Another month of good books. In February I read 11 books and 8 of them were above average. I read mysteries, historical fiction, a short story, family drama and literary fiction. I try to get a non-fiction in each month, but didn't this time.
My favorite was "These Silent Woods". A close second was "The House We Grew Up In". When you read my reviews you will see that these books are not alike at all, but they each were well written stories that will stay with me. My other 5 star book was "Finlay Donovan is Killing It". A lighter read that kept me entertained.
My February read for my 12 Books in 12 Months challenge was "Uprising". It was recommended by Kaci and was a good one. I wouldn't have even known about it if it weren't for her and I'm glad it was. Two other books I heard about on the Currently Reading Podcast - "These Silent Woods" and "One Two Three". Two other good recommendations.
Here's my reviews for February. I'm looking forward to what March will bring.
Kimi Cunningham Grant
Cooper and his young daughter, Finch, are living in an isolated cabin in the Appalachian woods. There's no electricity, no running water, no connection to the outside world. They do have a neighbor in the distance, Scotland, and a friend in the "outside" world, Jake. Jake brings them supplies once a year.
Cooper and Finch have lived in the cabin for 8 years. It seems to be the perfect place for Cooper to hide from his past. Finch has no memory of life before the cabin and enjoys the books and the freedom of roaming outdoors. All is well until one year Jake doesn't show up with the supplies. Add to that other events that make it apparent that they are not as isolated or as alone as Cooper thought. Cooper has to decide whether to keep hiding or face his past.
There is so much I liked about this book. Ms Grant slowly reveals bits and pieces of Coopers past. She does it with perfect timing - bringing you along to get to know him in the present and then giving background. The love you see that he has for Finch is not overdone. We get glimpses into his mind - his worries, his love, his desire to protect her and also to make sure in the long run she gets what she needs.
Finch is an independent girl and at times I pictured her character as being closer to 11 than 8. But it also made sense in that she had been living in isolation surrounded by nature, having to learn how to survive without modern conveniences and with a lot of literary books. She is also an open girl to others and is quick to develop relationships when given the chance. I liked the special bond between her and Scotland. Scotland was a character I liked from the beginning, even if he was a little hard to read.
The writing was perfect to set the atmosphere of the woods and the isolation. The characters are so well developed. I could picture each one as I read and saw things in each that made me reflect. I could feel the emotions of the characters. I became invested in the people and their story. It will all stay with me for a while. One warning though - the ending will twist your heart and there may be a tear or two.
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Brendan Slocumb
Ray McMillian is a black classical violin player who has been accepted to compete in the international Tchaikovsky Competition. Shortly before the competition, his heirloom Stradivarius is stolen. Ray loves playing that violin and can't imagine playing any other violin in the competition. While having to continue to prepare, he also is trying to find his violin.
Ray is use to being the underdog. As a young man, only his grandmother and his aunt encouraged his talent. In fact, the violin came from his grandmother. It had been given to her grandfather when he became a freed slave by his master. When Ray got it, it was in disrepair and nobody knew it's worth. Once the value was determined years later, not only did Ray's family lay claim to it, so did the descendants of the man who had owned the great-grandfather. All of this is surrounded by the prejudices and racism that Ray faces often.
This story is more of a narrative of the world of classical musicians and less of a mystery. In fact, I , who usually takes most of a book to figure out the culprit, knew quite early who dun it. It was interesting reading about the life of a classical musician and the obstacles of a person of color to succeed in that world. The backstory of the violin, the family drama and the claims of others all melded together.
The issues I had with this book are mainly 2 things. The book started out slow. I kept wanting to get into the meat of the plot. The second which goes to me living in Baton Rouge, has to do with a chapter titled "Baton Rouge". In this chapter, Ray is stopped by a LEO and treated badly. That part I realize could be true. My problem was with some of the details. First Ray is suppose to be 20 minutes from LSU driving from Charlotte, NC and on a lonely deserted road. It would be hard to find a road like that 20 minutes from LSU. Most people would be on the interstate and closer to the college than I live. Second, was the officer told Ray that the only place he was going to be staying that night was the "county lock-up." We have parishes in Louisiana, no counties. I can't imagine any officer using that term. When Ray gets out, it's stated in stayed in West Baton Rouge Parish, so I would assume the author knew that fact. There are a few other minor things in the chapter that didn't make sense to me. To those unfamiliar with Baton Rouge though, I'm sure none of this would matter.
