February Book Reviews And Surprising Reads

For this month’s book review post I thought I’d also share some books that surprised me—not with unexpected endings, but with how much I enjoyed a genre I usually avoid.

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What I Read In February

First, my February reads.

The Bridge Ladies by Betsy Lerner was a soothing read. It’s a memoir of the author’s experience reconnecting with her mother and learning about more than a card game by accompanying her to bridge club and getting to know the other Bridge Ladies. There’s no drama, just good stories like you might hear if you spent time with your parents’ friends. When I chose this book I didn’t realize the author also wrote Shred Sisters—another book I’d recommend.

Good Dirt by Charmaine Wilkerson is receiving a lot of acclaim, and with good reason. The central “character” is a clay vessel made by a slave related to the protagonist of the current story line. The book hops back and forth in time, with the origin story of the vessel helping you appreciate its true value. There’s also an unsolved crime, romance, family drama, and resilience. A satisfying page turner for sure!

Missing In Flight by Audrey Cole was a free selection in Amazon First Reads. I enjoyed reading it, but in retrospect would describe it as a bad movie that you get sucked into and have to watch to see how it ends. There’s too many unrealistic events at the crescendo, and things get wrapped up way too neatly at the end. Also, while I do my best reading on airplanes, this might not be the best choice for that if you’re a nervous flier ….

Other Books I’m Surprised I Liked

I don’t usually like books with a supernatural element (although I do enjoy pure science fiction) but I took a chance on these books and liked them a lot—maybe you will too,

In Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister, a mother of a teenager keeps waking up earlier and earlier in time. While it’s frustrating to her at first, she realizes she can use the time travel to try to figure out what really happened the night before it all started—and maybe exonerate her son.

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt made a lot of “favorites” when it first came out. Yes, it’s about an octopus, but it’s also about so much more—including regret over frayed family ties and hope for repairing them (or not).

I didn’t see the supernatural element coming in The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd, but after my head stopped spinning I enjoyed the ride. A young cartographer is estranged from her renowned-cartographer father at the time of his murder. She knows the map she finds hidden in his office must be the key to solving that crime but did not imagine where it will take her—and neither did I.

Thanks to Farrah for inspiring my book reviews!

Are there certain genres you avoid?
Have you ever been surprised how much you liked a book?