February 2021 Reads

Happy Monday and first day of March! Last week my computer was out of commission on Wednesday and Thursday, but after 2 trips downtown to my office, I am back up and running, so let's start off the month with a post about my favorite topics: BOOKS!

This month I read 12 books bringing my total for 2021 up to 22 books! I am rocking my goal of 100 books for the year. Warm up your coffee because I have A LOT to talk about today.

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - Another historical fiction story by Lisa Wingate {author of Before We Were Yours} about something I knew nothing about. After the Civil War, former slaves used to write blurbs that went into a section of a newspaper printed by churches called the 'Lost Friends' section trying to reconnect with family members who had been sold years earlier. This story follows a former slave who is searching for her family while she is sharecropping for her former master. The story alternates from the past to the 1980s with a new teacher in that same community. First, Lisa Wingate can write a story that tugs at your heart strings. Every other chapter, she put real Lost Friends posts into the book, and they seriously made me cry. Every day there is something new I learn that makes me mourn our past. But I did have a couple of problems with the book. First, Lisa is white and one of the protagonists is a Black former slave. I didn't love that, but I thought Lisa did handle the writing well. Second, in the present storyline, the teacher isn't white {she is half-Asian}, but it bordered on a 'white savior' plot. I think Lisa skated that well by having her not be white, but it was close. The story itself was very engaging, and I was rooting for both characters in their separate stories and was so interested to see how they fit together, but it did border a little for me with those few problems

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour - Okay, I'm really struggling with this book y'all. The story follows Buck, who is starting a new job at a start-up because he impressed the founder while waiting on him at Starbucks. The things that happen to Buck are INSANE. The story is described as a dark satire, so I recognize that it is supposed to be over-the-top, but my brain STRUGGLED with that. The book very much is focused on systemic racism, but the things that happened... For example, on his first day at the new job, a super racist co-worker pours a can of white paint on Buck. And nothing happens. Again, I know this is satire, but seriously? The story overall was very entertaining, and Buck's evolution was awesome, but some of the more out-there plot points were too much for me. Again, fully recognizing they are SUPPOSED to be over-the-top...but I just couldn't fully engage with the story because of that.

A Vow So Bold and Deadly by Brigid Kemmerer - This was the final book in the A Curse so Fierce and Deadly trilogy that I started last year. It came out in February, and I got it immediately from the library. I was a little concerned how the series would tie-up as I was really torn with how the 2nd book ended. Well, I didn't need to worry, the author did a really great job of wrapping this story up, and I was so happy by the end. If you like YA fantasy, this one is GREAT.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - I know, I know. I started another YA fantasy trilogy. I'm sorry, I can't help it! Jude's parents were murdered when she was 7, and she and her sisters were taken to Faerie. Turns out her older sister was actually the daughter of a Faerie that her mom had married and escaped from. She is always viewed as a second-class citizen and struggles with trying to fit in while living in the home of the faerie who murdered her parents. I can't think of what else to say about this book without writing a ton, but it was really good. It started off slow, but the ending was BANANAS, and I can't wait to read the second book.

One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus - This was our February pick for BFBC. We had a lot of mixed feelings about this, but none of us were in love with it, sigh. It is a fictional story about a woman who signs up to become an Indian bride after the Civil War to help bring the Native Americans 'in line' with the US. The story is told through journal entries and kept me entertained. I felt so much for all the characters {the women and Native Americans both}, and I thought the premise was so interesting! The author stated that a Native American tribe actually DID ask for white brides but the government said no, and he wanted to write a story as if they said yes. My issue was SO MUCH HAPPENED. It felt like watching a soap opera, and I struggled by the end with how fake it felt. It was definitely entertaining, I flew through it, but it just wasn't GREAT for me.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi - Well. Stop whatever you are doing right now {oh wait, that's reading this post...okay just make a note of this for later} and find this book at your local library or bookstore. This was PHENOMENAL. Set in Ghana starting in the 18th century, this follows 8 generations beginning with 2 sisters {each chapter moves a generation into the future and goes back and forth between the sisters' descendants}. One is sold into slavery so we follow her family to America, the other stays in Ghana and deals with the repercussions of the slave trade in Ghana. I couldn't put it down. It tackled a lot of issues in America with racism {the prison system, the drug epidemic, housing inequality...a lot}, but I also found it fascinating to read about the people still in Ghana. I never realized that they sold their prisoners to the British, married their daughters to the British, etc. so they participated in the slave trade too - and had to deal with that. SO FASCINATING to read both sides of it.

