February Book List

I completed six books this month! I switched it up a bit and added a couple darker, more poetic books this time around. I'm still on a Bridgerton kick. Naturally. I finished the eight books in that series, and began the first of the Rokesby Quartet with Because of Miss Bridgerton, which was a delightful kickoff to what will hopefully be another engaging set of books. However, one story this month left a mark on me that I don't think I will ever shake. Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides is without a doubt the best book I have ever read, and was a true joy to read in spite of, or perhaps because of, its poignant darkness. In that same theme, My Dark Vanessa was a troubling reminder of my late teens and is an honest commentary on the damage of grooming. This month really made an impact on me.

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The Review

Oh, how I adore Hyacinth Bridgerton. Her spirit, and her wit, and her loose sense of propriety all make her a charming heroine - and following in the wake of When He Was Wicked, our hero is an absolute dream. I adore Gareth St. Clair, the rogue-y-est rogue to not grace the London ton. A unique story line and more humor than any of the others thus far, I enjoyed every single moment of It's in His Kiss. Doubly wonderful, at this point in the series we have been introduced to all of Julia Quinn's inside jokes and easter eggs, including the abysmal Smythe-Smith Musicale, the hidden opera singers, and the adventures of the hapless Miss Butterworth books. Definitely the most fun of the Bridgerton books and I am so sad to see the end of the series.

The Review

The beginning of this book had me rolling my eyes - Bridgerton men are as possessive as they are passionate and loyal and Gregory seemed to be the worst of them, but I was pleasantly surprised and caught up by the quiet desperation of their love and Lucy’s constant battles between what is right and expected and what she actually wants. We love a man who chases his lady. Consensually. By the end; and certainly the epilogues, I was bawling. Stunning conclusion to this series, and I dearly hope the show does it justice.

The Review

I have only one thing to say about the worst book I have ever read.

HER ALARM CLOCK DID NOT GO OFF IN HER PRAIRIE WAGON. GET OUT OF HERE WITH THAT LEAH BANICKI!!!!!!!!!

Corrine is the least interesting character I have ever had the misfortune to read. There's also a really messed up white savior complex in this that is really uncomfortable, and this book definitely has an idealistic and inaccurate depiction of life as a pioneer. Corrine's problems are conveniently dealt with and everything seems to fall into place with little to no effort on the part of our heroine. It took me nearly a full month to finish this one because I got angry at least once a chapter.

The Review

After the Banicki debacle, I was pleased to settle back with a copy of Julia Quinn's Because of Miss Bridgerton. Miss Billie Bridgerton is iconic to say the very least. I mean, the woman can ride a horse. Backwards. Much like Hyacinth, I am so happy to see a true rebel who flouts convention and does her own thing. Her relationship with George is also one that is sincere and strong, but Quinn does fail to really show why Billie and George hate each other so much. It's alluded to, but very quickly attraction replaces hatred, and I think the story would have benefited from a Darcy-esque hatred tha slowly turns to love rather than "I used to hate you but now I don't." Still, as always, this is book candy and I'm about to become a type-Quinn diabetic.

Content Warning: Suicide

The Review

Oh, the Lisbon sisters. I cannot say enough about this book. My heart wrenched from the first few pages. I was spellbound, and finished this book in just a couple days. As soon as I closed it, I opened it again and had to force myself to move on to another book. I settled with watching the Sofia Coppola film adaptation, which is one of the best film adaptations of literature that I have seen.

The Virgin Suicides follows a fateful year in the lives of the five Lisbon sisters, captured through the eyes of the neighbor boys who love them into obsession. The captivating sisters - tortured Cecilia, wistful Mary, over-sexed Lux, solemn Therese, and quiet Bonnie. The book opens with Cecilia's attempted suicide, and the lives of the Lisbons spiral wildly out of control as five sisters with a deep secret rapidly deteriorate and send the entire community into shock.

Written in the most raw, stunning prose I have had the fortune to encounter, The Virgin Suicides is now my favorite book of all time.

Content Warning: Grooming, rape

The Review

This book hurt me. It tore me apart, made me uncomfortable, and sent me into rages and tears alike. Here we have two stories winding together, with two timelines chronicling the rise and fall of Vanessa, a girl groomed by her English teacher and still haunted by him ten years later.

Vanessa is well and truly indoctrinated by this man, obsessed with the groomer's manual, Lolita. She embraced the term nymphet, clings to it and her obsessive relationship with her much older teacher. In her adulthood, she lives in a hoarded room filled with the haze of marijuana smoke and gives up college to work at a hotel. Once a promising writer, she is wasted in a trauma she refuses to admit happens, even to her therapist.

LET ME TELL YOU. That part hurts. I've been Vanessa in both stages, the bright young girl whose life gets destroyed by a pedophile. This book is frustrating in many ways - but that's because it is a real narrative. This book is uncomfortably real, and more need to read it to understand the abuse that happens in an age gap relationship when one person is still a minor.