Book Nook Cafe discussion

Share with us what you read in February.

Please provide:
~ A GoodRead link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

Only two for me this month. I'll post now as I know I will not be finishing another one this month.

The Tenth Song---Naomi Ragen
fiction
Rate: 2/5
I usually like books by this author but this one was the weakest of the bunch. :(

The Imperfect Environmentalist: A Practical Guide to Clearing Your Body, Detoxing Your Home, and Saving the Earth---Sara Gilbert
nonfiction
Rate: 2/5
Too basic. The information is common knowledge for most people. Skim it at the library is my recommendation.

I'm sorry to see that your reads this month were not stellar ones, Alias. I had some ups and downs myself. I'm hoping to finish one last book by tomorrow, so I'll post my full list after that.

I read The Shining for the first time. I loved it, but it sure was creepy. I had to read parts of it during the day so I could sleep at night.
Rate: 4/5

Also, Dark Places. Another creepy book, but definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I binge read it over one weekend.
Rate: 4/5

I started Lost and Fondue for my book club, but couldn't finish. I found out not many of us liked it, though, so we are moving on to a different series this next month.
Rate: 1/5

I read
Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World Ho hum. Too much about shopping lists, little insight into her place with Henry VII or her influence on Henry VIII
On Such a Full Sea A dream come true. A dystopian novel that's written by a prize-winning author. Loved it so much.
The Lowland Not my favorite, though it made many short-lists. The book was very choppy, the story was OK.
The Panopticon Wonderful book that I haven't had a chance to add to my list yet. About a 15-year-old in a placement center where she feels observed 24/7. Gritty, Scottish dialect. Loved it.

In Feb I read Concealed In Death the newest installment of the "IN DEATH" series by JD Robb. I LOVE anything by her. IMO, the 'In Death' books are a little edgier writing than anything written as Nora Roberts, and I like how she keeps the characters relationships developing throughout the whole series so that they don't become stagnant. This was my fave read of the month. 4/5

I also read The Diary Of A Young Girl. I don't know if I can say I enjoyed this book, but I thought it was a very good read and I think it should be required reading in school. I had a hard time knowing what the outcome of this book was going to be. (view spoiler)[I also had a hard time reading what Anne wrote about her parents and her sister. I kept on thinking, what did Mr. Frank feel reading this, what were his regrets if he had any (hide spoiler)]

I tried to read Flowers For Algernon but just couldn't do it. I started reading this right after Anne Frank and it was just too upsetting for me. Again, I think it's a wonderful book and that it should be on the required reading list, but I'm going to have to read this in bits and pieces.

Amy wrote: "I'm sorry to see that your reads this month were not stellar ones, Alias. I had some ups and downs myself. I'm hoping to finish one last book by tomorrow, so I'll post my full list after that."

Thanks, Amy. February is one month I will gladly see leave with my apartment troubles and also the books I read.

Nikki wrote: "I read The Shining for the first time. I loved it, but it sure was creepy. I had to read parts of it during the day so I could sleep at night.
Rate: 4
----------------
I always have to read King during the daylight !

Michele wrote: "I read
Elizabeth of York: A Tudor Queen and Her World Ho hum. Too much about shopping lists, little insight into her place with Henry VII or her influence on Henry VIII
[book:On S..."

Sounds like you had a nice reading month, Michele. Thanks for sharing with the group.

JuliaO. wrote: "In Feb I read Concealed In Death the newest installment of the "IN DEATH" series by JD Robb. I LOVE anything by her. IMO, the 'In Death' books are a little edgier writing than anything written as ..."

Next time I talk to my sister I have to see if she also reads JD Robb. I know she reads everything under the Nora Roberts name.

Thanks for sharing, Julia !

I love anything that Nora Roberts writes, but IMO her titles under JD Robb have a little bit more to sink your teeth into. And the way technology is going these days, I can definitly see where some of the gadgets can actually be brought to life - the series is set in 2060 NYC.

I also saw that you had replied to Nikki's 'The Shining' post and that you have to read King during the day. My first Stephen King was 'salems Lot. I was about 13 years old I think, I was alone in the house and it was night. I went to bed with all the lights on and a butcher knife... I was so scared.

