The February Roundup

I actually didn't realise until just now that I had promised to do this post on the last day of February instead of the first day of March. Which (1. Makes a lot more sense than the way I thought it was and (2. Makes me two days late with this post, instead of just one. Not that that seems to affect me much.

It's kind of ironic, actually. I ended up reading exactly the same amount of books this month as I did last month. Which I guess is kinda impressive, because February has WAY less days than January. Like, three less days.
  Speaking of which, if someone was borne on the 29th of February in a leap year, what day is their birthday on on all the other years?

  Anyways. This month has been insane, and only partly because I read way too many books and my computer has all but prepared itself for cremation. Fortunately, some of the craziness is genuinely exciting at the same time as being intimidating and scary. (We just started the process to adopt a child from China!! Well, my parents did;) In fact, there's been so much going on that I am surprised I found time to read at all. Which, you know, explains why I ended up reading a ton. #LOGIC




   The first book I finished last month was North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell. I was absolutely in love with the BBC miniseries, so I was excited to actually get to read the book. This was the first time in my life that I have actually had to admit that the movie was better. It totally was. But don't get me wrong, Gaskell is a fantastic writer. And the casting really was quite perfect. I just... didn't like the book as much x)

Then there was the All the Wrong Questions series by Lemony Snicket. What there is of it. In case you haven't noticed, I totally have a thing for Lemony Snicket. It's all just. So. Good. Oh my goodness. So good.

And then there were N.E.R.D.S, by Michael Buckley. This series is for a lower age group, like maybe late-elementary. Because of that, I was a little leery of them at first, and I'm still not really sure why I enjoyed them so much. The format was tons of fun and the content itself was exciting and creative.

Books 7-13 of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. Remember where I said I had a thing for Lemony Snicket?? There ya go.

Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography by Lemony Snicket. See above.

The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket. See above above.

A Collection of Short Stories by Louisa May Alcott. There's too many titles to write them all here. I've read them a bajillion times.

Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. Oh, this book. It's what the King and I with Yul Brynner was based on. Which then and there gives you a reason to read it. It is a beautiful, colourful, touching read, which brings historical Siam and its people to life in a wonderful way. I highly recommend it.

Paul: A Herald of the Cross by Florence M. Kingsley. It's the last of a trilogy, the first two books of which were about Titus and Stephen respectively. I read them years ago and adored them, but I never had a chance to read the first one until last month Caitlyn and I were having one of our many book discussions and she remarked casually, "I'm reading this book about Paul..." Somehow I knew exactly what she was talking about. It was creepy.

Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach. I guess if I were to make a list of the types of books I enjoy, it would go like this:
1. Lemony Snicket
2. Shakespeare
3. Books about or involving Shakespeare
Actually, my amazing friend Ashley introduced me to this book, basically by saying, "There's this book called Shakespeare's Secret. It's about Shakespeare. YOU HAVE TO READ IT!!!" I guess my friends have learned the kinds of things that get my attention.

The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp. I have read this book, no joke, 3.7 billion times. It's so worn out. It's great. I love it. Read it. Okay.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I know, I know, I read this one last month too.

Gianna, by Jessica Shaver Renshaw. This is a biography of Gianna Jessen, who was aborted and survived. A powerful read for anyone, no matter what your stance on all us crazy pro-lifers is.

Meet the Austins by Madeleine L'Engle. I cannot say enough about this book. It's just so good. It's the story of a fairly normal family, but L'Engle tells it in such a powerful, poignant way. It stays almost perpetually in my To-Read list, which is high praise indeed....

The Runaway by Patrica St. John. This is the story of a Syro-Phoenician boy in the time of Jesus. The cultures of the Middle East are some of my favourites ever, and I loved how she wove them naturally into the story, which will capture your attention until you reach the last page.

Christine of the Fourth by W. E. Eastways. My mother bought this book for me years ago, and I can never repay her for it. It's the story of a girl at an English boarding school, and it's a true classic.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. If you guys haven't read the Invention of Hugo Cabret, (the book the film Hugo was based on)  you are highly missing out. This is by the same author, and the way he intertwines traditional storytelling with art and film will never not be amazing.

The Lily Pond by Annika Thor. Apparently this is a sequel to a book called A Faraway Island, which I didn't realise when I read this book. It's the story of a an Austrian girl during WWII, who was sent to Sweden by her parents, as Austria's safety got a lil sketchy.

Spy School by Stuart Gibbs. This was basically what I expected it to be. A kid goes to a special school to learn how to be a spy. Because apparently he's really good at math. This is, I think, different from the Anna Sophia Robb movie of the same name. But I haven't seen the movie.

Eight Keys by Suzanne Lafleur. I enjoyed this book so much more than I thought I would. It seemed to be your typical first-year-of-middle-school-angst-book. But the emotions were so real and the characters and situations were so relatable, and it all was just so..... je ne sais quoi. It was great.

No Shakespeare Allowed by Robin D. Jones. I literally only picked this book up because it had Shakespeare in the title.

Someone Named Eva by Joan M. Wolf. This is the story of a young Czech girl during WWII who was taken by the Germans because of her "perfect" looks, her blonde hair, her blue eyes, so on. She is sent to a school, where she not only learns German and about Germany, but how to become German. She is sent to a new family, a German family, who does their best to create in her the perfect German child. And thank goodness for the end of the war.

Inside Out and back Again by Thanhha Lai. This book was so unique. It's about a Korean girl during the Korean war who moves with her family to the U.S. of A. The entire book is written in the form of verse. It is musical and beautiful and most of all, real. I loved it.

Well, that's it!1 What was your favourite book you read this month? And what is your opinion on someone born on the 29th of February?? Tell me about it;)



~Margaret