9 Books I Read in February
9 Books I Read in February
By: Brittany Shields
Welcome to March everyone!
Here are the 9 books I read in February!
I read a lot of new releases this month. Four of these are set to release in 2022 so my reviews are a little sneak peek!
The others were all published in the last year or two as well.
Browse my reviews and find your next review.
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Thanks for checking in!
The Lady’s Mine by Francine Rivers
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
“Courage could be reckless, and recklessness brought consequences.”
I just went and saw the movie adaptation for Francine River’s most famous book, Redeeming Love. It was fitting then to see this book coming out this year as it also takes place in California’s gold country in the late 1800s.
The setting is the same, but this story is much different. It is a much more lighthearted tale.
There are several threads to this plot line. Our main female protagonist has been sent by herself to make a living in this gold-mining town. She must develop a trade and attempts to revive her uncle’s newspaper business, determined to tell the truth no matter who gets mad about it. She is also determined not to marry even though every eligible bachelor in the town has eyes for her. Lastly, her inheritance that has brought her out here includes a mysterious mine that she hopes will help revamp the town’s economy.
I enjoyed the book!
Read my review for some other observations I make on the characters and the plot.
2. Before You Lose Your Faith: Deconstructing Doubt in the Church, Edited by Ivan Mesa
Genre: Christian Living/Cultural
“Deconstructing can be the road toward reconstructing—building a more mature, robust faith that grapples honestly with the deepest questions of life.”
Deconstruction is a more and more common experience these days. People are leaving the Christian faith. This book is not persuading readers to stop deconstructing. A compilation of authors share their own experiences with deconstruction and encourage the reader to seek out answers to hard questions about their faith.
It is also a charge to churches to be safe places for people to ask questions without being condemned for their doubt.
It is by no means an exhaustive resource for people with hard questions. It will get readers started on contemplating truth and the common objections to Christianity, but a more robust study will need to be done.
Read my review for an overview on the material covered in the book as well as a list of other resources to read.
3. Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside by Nick Offerman
Genre: Non-Fiction/Humor
Welp. I’m a big fan of Ron Swanson, but not of this book. This may be an unpopular opinion but I didn’t find much humor or much nature. Here’s a taste of how my review goes:
‘The deer and the antelope took a backseat to Offerman’s pretentious politics that were salivating to get their chance to roam on the range.
This book is Nick Offerman sitting atop his high horse, thesaurus in hand, shouting ‘NUANCE’ and ranting about straight white males, racism, money, Republicans, climate change, Covid, and mass-produced beef in between his frequent use of swear words and Aldo Leopold references and infrequent recountings of national parks.’
If you would like to read more of my opinions on this and the good things about it I managed to track down, click that button below!
4. Everything We Didn’t Say by Nicole Baart
Genre: Mystery/Fiction
“She was the runaway, the prodigal daughter who had split when the going got tough.”
“Juniper harbored the fear that she hadn’t left of her own free will—she’d been pushed out.”
Juniper has returned to her hometown of Jericho to help her friend and mentor with the town library, but her ulterior motives involve the unsolved murders of her childhood neighbors all those years ago.
The Murphys were murdered her senior year of high school and her brother was the prime suspect. No convictions would stick but in a small town, it’s hard to shake the reputation. Add to that a renewed interest in this case in the form of a podcast that has surfaced, determined to bring down her brother.
As with all stereotypical small towns, everyone has a secret to hide— including Juniper.
A book with alternating time periods, this was an engaging read that would make a good book club discussion.
Read my review for some of my reflections.
5. Suffering Wisely & Well: The Grief of Job and the Grace of God by Eric Ortlund
Genre: Theology/Christian Living
“The world is both far worse and far better than we ever suspected… But God’s assurance of victory over that [chaos and evil] is far calmer and happier than we ever suspected.”
There are many kinds of suffering in this world— some of the suffering we experience is a result of our sin, sometimes it’s God’s way of producing spiritual growth. But sometimes we experience pain, suffering, and grief that is inexplicable.
Ortlund (brother to Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly and Deeper and Gavin Ortlund, Finding the Right Hills to Die On) has written a very insightful book on the seemingly well-known story of Job.
Reading this book taught me so much more about Job-like suffering and put what I already knew into the correct context. I found this book insightful, encouraging, and full of grace and hope.
It would make a great study to do in a group.
Check out my review for some more quotes and other book suggestions that have to do with grief and suffering.
6. The Match (Wilde #2) by Harlan Coben
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
“Sometimes, the secrets did indeed wither and die— but other times, they grew stronger, too strong, taking nourishment from the sunlight and wreaking destruction.”
Turns out this one is the second in a series which I didn’t find out until I had already started it. I would recommend reading book one first. I was still able to follow the story and enjoy it but there is quite a bit of background context that would have made some of the character interactions make more sense.
The protagonist who had been abandoned in the woods as a young boy is grown now and may have located his parents via a DNA site. But when murders start happening, Wilde will have to figure out if they are connected to his family and his past, or at the very least try to stop anyone else from being killed.
I thought this was a really suspenseful story with some surprises that I didn’t have figured out.
Read my review for a couple quotes and a couple critiques.
7. Even If: A Study of Habakkuk by Kristin Schmucker, The Daily Grace Co.
Genre: Christian Living/Devotional
“Instead of being angry that things were going the way he wanted, Habakkuk had learned to walk by faith and not by sight. And the book of Habakkuk reminds us to do the same. It calls us to stop saying, ‘What if?’ and start saying, ‘Even if.’ Even if the worst possible thing happens in our lives, we have the Lord and in Him we have all that we need. This is the hope of Habakkuk.”
Similar to Job, Habakkuk questions why God allows evil and suffering, why he doesn’t enact justice. He is trying to reconcile what he sees and feels with what he knows to be true about God. Can we still trust Him?
This is a three week study on an often overlooked book of the Bible- Habakkuk. Even though it was short, I found it really encouraging and applicable to life.
The book is also pretty- click my review link to see some more pics!
8. The Night Shift by Alex Finlay
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
“There’s only one thing sneakier than criminals.”
”What’s that?”
”Teenage girls.”
From a multiple homicide in a Blockbuster store on New Year’s Eve in 1999, to another multiple homicide in an ice cream shop present day, this book is a complex thrill ride!
Each murder scene left one teenage girl alive, a lone survivor.
FBI Agent Sarah Keller is tasked with determining whether the 1999 alleged murderer who disappeared after getting off on a technicality is back or if this is a copycat.
Read my review for my four beefs with this book and my ultimate recommendation.
9. Just As I Am by Cicely Tyson (with Michelle Burford)
Genre: Memoir
“By nature and by choice, I was a wonderer and a wanderer. I still am.”
I had seen Cicely Tyson in How to Get Away with Murder but none of her other iconic roles. I obviously live under a rock.
Cicely passed away last year at the age of 96, shortly after this book was published.
She has written her memoir and aptly titled it, Just As I Am. She is independent and fierce, authentic and unapologetic. She holds to her convictions and works as hard as she needs to to accomplish what is before her. She is who she is and she won’t change who she is to make others comfortable; she won’t cover up the struggles that made her who she is.
Read my review for a more in-depth look at what she reveals in her book, about the framework of the writing, her faith, her life, and also some politics.
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