JuliaO. wrote: I was about 13 years old I think, I was alone in the house and it was night. I went to bed with all the lights on and a butcher knife... I was so scared"

LOL The older Stephen King novels scare me something terrible. I try not to read anything that can scare me at night.

What a disappointing month, Alias. Not just reading, of course, but it's a shame even that failed you. At least you removed a couple of books that you wanted to read!

Nikki, had you read other books in Avery Aames's series? The idea of a mystery featuring a cheese shop owner intrigues me. But if you've found other's by her not worth it, I'll forget it.

Julia & Michele, well done on your reading. It's neat to know you are getting books read, liked or not.

My reads for February were very uneven--I either really liked the book or I really didn't. A few gems among the stinkers, though:

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore : 2/5 stars
The flow of the book felt very disconnected--it was like reading several different books awkwardly knitted together into a very loose whole. It read as if the author wasn't quite sure what she wanted to write about, so she threw in everything but the kitchen sink. Also, this book bored the life out of me for the first 200 pages. I kept waiting for something to happen. And then several major things did happen, but none of them were very believable and they all felt rather random. I would have given this just one star if I based the rating entirely on my enjoyment of the book; however, the writing is lyrical and the descriptions and imagery were nicely done.

The Woods by Harlan Coben: 1.5/5 stars
Ugh. This book felt like five different stories all crammed into one, and tied together with ridiculous and far-fetched coincidences and resolutions. (And the names of the characters ...Cingle Shaker?? Flair Hickory?? You've got to be kidding me.) This is my first Harlan Coben book. It will also be my last. I'll stick with Dennis Lehane, thank you.

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman: 4/5 stars
At first, I wasn’t buying into the premise of this book—when Josef, the great-grandfather of the groom, and Lenka, the great-grandmother of the bride, meet at a wedding in 2000 and realize that they are long-lost husband and wife who had been separated during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938. (This is not a spoiler—this scene takes place in the first chapter of the book.) I was rolling my eyes at the amazing coincidence —until I flipped back to the author’s notes at the back and discovered that this book is based on an absolutely true story of this exact situation. The book alternates narrators between Lenka and Josef and each of their experiences during and after WWII: Josef's escape to America, Lenka's time in Terezin (Theresienstadt) Concentration Camp, located outside Prague. It is beautifully written, and I’m still thinking about it weeks later.

Gathering of Waters by Bernice L. McFadden: 2.5/5 stars
This book started off with a strong narrative that sucked me in. However, with the introduction of each new character and time period, the storyline begins to feel choppy and disjointed. Ostensibly, the book is about the murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi in 1955, But Emmett really does not make an appearance until quite late in the book. I kept waiting for that moment when all the elements and characters would be pulled together, but it never happens. The novel ends abruptly and without any sense of fulfillment. However, I gave it 2.5 stars because the writing is lovely in parts, and I think the author has promise.

Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse by James L. Swanson: 3/5 stars
I had some issues with this book. In some places it is rambling and overly detailed--to the point where I felt like skimming passages. There were editing discrepancies too, which really bothered me. Also, I didn't like the fact that the author seemed very judgmental when reporting on people's actions and/or intentions. Immediately after Lincoln's assassination, the author makes comments about certain things that Mary Lincoln "should" have done. When I'm reading a book of nonfiction about history, I want the facts--I don't want the author to tell me what HE thinks SHOULD have happened. And speaking of Mary Lincoln--it is very obvious that the author does not care for her. There are a number of snarky comments made about Mrs. Lincoln. Granted, by all accounts the woman was mentally unbalanced--but she was also a grieving widow whose husband had been murdered while sitting directly by her side. Who are we to criticize her actions or emotions in the hours and days after the assassination, more than 150 years later? (For instance: At one point the author is detailing the costs of Lincoln's funeral and death pageant, and includes a notation about a bill for "1 mourning dress ($60)" for Mary Lincoln. He then adds: "Mary Lincoln, who remained in seclusion, had no public use for the black mourning dress and accessories." Really? You want to begrudge the woman a dress to wear so she could mourn her dead husband in private?) By the end of the book, these types of comments left a bad taste in my mouth. However, I enjoy the way the book is written with the parallel journeys--Lincoln's body traveling home to Illinois, and Jefferson Davis attempting to escape the Union soldiers. And I learned a lot about Davis and the Confederacy after the war that I didn't know.

