Monthly Book Review - February

Books – Books – Books! I continue to wish for a real-life working Time Turner (like the one Hermione Granger had in Harry Potter) so I could live each day twice: Once to do all the things I’m supposed to do, and a second perfectly wonderful day just for reading.

February continued my love affair with books featuring futuristic worlds where things are not all that perfect. I originally became interested in the 5^th Wave series by Rick Yancey after I saw the movie advertised. (I know this is backwards, but I truly hadn’t heard of it until then.) And I have another confession to make. I watched the movie FIRST! (I know, I know – that is just so WRONG.) The good news is that the movie was quite good and made me want to read the rest of the series . . . the three books are The 5^th Wave, The Infinite Sea, and the Last Star. (I totally binged on these over the course of one weekend!)

Briefly, here’s the back cover blurb of the first book.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it's dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive. Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give or to get up. 

My other February reads included a freebie that I picked up from my Amazon Prime membership, In the Shadow of Lakecrest by Elizabeth Blackwell. This was an intriguing story that combined complex personalities with a family that is possibly hiding a huge secret.

"The year is 1928. Kate Moore is looking for a way out of the poverty and violence of her childhood. When a chance encounter on a transatlantic ocean liner brings her face-to-face with the handsome heir to a Chicago fortune, she thinks she may have found her escape—as long as she can keep her past concealed. After exchanging wedding vows, Kate quickly discovers that something isn't quite right with her husband--or her new family. As Mrs. Mathew Lemont, she must contend with her husband's disturbing past, his domineering mother, and his overly close sister. Isolated at Lakecrest, the sprawling, secluded Lemont estate, she searches desperately for clues to Matthew's terrors, which she suspects stem from the mysterious disappearance of his aunt years before. As Kate stumbles deeper into a maze of family secrets, she begins to question everyone's sanity--especially her own. But just how far will she go to break free of this family's twisted past?"

I also enjoyed the 44th book in the JD Robb series (Nora Roberts). I am a big fan of this futuristic murder detective series. I can’t believe this is book 44 already. Echoes in Death was particularly well done!

And, finally, our local Books & Beer book club pick for February was Thinner Skin by Billie Jean Diersen. This novel was full of some of the wittiest dialog I’ve read in a while. Add to that a handful of unexpected twists and turns and really awesome characters and you have a great story!

(Books & Beer is a different kind of monthly book club in Columbus, Wisconsin that engages local and regional authors with readers in the community in a fun casual setting. Learn more on the Books & Beer Facebook Page.) 

Let me know what you’ve been reading lately. I love getting recommendations!