February 2024
- Katie Peterson
- Feb 1, 2024
- 11 min read
Updated: Feb 23, 2024
Something old: The Blizzard Party by Jack Livings
Something new: Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore
Something steamy: This Spells Love by Kate Robb
Something true-ish: The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
Bonus book: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Something for all ages: The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Ratings:
Like plain, black coffee. Strong dislike.
A little cream, a little sugar. Not bad. Not great.
Add some flavor or syrup, it's getting good.
I liked this a latte!
Love! Refill please!
The Steam:
No peppers: Love/romance not a major part of this story
One pepper: Mild! Some love scenes; nothing risque on the page; fade to black
Two peppers: Moderate! Slightly descriptive romantic scenes may occur on page; some implied innuendos
Three peppers: Hot! Blushing while reading may occur; lots of spice
The Blizzard Party
Jack Livings
Before reviewing, I need to explain how I chose this book. I thought I was being quite clever, actually. I wanted a book that felt as if it truly belonged in a February book blog. During my search, I found this book, which is centered around a blizzard in New York on February 6, 1978. February, check. Winter-weather, check. Setting that fits in my "something old" category, check. Author who completed some of his writing training in Iowa, extra credit check. Check, check, check went all those boxes. What I didn't take into account, was the mind space that this book would require. And here we enter into the review.
I'll be completely honest in my very first sentence. This book was a DNF (in the book world: Did Not Finish) for me. I kept trying to convince myself to give it just a few more pages. That surely things would start to fall into place and I'd be sucked into the story which had such a good premise on the inside book jacket flap. Just three pages in, I'd already had to reread several paragraphs a second time, hoping they'd make more sense after taking it in twice. (They didn't!) I consider myself to be fairly good at following complex book narratives, twists, even multiple viewpoints and timelines. But this. This was just so much. It was so, for lack of a better word, wordy. The author used 78 words (I counted) in a run-on sentence to describe the contents of a briefcase. In another sentence, 91 words to communicate to readers how one of the characters stepped into a slippery boat. I had to look up the word retroperistalsis to find out what was happening to a character (they were vomiting). I wish I were exaggerating. (I'm not.) As I trudged along (which felt similar to how I feel walking my dog through melting piles of slushy, heavy snow) I told myself I would make it to page 100 and then decide. Well, at page 92 I couldn't stand reading one more single word and I shut the book.
Let this be a lesson to us all. Even if you write a previous blog post stating that you are going to read a specific book for the next month's blog, and you're the type of person who really likes following through on things like that...there are too many books in this world to suffer through one that you truly don't get/like/enjoy. Shut the book. Put it down. Pick up the next one.
My rating:
(DNF)
Valentine
Elizabeth Wetmore
Valentine's Day, 1976 in Odessa, Texas...
...a fourteen year old girl gets in the truck of an oil field roughneck she doesn't know, but who sweet talks her and calls her Valentine.
...a woman argues with her husband in their car, telling him not to get involved with a young girl they don't know that they see getting in the truck of someone they know is trouble.
...a new mother puts her kids to bed in their ranch house, not knowing that tomorrow their front porch will become a stand-off between a teenager and the man who raped her.
...the happenings of this day cause all parents to decide their children can no longer roam on their own without an adult's supervision; except no one remembers the ten year old whose mother left with no word.
Odessa, Texas is a true "middle of nowhere" town, with hours of brown plains between it and anywhere else. While life often feels stagnant, from the dry drought weather to the lack of anything new happening, one thing that does seem to be moving is the oil boom. New opportunities for success bring oil workers, or roughnecks, in and out. The pressure, long-hours, and stress-filled conditions make a perfect breeding ground for volatile relations between all connections. Husband and wife. Parent and child. People who share a church pew. Perfect strangers. No relationship is sacred enough to avoid the fall-out when the town erupts on Valentine's Day.
When the most violent of acts is committed against a fourteen year old child, the sides of right and wrong seem clear. Except. What if the child's mother is an illegal immigrant? What if the girl had been drinking? What if that wasn't the first truck she's climbed into willingly? What if the accused is a church-going boy with a character reference from his pastor? Do any of these things matter? They do to some people in Odessa, who do everything they can to ensure their version of justice is served, by not ruining a boy's life after making a "small mistake". But a core group of women, who know exactly where the fault lies, give up everything, including friendships, social standing, and marriages, to fight for the justice they'd want for their daughters, their friends, themselves.
Good to know before reading:
-Trigger warnings for rape, abortion, and suicide.