The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon: 2/5 stars
This book takes place in 1968, a time when people with disabilities were shut away in institutions. On a stormy night, Martha, a retired widowed schoolteacher, hears a knock on her door. Outside are two people who have run away from the local mental institution: Lynnie, a young mentally challenged white girl, and Homan, a deaf African American man—and a newborn baby. The police are chasing the couple and moments before they are captured Lynnie manages to utter two words to Martha, “Hide her.” I thought this book would be better than it was. The characters were simplistic and two-dimensional, and the ending was far-fetched.

Higher Education?: How Colleges Are Wasting Our Money and Failing Our Kids---and What We Can Do About It by Andrew Hacker: 2/5 stars
This book, written by a college professor and his wife (a journalist), makes the case that the American way of higher education has lost sight of its primary mission: the education of young adults. I work in higher education, and I don’t necessarily disagree with this assessment. So I was interested to hear what the authors suggest to overhaul the system. But I found much of this book to be pretentious, unrealistic and rather hypocritical.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or Love, Death, and the SATs by Paula Marantz Cohen: 2/5 stars
Another one of those books that tries to reimagine a Jane Austen novel. This one takes on “Persuasion.” Not well, I might add.

A Well-Tempered Heart by Jan-Philipp Sendker: 4/5 stars
This is the sequel to The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. In this one, it has been 10 years since Julia Win returned from Burma, her father’s native country. Though she is a successful Manhattan lawyer, her private life is at a crossroads. She begins hearing a voice that starts to ask her the very questions she has been trying to avoid: Why do you live alone? To whom do you feel close? What do you want in life? In order to find the answers and satisfy the voice, Julia goes back to Burma and finds that her story is interwoven with that of a Burmese woman named Nu Nu whose world was turned upside down when Burma went to war and called upon her two young sons to be child soldiers. Nicely written and with a storyline that draws you in and keeps you there.

Nice reviews, Amy, even if some of the books didn't appeal to you.

I own a Harlan Coben book. That is if it hasn't gone into the donate box. I can't recall the title but I know I didn't read it yet. I bought it because many seem to be big fans. I also saw him once at a NYC book fair. He seemed like a nice guy.

What was he thinking with those character name? Yikes.

Thanks for the review Amy! I've added a couple to my TBR shelf (at the rate I'm going, I'll have to will my list to someone.....)

Nikki, had you read other books in Avery Aames's series? The idea of a mystery featuring a cheese shop owner intrigues me. But if you've found other's by her not worth it, I'll forget it.."

Madrano, our book club started with the first one in the series, The Long Quiche Goodbye. It was just okay. I can't pinpoint exactly why I don't like them very much. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and they are all pretty superficial. It could be I'm just tired of the Cozy Mystery genre (that's what our book club has been reading). My favorite Cozy Mysteries are by Diane Mott Davidson. I find her characters much more relatable.

LOL The older Stephen King novels scare me something terrible. I try not to read anything that can scare me at night."

Alias, I was so surprised that I got as freaked out as I did. I find as I get older I'm not nearly as sensitive to that as I used to be. I didn't think I would have a problem with it... boy, was I wrong!

I read 13 books this month.

Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin--526 pp.
Non Fiction
Rate: 5/5
Tomalin outdid herself in this biography. Dickens was truly an over achiever, gave opportunities to many struggling, especially for women to leave prostitution and start a new life. He was truly gifted in his writing, especially his unforgettable characters. Unfortunately, in the end, he divorced his wife and left many of his ten children to be on their own, so he could have an affair with a young Nelly Ternan.

The Invisible Woman by Claire Tomalin--384 pp.
Non Fiction
Rate: 4/5
The true story of Dicken's longtime affair with Nelly Ternan, who was 27 years his junior. They met in 1857, she was appearing in the play "The Frozen Deep," whose production Dickens oversaw; he was 45. Later in life, Dickens decided to begin this affair. Somehow he hides it from the public. He was truly a man everyone looked up to, especially in his writing, as well as those less fortunate: children; prostitutes; etc. Dickens convinces his daughters to side with their father in the divorce (their only source of income.) I can't image how difficult it was for his wife, to not only loose her husband but also her daughters, and her home. Only Wilkie Collins knew of this secret affair.

