February 2011 Reading List

It feels like I forgot a couple books, but here's my reading list for February.  All were read either on my Kindle, or from the iPhone Kindle app. 

Uncubicled by Josh McMains.  I picked this up either when it was free or less than $2.  It looks like the book is now split into 2 books for some reason.  I didn't have any expectations, but it was a pretty good read with some twists and turns that I didn't expect.  Technology and mind games combined for an interesting story.

Valeria's Last Stand by Marc Fitten.  I grabbed this one because it was set in an Hungarian village (my great-grandmother immigrated from Hungary) and it was free.  I would have been happy to pay for this book because it was terrific!  It's a love story, but not like any that I've ever read before, because almost all of the characters are well past their 30's. Fitten did a fantastic job creating his characters and I was so invested in the story that I read it on both my Kindle and iPhone app.  (I usually read 2 different books on each -- but this one kept me interested so I made sure to sync the 2 so I could keep reading in spare moments.) 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  I remember that I borrowed this book from the library when it was first released, but couldn't get into it.  Now that I look at the publication date, I realize that it wasn't that long after Lydia's birth when it came out, so I was probably sleep-deprived.  I'm glad I picked it up again, because I thought it was a good story. I especially liked how Gruen created the older version of the main character, and I felt that the story moved smoothly between current time and 60 years prior.

Bake Sale Murder by  Leslie Meier.  I enjoy these mystery series with a strong female character.  I've read a few in this series, and while I'm usually irritated by something in the character, it's not enough to keep me from reading.  The book is a quick read, and perfect for those lost moments when I only have 5 - 10 minutes to read.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen.  Somewhere I read a comment that this was one of the best Jane Austen novels.  I've never been a fan, but going along with my decision to read (or re-read) more classics I chose this one for February. I still don't like Jane Austen.  I think the book could have been finished in less than half the pages and I wanted to smack almost all the characters up the side of their heads.  What a bunch of insipid, annoying, ridiculous people that populated the book.  I forced myself to finish it, and the ending was exactly what I expected around page 10.  bleck.  Next month I'm reading Edith Wharton, because I adore her novels.

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch.  Another book that I really enjoyed.  It is set in the 1600's, and is based on the author's family, who were executioners for generations. I liked the mystery and the history and thought it was very well-done.  It was the kind of book that took me a little bit to get into, and then parts of it disturbed/frightened me, but I couldn't put it down because I had to know what happened next.  I don't know that this author plans to make this a series, but I would like to read more about the characters if he did!