March 2022 in Books

This month's reading was kind of a mixed back.  A couple really good books in the adult category, but more that were just so so.  I really enjoyed the books from the girls this month though.  I think my favorite this month was The Reading List, recaps are below:

The Good Son - Jacquelyn Mitchard - fiction - three stars - Thea's son Stefan has just gotten out of prison for the accidental killing of his girlfriend.  He is ostracized on his return, can't get a job, people are stationed outside his house, he's attached, etc.  The book tells about how he deals with things in terms of returning to real life and how he overcomes those obstacles.  I like Stefan and his journey.  Thea was kind of annoying to me, and how the book veered off into more of a murder mystery and who actually murdered Belinda, to me that was kind of a stretch and not particularly believable.  Just OK.

West with Giraffes - Lynda Rutledge - historical fiction - five stars - I really enjoyed this book.  It's inspired by true events, giraffes that were acquired for the San Diego Zoo.  They arrived in New York and had to be driven cross county, very carefully, in a special trailer.  This is during the Great Depression and Woodrow has lost all the family he has left in the world when his cousin dies (he had already left his home in TX after his immediate family left).  He ingratiates himself with the man transporting the giraffes and becomes the driver as they try and keep the giraffes healthy and safe on their way to San Diego.  I loved the characters in the book and how the journey came together, the different stops on the road and the interactions with people along the way.  I also liked that the ending wasn't so pat/predictable, but that it did tell about Woodrow's post giraffe life.  A enjoyable read that will make you smile.

The Historians - Cecilia Ekback - historical fiction - three stars - This was one I saw at the library that looked interesting.  It was just OK.  The premise is that there is this very tight group of friends in college.  At some point there is a falling out and they go their separate ways.  The two girls still stay in touch, but aren't as close.  Then one is murdered, and the rest of them have to try and sort out what happened.  It brings up a lot of themes about Sweden's 'neutrality' during the war as well as genetics and racism.  To me it was overly convoluted.  Needed a fair amount of editing, it just seemed to be trying to do too many things at once.  Meh.

Operation Do-Over - Gordon Korman - juvenile fiction - four stars - Korman's latest book.  As you may recall Carina loves everything he's read, this was another winner.  I thought it was a little different from some of his other books since the main character is a bit older for most of the book, but I thought it was still very relatable for younger kids.  Mason and Ty, two socially awkward kids, are best friends.  Until they aren't anymore (there's a girl involved).  They become enemies, but then there's a freak car accident and Mason goes back in time to seventh grade when everything went wrong.  I thought it was fun to see his reaction to returning to an earlier age, and loved how he was trying to right wrongs with this do-over.  Another great book from Korman. 

The Reading List - Sara Nisha Adams - fiction - five stars - I loved this book.  I love libraries and books in general and this was right up my alley.  Aleisha has a job in a library, which she is not at all excited about, during her break as she prepares for college.  Mukesh is a recent widower who rarely leaves his home, but finds a book that his wife forgot to return to the library, so he ventures out to take care of it.  The two meet and strike up a friendship that transforms them as well as their relationships with those around them.  I loved the characters, I love that the book dealt with hard things, and I loved the hope that remained as well.  Highly recommend!

The French Gift : A Novel of World War II Paris - Kirsty Manning - historical fiction - three stars - This is one of those dual storyline WWII themed historical fiction books.  It tells the story of two women imprisoned in Fresnes Prison in 1940, one who was involved with the resistance and later became a famous author, and another convicted of murdering a U.S. socialite who died during the war.  The modern day thread follows Evie whose husband recently died unexpectedly and who is now sorting through/dealing with his late aunt's legacy (the woman who became the famous author).  It was OK, but honestly I figured out the twist about a quarter of the way in.  To me it was just too predictable both in terms of the genre and storyline.  

Forbidden City (City Spies, #3) - James Ponti - juvenile fiction - five stars - This is the third book in the City Spies series.  Both the girls and I love this series and this book was no exception.  This mission follows the team from London to Moscow to Beijing as Paris goes undercover as a chess champion to prevent a high level North Korean scientist from defecting to Umbra.  The team is a little more split up location wise in this book which allowed Ponti to explore some dynamics between the kids and relationship challenges.  I love the characters and this was just a quick fun read.  Can't wait for the next book in the series!

Currently, I'm reading Hail Mary as well as A Peace to End All Peace.  2022 has definitely been a slower reading year for me thus far, but I think it's partly because of the types of books I'm reading longer/more dense/non-fiction.  I seem to be in a stage of life where I'm gravitating towards 'meatier' reading.  We'll see how long this lasts.  Please share what you have been reading!