Books Read in February 2022

February 2022 was another great reading month for me. I read 12 books. Two in print, three on audio, seven digital (Kindle). I seem to be selecting books better than before, based on my higher ratings. Four of the books I read were 5 stars for me, and four of them were 4 stars. None of the remaining books were complete duds.

Settle in for a long post. I tried to keep my reviews short this month, but failed!

One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin was a lovely, lovely book. Lenni is a 17-year-old girl living in the terminal cancer ward at a hospital in Edinburgh. Through an art class for patients, she meets Margot, a feisty 83-year-old who makes things a lot more interesting for Lenni. They realize that if you add up their ages, it comes to 100 and they decide to paint a picture representing every year of their respective lives. It is an absolutely charming friendship and story. You will cry. A lot. 5 stars.

Notes on An Execution by Danya Kukafka. This is a work of fiction. Ansel is a serial killer on death row scheduled to be executed in 12 hours' time. There are multiple points of view in this book, Ansel's and the women caught up in his life: his mother, a sister, and the homicide detective who brought him to justice. First of all, know that the book is not terribly violent or descriptive of the acts Ansel committed. The book is an amazing study of how our society looks upon crime as entertainment in the media, how murderous acts affect the families of the victims, and whether there is really any point to the death penalty. This was a book I will be thinking about and discussing with people for a long time. 5 stars.

Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. Daunis Fontaine is a 17-year-old Native teen living in a community near the Ojibwe reservation. The young people in her community are increasingly getting caught up in the methamphetamine problem. Daunis becomes an FBI informant trying to get to the bottom of this scourge that is ruining the lives of people she loves. This book is rated YA (Young Adult), but I found it to be more adult than YA. The author gives the reader great glimpses and insights into the Native community which I found educational and interesting. The book was a bit longer than it needed to be, in my opinion. There also was a bit of the teenage angst common to YA books, but not too much. Overall a good reading experience.
4 stars.

Don't Let Me Go by Catherine Ryan Hyde. I really enjoy this author. This is the third book by her that I have read, and it did not disappoint. If you like books with a "found family" theme, I bet you would enjoy it. Billy Shine is an ex-Broadway dancer and agoraphobic who hasn't left his apartment in years. It comes to his attention, and also of his neighbors, that Grace, a 9-year-old resident of the building is struggling with the neglect of her drug addict mother. This delightful band of characters joins forces to help out the little girl since her mother is mostly incapacitated. Fabulous secondary characters. I was sorry to have the book end, I enjoyed them so much. This is an older book you can easily find. I took off a star rating because the author made the child more mature than realistic. 4 stars.

No Land To Light On by Yara Zgheib. I had significant problems with this book, but it addressed an important situation. The basic plot is that Hadi and Sama are a young Syrian couple living in Boston. Sama came to the US on a scholarship to Harvard. Hadi came to the US as a sponsored refugee. They are expecting a child. Hadi decides to return to Syria on the eve of his Visa hearing upon learning of the sudden death of his father. Trump issues a foreign travel ban and Hadi is not allowed to return to the US and is deported to Jordan upon the landing of his return flight. Sama goes into premature labor and suffers through labor and delivery on her own. That is the setup. The book flashes back and forth between the angst of the couple's separation and uncertain future and their past lives in war-torn Syria. Yes, the plight of refugees is tragic, yes, the separation and uncertain future for Hadi and Sama pulls on one's heart. However, both husband and wife make extremely poor decisions (in my opinion) that significantly contribute to their problems. I had more to say in my Goodreads review, but it contains spoilers. 2.5 stars

Enough Already by Valerie Bertinelli. I needed something a bit more light-hearted, and this book delivered. I adore Valerie Bertinelli and always had a crush on her ex-husband Eddie Van Halen. This is a memoir of Valerie's lifelong struggle with self-esteem and her weight. It is also a tribute to Eddie, the love of her life, who passed away last fall. That description doesn't sound particularly light-hearted, but Valerie's sunny personality and thoughtful introspection made for a warm and touching read. I was a bit frustrated with her obsessive body image issues because I have always thought she was adorable whatever she weighed. This was a good book and I recommend it if you are a fan, or if you struggle with body image. The book contains some great sounding recipes. 4 stars

The Collective by Alison Gaylin. A group of mothers who have lost children due to accidents or other reasons desires to inflict "justice" on those they feel are responsible. "Just how far will a grieving mother go to right a tragic wrong?" Meh. I finished it, but it wasn't for me. 2 stars

Shadows of Pecan Hollow by Caroline Frost. Set in Texas between 1970 and the 1990s, this book is the story of 13-year-old runaway Kit Walker and 20 years older Manny Romero. At first, he befriends her and then grooms her to be a sexual partner and getaway driver for a string of gas station robberies. Manny gets caught and goes to jail for 15 years and Kit makes a life for herself and her daughter. Then Manny gets out of jail and turns up to create havoc again. I had issues with the relationship between these two characters. The story is gritty and the characters are universally unlikeable. Most reviews are more positive than mine, so you may want to research this book before you read it. 3 stars

A Day Like This by Kelley McNeil. Oh wow, was this book ever different! In a good way. Annie Beyers seems to have it all: great house in the country, loving husband, absolutely adorable daughter Hannah. She is having a normal day when Hannah comes down with an ear infection. Annie is driving her to the pediatrician when she is in an automobile accident. She wakes up in the hospital and she is in a different world. She lives in the city, her husband is divorcing her, and she is told she has no daughter. This is a book about parallel universes/multiple dimensions and was so creatively written. If you have ever wondered what your life would be like if you had chosen a different path or hadn't made a certain decision, you will love this book! Very inexpensive on Kindle. 5 stars

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont. I've always been fascinated by the real-life 11-day mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie. Last year I read a book called The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict, which was also interesting. This work of fiction is another author's take on what may have caused Agatha to drop out of sight and create an international search and scandal. This take on the mystery was pretty far-fetched in my opinion, but I did enjoy the book. 3 stars

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Another absolutely brilliantly written book by Jhumpa Lahiri. I read her Pulitzer Prize-winning Interpreter of Maladies last month and this was as good. The Ganguli family has moved to America and wants to become good citizens. When their son is born they give him the unfortunate name Gogol, after the Russian author. This is the story of immigrants trying to integrate into American culture and the trials Gogol Ganguli has in trying to accomplish that mission saddled with his weird name. The story is compelling, captivating, and entertaining. This author is so amazingly accomplished. I loved this book. Only $1.99 for Kindle right now. Get it. Read it. 5 stars 

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain. This dual timeline book goes between the 1965 Civil Rights Movement in the South and 2010. Our modern-day protagonist is recently widowed Kayla Carter, who is moving into a newly built home in Round Hill, North Carolina with her 4-year-old daughter. It is apparent that there are individuals who will do just about anything to convince her she should not do that. Our past timeline features Ellie Hockley, who, against the wishes of her racist family joined the SCOPE project, trying to get black citizens to register to vote. Kayla and Ellie's stories converge in a collision of secrets and search for the truth. The plot was predictable. Diane Chamberlain cannot write a bad book, but in my opinion, this wasn't her best. Don't miss it though if you are a fan of this author. 3.5 stars

There you go. If you have read any of these books, let us know what you thought of them. If any of them sound good to you, let us know that too!