Victor Hugo by Victor Hugo--165 pp.
Non Fiction
Rate: 5/5
For such a small book, John Porter Houston provides an in-depth analysis of Hugo's life, works, career, and his critical importance. I'm a big fan of Hugo and I appreciated that this book covers ALL of his works.

Imagining Characters: Six Conversations About Women Writers: Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, Willa Cather, Iris Murdoch, and Toni Morrison by A.S. Byatt-- 288 pp.
Fiction
Rate: 5/5
In October 1992, both A. B. Byatt and Ignes Sodre were attending the Cheltenham Festival of Literature. Byatt, known as one of Britian's leading novelists/critic and Sodre, a Brazilian psychoanalyst who practiced in England for the thirty years, conversed over their love of literature and and a deep interest in human development. After each spoke, they thought there might be a possibility of a book. And they worked together to create this work of art. They choose six major texts from different periods in history -- from the 19th century with Jane Austen's Mansfield Park to Charlotte Bronte's Villette to George Eliot's Daniel Deronda, to Willa Cather's The Professor's House, to Iris Murdock's An Unofficial Rose, and to Toni Morrison's Beloved, ending with Dreams and Fictions.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark--187 pp.
Fiction
Rate: 5/5
At the Marcia Blaine School for Girls, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the "teacher extraordinaire" Miss Jean Brodie is outspoken in her prime. She is passionate in the application of her unorthodox teaching methods, in her attraction to the married art master, Teddy Lloyd, in her affair with the bachelor music master, Gordon Lowther, and—most important—in her dedication to "her girls," the students she selects to be her crème de la crème. Miss Brodie strives to bring out the best in each one.

Dubliners by James Joyce --316 pp.
Fiction / Audio
Rate: 5/5
I truly enjoyed Joyce's writing, and also their wonderful brogue (especially Frank McCourt's voice as well as others.) Dubliners is a collection of short stories, published in 1907, that focused on the everyday lives of men, women and children in the Irish capital of Dublin during the late Victorian era. Generally unhappy tales, they form a chronicle of lost innocence, eroding faith, missed opportunities, subtle hypocrisies, devastating ironies, and paralysis – always moral and intellectual paralysis. The stories are told in a pared-down language and using a minimal palette of words, images, and emotions; what Joyce described as “a style of scrupulous meanness.” The stories contain no real plot to speak of, little action, and certainly no climax or resolution of a typical sort – aspects which shocked and baffled many of his contemporaries.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker--251 pp.
Epistolary novel
Rate: 5/5
This epistolary novel is set in the 1930s poverty stricken American South. Celie is a beautifully honest, sincere and heartbreaking character, despite what she has to go through in her life.

The Concord Quartet: Alcott, Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau and the Friendship That Freed the American Mind by Samuel A. Schreiner Jr.
Non Fiction
Rate: 2/5
1834 to 1888 in Concord, Massachusetts, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne were successful American writers. Unfortunately Amos Bronson Alcott (father of Louisa May Alcott) was cut from a different cloth. For some he was respected as an educational reformer, speaker and teacher. I found this short book lacking any depth to events in their personal lives.

San Miguel by T.C. Boyle--367 pp.
Historical Fiction
Rate: 4/5
There are three different stories, two of them are connected. Set in 1880, Marantha Waters arrives on San Miguel, a tiny island cut off from the world. Marantha literally gasping for breath as she struggles with tuberculosis. She hopes that the island's "virginal air" will vanquish her disease and placate her restless husband. Unfortunately, the moment she sets foot on its bleak shore, she realizes that she will die here . . .

Stuart Little by E.B. White--131 pp.
Fiction
Rate:5/5
Bought a first edition, had to read it.

Fairy Tales by Jann Einfeld--223 pp.
Fiction
Rate: 5/5
This book is filled with everything you could want to know about the genre of fairy tales; the writers (Perrault, Grimm brothers, Hans Christian Anderson and Frank Stockton). What surprised me was the section on "Influence on Literature -- Charles Dickens and the Fairy Tale as social commentary by Michael Kotzin." "Fairy tales are appropriate for Dickensian satire: they traditionally take the side of the underdog against authority. And the Victorian view of them made them appropriate for other Dickensian purposes as well, in speeches, articles, and fiction. The same kind of valuable imagination entertainment that Dickens thought fairy tales themselves could be provided by novels which used fair tales. Like fairy tales, such novels could provide the moral improvement which comes when a man's heart is touched."

