Recent Reads | February and March

If you've read my most recent blog post, you know how there's been a lot of crazy things going on in my life. And because of all that I wasn't able to get a reading wrap up post up for February. I kept wanting to do it, but before I knew it March was over and April was here and it was time for a March wrap up.

Despite all the craziness, I have been reading a good amount, but very few books have been noteworthy. So instead of doing a full wrap up for the past two months, which would be very long, I decided to just share some books that have left the biggest impression on me. If you want to know what else I've been reading through the past couple months, you can always add me on Goodreads. I'm very active on there!

Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn

I've been continuing my exploration in reading Star Wars books. I picked up the first two books of the widely popular Thrawn Triology, Heir to the Empire and Dark Force Rising, and I totally understand the hype around these books now! I wish this had been the continuation of the original trilogy that Disney decided to adapt, because this story is so much better than what they came up with. This series deals with the immediate ramifications of destroying the Empire, and it was done so well. The story made sense and the characterization is incredible! I could tell that Zahn cared about the characters and took his time to get them right. Of course, I still have the last book to get through, and there's a chance the ending will let me down. But I'm hopeful! If you are interested at all in diving more into the Star Wars universe, I can't recommend this series enough!

Rating: ★★★★

Ella Minnow Pea - Mark Dunn

This book has been on my TBR for so long. I've been so looking forward to reading it, and I'm glad to say it did not disappoint! This is a quick epistolary story about a fictional island where they greatly respect the man who came up with the sentence: "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," that uses every letter of the alphabet with few repetitions. It deals with the idea of what would happen if certain letters of the alphabet became illegal to use. But I was surprised to find that there were so many deeper themes intertwined in this story, including blindly following those in authority without question. It was so thought provoking, and I'm positive it'll be one to stick with me for a long time.

Rating: ★★★★

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Anne Lamott

As I've been writing more again, I've been on the hunt for helpful and inspiring writing books to motivate me when I feel like my writing is horrible. Bird by Bird is one of the most popular writing books out there, and I really enjoyed my experience reading it. It was more surface level, but still very helpful. Anne Lamott has a very lighthearted way of writing. She's encouraging and funny, and she emphasizes the importance of writing without romanticizing the getting published part, which was a great thing to remind myself. It's so hard to remember to enjoy every part of the process as you go instead of just wanting it to be done. There are so many parts of this book I'll take with me as I continue learning how to write.

Rating: ★★★★

The Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins

This has to be one of the, if not the, weirdest story I've ever read! I definitely would not recommend it to most people because it's extremely graphic and violent, so keep that in mind if you're at all interested in picking it up. I saw another reviewer describe the feel of this book to be a mixture between Stephen King and Tiger King, and I couldn't agree more! I would also add that it also had some X-Men vibes to me. It has so many layers to it, and is so incredibly unique, but not in a way that's confusing or pretentious. It was done in a way that builds up the weirdness slowly and gets you invested in the characters and what's happening so that you never get lost. I was completely enthralled through this whole book, but it's still one that's hard for me to fully describe. Again, it was just so weird!

Rating: ★★★★

Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers

I'm still, even a month after reading it, so torn about this book. An allegorical book following the story of Hosea in the Bible set during the gold rush in California, I wanted to love it so much! I became very involved in the story as I read it, but I have to admit that after the first half, it went downhill for me and I became disappointed in it. I loved the allegorical aspects. Those parts were impactful, and I understood the author's intentions, but the other parts just distracted from that. My main problem with this book was the characterization. Every single character other than Angel was bland, horrible, or just too perfect to be real (I can't express enough how much I didn't like the Altmans). I didn't connect with any of them, and I felt like some of them were pointless. I know I could have loved this book if it had been executed differently, which is very sad.

Rating: ★★

The Blue Castle - L.M. Montgomery

This is the first L.M. Montgomery book I've read besides the Anne of Green Gables series. I was worried it wouldn't live up to Anne and I would be disappointed, but I'm so happy to say I absolutely adored this book! I can't get over how comforting Montgomery's writing is. It feels like spring, so reassuring, soft, and beautiful. This story follows Valancy Stirling, an old maid stuck under the control of her horrible family. After a bad health diagnosis, she finds the courage to step out of her comfort zone and find love. I love Valancy as a character, she feels so real and I could relate to her in so many ways. The romance in this book was also so swoon worthy. I loved the way this book ended especially. It was satisfying and left me so happy. I just want to read all of L.M. Montgomery's books forever!

Rating: ★★★★★

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What have you read recently?