MM Reads Again | What I Read in February 2019

Motivated by my “to be read” [TBR] shelf at home I’ve made a very loose commitment to myself to not impulsively click purchase on books I want to read and instead add to my want to read shelf on GoodReads. If you want to see what I’m reading / listening to in real time be sure to connect with over on GoodReads.

February was a slow reading month for me but it was also an extremely busy month at work. Something has to give and this month it was my personal time.

Looking back at February :

• I abandonded listening to A New Earth : Awakening Your Life’s Purpose simply because I did not enjoy the narration. Since there was limited time for books in hand this one got pushed to the back burner.

• I actually started Early Riser but had to put it down because it felt like too much work. I felt like there was a footnote at every other page defining or explaining the backstory of this dystopian society. My brain already hurt too much this month so I put it back on the shelf.

Wins // I read one off my TBR shelf and read 1 out of 2 books from my February Book of the Month [BOTM] box.

Here’s a look at what I held in my hand in February :

• Calypso [BOTM] // The running joke with my husband and teenage son is that I'm not funny. They love The Office and Arrested Development and I just don't get the shoes. Good for a one off laugh? Yes. Will I be quoting them? No. I'm more of a Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond kind of a comedy girl. 
  
  What does this have to do with Calypso? I think I just didn't connect with the humor. Did I laugh? Yes, it definitely had me going in certain chapters but overall I just didn't find myself wanting to pick it up. This was more of a case of I want to finish this book so I can move on than I want to finish this book. 
  
  I also wonder if I struggled connecting because it was a series of essays instead of one continuous story. It was OK for me and I'm sure for the right person it would be great.

• The Winter Sister [BOTM] // This was a fast, easy read and I definitely wanted to keep turning the page. However, at the end I was just shaking my head at the main character because did we really have to go there? It just weakened so much of the storyline that came before. It was just OK for me and there are definitely others I would recommend ahead of this one.

Here’s a look at what I listened to in February :

• Becoming [Book Club] // So, so good. And I think I must insist that you listen to this because it is a special thing to hear a quiver or a laugh in someones voice when they are telling THEIR story. 
  
  Some may not pick up this book because they don't agree with the politics of her husbands Presidency but I think that is exactly why they should pick it up. There needs to be more understanding and listening to those we don't see ourselves in. When you open your mind and heart to everyone's story, especially stories that are not like your own you give yourself the opportunity to find the sameness. 
  
  With that said and out there let's get to the book. 
  
  I listened on my commute and I always felt like I was spending time with a girlfriend. I think my favorite part of her life was when she was a working mother and had a husband also working and was simply making it work. I would find myself shaking my head, yes, yes, yes. It really had me thinking about why this particular story is not being told more in general. 
  
  The epilogue is not to be left behind. 

Looking ahead to March :

• My March BOTM pick is : Before She Knew Him , looking forward to another thriller. These tend to be fast reads for me and I know I’ll need one in March.

• I wasn’t able to resist an Add On this month after buzz about it in my reading circles so A Woman is No Man jumped into my box.

• Book club at work this month is The Immortalists, need to get started on this one.