-Book is told from many different female's perspectives, with several flashbacks thrown in. If you have problems following different narrators and timelines, this may not be for you.
My rating:
(Not because it wasn't well written, but because it was so heavy with seemingly no "feel good" climax or conclusion. If you read it, plan to have a light read as a chaser.)
This Spells Love
Kate Robb
I knew one of my February book picks had to have the word 'love' in the title (my book pick with Valentine in the name definitely didn't hit the feel-good mushy vibes I was going for). This book contains a little magic, relatable characters, and a friends to lovers storyline...sounds like the perfect read for a holiday with a magic love-filled arrow wielding angel as a mascot.
Gemma loves routine. Predictable. Knowing what to expect. Her coffee order is memorized by the local barista, and she always sticks to her tried-and-true donut choice. So it's no surprise that when she met two guys on the same night at a bar, she ended up dating the one who seemed like the safe choice. He had life plans. Goals. A path forward for them as a couple. The other guy? Well, Dax became her best friend. The Batman to her Robin (literally-it's their Halloween costume choice). So when life throws a curveball, in the form of a break-up she didn't see coming, Gemma is at a loss. Along with her steady, supportive sister and her whimsical aunt, Gemma comes across a spell in an old book that promises to erase someone from your life. When Gemma makes a wish that the night she met her boyfriend never happened, to her surprise, it comes true! Unfortunately, that means that she never met Dax either.
For someone who doesn't like surprises, Gemma has to navigate a lot of them as she tries to unravel the mystery of who she has become when she wasn't relying on these two men along the way. She has until the next full moon to try to convince Dax that she's best friend worthy. But as they get to know each other, she's not sure either one of them wants their relationship to be purely platonic. Is risking their friendship worth exploring these new feelings? Unfortunately for Gemma, and everyone else she knows, each choice she makes often has unintended consequences that have the possibility of greatly affecting their lives, livelihoods, and futures. And a decision/choice that is better for one, does not have better results for all. Will Gemma have the guts to take a chance on love and be open to surprises, or will she choose to guard her heart and make the choice where she knows exactly what to expect?
This book is a fun, fresh take on the age-old question: Can two people of the opposite sex truly be 'just friends'? Or does someone always end up developing feelings? Grab the book, your favorite drink, and enjoy reading about Gemma and Dax navigating that one.
My rating:
Steam rating:
(More like 1.5 Some scenes have some heat...but nothing in the first half of the book, and then just sprinkled sparingly after that)
The Yellow Wife
Sadeqa Johnson
If I ever wondered if excellent and horrific can exist in the same sentence, this book came to prove to me they can. Excellent in author research, historical accuracy, and in writing that tells a story so compelling you can't imagine putting it down before you're finished. Horrific in knowing that similar events happened to so many real people, in the history that inspired it, in the way you replay the details in your head because they're so gut-wrenching you can't forget.
Pheby, born into slavery to a mom who has a coveted position on her plantation, lives a life in the shadows. Not quite fully thrust into the life of hard-labor slavery, not quite treasured enough to avoid tribulations. As a favorite mistress of the master, Pheby's mother has long rallied for him to agree to give her daughter freedom when she turns 18. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes the plantation before Pheby reaches this milestone, and she is sent to a jail for enslaved persons, especially known for its cruelty and brutal forms of torture. While there, Pheby finds herself rethinking everything she ever questioned about her mother and childhood, as she herself is chosen as a mistress for the jail master. She finally understands that submission does not mean acceptance, that small pieces of defiance can be found within compliance, and that a mother will do anything to protect her child.
Although Pheby is a favored slave, she is still subjugated to the will of her master. What he demands, she must fulfill. Her body, her children, her time, and her relationships are all owned and controlled by him. But, as Pheby was told over and over by her mom, no one can control your mind but you. She works hard to ensure her firstborn hears this message, although circumstance and time work against her teachings. She finds herself in a race for life or death for both herself and her loved ones. Can she find a way to get them to freedom? Who can she truly trust to help her on this quest? Does she have the strength to pay the ultimate sacrifice, if it means a chance at life for someone she loves? Be prepared to be truly heartsick over the agonizing choices people were forced to make...and even more disappointed in the choices that were never given to them.
This book is historical fiction, but has several connections and bases that come directly from history. The character of Pheby is loosely based on the story of Mary Lumpkin. The fictional Lapier Jail is based on the real-life Lumpkin Jail, located in Richmond, Virginia from 1830-the end of the Civil War.
