February Reading Roundup - Part One

Because I’ve been feeling under the weather a lot this month, I haven’t taken the time to share the amazing books I’ve read! I’m actually astounded by how many books I’ve finished this month – it’s been quite the variety but I wanted to share them because I have enjoyed them and learned a lot along the way!

The sad part is that, because I wasn’t chronicling as I finished reading each book, I know I am missing some books that I read this month! As a result, one of my goals in the coming monthes are to write down the titles of the books I have read as I finish each one (it is definitely a sign that I am getting older!).

This month I read a book that really touched my heart – Transition: The Story of How I Became a Man by Chaz Bono. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed and the things I learned from this book. Chaz was very open about his life experiences while growing up as Chastity Bono, the daughter of Sonny and Cher. As Chastity, Bono grew up with mixed emotions and struggling to find himself. The triumphs of Bono’s life, as well as the pain that Bono experienced, were honest and raw. With Bono’s realization that he was transgendered and truly was a man, you can hear the strength that he gained as he became his true self. I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it! You can read the book’s prologue on Oprah’s website.

On a completely different note, I also read Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. It is really hard to describe this book – it is like Lord of the Flies meets beauty queens meets scathing satire. The novel surrounds a group of teen beauty queens on their way to a pageant who end up deserted on an island. The satire falls in the hands of cornered capitalism called “The Corporation” who seem to own every tv show and are connected to every product. The descriptions of these shows and products are downright hilarious! Add to this story some attractive male teen pirates, a third-world dictator who is in love with a beauty-pageant organizer who is bent on world domination and exploding beauty products and you’ve got a story that you have the read! The more I read this book, the funnier it became and, by the end, I couldn’t put it down!

The Fifth Rule by Don Aker was another book I read this month. This novel is the story of a young man who commits a random and senseless act of throwing a rock over an overpass and seriously injuring a girl. The book starts 2 years later – the main character has moved out West but is drawn back to his hometown (in Nova Scotia) due to the sudden death of his mentor. During this time, he connects with some old friends, considers contacting the girl he had injured (who he met while doing community service and cares for deeply) and finds himself in the midst of a political storm with a zealous campaigner who wants to crack down on juvenile crime and close the home his mentor had established to provide alternatives for youth. With everything that happens, this young man has to decide – will his anger turn outward (as it has in the past) to lash out against those who want to close the home that changed his life, or will he take what he has learned and deal with these issues in a positive way? I really liked this book and I was surprised to find that it is actually a sequel (the first book is called The First Stone). It surprised me only because it was such an easy book to read and it had no awkwardness that I sometimes find in sequels. I would highly recommend this book and I can’t wait to read the first novel!

I also read Deception by Jonathan Kellerman this month. Like all of Kellerman’s novels, this book has a lot of twists and turns. To be honest, I can’t even remember the plot of this novel (as I tend to read Kellerman purely for pleasure) but I do remember that I enjoyed it enough to pass it on to some friends! I actually noticed, on his website, that his next Alex Delaware novel was released yesterday and I can’t wait to read it! The difference between Kellerman’s novels, and other suspense series that I have read, is that the plots remain rich and engaging and I’m still left guessing until the very end!

I’ll share the second part of my monthly roundup later today! I’ve read so much this month – I really need to post more regularly as reading is one of my greatest passions!

*I just wanted to share the books I read as part of the TBR Reading Challenge*

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