For The Love Of Books | What I Read In February 2018

Super awesome month of books for me. I would totally recommend all the books I read this month - they were each so good. 

WHAT I READ IN FEBRUARY 2018

  • Bel Canto (finished this one right at the end of January) // I really, really enjoyed this book. I love her writing style and I loved the way the story flowed all the way until the end. It felt super abrupt - but I guess that's how life goes sometimes too. I loved the themes of adaptation, of love, of change, of escape (literally from the life you were living one moment before), and the push and pull between relationships. Oh and it totally made me want to go to an opera.
  • The Great Alone (BOTM) // I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one last night because I just couldn't stop reading. I loved this book. I loved that Alaska + the climate was basically a character. The subject matter is challenging for sure - violence, loneliness, family issues, etc. - but the story is rich and complicated and well-told. Love these kinds of epic stories. So, so good. 
  • The Broken Girls (BOTM) // This book legitimately freaked me out multiple times. The kids around here all know I was reading a scary book because I kept saying “this book is scary” - ha. Loved the twists and turns - I zoomed through the last half super quick. If you are looking for a haunting style of story this one’s for you. I actually almost stopped reading it at one point but I am so glad I finished. 
  • An American Marriage // I read this one without knowing anything about it because it was recommended highly by a friend (and then I saw it popping up everywhere). This is an emotional, real, raw and very well written story that is different from what I've been reading lately. I love being surprised. Beautiful, compelling writing that really gets to the heart of complicated human relationships. A line I loved : "But mostly my life is good, only it's a different type of good from what I figured on." This has been the lesson of my life as well.

This month I'm also trying something new with a video overview of what I read last month and what I am planning to read next month. In the future I hope to record myself right after I finish each book so I can capture my immediate reactions but this month I'm just talking about them all at once.

You can also view this video on my YouTube channel here

BOOK OF THE MONTH SELECTIONS FOR MARCH

It's also time to select new books from  Book Of The Month Club

As part of their Ambassador Program I get to order from their monthly selections a bit early in order to share with you and celebrate their new releases each month. 

This month I picked two books: 

In addition to those two I'm also half-way through Fascinate: How To Make Your Brand Impossible To Resist as my non-fiction book (this was recommended by Erin at Floret Flowers). 

FULL LIST OF WHAT I'VE READ IN 2018

JANUARY 2018

  • The Heart's Invisible Furies (BOTM) // I super, super loved this book. Just go read it. Now. 
  • The Woman In The Window (BOTM) // Perfect suspense book. Great beach read.
  • Everyone Brave Is Forgiven // It’s been quite awhile since I underlined passages in a non-fiction book but I did a few times in this one because the language and imagery used was just so beautiful. It’s a story that will stick with me.
  • The Year Of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store // Super quick read on a topic I’m interested in - how less can mean more. This book is more memoir than how-to and I was interested in her story and all the ways in which she cake to having and wanting less. Glad I read it. It’s so much more than just a story of not shopping for a year.
  • Turtles All The Way Down (BOTM) // This one was a like but not love for me. I did really like some of the writing, especially towards the end, that related to the forward movement of life with mental illness. I think these kinds of stories are important and the pieces where he was writing about her self-talk/voices really resonated with me personally.

You can see everything I read in 2017 here.

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11 thoughts

  1. Pamsmiles says…
    03/02/2018

    Hi Ali!
    I am really loving that you are doing these videos! So much fun :)

    Reply 0 Replies
  2. ckcollins15 says…
    03/02/2018

    Love the videos. You go more in depth and while you said you loved them all, I know which one to move to the top of my library list.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      03/03/2018

      Cool - thank you!

  3. elli says…
    03/02/2018

    Hi Ali. I was curious... What do you do when you finish the BOTM books? Do you keep them, donate them, give to friends? I'm just picturing all these hard cover books piling up. I probably wouldn't have the heart to get rid of them.

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      03/03/2018

      Hi! I give them to friends (sometimes aaron reads them too) - I generally only keep non-fiction books i want to refer back to :).

  4. mcbce says…
    03/03/2018

    Hi Ali! I really enjoyed the video review. I also love to see what Jessica Turner is reading and constantly put books in my cart on Amazon so I don't forget what I want to read! If you are a Kristin Hannah fan I love her book, Winter Garden. I can't wait to read The Great Alone. Thanks for the recommendations.

    Reply 0 Replies
  5. sparkle says…
    03/03/2018

    Love that you've started these videos about what you're reading. Great info plus it's inspiring me to make the time for my love of reading.

    Reply 0 Replies
  6. ThatGirlTCB says…
    03/04/2018

    I downloaded a sample of "An American Marriage" and it is indeed a page turner for me. From the sample I read, I recognized many of the cultural references well! What a wonderful surprise! I'm getting this book! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply 0 Replies
  7. tararoddenrobinson says…
    03/07/2018

    Hi Ali,

    I downloaded a sample of Fascinate which ended just as she was equating fascination with witchcraft and Satanism. As a Catholic, I found this to be a huge turnoff. Is this a metaphor that colors the entire book? I would appreciate your feedback.

    Thanks,
    Tara

    Reply 1 Reply
    1. AliEdwards says…
      03/07/2018

      Ha. Not at all - that initial chapter is simply talking about the history references of the concept of "fascination" - which includes things about the Salem Witch Trials and Freud. That's really only brought up right there in the beginning (with a few mentions related to it along the way - I had actually totally forgotten that was how it opened). Once she goes into each of the seven different areas it's way more about the ways you communicate and action steps to take to create a brand strategy.

  8. Dawncarp says…
    03/07/2018

    Loved this - we share very similar reading tastes and I have often picked up a book on your recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed them all. The Great Alone was awesome and I have since recommended it several times. I am also halfway through An American Marriage and loving it. (both books from your recommendations) Thank you.

    Reply 0 Replies

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