Here is a run down of the books I read in February.
1// The Power by Naomi Alderman | My Rating: 5/5 – The fact that this book was one of President Obama’s favorite reads of 2017 sold me on picking it up and giving it a try. And I found it to be a worthwhile read. But honestly it took me a while to get into this book but overall it’s equally compelling and disturbing. In the novel, teen girls now have immense physical power that can cause great pain and even death and suddenly, the entire power dynamic of the world shifts and the fallout from it is far-reaching and dramatic. This speculative fiction novel would lend itself to a film/movie version and has lots of interesting themes to discuss in a book club.
2// The Book of Dust: Le Belle Sauvage by Phillip Pullman| My Rating: 4/5 – As an ‘older’ millennial, I remember reading The Golden Compass and other books in Pullman’s His Dark Materials series in the 90s. So when I saw that this book was coming out, I knew I’d read it for nostalgia’s sake alone. This book is the first in what will be somewhat of a prequel series that features the origin story of Lyra from the original trilogy and a new protagonist, a boy named Malcolm who you want to root for from the very start of the book. I now wish I has gone back and read the original series before reading this book, but you need not do that to get into this story. I’m curious to read where the series will go in the next two installments.
3// Goodbye Vitamin by Rachel Khong | My Rating: 5/5 – This book was my favorite read of the month. I was wary of reading this book because I thought it would be a downer. But while it was sad, I thought it really gave a perspective of how hard it can be to be a caretaker of a person suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s heartbreaking in a way that is different from other (currently) incurable illnesses because there isn’t the hope of remission on the horizon. The book was equally sad and humorous and made me think a lot about family dynamics and how hard it can be to get over break-ups as well. It’s also a fast read, mainly because of it’s journal-like format from the perspective of the protagonist.
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| Type: Novel | Rating: 3.5/5 – This book honestly wasn’t a favorite, but was entertaining enough. Lily is a promising NYC lawyer who seems to have it altogether with her career and a handsome fiance. But things start to unravel during her wedding weekend when she is forced to take on a challenging case, managing family dynamics, and deal with the double standards women face when it comes to love and marriage.