Nadja by André Breton--160 pp.
Non Fiction
Rate: 3/5
One of the iconic works of the French surrealist movement, Nadja (1928) is the second novel published by André Breton. It begins with the question, "Who am I?" The story is based on Breton's actual interactions with a young woman (Nadja) over the course of ten days, and is presumed to be a semi-autobiographical description of his relationship with a mad patient of Pierre Janet.

The Collected Poems by Langston Hughes
Poetry
Rate: 5/5
Love his poetry.

Carol wrote: "I read 13 books this month...."

Wow, Carol ! What a great reading month you had. Also just one low rating. Good for you !

If you enjoy T.C. Boyle I would recommend The Tortilla Curtain. In fact, I recommended it to a f2f book club that I used to belong to and the discussion was quite good.

Alias Reader wrote: "Wow, Carol ! What a great reading month you had. Also just one low rating. Good for you !

If you enjoy T.C. Boyle I would recommend The Tortilla Curtain..."

Thanks! I will check it out for April. (I already have 25 books sitting on the nightstand!)

Alias Reader wrote: "Carol wrote: "I read 13 books this month...."

Wow, Carol ! What a great reading month you had. Also just one low rating. Good for you !

If you enjoy T.C. Boyle I would reco..."

I loved The Tortilla Curtain but never read another Boyle book after that.

I read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I loved this book, it is beautifully written, poetic, funny and enrapturing. The book has a wonderful wisdom about life and transports you to the streets of 1950s Barcelona.
It's a book about books, lost but not quite forgotten and teaches us that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside.

Alias Reader wrote: "JuliaO. wrote: I was about 13 years old I think, I was alone in the house and it was night. I went to bed with all the lights on and a butcher knife... I was so scared"

LOL The older [author:Step..."

I was about 13 or 14 when I first read The Shining and my parents' house is a very old cottage with nooks and crannies everywhere and it makes a lot of ambient noise. The creaks of the water pipes when the heating was cooling down at night would sound like someone walking down the landing. I was very silly and would read it at night, become terrified and would hardly want to peek out from under the covers. One night I thought the landing creaking was the pipes and ignored it but it was my dad's real footsteps. He then opened my bedroom door to say goodnight - I nearly died of fright when he came through that door! I thought it was the you-know-who from Room you-know-what!

Soph wrote: He then opened my bedroom door to say goodnight - I nearly died of fright when he came through that door! I thought it was the you-know-who from Room you-know-what!
..."

:)

Stephanie wrote: "I read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I loved this book, it is beautifully written, poetic, funny and enrapturing. The book has a wonderful wisdom about life ..."

Stephanie, I read Zafón's entire "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" trilogy last year, and thoroughly enjoyed them all. You are in for a treat with the next two books in the series!

Amy, thanks for the comments on the trilogy. DH & i read the Shadow & liked it. However, i said i wasn't going to read further, DH wasn't sure. Now that i read your comment, i'm going to suggest, possibly buy them for him. He doesn't read much contemporary writing, so i think he should latch onto it.

I can't wait to read the next two, it's one of those books I'm going to keep and treasure :)

Nikki wrote: "Madrano, our book club started with the first one in the series, The Long Quiche Goodbye. It was just okay. I can't pinpoint exactly why I don't like them very much. There are a lot of characters to keep track of and they are all pretty superficial. ..."

Thanks for replying, Nikki. I think i'm over my Cozy Mystery stage, too. The reasons you gave are two of mine, as well. When there were recurring characters (often identifiable as "side kicks"), authors use almost the same description book after book to share about them. That wore away at me, for some reason, as well.

Amy, i finished reading a bio of Jefferson Davis last month & was surprised at what i read about the post Civil War years, too. I knew so little. Indeed, i was unaware JD was considered part of the conspiracy for awhile. Amazing.

Carol, thanks for sharing your titles, too. You mentioned liking Langston Hughes's poetry. Have you read any Paul Laurence Dunbar works? I consider his poetry at least as good as Hughes's. He wrote in both standard English & vernacular, which bothers some people, but i find each appropriate for what is shared in the poems.

My library doesn't have any but another one in the state does so I put a hold on The Life and Works of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Paul Laurence Dunbar-- 430 pp.