Good to know before reading:
-Extreme torture and inhumane treatment of enslaved persons of all ages, including unborn children, detailed in book.
My rating:
Lessons in Chemistry
Bonnie Garmus
E. Zott is a scientist in the 1960's, during an exciting time in America, where rapid discoveries and changes are being made in scientific laboratories. Zott, specifically a chemist, is especially interested in abiogenesis, the origin of living things from non-living things, and has the desire, drive, and intelligence needed to make headway in the challenging and competitive field. The problem? She's a woman. Elizabeth Zott has spent her whole life hearing all of the reasons she can't, or shouldn't, do something. It's too hard. Too demanding. Too difficult. And most of all, why would she want to, when she can just get married, have children, and stay home instead?
When she meets Calvin Evans, a fellow scientist (albeit a slightly famous one), he mistakenly thinks she must be a secretary at his science lab. As he quickly learns, Elizabeth is not 'just' anything. As the two find their chemistry growing both inside and outside of the lab, they have to learn that while they're both incredibly intelligent people, there are some things that just do not come easy for them. Opening up. Trusting. Being vulnerable or dependent on another. This book has it's fair share of tragedy and loss. Maddening unfairness. Silly misunderstandings caused by lack of communication. But through it all, there's also joy. Learning. Growing. People making a difference for others. Fighting for equal rights. Although no parts are particularly funny, you'll find yourself smiling when it all comes together.
Even though she experienced her share of setbacks, including sexual assault, bullying, threats, harassment, unfair workplace treatment, bias (the list could go on)...Elizabeth continued to pave the way for all women who ever wanted to be anything other than what they were told they should be. She did this by being true to herself, and never compromising in the thing she held most dear, her knowledge in her own capabilities. Even when her career takes a turn she never saw coming. Instead of making scientific discoveries in a lab, she finds herself the star of a surprisingly popular cooking show, reaching the homes of women all over the country with her no-nonsense, to the point, cooking (and chemistry) lessons. When an obstacle presented itself, she took a logical approach to moving around it. Read this one...and then give a silent thanks to all the way-pavers who've come before.
My rating:
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Brian Selznick
This is the perfect book to read aloud with your kids, and you'll enjoy it as much as them. Owning this book was a happy accident. I ordered it after having seen it recommended many times in a book group I belong to, with the intention of gifting it for Christmas. Well, it arrived, and as I was wrapping it, I glanced inside and realized it was a children's book! (The intended recipient was not a child). Change of plans, and it was gifted to one of my own children instead. As we started reading through, we would often get one, maybe two, chapters in a night. But as we got further into the story, begging for "just one more" was the norm. As I wanted to know what happened as much as them, I wasn't a hard sell. If you have a chance, I think you'll enjoy this one, kids or not.
Hugo Cabret is a young boy living in Paris in the 1930's. Through beautiful illustrations (this book is a Caldecott Medal winner) and wonder-filled story telling, you follow Hugo through the trials and triumphs he experiences in his quest to solve a mystery that he hopes will give him answers about his past. Prior to his death, his dad was working on repairing a rare robotic man. After tragedy strikes, Hugo is able to recover the robot from the wreckage and attempts to continue his dad's endeavor. We learn of hardships and loss he experiences, and how he perseveres by using his brains, talents, and luck to survive on his own. Using the skills taught to him by his dad, he is able to live undetected inside a train station. It's here, living by himself in the train station walls, that Hugo learns sometimes it's okay to let others in. As the story unfolds, you learn of all the connections among the characters and you're left with a satisfied feeling of hope.
Something I loved about this book is that it brings the pride and successful feeling of finishing a big chapter book to all readers, even when reluctant or struggling. The chapters are short and extremely manageable. Sprinkled throughout the story are the most detailed, engaging illustrations that could tell the story all on their own. Sometimes several pages in a row are solely illustrations, each one more close-up and detailed than the last. I didn't do any actual counting, but I would say somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 of the book is pictures. After finishing, I think this book would allow all-aged readers to feel really accomplished, while still being entertained. I love books that make someone want to read, and I think this book could do that for many.
My rating:
Read Along with me in March:
Something old | The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James |
Something new | Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson |
Something steamy | Sunburn by Laura Lippman |
Something true-ish | The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict |
Bonus (if time!) | Help me pick--choose below! |
Something for all ages | The Spiderwick Chronicles |
What should my bonus read/review be in March?
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood
The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony
Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
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