Once I got into the meat of the story, it kept my interest. I also discovered that Mr. Slocumb had made a Playlist on Spotify to go along with the book. I was able to listen to the playlist while reading most of the book and it made for a great experience. I had seen a lot of hype about this book and I was excited that I was able to get it from the library so soon after it came out.
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Joshilyn Jackson
Shandi Pierce was seventeen when she got pregnant. When her son, Natty, was born she fell madly and completely in love with him. The only problem was she was basically a child too. She lived with her mother and was dependent on her in many ways. She is not only dependent on her mother, but her dad pays her bills and her best friend, Walcott is always there to help her out too. Natty is no ordinary kid, a type of savant. When this is noticed by a stranger who becomes obsessive, Shandi kicks into protective mode and becomes a true parent for the first time.
This short story is especially good if you've read "Someone Else's Love Story" as it is a prequel of sorts to it. I haven't researched but it felt like Ms Jackson wrote this short story and then decided that Shandi, Natty and Walcott needed more told about them. If you haven't read "Someone Else's Love Story", I suggest you read this one first.
With the reading of this one, I have read all of Ms Jackson's published books. She is a "must read" author of mine. I appreciate her stories and while they are all similar in that they deal with family situations, they are all different in plot. She seems to strike a good balance of character development and plot that just makes it always enjoyable to read her works.
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Lisa Jewell
The Bird family live in a charming house in the Cotswolds village. The family consist of 2 girls, Meg and Beth and 2 twin boys, Rory and Rhys. Their father, Colin, is a sweet man and a good father. Their mom, Lorelei, is a hippie type woman who makes everything sparkle in the kids lives. She is a "collector" - i.e. hoarder. Easter is a special holiday to Lorelei who always looks forward to directing the egg hunt and having neighbors over for a meal. All is grand until something horrible happens one Easter that begins to tear the family apart. Years pass and the family has grown so far apart that it seems they weren't ever a family. But when Lorelei dies, they are all called back to the house they grew up in and they begin to see it with different eyes.
I don't know if it was a matter of I was ready for this type book or if it is as good as it seemed. I enjoyed reading this book about an extremely dysfunctional family. I actually liked each member in all of their messiness. Ms Jewell doesn't just give us flawed characters, she gives backstory and helps the reader understand which makes a huge difference in whether they are likable or not.
The story is ultimately about acceptance , forgiveness, and family. It includes mental illness, addiction, love, secrets, hoarding, and deception. The format and the way the story is told was perfect.
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Margaret Peterson Haddix
The story of the Triangle factory fire told through the eyes of three protagonists, Yetta, Bella and Jane. Yetta and Bella are immigrants from different countries while Jane is a wealthy New Yorker who sees their plight and strives to help. Yetta becomes deeply involved in the strikes for better working conditions prior to the fire. While concessions were made in theory, nothing was really ever done to improve the conditions. Bella and Jane support Yetta in her crusade, but they never become as involved as Yetta. They are all three frustrated by the lack of progress and are trying in different ways to accomplish their goal. The day the fire starts Yetta and Bella are there as workers and Jane is visiting. They are each faced with the challenge of how to survive.
I was made aware of the Triangle factory fire when I read "A Fall of Marigolds" with my book club in 2020. In the back of my mind, I think I must of heard about it in some History or Economics class at some time, but I don't remember. I was glad to get another look into the time and the event. While the story ends in tragedy, I enjoyed getting to know the three young women. Yetta is a strong female character. She holds strong to her beliefs and is willing to fight for what is fair and just. Bella is the naive girl in a new country. Her eyes are opened to reality and she matures to a young woman who treasures friendship. Jane is the young socialite who over time becomes aware of the plight of the workers. She has a sense of needing to do more than just support with words and money. There's no real surprises in the book. You know going in what the plot of the story is and for the most part, the resolution. However the book is written in a way that kept me engaged.
This was the February book for my "12 Books in 12 Months Challenge". Thanks to Kaci for recommending this one.
