Jess Reads March

Let's dive in, shall we?

Up first ( I list them in the order I finish them)

 Charlotte Collins.  


A continuation of Charlotte's story after her husband dies.  I kind of have a thing for books that finish up Jane Austen's characters that we are always left wondering about.  Fun, quick, and yes, it ends happily.  Which is what you hope for a girl who chose to marry Mr. Collins.

The Glass Sentence



This was a fun one.  It's about a time where all of the different eras of humanity have gotten mixed up.  As in, you may travel the world and be in 21st century Boston, but 500 miles away might be in 16th century North Carolina.  The details on this could have been taken a lot further because it is such a fun concept, but overall it was still a good book.

Death Comes to Pemberley



Six years after Elizabeth and Darcy married there is a death on their property and it looks like Mr. Wickham committed the murder.  Written by the famous PD James, of crime writing hall of fame, this was a great story that I loved even more for her subtle use of characters from Austen's Emma and Persuasion being involved (both referred to near the end).  And Lydia Bennett ends up getting an ending sufficient to her annoyingness!


Living Well Spending Less



I saw quite a few recommendations for this book.  It's the personal story of a former shopaholic overcoming her spending to save her marriage and improve her relationship with Jesus.  (She also has a blog.)  The book reads sort of like a self-help/bible study.   I appreciate her frankness in saying that she still overspends and that it is a struggle.  The information isn't new exactly, especially if you've read other Christian authors talking about spending and maintaining a home, but it is still good things to hear and hopefully help you reconsider a few things in your own life.  


Anti Cancer



Written by a doctor who developed brain cancer, it was his search to help his disease where he became a believer in how diet is the largest factor in disease development.  This book has transformed the way Chris and I view food.  I can pretty much promise you if you read it you will want to eat better and make a lot of changes in your life.  This is one of those books where I say buy it, but he does have a website that has a lot of valuable information on it.  www.anticancerbook.com


Around the World in 80 Days




I was only meh about this book.  The reviews on Amazon are like 4.5 starts, so maybe it is just me.  It follows Phileas Fogg, a wealthy, eccentric man who takes on traveling around the world in the mid 1800s in 80 days.  He brings his new valet a Frenchman named Passepartout who is by far the most likable character in the book.

Technically, it's about their adventures as they traverse the world, but it's hard to get excited about it because Phileas Fogg doesn't even care about the world.  He's just traveling for the sake of the bet. It is kind of a bummer because the idea of this book is totally awesome and something I would be completely onboard with.  It just failed to inspire.  I much preferred Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.


Keep Chickens!



Self-explanatory.  However, the rest of the title is: tending small flocks in cities, suburbs and other small spaces.  None of which applies to us.  I grew up on a hobby farm, but I don't know a lot about chickens, so it's kind of like chickens for dummies specifically for Jess.  Not a whole lot to say because I can't talk about it like it's a novel.  If you want to get chickens read it.


The Return of the King



I finally finished this trilogy after starting it in 2015.  It's been 16 years since the last time I read the complete trilogy.  There's not much I can say as it's a series that should be read by everyone before they die.  The appendix at the end of this one is insane, with all of the background information Tolkien created for each race and the languages he made up.  The trilogy in order of my favorite: The Fellowship of the Ring (book 1), Return of the King (book 3)and the The Two Towers (book 2).  


Pride and Prejudice



Every year at some point I read all of Jane Austen's novels.  And like everyone else, I waffle back and forth about what book is my favorite.  So I decided that this is the year I will finally rank. them   Also, this book is a Barnes and Noble edition that is flexi-bound.  More than a softcover, but not quite hardcover.  The pages are very thick and of a great quality.  I've started collecting them for Ava.  She just received 4 for her birthday.


Major Pettigrew's Last Stand



You wouldn't think that a novel about a 68 year old British man falling in love with a Pakistani woman would hold your attention.  But this novel was completely charming.  It made me wish that Americans had retained a few of the British formalities and customs.  Because of his love interest being Pakistani, you are introduced to her nephew who leans towards being a religious zealot.  There are points in the book that just reiterate my frustrations with extreme Islam and its control over women.  It's all pivotal to the book but frustrating all the same.  But you still should read it.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince



Book 6 of the series, only one more to go.  I've thoroughly been enjoying this series again after 9 years.  Ava has read all of them as well, and went through a period where for 3 or 4 months all she read was Harry Potter.  I eventually had to take them away so she would read something else!  Her new kick that our pastor got her hooked on is The Ranger's Apprentice.  She flew through all 12 books in less than 2 months.


Book I didn't finish:

One Year After



Okay, technically I did finish this but only because I skimmed this book.  A lot.  So much that I felt I couldn't count it as a book I read for March.  His first book One Second After, was fantastic.  It was a look at what would happen if an EMP was set off over the US.  That book was actually brought before Congress to show them how vulnerable our electrical systems are to attack.  

But this book is a giant bore.  Lots of fighting, and just not interesting.  Not saying it isn't what could happen, but I just could not get into it.  Skip it and read the first one instead.


Jess Reads February
Jess Reads January