Oops – not only am I really late getting this post up, but I also only read six books in February… and one was a picture book! (Recommended by my ski school trainer.) This was a busy month, but because it was also a short one, this means I’m only two books behind on where I need to be to hit 100 books by the end of the year. I can catch up!
5 stars:
The Secret Bridesmaid, by Katy Birchall: This was such a fun read! I loved the entrepreneurial main character, and seeing her very 21st century business and the trials and tribulations she goes through. Even though the romance was a bit predictable, there were plenty of twists and turns in the plot that did keep me guessing. I loved the Miranda Priestly-esque vibe of Cordelia, the main client, and also appreciated that we got plenty of insight into why she was so difficult. I tore through this book in just two days – really fun and light without being at all dumb!
4 stars:
Fanocracy: Turning Fans Into Customers and Customers Into Fans, by David Meerman Scott and Reiko Scott: I really enjoyed this book and the conversational style in which it was written. The authors used a lot of different examples (though some where a bit repetitive), and I found it to be a nice storytelling compilation of case studies; however, there wasn’t really a solid summary of overall advice, and some of the examples seemed a bit lucky (i.e., there were probably other stories of companies who took the same tactic but failed to build a fanocracy).
Sunflower Sisters, by Martha Hall Kelly: At first I found this a little slow to get into, but about a third of the way in, it really picked up and I stayed up all night to finish! (Oops.) I liked the different perspectives throughout the book (Jemma the slave, Anne-May the plantation owner, and Georgy the Union nurse), but they became much more compelling once their stories finally intersected. I did think that the author could have done a better job diving beyond Anne-May’s logic and actions – it was never really clear why she married Fergus or ended up where she did, and her particularly brutal treatment of her slaves wasn’t explained. This book packed a lot in, and by the end, it was definitely a good read!
The Inheritance Games, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes: I really enjoyed this books, and stayed up far too late to read it in just two nights! However, while it was a page turner, I found myself a little bit annoyed by the three Hawthorne boys – I couldn’t really tell them apart, and felt like more should have been done to distinguish them from each other. I also found it a bit odd how Avery kept choosing to keep playing, when she didn’t need to; it made it hard to empathize with her being concerned for her safety when she was choosing to do dangerous things rather than lying low. Overall, I am very much looking forward to the next book, but I still had a few reservations about this one.
Wabi Sabi, by Mark Reibstein: This was a great picture book for both children and adults. Beautiful illustrations and informative story.
2 stars:
The Thought of Work, by John Budd: This had a lot of fascinating insights, but was incredibly dry and too packed with information. I found it quite a slog to get through, and it took me a few months since I wasn’t very motivated. I think it’s best to read perhaps one chapter a week, interspersed with other books, as the content was awesome but it was far too academic to really be enjoyable.
Any book recommendations for me? Follow me here on Goodreads to keep up with what I’m reading in real time.