{ books I read in February }

I'm a huge reader.  I grew up in a household where my mother, sisters, and I would read books as if our very lives depended on it.  We all pretty much could or really would finish a book within a day or two of starting it.

 

For the past few years, I have gotten away from reading. I would maybe read a book or two a year - but with the kids, it made it hard to find that time to read.  However, I realized that for my own personal peace of mind, I needed to start reading again.

 

So I have.

 

 

1.  Writing Jane Austen by Elizabeth Aston

I actually liked this book and will probably read some more titles written by Elizabeth Aston.  The main character, Georgina, is a writer and is asked to complete a manuscript that was started by the famous Jane Austen.  Georgina who has never read Jane Austen nor wrote from the same century as Jane, spends the book figuring it all it.  It's pretty entertaining.  I have never read any Jane Austen either but after this book, I figured I should give her a try.

 

2.  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

I think the only reason I finished this book was because I was so confused and really wanted to know what the heck was going on.  You never find out the name of the person who perspective it is written from, but you gather that a religious movement took over the US and now women have no rights.  Those who are able to reproduce are given those who are in high society and are forced to mate.  It's kind of sickening.  However it came highly recommended on several reading lists but I'm not exactly sure why.

 

3.  The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

I love Nicholas Sparks...except his endings.  They never end the way I would love them to end.  This particular book is about high school sweethearts who ended their relationship after high school.  It took the funeral of a beloved friend to bring them back together to fulfill his final wishes.  Like I said, I love a good love story written by Nicholas Sparks...just not his endings.

 

4.  Where we belong by Emily Giffin

I love this author and I'm currently working on another one of her titles.  The book is written from both the perspective of Marion and the daughter she put up for adoption 18 years ago.  Marion who thought she had it all figured out, had her world crash down when the daughter she gave up for adoption came to find her.  Kirby had been trying to figure out how she fit in the world and finding her birth parents was the only way how.  By the end they both find the place they were meant to be. 

 

5.  Room by Emma Donoghue

I'm not going to lie, I never got past the first chapter of this book.  And it was painful.  It is written from the viewpoint of a 5 year old whose mother is being held in a room against her will.  Maybe it was the storyline that made my skin crawl or the fact that my 5 year old never sounded the way the main character was written to sound like - but I just couldn't bring myself to finish it.

 

I already have a stack that I'm working on for March.  What are you reading?