Reading Journal - February

February felt like a slow reading month though I did get 9 books read. I am really struggling with coming up with fiction that is interesting to me. In the meantime I'll keep plugging along and hopefully I will find something to fill the need. 

I read:

• Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery - Last year I made it through book four in the Anne series so I decided to keep on reading. Since I have read this book several times I actually was hesitating in reading it, even though I love to see Anne in her new married life and new place to live. Thankfully, the part I was dreading wasn't as bad as I remembered it. I love L.M. Montgomery's creativity. Even though many of the characters reflect earlier characters from Avonlea Montgomery does a great job of still giving them enough of their own personality so it doesn't feel like you're just reading over an old plot.
• The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy - This was this term's literature book for my older kids. Yes, it is a little bit below their reading level, but I had read really good reviews about it and it was sitting on our shelf. The Chestry Oak starts off very slow and it stays that way for quite a while. We were trying to figure out what the rave reviews were all about. Eventually the story did pick up, though I don't think it lived up to the hype I had read about. Is it a worthy read? Yes, but just be prepared for a slow first half.
• The Kaiser's Last Kiss by Alan Judd - This was an interesting read about a German soldier who watches over Kaiser Wilhelm and a young Jewish servant. The German soldier is determined to be the best German soldier he can be, but while watching over the Kaiser he is starts to see the truth about the Nazi's along with his attraction to the young servant girl. This was a thought provoking book that I enjoyed. (Side note: The soldier and the servant have a relationship in the book, but these are not overly descriptive.)
• Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt - My favorite Gary D. Schmidt book is The Wednesday Wars (with Okay for Now following hard after it). Pay Attention, Carter Jones is another great book. There is a lot of fun along with Carter Jones learning to deal with a major life change--one that any child doesn't want to go through. A touching story. (Another side note: While I really enjoyed this I still think The Wednesday Wars shines a little brighter. The story rotates around the game of Cricket which even though he tried to describe it I was quite lost.)
• Persuasion by Jane Austen - I started listening to this on audio book, but ended up not liking the narrator. I quickly grabbed the book off of my shelf and starting reading it. I know I have read this before, but I honestly had forgotten the first half of the book. While I enjoyed this story I didn't find it as satisfying as the last time I had read it, so I'm not sure if I've been more influenced by the book or the movie. I guess I'll have to watch the film and see.
• The Fairy Tale Girl by Susan Branch - A couple of years ago I read A Find Romance:Falling in Love with the English Countryside by Susan Branch which I loved. Not only was her travelogue a fun read, the format of the book was unique and a lot of fun. She later wrote The Fairy Tale Girl which tells about her early years out of high school--her jobs, her marriage, how she became an artist, her early life, and eventually how her marriage failed. I did find her take about the woman's lib movement in the 70's and 80's to be a very interesting read. Again, she makes these books have a beautiful layout with a lot of pictures and artwork.
• To-Do List Formula by Damon Zahariades - I thought this book made a to-do list a lot harder than it should be.
• You Who: Why You Matter and How to Deal With It by Rachel Jankovic - Rachel Jankovic takes on our culture's ideas of identity (i.e. "Who am I?", "find yourself", "follow your heart") in her typical no-nonsense manner. She is not afraid to say it like it is and remind us all that our identity is found in Christ--not in ourselves. Excellent read! 

I listened to:

• A Few Quick Ones by P.G. Wodehouse - This is a collection of short stories with a lot of different characters from Wodehouse's other stories. An enjoyable listen.