The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn - Bridgerton #2! This story followed the oldest son, Anthony. I really like the characters Julia Quinn writes and was instantly sucked into this book. Yes, it's a typical Regency/Aristocracy romance, but I enjoyed it all the same! PG-13/R Rated.

History Smashers: The Mayflower by Kate Messner - I checked this out of our local library based on Emily's recommendation, and Trent and I read it {separately} and are both looking forward to reading more. I didn't learn until recently that my history lessons growing up leave a lot to be desired as they are based 99.9% on the POV of white men. I love the people out there trying to fix this, and this book was a great one for helping provide a better picture of our history. Definitely plan to keep reading these!

You'll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin - When a comedy writer decides to write a book about all her/her sister's experience with racism you get this hysterical gem. The stories Amber and Lacey tell about their experiences with racism will blow you mind, make you shake your head, and vow to NOT be the people profiled in these stories. A book that makes you learn and make you laugh is always a winner in my book.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel - This month's WW2 historical fiction pick, ha. This story follows Eva who was a forger in WW2 and helped get hundreds of Jewish children into Switzerland from France. I was REALLY excited about this book...and it underwhelmed a little. I for sure liked it, but Eva got on my nerves at times, and her mother drove me nuts. I also felt like the ending was a smidge cheesy. I'd love for someone else to read and let me know if I'm being too critical, ha.

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey - This was contemporary romance through-and-through, and I am here for it! Georgie has always had a thing for her brother's best friend, Travis, who happens to be a professional baseball player. Travis returns to their hometown after an injury ends his career, and sparks fly when Travis and Georgie reconnect. I enjoyed this from page 1. I haven't read anything else by Tessa Bailey, but I really felt like she wrote good, enjoyable characters with fun banter who I just liked. HOWEVER, parts of this were eye-rollingly cheesy. Georgie is a professional clown. Yes. You read that right. Things like that were almost too goofy for me, but the strong character interactions won me over. This is the start of a series, so I'll definitely keep reading. 100% R-rated.

Our Darkest Night by Jennifer Robson - I have been eagerly anticipating Jennifer Robson's newest book for a LONG time. I have read everything she has written and just love her books. They, so far, have all been about WW1 and WW2 but have all bet set in London or with British characters. This one was set in Italy during WW2 and for all my WW1/2 reading {40 books!}, this was my first story set in Italy. It followed Nina, a young Jewish woman, who pretends to be married to Nico and moves to his farm to hide her identity. They must deceive everyone in Nico's family and the small community he lives in. This was such a beautiful book. It was a quiet story, slowly building on itself but I was quickly loving every character and rooting for Nico and Nina. Jennifer Robson has a gift of storytelling, and I am already excited for her 2022 release. {grin}

I didn't share last month what I was reading for the kids, but I do enjoy talking about that. Drew and I started Harry Potter in 2021, and we are in the middle of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. She is LOVING all things Harry Potter, and I'm loving sharing it with her!

Trent and I are reading From the Desk of Zoe Washington. I've been really struggling finding books to read with Trent. He is very picky, and I suggest a ton of books to him, and he turns his nose up at them. But we are both really enjoying this one! On her 12th birthday, Zoe gets a letter from her father who is in prison. She's never had any contact with him and starts exchanging letters with him where he eventually tells her he is innocent of the crime he was convicted of (murder). Meanwhile she is also doing a baking internship {I was worried the baking would turn Trent off} and dealing with pre-teen friendship issues. It is really a good book! It touches on systemic racism, the broken justice system, and other hard topics, but in a way that I think is perfect for Trent's age group. My only hesitation with younger kids is the murder issue itself, might be something a parent doesn't want to discuss with their younger children. Also, there are lots of great song references that Trent and I are having fun listening to!

And this is the haul I just picked up at the library for Paige. A lot of selections from Here Wee Reads Top 50 Books of 2020! Yay!

I told y'all it was a long post! What are you reading? Anything jump out at you from my recent reads?