February 2018 Reads

This month was a very diverse month of books. I read 9 books this month, which is I think the most I've ever read in 1 month - really working hard to win the book challenge, ha. I read some amazing books this month and also some that only have 'completed a book challenge prompt' going for them. But lots of choices if you're looking for something new to read, I hope!

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom - Lavinia is a young Irish girl coming to America with her family in the 1790s when her parents die on the voyage over, and she is sold into servitude to a Virginia plantation owner. She lives in the kitchen house and is raised by slaves. It was an amazing story, and I loved it so much. [Spoiler alert - the sequel will be in March's review] It was interesting to watch her try and find her place - she's white but is a servant living and working with slaves. The slaves are her family, but she isn't really one of them either. It was heartbreaking and yet also very hopeful and a great story about family bonds.

Columbine by Dave Cullen - Dave Cullen was a journalist at Columbine the day of the massacre. He spent over a decade compiling information for this book, and his attention to detail showed. Really gripping book and also frustrating because it highlights all the ways law enforcement and adults could have possibly prevented this event. Especially good read in light of our national news lately.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson - Bryan is a lawyer who has a non-profit that helps people on death row. He tells so many stories in this book of people wrongfully convicted {following 1 main story through a lot of the book that just had me SO ANGRY at our justice system} as well as stories of children given sentences that were extremely harsh compared to the crime committed. Our justice system is broken, and Bryan outlines a lot of the reasons why. This book was AMAZING. I cannot say enough good things about it - so thought-provoking, well-written, sad, hopeful - it's the whole shebang.

Simon vs the Homo-Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli - Teenager Simon is gay and is navigating life in the closet. He has a friend he only knows online who can he be himself with. I loved reading Simon's story and how he evolved - a little bit growing up story, a little bit love story, a little bit family story, a lot great!

Still Me by JoJo Moyes - The 3rd book in the Me Before You world - this might be my favorite! Louisa has moved to NYC as a personal assistant but is in the beginning stages of a relationship with the fireman she met in After You. I loved the continued evolution of Lou, her still wacky family, her relationship, all of it.

Holding Out for a Hero by Victoria Van Tiem - This story follows a girl, Libby, who is stuck in the 80s. She owns a vintage store in NYC and has the same friends she had in high school. Something happened in her teens {that was ridiculously easy to figure out even though the author acts like it's soooo mysterious} causing her to be stuck. Her friends make her date people who fit the characters from The Breakfast Club {the jock, the brain, etc.} to try and help her get out of her rut. I didn't hate it, but it was super cheesy for the most part. It was a quick read, and I liked how it all resolved, but it wasn't a favorite.

Trick or Treat Murder by Lisa Meier - I read this purely because I needed a Halloween story for the book challenge. Apparently, there is a series about a woman named Lucy Stone who lives in the Northeast in a small town and she solves crimes. It was fine, but I don't see myself reading more. I liked it more than I expected to, so there was that!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - If I could jump through my computer to impress upon you how much I loved this book, I would. I already talked about being so excited for the movie, but the book was absolutely delightful. Juliet is a writer living in post-WW2 London, and the whole book is written as correspondence between herself, her editor, and the people who are in a small book club on the Channel Island of Guernsey. I didn't even know Guernsey existed and now I want to go there! Anyone who has followed my book reviews for a while will know this is right up my alley {female protagonist, WW2, set in Europe}, but I truly, truly loved it.

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly - You'd have to live under a rock to not know this is the story of the black female mathematicians at NASA who helped with airplane production during WW2 and helped us win the Space Race. I wanted to love this book, but it was pretty dry, and I found myself speed-reading it quite a bit. The book is a mega-fictionalized take which is kind of a bummer.

If you stuck with this post this long, you deserve a medal. We'll see if March ends as successfully... I'm up to 17 books that fit a book challenge prompt - out of 50. Allison, what are you at?!?!