It’s been (and remains) a very busy year. A lot has fallen by the wayside, especially my blogging. I am currently ensconced in a downtown hotel attempting to catch up. Maybe I will even have time to tell about the year, because I have many thoughts. We’ll see. But at least I’ve kept reading. Here are February’s books.
The Overlook by Michael Connelly
I really enjoy Connelly’s page-turners, no matter the protagonist. This is a Harry Bosch novel, and it kept me guessing to the very end.
Jeremy Poldark by Winston Graham
Jeremy is born in this novel, but otherwise it is not really about him, just a continuation of the Poldark saga which makes me wish I could watch the whole thing over again. It’s always interesting to see what changes are made in a television adaptation but what is really astonishing about these novels is how much of the dialogue is word-for-word the same. It is hard for me to say how much I would like these books if I had not seen the show first. If you have not watched it you are missing out.
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
I knew as soon as I finished this one (which was a Georgetown bookclub read) that it would make my favorites list for the year. I got my in-person book club to read it too, and they almost all loved it as much as I did. It’s a book written for people who know just how important reading is, and it is simply delightful. The two main characters are both discovering the power of reading for the first time, and it leads to their developing a sweet friendship while they use fiction to process their very different traumas. I recommend this very highly.
The UFO Rabbit Hole by Kelly Chase
This was February’s in-person book club read, and it was actually written by the cousin of one of our members! Apparently she has a podcast where she discusses UFOs and she compiled episodes into this very interesting and thought-provoking book which is full of citations to show she is not just making it up. You may or may not find her arguments persuasive, but if you are interested in UFOs and science fiction, you’ll find this fascinating.
Entangling by Kelley Griffin
This was written by a local author who I know personally, and I don’t know why I waited so long to read it. One day she posted on Facebook that the Kindle version was on sale so I bought it, read it almost without stopping (it’s that kind of book!), and enjoyed it. There are two sequels which I plan to read. For me, part of the charm is that it is set locally and it’s always fun to recognize places that are mentioned in books. It’s also refreshing when an author knows how to make folks sound right because she is from here! Also it has romance and suspense, and I did not figure out in advance what was going on.
Three Mothers by Anna Malaika Tubbs
This was an excellent and informative–if sometimes sad–book about the mothers of Martin Luther King Junior, Malcolm, and James Baldwin. The author did an excellent job in filling in the blanks in these overlooked women’s lives. There is a lot of truth in the saying: “The hand hat rocks the cradle rules the world.” Obviously these men would have been shaped by their mothers and to understand the women who raised them is to know a little more about these famous men.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I re-read this old favorite for yet another book club, about which more later. I tried hard to stick to the reading schedule, but I love this book so much that I did get just a little ahead of myself.
And that’s seven, so I met my February reading goal!
