Books I read in February 2013

First, two I tried to read:

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold *

I couldn't do it.  I tried.  It was too much.  It's about a girl who's brutally murdered by a psycho neighbor.  Sounds like fun reading, huh?  I picked it up because what sounded interesting about it was that part of it was the girl's perspective from heaven and part of it was her family dealing with the aftermath.  It was too depressing and scary and freaky though.  I realized I was dreading to read it so I stopped.  Perhaps I have a low tolerance for brutal murders of teenage girls.

Founding Mothers by Cokie Roberts *

I really wanted to read this book.  I wanted to like this book.  I think I want to be smarter and more intellectual than I am.  But I couldn't do it.  I couldn't keep everyone straight.  It felt like homework.  I have the distinct memory of finishing college and realizing that I no longer have to take tests.  I'm done with homework.  It's one of the redeeming factors of growing up.

That and having leftover cake for breakfast.

So, what I actually read:

A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez **

This book was OK.  I read the whole thing so that's something.  It is set in Kabul which I found interesting.  I didn't like the main character too much--the American woman who owned the coffee house where the story mostly took place-- but I thought some of the secondary characters were compelling.

The Wright Brothers by Quentin Reynolds***

Mark and I read this book for school.  I really liked it and so did he.  It left me thinking the Wright brothers were geniuses.  I admired their talent and tenacity.  If you have a child that loves to build, I think they'd like this book too. 

Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt **

This book was about two women, both leaving their marriages, who were in a car accident. One of them was killed and the rest of the story was about the fallout.  I really liked parts of this book but on the whole, it left me dissatisfied. Nearly everyone ended up unhappy.  I know there aren't always happy endings in life but I like happy endings in books.

Also, I got irritated with the characters.  They made frustrating choices that caused their unhappiness so then I started thinking maybe they didn't deserve to be happy if they weren't smarter.  A cautionary tale?  Maybe.