February 2021 Book Review

It’s February Book Review Day!  Despite it being a shorter month + the SNOVID Winter Storm craziness that hit Texas, I was still able to listen to four books this month.  I swear audiobooks are saving my sanity these days.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid (A)

I enjoyed listening to this story.  It was slightly predictable, but still very engaging.  This would be a great beach read because it is entertaining for sure… but also not so intensely captivating that you are emotionally invested or can’t walk away.  3.5/5 stars

The Sanatorium – Sarah Pearse (A)

This was probably not the best choice to listen to during the worst winter storm to hit Texas.  But my hold came up in the library so I grabbed while it was available. This book had great atmosphere, where the place (a sanatorium turned hotel set in the Swiss Alps during a snow storm) might as well be a central character because how woven it is into the storyline.  I love books that have strong atmospheric quality to them. The story is told from Elin’s perspective.  She is a detective on leave from her job and sorting through her own personal trauma when she is pulled into the mystery of a finding a missing person at the same hotel she is staying at. This book is extremely dark and twisted with a good storyline and excellent narration. 3.5/5 stars

And Then There Were None – Agatha Christie (A + B)

I started reading this story as a normal book but was having the worst time getting into it.  So I switched to audio and once I did that, I found that I enjoyed it much more.  I liked it, but did not love it.  Mad respect for Agatha Christie as she is the author that one could argue paved the way for the mystery/thriller/detective genre that we see today. Her stories are creatively told and at no point was I able to figure out the ending of this book.  I can see how this book would have been huge when it was first published in 1939. 3/5 stars

Greenlights – Matthew McConaughey (A)

I have always believed that timing is critical in one’s book reading journey. Read a book at the wrong time of your life and you could be left hating it, disenchanted, unable to relate or flat out miss the message all together. Read a book at the right timing of your life and you have the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy yourself, see the world from another’s perspective, and maybe learn a thing or two that you can apply to your own life. Well, the stars aligned for me, my timing, and this book.  I LOVED IT and was able to check all of those positive things off.  I highly suggest the audio version of this book.  It had me laughing out loud so many times.  And while I have always found Matthew McConaughey to be funny, I was surprised by the depth of some of his stories and perspectives.   5/5 stars  

B – Physical Book

A - Audiobook

As always, you can see a consolidated list of all my book reviews HERE.

Now it’s your turn – I need some great books for March. Something that will pull me in immediately and keep me going through to the very last page.  So tell me in the comments what you are reading, what you are loving, and what book recs you have for me.