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Marisa de los Santos
A story about a horrific tragedy and the effect it had on 4 high school friends. Ginny Beale is an 18 year old that is irreverent and funny. She is surrounded by 3 friends that seem like an unlikely group. Gray Madsen is the starting quarterback, Kristen who is a faithful friend to them all and C.J. the nerd of the group. Their friendship had endured a lot until the night that the school caught on fire while the championship football game was being played. That was the night that Gray's father who was a firefighter was killed. Ginny has a secret from that night and distances herself from her friends which results in years of them not being in contact.
Fast forward a couple of decades and Ginny is facing a crises in her personal life when her husband becomes embroiled in a scandal. Ginny and their daughter, Avery, are having to deal with it each in their own way. The crises brings thoughts of how Ginny handled the crises in High School to the forefront and Avery helps her to summon the courage to face it head on.
This was the 4th book written by Ms de los Santos that I have read. All of the ones I've read have a tug at the heartstrings feel to them. They involve family and some kind of drama. With that type book, it sometimes feels a little shallow to me although the topic may be a little deeper. The reasons the friends from High School didn't stick together seemed a little sophmorish, but at the same time, they were High School students at the time so it would fit.
The book has a soap opera feel to it and just didn't hit the right notes for me. Not a bad book, but not a wow book either.
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Paula Hawkins
A single mom ends up at the bottom of the river that runs through town. She is not the first. There was a teenage girl that had the same fate earlier in the summer. And she was just one in a string of women who found themselves with the same ending over time. The single mom leaves behind a teenage daughter who is not only now without her mother, but she is also without her best friend who was the teenager that had drown previously. The daughter left behind is now in the custody of her aunt, a woman who has had very limited contact with her sister for several years. It is left up to the police, the daughter and the aunt to try to determine if there was a murder or a suicide. And that is not an easy task when the town is filled with secrets and strange behaving people.
I went into this book expecting a little suspense and a book that would engage me in trying to solve the mystery. It was a disappointment on both counts. I never felt the suspense - even in scenes that should have been suspenseful. As far as the mystery, I pretty much had it figured out about halfway through. And if you know me, then you know that's an early solution for me.
On top of those two facts, I never connected with any of the characters. Most of them were not very likable and there were many of them. In fact, the number of characters was a drawback in that of course there was bouncing around between the narrative. There were some that I would have liked to have been more fully developed. Overall it just fell flat.
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Lionel Shriver
When Kate's dad passes away with Alzheimer, Kate can't mourn. In fact she feels a little relieved that the years of abuse while caring for her dad are over. Kate's husband Cyril, who is a medical professional, has seen too many patients suffer the same way. His solution - when Kate and he turn 80, they will participate in a suicide pact. This pact is made while they are in their 50's and healthy and seems like a reasonable and logical thing to do to them both. This will spare them a tragic decline and after all, 80 is the optimal age for it. After that things seem to progress quickly resulting in higher cost to the medical welfare system plus it takes up a bed that younger patients with better prognosis could use.
When 80 approaches though, the question becomes what will Kate and Cyril do stay or go? The rest of the book gives the reader different answers. Each chapter has a different scenario as to whether or not the pact is kept and the resulting consequences.
I like the concept of this book. To take a premise and then write a different ending in each chapter was a fun thing. To me it was like a collection of short stories. I enjoyed the first half of the book. The outcomes seemed believable and funny at times. As the book went on though I found some of the later scenarios to just get to be too much of a stretch for me.
I liked Cyril and Kate's relationship. Ms Shriver had a great way of contrasting their personalities yet showing how they fit together. I got a good feel for them and their children. Even though each chapter started with the same premise, it never seemed repetitive or boring. Just a well written story.
I do like Ms Shriver's writing. She had several lines that stood out to me. For example, this one, "That kiss sent a tingling shimmer through the entirety of their lives together, as if their marriage were a crash cymbal whose rim she'd just hit deftly with a felt mallet." Another one was "Our destiny isn't wholly in our hands. I realize you don't like that about the world, but there's an upside: our destiny isn't wholly our responsibility, either. Or, if we end badly, our fault."
This book started out a solid 4 star, but parts were 2 star for me, so
⭐⭐⭐
Christina Baker Kline
Set in nineteenth century Britain and Australia, this story focuses on the hardships faced by women. Evangeline grew up the sheltered daughter of a pastor. She is now a governess for a high society family. She is sent to the infamous Newgate prison when it is discovered she is expecting the child of her employer's son. While on the way, she makes friends with Hazel, a young girl whose mother used her to steal as a means of support. She is on the way to Newgate as a result of stealing a silver spoon. They develop a close relationship while on the ship with each helping each other.
