Reading through February

 February started with a stack of books. Every month starts with planned reading and wishful reading. The trick is to discover how much I can actually accomplish. So many books, so little time is my long-standing mantra. I managed 5 books and they were all at least 4 stars.

February's book club was a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ favorite - The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. I love World War II historical fiction, and Quinn found an exciting piece of the struggle I hadn't read before. Britain's top secret code breaker program and the work done at Bletchley Park had been hidden for many years by the Secrecy Act the participants were required to sign. At 656 pages, it takes a commitment but at the halfway point I was reading it in every spare minute

The focus on the women who were employed at Bletchley Park, the restrictions on their lives imposed by their work and how those meshed/clashed with societal rules for women in the UK during the war years drew me in. The restrictions didn't drop away following the war and the 3 women at the heart of the story - Osla, Mab and Beth - deal with the repercussions for several years after. This book is the best of book club - most members enjoyed it and it generated a great discussion. Big question for me is always will I read more by this author? Keeping in mind so many books, so little time, I probably won't get to her again but I would definitely read her if I bumped into her.

Before I cover the rest of the month, I should talk about star ratings. Rating a book 1 through 5 stars is a pretty common system for readers. I think each reader attaches their own meaning to what the stars mean. I am generous with my stars. mainly because if I don't like a book I generally don't waste enough time on it to drop it all the way down to a 1 or 2.

A 5 star book for me means I want it to live on my bookshelf, I will think about it long after I read it, I will rave about it to other readers and press it in their hands if given the opportunity. As for the rest:

4 stars - I really liked it, will recommend it to others, it's a step above the author's previous work

3 stars - It was good, enjoyable but I may not remember much about the plot in a few years

2 stars - Did I have to read this? Why didn't I set it aside? 

1 star  - I only read this because I had to. It must have been a book club selection. Otherwise, there are no one star ratings because I would never have finished a book I disliked this much.

So many books, so little time ....

The rest of February were 4 star books ....

I read 2 towards my goal of finishing Robert B Parker's Spenser series. Both Cold Service and School Days were a step above the previous books in the series. Cold Service provides a more in-depth look into who Hawk is and why the relationship between Spenser and his best friend works, School Days looks at the all-too-frequent tragedy of school shootings. Both were great storylines and Parker handles them thoughtfully, as usual.

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen continues the story of the Waverley women in Bascom, North Carolina introduced in Garden Spells. Another lovely tale of magical realism, food and family ties. 

My online book challenge prompt "an author EVERYONE has read but you." I was embarrassed to admit that I had never read Barbara Kingsolver. I went back and pulled her first novel, The Bean Trees. It was on my shelves and it's a very slim volume - only 272 pages. I absolutely know I need to read more. Her command of a phrase in her very first outing only bodes amazing for what's to come as she matures as a writer. The story of Taylor and Turtle, the building of a new family in Tucson, finding purpose in her new life, and staying connected to her roots is a compelling journey. If Kingsolver ever decides to bring us up to date on Taylor and Turtle's story, I will be there.

On to March ........