Books Read in February: 17

Books Read for the Year:  36/250

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

This Present Darkness, by Frank E. Peretti (TBR, re-read). I’d basically forgotten this entire thing, so it was like reading it for the first time.

Love Does, by Bob Goff (TBR). His books are so inspiring!

Hope in the Dark, by Craig Groeschel (spiritual). This would be excellent for someone going through a dark time.

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Decked Out, by Neta Jackson (TBR). I’m sad to see this series end!

Jesus Among Other Gods, by Ravi Zacharias (spiritual). I’m not 100% sure I’m smart enough to truly understand Ravi’s books.

For Review:

We Run the Tides, by Vendela Vida. This was not a good fit for me. The writing was great, but the story felt like a weird mix of lit fic and YA, with some Mean Girls thrown in for good measure.

Amelia Unabridged, by Ashley Schumacher. This was a wonderful read! I enjoyed it so much! I want to visit this bookstore. Or live there. The friendships in the story were lovely.

Furbidden Fatality, by Deborah Blake. This was a quick read. A fairly lighthearted cozy mystery set at a pet rescue.

The Lost Apothecary, by Sarah Penner. I really enjoyed this historical fiction with half the story line set in the present. Character growth, mystery, and a tiny bit of magic made this an engrossing read.

Bright Burning Stars, by A.K. Small. This was a gritty look at an elite ballet school—and the things dancers will do.

To Catch a Dream, by Audrey Carlan (review forthcoming). This really didn’t work for me. The male lead was overbearing, and the female MC was just wishy-washy and inconsistent. Despite the solid writing, I didn’t care for this at all.

The Castle School (for Troubled Girls), by Alyssa Sheinmel (review forthcoming). This ended up being not what I expected—in a very good way!

Float Plan, by Trish Doller (review forthcoming). I LOVED this! So much character growth, set amidst tropical islands and adventure. Highly recommend!

The Nature of Fragile Things, by Susan Meissner. This historical fiction novel had a lot going on, but its pace felt leisurely. This was a solid read.

Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this murder mystery/suspense novel. Told in multiple POVs and timelines, it all weaves together to make an engrossing read.

A Game of Cones, by Abby Collette (review forthcoming). This is the second in a cozy mystery series…and I won’t bother reading any others.The characters were one-dimensional and it was just too over-the-top and dramatic for me.

Her Dark Lies, by J. T. Ellison (review forthcoming). This was a decent suspense read, but the MC was a bit unreliable. Like the reveal about her past that comes towards the end of the book. It felt convenient and deus ex machina, not realistic and believable. And there was never much mystery over the psychopath causing problems, not to mention leaving the question of did her fiance kill his first wife or not was never answered.

Left Unfinished:

The Love Proof, by Madeleine Henry. I read about 12% of this, but it felt so slow, I just couldn’t get into it (the irony of a book about time being slow is not lost on me). Solid writing, just not a good choice for me.

Ladies of the House, by Lauren Edmondson. This sounded promising–a modern retelling of Sense and Sensibility? But I read about 20% of it and just could not get into it. Half the characters were vapid, the other half were hateful and ugly and I just don’t need that sort of negativity in my life.

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