What I Read {February 2013}

Hi Friends!

Oh my gosh, I read so many awesome books in February!  In fact, I'd highly recommend all but the first one.  The other five are simply brilliant! 

 Here's what I read in February:

Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, Emma Straub (2 1/2 out of 4 stars).  This book was good, but never quite got to the point where it was excellent.  It's about a young girl who leaves Wisconsin (Door County!) to become a Hollywood actress. I really, really wanted to fall in love with Laura, but in the end I found I just didn't care about her very much.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Carol Rifka Brunt (4 stars).  I LOVED this book about love and family and the things we do for those we love.  When June's beloved uncle, Finn, dies of AIDS, she finds herself forming a fragile friendship with his partner, Toby.  It's a book about discovering the truth and putting aside misconceptions.  This book is so well-written and incredibly tender.

Frances & Bernard, Carlene Bauer (4 stars).  Oh!  I loved this book!  Two complex characters build a relationship entirely through letters.  Neither character is without flaws, but they seem to bring out the best in each other, until they can't anymore.  Beautifully written. Frances and Bernard left me with lots to think about.

The Death of Bees, Lisa O'Donnell (4 stars).  This is an excellent book, friends.  When Marnie and Nelly's mom and dad die, they decide to bury them in the backyard and move on with their lives.  It doesn't take long for the girls to discover that they need help.  Help comes in the form of their elderly neighbor, Lennie, who takes them under his wing and teaches them what "family" really means.  I loved this book and its wonderful characters.

Birds of a Lesser Paradise, Megan Mayhew Bergman (4 stars).  Oh my gosh!  I loved these short stories!  Each story was a mini masterpiece.  I would have loved to read novel-length versions of each one, they were that good.

The Dinner, Herman Koch (3 1/2 stars).  The Dinner is a page-turner, for sure.  I just couldn't help myself from plowing through this book just to find out what happened next.  Over the course of a dinner at a posh restaurant, we get to see just how far one family will go to protect one of its own.  Well-written and full of nice plot twists.

Have you read any good books lately?  I'd love to see your recommendations!

XO,

Vicki