Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my February 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for February 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

Jesus, the One and Only by Beth Moore

I’ve been working my way through this book one chapter at a time since December. The book starts with the birth of Jesus, which was perfect during Advent. It then goes through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. I wanted to read this one slowly and really think and pray about all of the different facets of a Man that we’ve all heard of, but don’t often stop to think what it must have been like for him. A really powerful book, I recommend this one.

So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead by David Browne

An account of the Grateful Dead from inception to modern-day, this book was a look at one of the most interesting and iconic bands of the 20th century. It was sad to read about the drug addiction and mental health issues that led to early deaths of several of the band’s members. But the community’s love for the band over the course of decades was incredible.

Kabumpo in Oz by Ruth Plumly Thompson

2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge: A childhood classic you’ve never read

A few years ago, I read the whole Wizard of Oz series, or so I thought. I read all of the books in the series by L. Frank Baum, but apparently missed that there were more by Ruth Plumly Thompson. This was a fun little book, but in my opinion wasn’t quite as good as Baum’s own books. Still, when I need something a bit lighter, I now know that there are even more books set in Oz than I had ever known!

Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child’s Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore by Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell

This was recommended to be by some therapists that I work with regularly on my cases, as it is the background for the Circle of Security Parenting curriculum that we often have parents go through as part of their case plans to reunify with their children. I’ve often heard these same therapists, as well as foster parents say that the method helped them with their own parenting as well. I wanted to read the book and learn more about the curriculum that I advocate for parents to learn from. And I can say that this stuff makes good, common sense, but isn’t a series of steps that you have to learn or do. It simply requires that you look at parenting in a framework of children needing to explore as well as be comforted, and parents needing to help children in this circle by being bigger, stronger, wiser, and kind. This book is fantastic, and I recommend that ALL parents read it, truly.

A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley

The true story of an Indian boy who lives in abject poverty and then gets lost from his family, then ends up adopted by a family in Australia, and ultimately finds his family as an adult. It’s an incredible story, and is fairly well written.

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book with an LGBTA+ protagonist

This month, my husband and I installed shelving in my home office, which prompted an office cleanout. In the process, I rediscovered a few books that I’d borrowed from friends, and need to get finished up and returned. This one was among them. I’ve read Jodi Picoult previously, and really loved some of her books. This was not one of my favorites. It is told from the perspective of three different individuals, and delves into issues of freedom of religion, Christian versus atheistic worldviews, and gay rights. The book definitely provokes a lot of thought, and would be great for sparking conversation at a book club. But the end felt a bit forced and false to me. And the lengthy courtroom testimony reproduced in the story felt tedious (and, as a lawyer, really fake). And the portrayal of many of the Christians in the book as self-serving and self-promoting really gives a false view of Christians and Christianity. So, I didn’t love it and am glad that I finished it, so that I can return it.

The Vanity Fair Diaries: 1983-1992 by Tina Brown

This book is not a memoir, but excerpts of the diaries that Tina Brown kept before during, and just after her time as editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair magazine. I have had no exposure to the world of magazine publishing or New York society, so this was a really interesting glimpse. And the Audible version is narrated by the author, which is fantastic. I really liked it.

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas

My library ran a promotion this month called ‘Book a Blind Date.’ The books were wrapped in brown paper, with only the first line of the book listed on the cover so that you don’t know exactly what you’re getting–a book blind date. It was pretty fun to read the first sentence and try to guess what the book might be about. I picked this novel, and wasn’t disappointed. It is set in the 1930s in Kansas, during the Depression and the dust bowl, and follows the ladies of The Persian Pickle Club. I won’t spoil the surprise and give away what that means, because learning that was quite fun. I really liked this book! And the Book a Blind Date was a fun experiment!

Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year by Esme Raji Cowell

This is a book that I picked up from the Friends of the Library book sale, just because the concept intrigued me. I really had no idea what a teacher does, especially in the first year, so I learned something new from reading this book. The book was short, well-written, heartbreaking and heartwarming (yes both).

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

This novel is so, so good. From reading it, I understand why Egan is a Pulitzer winning author, and will definitely read more of her books in the future. The novel is told from the perspective of Dexter Styles, a semi-legitimate businessman/gangster; Anna, a little girl and later woman trying to live a life that is true to her during World War II; and Eddie, a man trying desperately to support himself during the Great Depression. The writing is beautiful, the story compelling.

The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau

If you want to start a business, but need some encouragement, or don’t know how to, this is the book for you. But if you’ve already started a business, then it’s probably less useful. I fall into the ‘already have a business’ category, so the information wasn’t new to me. But the stories of the entrepreneurs were inspiring.

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

I listened to this on Audible, which was AMAZING! I read Gaiman’s American Gods last year and loved it. Audible recommended this for me, and I didn’t hesitate to download it. I don’t really know what else to say about this book, other than that you need to read it.

Books in Progress:

Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study Of The Years 1900-1925 by Vera Brittain

Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God is Speaking by Priscilla Shirer (my bible study is working through this book one chapter at a time)

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (I didn’t get this finished before my Overdrive loan expired, so I’ll have to wait until it’s available again)

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (This has been on my list for several months because I didn’t get it finished before my Overdrive loan expired, and have to wait until it’s available again)
2018 PopSugar Challenge: A microhistory

Six Stories: A Thriller by Matt Wesolowski

Books Abandoned:

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

Nebraska Folklore by Louise Pound