Ah, February! What a reading month! As usual, I read some GREAT books and some not so great ones, but I’m excited to review all of them today.
I read 7 books – 3 nonfiction and 4 fiction books. I read all of the books in print and had quite the variety of stars for my reads- 1 2.75 stars, 2 3.5 stars, 1 3.75 stars, 1 4 star, 1 4.5 star and 1 5 star read!
The Fountains of Silence
Synopsis: Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother’s birth through the lens of his camera. Photography–and fate–introduce him to Ana, whose family’s interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War–as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel’s photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city.
My Review: Ruta Sepetys is an auto-read author for me. She writes incredible historical fiction, and always chooses historical events that aren’t over-done (so no WWII!). I always learn so much from her books and find myself googling to see what parts of the book are historically factual and what parts are fiction- and it’s usually jaw-dropping how much I learn about various historical events! Honestly, Fountains of Silence was probably my least favorite of her books so far. It was long and there were quite a few extra characters/subplots that I felt like could have been removed. Even with that critique, I still enjoyed this book and will continue to pick up her novels!
Spare
Synopsis: For the first time, Prince Harry tells his own story, chronicling his journey with raw, unflinching honesty. A landmark publication, Spare is full of insight, revelation, self-examination, and hard-won wisdom about the eternal power of love over grief.
My Review: I honestly was surprised how much I really liked this book! I am not a royal family fanatic, but I have loosely followed their stories over the years. I felt like the whole drama was probably just a bunch of he said/she said and inaccurate information from the press. But after reading this story, I think I am on team Harry/Megan. I did feel like he spent a lot of time complaining about his rich and privileged life, and I didn’t really understand how/why he was living by himself in an apartment on palace grounds? So some of it felt very one-sided and I did get a bit annoyed by some of his whining (or whinging as the Brits say). However, it is very obvious after reading this that Prince Harry has endured a lot of trauma and hasn’t felt the love/care/kindness of a family before. I can’t imagine how hard it is to raise your own family when you haven’t had that example growing up. This book made me thankful for my little family- we may not be royal, but we sure do have a lot of love and we function well. It is so sad to me that the royal family is so dysfunctional- whether Harry’s perspective is accurate or not, it feels like my biggest takeaway is that they are dysfunctional.
The Frozen River
Synopsis: Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
My Review: I read this one to join up with Shay’s Book Club. I was so excited for the “Call the Midwife” aspects of it, but I was disappointed that we only got to attend 4-5 births throughout the course of the book. I also felt like the author really modernized the characters, and for me that took away from the historical accuracy of the book. I know some people loved that aspect, but it just cheapened it for me. This book was also pretty dark…a LOT of trigger warnings for rape, abuse, child death, etc. So, in the end I gave it 3.5 stars because it was interesting and I didn’t DNF it, but I just didn’t enjoy it very much.
What’s It Like to Be Married to Me?
Synopsis: What’s It Like to Be Married to Me? is about knowing the difference between having a desire for a better marriage and setting the goal of a better marriage—as readers look in the mirror to see how they can change.Bestselling author Linda Dillow understands that most women want more from their marriage but don’t know how to get it. In What’s It Like to Be Married to Me?, Dillow challenges readers to ask the riskiest questions: What is is like to be married to me? What is it like to make love with me? Why do I want to stay mad at you? Extremely intimate and honest, What’s It Like to Be Married to Me? is not a book about marriage at all. It is a book about how to live out marriage, day-by-day and year-by-year, and watch who you become as a wife impact the intimacy in your marriage!
My Review: This book was my lowest rating this month. I don’t even know how this book made it on to my TBR, but it was…boring. And I felt like I was skimming most of it. There was zero new or monumental marriage advice in this book and I found myself disliking some of the marriage advice that was in the book. Bummer.
Tom Lake
Synopsis: In the spring of 2020, Lara’s three daughters return to the family’s orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before at a theater company called Tom Lake. As Lara recalls the past, her daughters examine their own lives and relationship with their mother, and are forced to reconsider the world and everything they thought they knew.
My Review: I finally read Tom Lake! I had read Th Dutch House and was not impressed. I also know that this book was beloved by SO MANY and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like it. However- I did like it! It was slower than my usual preference, and more character based than plot based, but I LOVED the underlying themes of family and love and choosing happiness and contentment in the life that you are living. This encouraged me so much in my personal life to just keep doing what I’m doing (raising small children, pouring into my marriage) with love and laughter…and not worry about being famous or worthy or praised by a grand audience. I gave this one a glowing 4 stars.
The Last Love Note
Synopsis: You may never stop loving the one you lost. But you can still find love again. Kate is a bit of a mess. Two years after losing her young husband Cameron, she’s grieving, solo parenting, working like mad at her university fundraising job, always dropping the ball―and yet clinging to her sense of humor. Lurching from one comedic crisis to the next, she also navigates an overbearing mom and a Tinder-obsessed best friend who’s determined to matchmake Kate with her hot new neighbor. When an in-flight problem leaves Kate and her boss, Hugh, stranded for a weekend on the east coast of Australia, she finally has a chance, away from her son, to really process her grief and see what’s right in front of her. Can she let go of the love of her life and risk her heart a second time? When it becomes clear that Hugh is hiding a secret, Kate turns to the trail of scribbled notes she once used to hold her life together. The first note captured her heart. Will the last note set it free?
My Review: This was the January book club book, and it was SO GOOD! I feel like the cover makes it seem like a romance- and it is. But it’s so much more than that! It’s a grief memoir, really. I laughed, I cried. I rooted for healing and love and all of the emotions in between. This was a perfect mix of fun romance with heavy and real human emotions. I recommend this one! 4.5 stars.
M is for Mama
Amazon Synopsis: Motherhood is a challenge. Unfortunately, our worldly culture offers moms little in the way of real help. Mamas only connect to celebrate surviving another day and to share in their misery rather than rejoice in what God has done and to build each other up in hard times. There has a be a better way, a biblical way, for mamas to grow and thrive.
As a daughter of Christ, you have been called to be more than an average mama. Attaining excellence doesn’t have to be unsettling but it will take committed focus and a desire to parent well according to God’s grace and for His glory. M is for Mama offers advice, encouragement, and scripturally sound strategies seasoned with a little bit of humor to help you embrace the challenge of biblical motherhood and raise your children with love and wisdom. Mama, you are worthy of the awesome responsibility God has given you. Now it’s time to start believing you can live up to it.
My Review: Let me begin this review by saying that I do NOT follow this author online. She has 10 children, a mega beautiful home, books and speaking engagements and always seems to have an answer on the right way to do things. This has rubbed me the wrong way for a long time, and that is why it took me so long to actually pick up one of her books. But let me tell you…this was an amazing book. It was SO encouraging for a Christian Mama and gave me so much food for thought. I loved every chapter of the book and couldn’t agree more with her encouragement and sometimes the kick in the pants that I needed. I highly recommend this to any Christian mothers. 5 stars!