February reading...

Here's an update of what I've been reading this month... some FABULOUS books, so lots to recommend! I've dropped my 10.30pm feed - Ava now sleeps 7pm-7am with no dream feed needed (woopee!) the disadvantage being I've lost a good half hour of daily reading time (and snuggles with my girl of course!)

So this month I've read less, but what I have read, I've loved. Some seriously good books up this month!

Rain Song by Alice J Wisler
This book actually took me a couple of attempts to get into, but once I did, I was pretty hooked. Its all about a young woman's attempt to come to terms with her past - family secrets and what not, and takes place between the USA and Japan. I enjoyed it as a good, lighthearted read with some really believable characters and some quirky side storylines (involving fish and chutney!) Certainly not a life-changing book, and probably not one I'd read again, but a good chillax book for bedtime/bathtime if your just looking for a good old easy-read!

Call the Midwife  by Jennifer Worth
I loved this book. I have been hooked to the BBC1 series on Sunday evenings, and my friend, Chez, recommended I read the book. I literally gobbled it up in about 3 days. So interesting to read about what life was like in the East End in the 1950s, and man... it made me glad for the NHS and hospital births and trained midwifes and all the luxury of modern labour (yes... it was horrendous, but when you read some of these stories, it puts it into perspective) I adored this book and would highly, highly, highly recommend it as a fantastic read and one that will make you grateful for all of medicines advancements in the last 50 years, but also make you realise that, at the end of the day, childbirth is childbirth... and women have been doing it for hundreds of years and survived. I could go on and on about this one - it definitely gets 5 stars in my book! Brilliant


Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan
This was a really interesting read, set in the 1920s between Ireland, at the height of all the troubles, and the USA, when thousands were still flocking to the "land of liberty". It follows the story of Ellie, a young Irish woman who heads to the USA to work and earn money for some medical surgery that her husband needs, and then her struggles to adapt back to life in Ireland upon her return. Fascinating book and definitely captures some of the issues that I'm sure were prevalent when families and marriages were separated as people headed to the States and changed before being reunited with their families. Again, a good light, relaxing read, with some quite moving parts, but very historically interesting too.


Finders Keepers by Catherine Palmer
I love a bit of good, old, christian fiction. This is the story of Elizabeth, mother of adopted son Nicolai who runs an antiques shop in a backwoods town in the States. Cue Zachary, a modern man, architect, who inherits an old piece of property in the town and wants to modernise. The two argue and fight their way through the story and then of course the ending is pretty obvious!  But it is also a story of the journey of their faiths; Elizabeth has to learn to let go of her desires and lean on God, and Zachary finds that fulfilment comes only through Christ. Good stuff.


The Iron Lady by John Campbell
This has been my serious read of the month, and I'm still only about a quarter of the way through (its a BIG book) but I'm loving it. I don't remember too much about Thatcher, but I find her absolutely fascinating. Whatever you thought of her policies and hard-line tactics, you've got to admit she was a pretty phenomenal woman. I always enjoy a good biography and this one is triply good because its biography, history and politics all rolled into one. If you've seen the recent film (insterestingly titled the same name!) and want to find out a bit more, this is a really good read and after trying out a few samples of Thatcher biographies, this one was definitely the most interesting, readable and balanced that I could find. Highly recommended.

So highlights this month have been "Call the Midwife", "Finders Keepers" and "The Iron Lady" but to be honest I've enjoyed all of them in different ways. My husband's urging me to read Keller's "The Meaning of Marriage" as he's gobbling that one down at the moment, so no doubt that will be on the March list!

Happy reading!