a typical potboiler. Jess Walter has woven a web of intriguing characters, richly realized, fully flawed and altogether believable. You even find yourself rooting for the rotters. I found it to be almost a lite version of a Wally Lamb epic with some of the same structure, spot-on characterizations and wide-ranging (in time and subject matter), yet intricately connected, story lines.
thanks for the review of Beautiful Ruins, Canada.
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