February 2018 Wrap Up
- Annalise and Ellie
- Mar 8, 2018
- 6 min read
The shortest month of the year has come and gone! Here's what we've read:
Annalise:
This month I read a total of 5 books. I did great with nonfiction this month, as well as knocked out two of my 12 books that are on my TBR for this year. I read: Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham, Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, Bossypants by Tina Fey, Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone, and Seriously . . . I'm Kidding by Ellen Degeneres.
Talking As Fast As I Can: Gilmore Girls? Gilmore Girls. I was lucky enough to get this as an audiobook as well as a book, so I could hear Lauren's voice telling me from Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls and everything in between. I was so amazed by how well she captured her voice and essence and each of the stories was perfectly fit to this memoir. If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls, then this is 100% for you (even better if you can get the audio version!). It was like stepping back into Lorelai's shoes with Lauren, and experiencing the wonders of Stars Hallow first hand. I gave this book a 4.25/5 stars.
Shadow and Bone: I love Leigh Bardugo. I do not hide this fact from any one. In fact, I compulsively tell people (family members, friends, people I've just met, strangers on the street, etc) that I love her work. Her Six of Crows duology still makes me internally scream and cry, so there was no doubt in my mind that Shadow and Bone would have a similar, if not the same, reaction. I love Mal, and I think Alina is another strong, wonderful woman in the world of fantasy. I love the GrishaVerse and was so happy to be able to delve into it again. Because I read Six of Crows first, I already had a sense of the world, which I think improved the way that I viewed it the second time around. This book is fast, it's wild, it's fantastical, it's romantic and devilish - it's everything that Leigh Bardugo does best. I gave this book a 3.75/5 stars.
Bossypants: I love Tina Fey, and her humor reflects so perfectly in this novel. I listened to this as an audiobook, and absolutely loved having Fey grace my ears for a few days. All of her stories are absolutely hilarious, and she has such a great voice of comedy that makes this read totally enjoyable and unbelievably fast. For anyone who is a fan of SNL, Fey, or just laughing out loud while walking down the street alone, this book is for you! I gave this book a 4/5 stars.
Every Last Word: Ellie bought this book for me for Christmas because she had never heard of it before, so that probably meant that I hadn't either. She was right, but I wasn't totally sure why. The first 3/4th of this book are a very typical, but enjoyable, high school romance with a female protagonist that has a mental illness. Now, I have nothing against a story like this, in fact, I love them because I can relate to them on some level. But, after a few stories like this, it can seem like the same thing with different character names and towns. But then, the last 1/4 happened, and let me tell you, some crazy stuff went down. Going into this book without knowing anything about it made the ending completely unexpected for me. It was mind-blowing, and very unique for a contemporary YA story like this one. I gave this book a 3.75/5 stars.
Seriously . . . I'm Kidding: Having Ellen babble in my ears for a small while was such a wonderful experience. Like the two memoirs before, I caught this book on audio, and found myself flat out laughing at times, and questioning things that I never thought to question before at others. For anyone who loves Ellen - read this. No discussion. For anyone who doesn't like Ellen - also read this, because you will probably love her at the end of it. It was that good. I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars.
Ellie:
This month, I read five books. I was really proud of having read 5 books, especially because of how short February is! But then I realized I read all of these books in basically a week, and did no other reading the rest of February...whoops! The books I read this month were incredible, and they brought me back to fantasy and the subtle magical elements that make my heart so happy. Here's what I read!
The Memory of Lemon by Judith Fertig: I read The Coincidence of Coconut Cake last year, so when I found this book, which promised a dessert-filled story, I had to pick it up. Our main character can sense emotions-she can sit next to someone and taste lemon or berries and know that you loved eating lemons or a kid, or that you were jealous of someone who wore a berry-scented perfume. I know this sounds cheesy, but it was so cool! The magical idea of tasting emotions was something so new, and I was excited to see a plot line I had never read before! I loved the desserts, I loved the romance, I loved the family connections that lead to a beautiful, "oh! that's crazy!" moment. 3.75/5 stars.
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler: It took me three tries to get more than 40 pages into this, but I'm so glad I made it to the end! This multi-perspective novel follows members of the same family through different time periods. The family has been involved with circuses for generations, and the women are "mermaids". Who all DROWN TO DEATH ON THE SAME DAY. It's....a lot. Following a member of the current generation while he tries to figure out the past, while also following the family members in the past is so intriguing, because all the stories are interconnected. I had a soft spot for all the books mentioned in this story, and loved the hand-drawn illustrations of faded tarot cards. There was a slight magical element here, too, which was very interesting!This was a weird read, but one I ended up enjoying. 2/5 stars.
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher: I know I'm a little late in reading this, but honestly, I didn't think I could stomach it. I've never felt suicidal, but there are people close to me who have, and I thought this book would hit too close to home. But when I was given a copy by a friend who was outraged at the fact that I'd never read it, I decided to suck it up and read it. And wow, it was worth it. I cried and laughed and was annoyed with everyone who ignored Hannah Baker. This story felt...realer than most. I normally become really emotionally invested in characters, but with this, it felt like Hannah was my friend, not just a character. The writing of this was beautiful, and I'm really glad I picked it up. 3.75/5 stars.
This Savage Song by V.E.Schwab: WOW I missed reading fantasy! I was given this book for Valentine's Day, and when I was 50 pages in I was already ordering the sequel online! This is book one of the Monsters of Verity duology, and it was so good! I think that August is the cutest monster I've ever read about, and I fell in love with him when he accidentally adopted his cat (because that is such a me thing to do!). I obviously had read two books this month with subtle magical elements, but this was the first fantasy fantasy book I'd read in a long time. (& you GUYS it was the perfect one to start again with!) Read Annalise's full review here! 4.75/5 stars
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: Annalise read the Six of Crows duology last February, and has been recommending it to me pretty much every day since then! I was a little worried that I wouldn't love it as much as she did, but the writing and the characters and the beauty of it all soothed my fears. This book is perfect! I mean, I don't say that a lot, because there's always something I think is weird in a story or a plot line, but this book was....in all sense of the word, flawless. Following around 6 teens on their journey to break into the most impenetrable area of the city was something I didn't expect to love, but I truly did. Kaz and Inej forever and ever please! 5/5 stars.
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