The Books I Finished and Started in February

How many books do you think I read in February?  Your answer is probably a lot higher than what I really read, which was two.  I read two full books in February, and you know what, that's okay.  One of the books I read was over 800 pages so that might be why.  Because of that, I have decided to include the books I started in this list as well, which is a lot more than I actually finished.   

Christy by Catherine Marshall, 4/5 Stars 

"The train taking nineteen-year-old teacher Christy Huddleston from her home in Asheville, North Carolina, might as well be transporting her to another world. The Smoky Mountain community of Cutter Gap feels suspended in time, trapped by poverty, superstitions, and century-old traditions.

But as Christy struggles to find acceptance in her new home, some see her — and her one-room school — as a threat to their way of life. Her faith is challenged and her heart is torn between two strong men with conflicting views about how to care for the families of the Cove."

This book was the long one which was also seemed longer because our library only has the large print version.  For the most part, I enjoyed this book.  There was a great deal about theology and religion which was interesting to an extent.  Christy, the main character, had an odd love life throughout the book involving the two available men in the story.  Certain reviewers on Goodreads were a bit harsh in this area saying that her reactions to love were overly childish.  As a rebuttal, I would like to say she was 19, still basically a child, especially regarding love, since this was the first time she had experienced anything like it.  

This story is labeled as fiction but it is based on a true story.  The author's mother really did act as a school teacher in a mission in the Appalachian Mountains.

Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham, 5/5 Stars

"When seventeen-year-old Rowan Chase finds a skeleton on her family’s property, she has no idea that investigating the brutal century-old murder will lead to a summer of painful discoveries about the past, the present, and herself.

One hundred years earlier, a single violent encounter propels seventeen-year-old Will Tillman into a racial firestorm. In a country rife with violence against blacks and a hometown segregated by Jim Crow, Will must make hard choices on a painful journey towards self discovery and face his inner demons in order to do what’s right the night Tulsa burns."

I have lots of thoughts about this book but, in general, I really enjoyed it.  Reading a book in less than a week is pretty quick for me but I think reading it that quickly made me enjoy it more than if I would have spent more time on it.  I have a couple of friends who enjoyed the book but thought that the overall writing style was not their favorite.  I understand where they are coming from and I am going to try and explain why I think that is.  

When writing shorter sentences, sometimes they're not even "sentences" in the  grammatical sense, they are just fragments which are used for emphasis.  If they are used too often I think the point is lost.  This book almost had an overabundance of those short sentences however after awhile, as I was trying to read the book quickly, I started not to notice them as much.  They lost the meaning.  

There was something else I thought I would change, which is an odd thing to say since it is a published book but I'll continue.  Writing dialogue is hard, it's hard to make it sound right and like it's a conversation that would really happen.  But still, there are things that can be done to smooth out the conversations and keep the reader going.  At one point when two characters were talking, I noticed, what I would peg as too many "he said" or "she said" or any variation of it, after the character spoke.  Something like that breaks up the dialogue and it's also not necessary to add them too often especially when only two characters are talking.   

The goal of editing is to clean up the work and make it as easy to read as possible, as well as simplifying it.  I remember one particular line that had a character "stammering" in the dialogue.  It was along the lines of: ""I-I don't know," Rowan stammered."  It might seem silly that I am pointing this out but while reading it kind of threw me off since the fact that she "stammered" is essentially repeated twice.  It also didn't need to be added that Rowan was speaking because it was a conversation between only two people so the speaker is obvious.  

Some of those things might be something you would overlook or not think it necessary to point out.  Or maybe, if you read this book, you thought there was something off about the writing style but couldn't quite place what it was.  Most likely it was little things that broke up the dialogue without being obvious.  

I still rated it five stars because I think the story is really important.  I don't know anyone who hasn't heard or learned about the Tulsa Race Massacre (or Tulsa Race Riot), but if you haven't I would suggest learning about it before reading the book because I don't think it is necessarily a good introduction.  I loved the two-point of views, how everything panned out at the end and Williams's character development throughout the book.  The characters, plot, and resolve at the end were done really well.  

Lastly, it is set in Tulsa and I thought it was really cool seeing Rowan spend her time in places that I have been and do things here that I have done.   

Now, after that very long section on Dreamland burning, here are all the books I started or just didn't quite get through in February.  

The Cousins by Karen M. McManus, 4/5 Stars 

"Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah Story are cousins, but they barely know each another, and they've never even met their grandmother. Rich and reclusive, she disinherited their parents before they were born. So when they each receive a letter inviting them to work at her island resort for the summer, they're surprised... and curious."

I believe it was on March 2nd when I finished this book, which is why this review is here and not a little bit above.  Since starting to learn to drive with my mom, we have listened to both One of Us Is Lying and One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus, before reading this one.  We also have now started her fourth book, Two Can Keep a Secret.  

I have never had a problem listening to a book while driving but I understand that it can be difficult.  Make sure you're able to focus on driving and pause it as much as you need.  I have been able to block out the book if needed and then I ask to turn it back a couple seconds after I have made the turn etc.  

Emma by Jane Austen

"Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect."

Jane Austen's books have always been hard for me to understand and it takes me longer to get through.  I started out with reading this book aloud to my mom but after a while, we switched places and now she is reading it aloud to me.  The only other Jane Austen book I have read, Pride and Prejudice, was a book that my sister and I read aloud to each other, switching back and forth with each chapter.  We weren't able to get through much of this book,  probably finished a fourth out of the entire thing.  I am not sure if you read books aloud in your family but I noticed that books we read aloud take double the time to finish than if we would read them on our own.  

What do you think about Jane Austen?  Do you find her books a little bit harder to get through?  

Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie 

"The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been shot through the head. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything - until she lost her life. Hercule Poirot recalls an earlier outburst by a fellow passenger: 'I'd like to put my dear little pistol against her head and just press the trigger.' Yet in this exotic setting, nothing is ever quite what it seems..." 

I really enjoy Agatha Christie mysteries, I found out that a Death on the Nile movie came out in 2020, and I thought it would be fun to read the book before I watch the movie and maybe rope some friends into reading it with me.  So far I have found this one very compelling.  Agatha Christie is a master at writing characters, they are all so interesting and the book practically begs to be read.  

I read books in basically every form possible and I have been reading this one as an E-book.  Sadly the book had to be returned to the library so I will resume as soon as it is ready.  

Let me know if you want to hear more about what forms of reading I enjoy!    

Shadows of Self (Mistborn #5) 

"Shadows of Self shows Mistborn’s society evolving as technology and magic mix, the economy grows, democracy contends with corruption, and religion becomes a growing cultural force, with four faiths competing for converts."

I am probably closest to finishing this book out of each one on the list.  I have really enjoyed this series and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to try out high fantasy for the first time. 

I am listening to this on audio, I probably would have finished it a bit earlier but I don't listen to audiobooks on my own very often. 

Thank you for reading! 

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?  

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