Thanks!

I read 5 books in February. Well, one i FINALLY completed, but the others were a breeze. First, the one i wrapped up.

Jefferson Davis, American by William J. Cooper Jr.. It was a hefty tome but i felt it fleshed out the man very well. Oddly, i felt his work was weakest when he wrote about the years Davis was president. However, in writing about his early legislative years, his marriage and his beliefs regarding State's Rights & slavery, i felt i could better understand the historic man. His second marriage (the first was short, as she, daughter of Zachary Taylor, died soon after) was a good & interesting one. As a reader, i relished the fact Cooper searched the Library of Congress records & told us what books Davis's household checked out while he was in town! How cool is that?!?! I got a couple of titles to follow up on, as a result.


Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan reminded me of a video game from the half-way point onward. I liked the story of the unusual book shop & the characters. The mystery was only so-so for me, but i liked the way the book addressed technology vs. old knowledge, such as ereaders vs. paper books.

Rodney, the Ranger With Daniel Morgan on Trail and Battlefield, published in 1911 and written by John V. (John Veasey) Lane. As it turns out this was a YA, written to further flesh out some historic characters, such as Daniel Morgan, a Revolutionary War hero. (Indeed, it was our travels & what we learned about the admirable Morgan which led me to the book.) The coincidences were outrageous but that was popular in its day, so i tried to cut some slack. Only one caught me totally off-guard.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce is set in the UK. After learning a woman he hasn't seen in over 20 years is dying of cancer, Harold finds himself walking across England to see her. It's a nice story, partly about how we fail to recognize parts of our lives as we live them. There was more to it. I was moved & liked it quite a bit.

The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by children's book editor Wendy McClure. She seems to be my daughter's age. Like my kid, she relished the Little House books. As an adult, she revisited them, then decided to visit all the spots where the family lived, as well as trying some of their recipes, other locales and such. It was an amusing book, as she wasn't afraid to depict the hokey parts of the tourist industry. It would take a fan of the original stories, i believe, to really take to the book. And i did!

Thanks for sharing, Deb. It seems like you are getting a lot of reading in while you are traveling.

True. For the most part they don't require much concentration, which helps. I have a backlog of books i've read about while traveling (roadside signs have been helpful here). The books are old, usually late 19th or early 20th century, so available free from Project Gutenburg. They make for interesting reading. Sometimes i wonder if i'll be the last person to ever read them. Then i'll find some review on Goodreads or find a literary essay on it!

Let Him Go: A Novel - Larry Watson. A middle-aged couple whose son has died, go in search of their grandson who was taken to another state when his mother remarried. There are parts of this story that are very sweet and very touching and also parts that are downright "Winter's Bone" scary. I thought this was an excellent read, one of Watson's best.

Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs - Ken Jennings. I didn't watch Jennings when he was on Jeopardy but I do follow him on Twitter and I find him to be smart and funny and irreverent....and this book was the same. It's his own story about being on Jeopardy and also the story of other trivia buffs who may not make millions of dollars, but who take their trivia just as seriously as Jennings did. A fun read.

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief - Lawrence Wright. Wright did his research in learning and writing about the controversial Church of Scientology and its very peculiar founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Scientology has always had its detractors and it's mostly their stories that are told here, although he frequently includes footnotes when those stories are challenged by church members. At the end (where else would it be?) there's a very thoughtful epilogue about not just Scientology, but religions in general and I was glad he included that, because I had thought about a lot of the things he discussed there. I can see why this book was on so many Best of 2013 lists. It's a worthwhile read.

Faith - Jennifer Haigh. I read this book a few years ago when it first came out and enjoyed it just as much this time when I read it for my F2F book group. It's the story of a Catholic priest who is accused of molesting a young boy in Boston in 2002. Father Art neither admits nor denies the accusation which causes his family to wonder what they actually know about their son/brother. And what kind of "Faith" they have in him. The first time I read this book I couldn't put it down, eager to find out how it was going to end. This time, since I knew the ending, I was more able to savor the story. A troubling but satisfying read.

Although I don't grade my reads anymore, I'll say that I had an A+ February!

Madrano wrote: usually late 19th or early 20th century, so available free from Project Gutenburg. They make for interesting reading. Sometimes i wonder if i'll be the last person to ever read them.."