The third woman, Mathinna, isan orphaned Aboriginal who was forced to leave her people and be a sort of experiment for the Franklin family. Mrs. Franklin has a goal of civilizing Mathinna and she treats as more of a pet than as a child.
This novel recreates the beginnings of a new society in all it's challenges. Especially to the women.
This is a well written historical fiction account of a time that is not covered that much. It was heartbreaking to think of how these women were treated. No representation and basically railroaded at trials. It touched on society and how large of a gap there was between those who had and those who didn't. The first part of the book is used setting the base as it should. Yet I found that part to drag a little. The story picked up and for most of the book moved along and I was totally engaged.
I don't want to give anything away, but I did feel let down by one of the characters basic disappearance from the story. I felt as if I had invested time in them and I wanted to know more about what had happened. I don't know if that was an editing decision or on purpose due to limited historical information. The book is 370 pages so if that story had been told it would have put it much closer to 400. Which I think often times is a no go for editors. Whatever the reason, I wanted a little more.
This was my Book Club pick for the month. We had a good discussion about it. This was my first meeting in 3 months due to travel. It was so nice to be back and to visit, eat and hear the views of others.
If you don't belong to a book club and enjoy reading, I encourage you to join one. I drug my feet for a few years because I didn't want anyone to tell me what to read. But it's one book a month, and honestly most book clubs are forgiving if you don't get it finished. There are always insights I didn't have and it's been great to explore some genres and books that otherwise I wouldn't have picked up.
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Laurie Frankel
In the tiny town of Bourne, the Mitchell triplets are beloved. Mirabel, the youngest and so 3, is the smartest person anyone knows, even though she can't speak and does not have full use of her limbs. Monday is the middle one, 2, and she is the unofficial town librarian. Since the library closed, she has the books at their house, she is the one that can find any book you need - even if you didn't know you needed it. Mab, aka 1, is the oldest triplet. She is the one that makes good grades, is working to get into college and out of Bourne.
Seventeen years ago, Bourne made national news when it's water turned green. The chemical plant that had caused it shut down and with it the jobs disappeared. Over time, birth defects increased, people contracted cancer and other diseases and the town basically stayed where it was as far as population and growth. Now the buzz in the town is new people are moving in! These new people though open up the past and the Mitchell sisters work together to try to solve the mystery of both the past and the future.
The triplets are the star of this book. They are each alike while being so different. Each personality enhances the other sisters. It is a story of love - of family and community. It is also a story of heartbreak, hard choices and bad choices. I liked the way they worked together to solve the problem. I also liked how emotions sometimes ruled their choices. That's real life, and probably even more so with teenagers.
The environmental issue is the main plot of the book. Ms Frankel laid it all out as a "this is what happened/is happening" way and did not become preachy or hit the reader in the face with it. She lets the reader reach conclusions. She also showed how conflicted those who were affected by it were, especially when it came to the future. I appreciate an author who trusts their readers in such a way.
Well written and a good balance of characters and plot.
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Elle Cosimano
Finlay Donovan is a stressed out mother of two and a struggling author who is in debt to her ex-husband with whom she is about to be in a custody battle. On top of all this, her husband has fired her nanny without telling her, her daughter cut her hair and insisted Finlay fix it, and Finlay has a meeting with her literary agent about the book that is way overdue. In other words, her life is tumbling into chaos. While Finlay is discussing the plot of her suspense novel with her agent, a fellow diner overhears and mistakes Finlay for a contract killer. The woman offers to hire Finlay to kill her husband. While Finlay does not set out to fulfill the contract, she inadvertently finds herself in the middle of a crime. The ex-nanny, Vero, shows up just in time to help Finlay and agrees to come back as nanny and partner in crime. Crime in real life proves to be a little different than fictional crime, but Finlay is up for the challenge.
This is such a fun book! The dark comedy had me laughing out loud at times. Finlay goes down roads and makes choices that seem eye rolling, but it is written in such a way that it makes sense. The overstressed single mom, overstressed author, and over extended financially woman all work together to set up the perfect storm. Vero is the perfect accomplice through it all and she adds a spark to the story. The writing is the perfect pace for this story. It was a fun, lighter read that I was ready for.
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Happy Reading!!
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