Books I read in February 2016

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson *

The only thing I can compare this to is the book of Isaiah in the Bible. Chronology?  There was no chronology.  It skipped around sometimes in the same sentence and you just had to accept that it wasn't really going to make sense all the time.  Also like Isaiah, there were some really good things there.  You just had to work really hard to get it.  I almost quit reading many times but when I was 200 pages in, I decided I just had to finish the thing.  

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee ***

This is the written before To Kill A Mockingbird sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird.  I resisted reading it because I love To Kill a Mockingbird and Atticus (I even had a stuffed dog named Atticus when I was a kid) and I heard that Atticus came across as racist in this book.  I didn't want to ruin Atticus!  Then this book was picked for book club and I read it.

I liked it.  And it didn't ruin Atticus.  I think the book was all the more powerful because I liked Atticus so much.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty ****

I am fast becoming a huge Liane Moriarty fan!  This book was great.  I heard it was better than Big Little Lies that I read last month and I can't decide which was better.  They are both intense and riveting and maddening and ultimately, entertaining.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh ****

This book had been top of my list for awhile and I finally got to it!  It didn't disappoint.  It's about a girl who aged out of the foster system.  There were flashbacks to her experiences in foster care and it followed her as she tried to become a self sufficient adult in the world.  It made me want to be kinder.  Some of the characters were just so very kind.  I also felt heartbroken for all the people in the world who aren't given much of a chance.