February Reading

I'll be right up front with you and say that I read 11 books in February, but five of those books were the the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series by Jeff Kinney. Being the diary of a middle-school boy, this is certainly not something I'd normally pick up, but at work next Monday I'm helping lead a 4th/5th grade book club on that series. I will also say, the books are funny; funnier than I anticipated. For a laugh, just pick up the first book. You won't be disappointed.

The book I'd like to highlight this month is Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. I actually started this book back in December and read it off and on (it's a hefty almost 700 pages), but my slower reading is in no part a reflection on the quality of the book. It is excellent.

Gaskell was a contemporary of the Bronte sisters. And even wrote a biography of Charlotte Bronte. She writes with depth, developing her characters through normal life circumstances. This is the second Gaskell I've read (Cranford being the other title) and I find them gentle books, but not fluffy or overly romantic.

Wives and Daughters follows the maturing years of Molly Gibson. At the start of the book she lives with her widowed doctor father. A stepmother is introduced before too long. And while she's not the "wicked stepmother" type, she is definitely a manipulative, self-centered woman. She brings along a daughter not much older than Molly. Molly is a kind-hearted girl who is trying to figure out her place with her father, her stepmother, her stepsister, and two brothers who are friends (but could they be more?).

The book wasn't filled with tragedy or comedy, though both were wielded with a gentle pen, but rather the day-to-day joys and confusions of a young girl coming-of-age.

Even if you don't pick up Wives and Daughters, I'd highly recommend you acquaint yourself with the works of Elizabeth Gaskell. And if you aren't enticed to read one, then perhaps you'll at least enjoy watching one over her novelized mini-series put out by BBC.

Without further ado, my complete February reading list:

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Last Straw

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid: the Ugly Truth all by Jeff Kinney

Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath (also children's and read for work)

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

52 Loaves by William Alexander

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam

Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider