February was a STRUGGLE to get in at least 6 books. And if I’m being honest, I phoned in the Phonics book. I had to read it for school. And the Keto Masterclass isn’t exactly a book..but it counts because it is a lot of pages in PDF form so it COULD have been a book.
February overall was a struggle. One would think that being sick in bed for 6 days with double flu, sinus infection, and strep that I would spend my waking hours reading. But I didn’t. The few hours of coherent thought were spent working on the blog and it has paid off big. But I only got 6 books in February. Let’s look at them.
J.D. Robb Connections in Death- You can write it in stone. As long as Nora Roberts publishes an In Death book every February and September, those will be my favorite for the month. I’ve been reading this series for YEARS and I’ll never get tired of Dallas and Roark. If you’ve never read the series, you have to start with the first one. The character development over the past 20 years is truly remarkable. This book focuses on the murder of a young man Lyle, the brother of the newly-hired child psychologist, Rochelle, for Roark’s new school and youth shelter. You have to have read the series to understand this youth center and how special it is the Roark family. Eve must prove that Lyle didn’t relapse into drugs again and overdose, as the scene is staged to look that way. All the favorite characters are back and I love how Roberts slowly adds to the circle, the “family” of Eve and Roark, who grew up without a family.
A Fresh Look at Phonics– This one is for elementary reading teachers, homeschool teachers, or those who want to know what teachers are reading. I’ve been teaching forever and the phonics train is back in the station. We are working through this book at school and it is FANTASTIC. Phonics and early reading are where my teacher heart truly loves to live so I’m biased, but critical at the same time. Blevins gets it right. Explicit phonics must be taught and it cannot come from a scripted teacher’s manual. Sorry, but those things are ridiculous.
Keto MasterClass– One of the best and most clearly-presented facts about Keto. Put down all the butter coffee and bacon (not really…but less of it) and read this. There are cold facts about the history and popularity and efficacy of the keto diet from Robb Wolf, who knows his stuff. Meal ideas, shopping lists, how to keto and workout, supplements and the lack thereof, and a 45 day plan.
Year One– This is Nora Robert’s exploration into the apocalyptic fiction genre. This is nothing like her In Death series (by pen name JD Robb). That series is futuristic. Year One opens with a virus that wipes out a large portion of mankind. The survivors are forced to divide and rebuild and then they realize they are no longer fighting looters or just mean people. There is a darkness, a prophecy, and a lightness that will be explored through the next two books in the trilogy. Nora Roberts did what she does best-character development. You don’t forget their names even weeks after reading. The deep development of the characters and events stick with you. IF you like this genre, this one works great. I’ll definitely read the entire trilogy.
The Winer Sister– This Book of the Month selection was a good one. The plot is a familiar one. I’ve read a few like this. Woman estranged from her mother returns home to deal with ghosts, with a mystery involved, usually revolving around a family member’s death. But, the author has some great characters and dialogue and I was invested to continue reading. I kinda figured out the mystery fairly early, but I’ve been reading and watching mysteries forever. It was a great cold-night winter read.
Adler– Jessica Gadziala. She’s been on my lists for awhile. I love most everything she writes. This is part of her MC (motorcycle club) series and it was fantastic. Adler is happy being the single MC player until the girl who moved in across the hall caught his attention. She’s a mystery. Gone for weeks, returns with more than a fair share of scrapes and bruises, runs at night in street clothes…just to train for running. She has a sad tale and Adler is swept up in her mess. It’s a beautiful mess that he can’t turn away from. I loved every moment of this book.
That’s it! I look forward to these posts and with spring break coming up, I think March will have a great selection of stories to enjoy. Happy Reading!