What a sad thought. I hope that wont be the case.

Connie, I knew the name Larry Watson rang a bell with me. I looked it up and see I read his book Montana 1948. I will add Let Him Go to my list. Thanks !

Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs sounds like a book I would enjoy. Thanks for the Twitter tip. I've added Jennings to my Twitter feed.

I've thought about reading Going Clear. Shallow me was a bit put off my the size of the book. However, after your review, I'll put it back on my TBR list.

Faith also sounds like a book I would enjoy. I'll add it to my tbr list. Really, Connie, you have to stop reading such interesting books or my TBR list will be a mile long ! ;)

Soph wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "JuliaO. wrote: I was about 13 years old I think, I was alone in the house and it was night. I went to bed with all the lights on and a butcher knife... I was so scared"

LOL T..."

I had a similar incident when I was reading 'Salem's Lot. My husband was on a business trip and our daughter who was real little was sleeping on a floor below us. There was a 'noreaster and I expected my husband home the next day. Suddenly I heard the door open and footsteps and all the while I kept thinking there is no such thing as vampires. When Bruce rounded the door I began screaming, woke our baby and finally realized the "monster" was my mild mannered husband Bruce who was thoroughly confused.

lol

Funny to see that other folks have similar reading experiences to mine on the Stephen King front. I lived alone at the time I read The Shining. Scared to death and almost scared me away from scary books for life. I tried Stephen King's Pet Semetary and had the same reaction. I found that I had to put the book down but finished it months later. Upon finishing, I thought that I stopped at the scasriest point because the remainder of the story was easy peazy.

My reading for February was my regular 2 books and they were pretty good.

I read Cold Comfort Farm and see that my rating is a 3 star. That may be lower than what I'll remember in the future because I think I can recommend it. The complaint was that the ending was not satisfying to me at the time. But after a few weeks I think I'm coming up with a better conclusion.

The other was a 4 star and the end of a series by Mary Balogh: A Secret Affair. I really enjoyed this and had heard only good things about it. I saved it since I didn't want the series to end. Very satisfying.

I read two books in February

Gone Girlby Gillian Flynn
Rating 3/5

This book was well written but I found it disturbing. I will not run out to read other books by this author anytime soon

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eatby Edward Kelsey Moore

Rating 4/5

Nancy from NJ wrote: "As Edmund Burke said, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
..."

Oh My Goodness - I'm sure it wasn't at the time, but that sounds too funny.

@ Connie - Thanks for the reviews, I've added "Faith" to my TBR shelf

Lori wrote: "Funny to see that other folks have similar reading experiences to mine on the Stephen King front. I lived alone at the time I read The Shining. Scared to death and almost scared me away from scary ..."

I found the NYC subway to be a good place to read Stephen King. Lots of folks all around. :)

I own Cold Comfort Farm but have not read it yet. Sorry to hear it wasn't a winner for you.

Meredith wrote: "I read two books in February

Gone Girlby Gillian Flynn
Rating 3/5

This book was well written but I found it disturbing. I will not run out to read other books by thi..."

Thanks for sharing, Meredith ! I tried to read Gone Girl but just wasn't in the mood. Now my library group selected it for a group read so I may read it yet.

I agree that Gone Girl is disturbing but Ifound it riveting and a fast read.

Lori wrote: "Funny to see that other folks have similar reading experiences to mine on the Stephen King front. I lived alone at the time I read The Shining. Scared to death and almost scared me away from scary ..."

When I read Pet Cemetary our daughter was around 4. I found the storyline so horrific concerning a child, that I stopped reading King till I read The Green Mile many years later. Today I doubt I would have finished the book but then, I did.

Alias Reader wrote: "Meredith wrote: "I read two books in February

Gone Girlby Gillian Flynn
Rating 3/5

This book was well written but I found it disturbing.

I also tried reading this book but found it rather predictable and then I read the last 20 pages so I doubt I will ever fully read it.

Connie--I've had "Faith" on my Nook for a while now. Every time I decide to start reading it, I get distracted by something else. Glad to hear that you liked it--I'm definitely going to have to push it higher up on the priority list. Thanks!

Portia wrote: "I agree that Gone Girl is disturbing but Ifound it riveting and a fast read."

Me too! I read it over a single weekend--couldn't put it down.