I am quite impressed with myself, I must say. I read another eight books in February. It feels like I just had to get my act together and voilà, reading is part of my everyday life again. If I had known that it would be that easy, I would have tried it months ago. Ha. Without further ado, here are my February books:
The Sun is also a Star by Nicola Yoon (★★★★☆) – I really really enjoyed this book. At first I thought I wouldn’t be a fan of the alternating chapters of multiple narrators but I ended up liking how Yoon weaved the different viewpoints together into this beautiful and hopeful story. I loved the different layers of the story – immigration, deportation, life choices, love – and the book ended on the perfect note.
I let you go by Clare Mackintosh (★★★★☆) – This was a gripping read. I am usually not much into mystery/crime stories, but this book definitely kept my attention. The story follows two parallel narratives – the hit and run accident of a young boy and the two cops trying to solve the case.
There were a few quite unexpected twist and turns in the story and the resolution left me a little speechless.
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (★★★★☆) – The notion that someone was put into a mental hospital for 18 months because of (an initial diagnosis) of depression is unfathomable today. This is a fascinating read though. Susan describes her time at a mental hospital and the interaction with others in a straight-forward, no-sugar-coating manner. It’s hard to rate a book that is a memoir, because you can’t really rate somebody’s life story. These have been experiences that have shaped her life and she’s brave to share those unique experiences with us.
The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime by Mark Haddon (★★★☆☆) – This book was kinda meh for me. I know, maybe I was suppose to appreciate it more, because the story was told from the unique perspective of a kid on the autism spectrum and a glimpse into his intrinsic thought processes were supposed to be interesting and enlightening, but I found the narrator style exhausting and long-winded.
When breath becomes air by Paul Kalanithi (★★★★★) – What an amazing memoir. I think I first read about Paul Kalanithi’s fate in a news article written by his wife in the New York Times (this one) and it made me want to read this book. Paul, a neurosurgeon, was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the age of 36 and went from treating the dying to struggling with his own impending death. This books explores his early life and his path to becoming a neurosurgeon and his thoughts on the meaning of life and death from the time of his diagnosis to his death in March 2015. Raw, real, and heart-breaking.
Furiously happy: A funny book about terrible things by Jenny Lawson (★★★☆☆) – I really wanted to like this book. I know most people rave about Jenny and her blog (The bloggess). For me, there were only a couple of chapters in this book that really were meaningful and that were the intro and one or two chapters that really dealt with her mental illness. The other chapters were just random, sometimes bizarre stories strung together almost nonsensically. Were they funny in parts? Sure, but they were also distracting from a much more serious and important message IMHO.
A Heart of Stone by Renate Dorrestein (★★★★☆) – This was one of the books that I randomly picked up at a thrift store a long while ago and which was sitting on my bookshelf. I didn’t even realize it was a translated book from an originally Dutch author until I started reading it. The book tells the heart-wrenching story of Ellen and what happened to her and her family. Ellen buys back the home where her parents operated a news-clipping service when she was a child. Only gradually do the secrets unfold about what happened there, only gradually do we understand what she is struggling with. The seamless weaving together of the past and present, of 12-year old Ellen telling the story and 37-year old Ellen struggling with the tragic fate of her family, is very well done and made me not want to put the book down until I knew all that had happened.
Let’s pretend this never happened: a mostly true memoir by Jenny Lawson (★★★☆☆) – I realize I read Jenny’s second book first. I was hoping to understand her writing a bit more by reading her first book, but it left me with the same impression: a few meaningful paragraphs in between a lot of rambling. Maybe this works for a blog, but for a 300 page book it was just ‘too much’.
Which book did you really like this month?
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
February 27, 2017 at 8:06 amDang girl! You are kicking butt on the reading front! I read “When Breath Becomes Air” in January and I have a hard time believing that anything will top that book! It was so beautifully written. I should have read it in privacy and not on a plane because it’s not fun to ugly cry in public. :P I’ve also read I Let You Go, which was one of my favorite books from last year. The ending was really chilling and it was such a page turner. I have The Sun is Also a Star on my bookshelf as I got that from my Book of the Month club subscription. I read another book by that author in February called “Everything, Everything” and it was really good. I read 7 books in February. My favorites were Trevor Noah’s memoir, Born a Crime, and my advocacy selection, The Faith Club.
san
February 27, 2017 at 7:53 pmThanks for the recommendations, Lisa. You’re doing good on the reading front as well this month :)
Kate
February 27, 2017 at 9:03 amLike I said, I totally agree; I can’t get into Jenny Lawson’s book-writing style at ALL, much as I like her in blog form. Bummer! I’m adding “When Breath Becomes Air” & “Girl, Interrupted” (love the move!) to my to-read lists, & actually, I’m adding “The Curious Incident…” too, even if you didn’t love it, because we’re going to see the stage production of it next month!
san
February 27, 2017 at 7:54 pmI am glad I am not the only one! And I am curious to hear how you like the stage production of “The Curious Incident…”.
Natalye
February 27, 2017 at 12:33 pmWhen I saw you read two Lawson books I was expecting that you would have good reviews and I would “get” her writing, but now I see that you had the same impression as I did… granted I only read the first quarter of Furiously Happy and just couldn’t get through it.
I also really liked Paul Kalanithi’s book, and would gladly have read more of his work if his life hadn’t ended so early. He sounds like he was one of the good ones.
san
February 27, 2017 at 7:54 pmI am relieved that I am not the only person who felt that way about Jenny Lawson’s books. And yes, Paul definitely sounds like one of the good ones… too bad he’s gone!
Hazel @ Hazearella
February 27, 2017 at 3:13 pmI started reading again this month too and I’m surprised how re-obsessed I got with it! Oh how I’ve missed reading!
san
February 27, 2017 at 7:55 pmRe-obsessed is a good word! :) Thanks for stopping by!
Sandra
February 27, 2017 at 4:01 pmYou go girl! That is an impressive list!!
san
February 27, 2017 at 7:55 pmThanks girl!
Eva
February 27, 2017 at 5:52 pmAnother impressive list, San! Good for you! I just read Kalanithi’s book, and I loved it. As a matter of fact, I just finished it today. Now I have to figure out what’s next as I am waiting for books to become available from the library. Maybe I should go back to Modern Lovers, and finally finish it!
san
February 27, 2017 at 7:55 pmThanks Eva. I am glad to hear you enjoyed Kalanithi’s book as well.
Stephany
March 1, 2017 at 10:03 amYep – I felt the same way about Let’s Pretend This Never Happened and am not interested in reading Furiously Happy. Love her blog, not so much her books.
I read so many great books in February. 8 in total, my favorite was The Handmaid’s Tale. Such a scary premise!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
March 1, 2017 at 11:27 pmHey San,
There are three or four books here that will go right to my reading list: I let you go sounds interesting as I just discovered I do like mystery crimes. Also when breath becomes air even though it doesn’t sound like light reading. But then I feel like I should through that in the mix once in a while. And heart of stone sounds also intriguing.
I finally picked up reading again and managed six books in February. Nothing too great but I read.
Happy day to you
Tobia