Happy March to you… And to the Northern Hemisphere types among us, happy looking forward to spring. Mostly I’m looking forward to more sunlight, not so much the impending heat. Phoenix, man, right?
Despite it being a short month, I managed to finish 6 books (and get halfway through another one). Keep reading for more on what I read, or you can scroll down to the life updates if you actually care. *wink*
The first book I finished in February (on the 1st, in fact, having read most of it at the end of January) was Naomi and Her Daughters by Walter Wangerin, Jr. This one was a recommendation by my good friend Tom, and is billed as historical fiction – or religious historical fiction, I guess. Biblical fiction? Regardless, this book took the familiar story of Naomi and Ruth from the Old Testament book of Ruth, and adds some backstory in context from the book of Judges, tying in the Judges chapter 20 story of the war against the tribe of Benjamin in a truly interesting and heartwrenching way.
The middle section of the book giving some additional story to Boaz dragged at times, and ended with a truly weird moment that just didn’t work for me, but overall I did enjoy the story and the writing was engaging. Also the cover art is just beautiful – which was why I chose to use it for challenge prompt #54 – Read a book that has an illustrated cover. [3.75 stars]
Second up is one of my mom’s recommendations, a biography of the life of Joshua, the Old Testament general who led the Israelites into the Promised Land after their 40 year sojourn in the wilderness. Joshua: Man of Fearless Faith, by W. Phillip Keller, has all of 10 ratings on Amazon, and 49 on Goodreads, making this one a definite qualifier for prompt #29, Read a book that has under 1,000 reviews or ratings on a website or app. This one is not light reading, but it does give some very good insights to the life of Joshua and what made him successful, and how we can apply that to our spiritual lives. [4 stars]
The next book I finished was for prompt #18, Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – and since I first read it in 2020, I have not been able to recommend it hard enough. The Imperfect Disciple by Jared C. Wilson (subtitled “Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together”) is the most relatable Christian discipleship book I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a solid number of them in my lifetime. The first time I read it, I highlighted half the book, it felt like… and this time through, I highlighted yet more passages, because there is so much wisdom in there.
I’m not one who typically writes reviews for Goodreads or Storygraph or Amazon, I just leave my star rating and move on with my life. This one I had to leave a review for. The gist of it is that this book isn’t for everyone. But if you’re a Christian who isn’t perfect and all too aware of that fact, it might just be for you. [5 stars]
The fourth book for February was another recommendation from my sister-in-law, the source of some of my favorite recommendations (hence, the perfect choice for challenge spot #1, Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend). Recursion is by Blake Crouch, the author of my favorite book from last year – Dark Matter. I recall at least one book YouTuber I follow who had read both books, and felt like they were similar in theme, enough that they felt that you would inevitably compare them, and probably prefer whichever one you read first.
I think I did slightly prefer Dark Matter, but I didn’t feel they were too similar for my taste. Recursion is a fascinating exploration of memory and how we perceive the world around us, as well as the pandora’s box of scientific and technological advances. And there were parts of it that were slightly horrific, which was the main reason I rated it just a touch lower than Dark Matter – but just a touch. [4.75 stars]
After that, I read the first of Brandon Sanderson’s Secret Projects (see his record shattering Kickstarter) – Tress of the Emerald Sea. It’s no secret that I’m a huge Sanderson fan – his worldbuilding and magic systems are generally stunning, and the man’s work ethic is all kinds of admirable. His writing style is easily digested and serves his stories well, but generally his prose isn’t regarded as particularly remarkable. In this book, I had to stop several times to appreciate the wording – it feels like he’s leveled up somehow.
This story is a fun adventure, and the back story on why he wrote it was sweet – he and his family had been watching the classic 1980’s film The Princess Bride, and he and his wife were remarking on how passive of a character Buttercup was. His wife wondered aloud what it would have been like if, instead of writing Westley off as dead when his ship was reported captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts, she had instead gone off on a quest to rescue him. The result was a charming seafaring tale through strange oceans of dangerous spores, and a young woman who faces her fears and finds a life she never knew she wanted. I’ve used Tress as a nickname online for the best part of a decade now, so the title of this book was a delightful surprise… and this was a wonderful choice for challenge prompt #3, Read a book with a female main character. [4.75 stars]
The final book I finished in February was Ford County: Stories by John Grisham, unsurprisingly chosen for challenge prompt #14, Read a book of short stories or a novella. This was a fun collection of short stories that take place in Grisham’s fictional Ford County, Mississippi, the setting of several of his legal thrillers (including most notably, A Time to Kill). Some of these stories feature lawyers or the legal system, but some are just interesting slices of life in the rural American South. I think my favorite was Casino, the story of an unscrupulous land developer who swindles his way into the Native American gaming market, and is very satisfyingly taken down by someone he stepped on in the process. [4 stars]
In other February news, I finally finished recording one of my original songs and put it out on YouTube… I’ve written a fair number of songs over the years (hence my screen name), this one I wrote for church and our congregation has enjoyed it for a few years now so I wanted to prioritize putting that one online. Recording and releasing others on a regular basis is one of my goals this year, so stay tuned for more in that vein. If you didn’t see my post from the 11th, you may not have been aware that my older brother passed away in February, so that kind of dominated how my month went. Our fast at church ended, so I’ve been enjoying some occasional junk food again, but for the most part I’m still eating healthier than ever and trying to minimize the time wasting. Productivity, it’s quite the rush.
Below, the best photos of February, including the 3 manicures I finished.
As always, I would love to hear from you! What have you been reading? Watched any good movies lately? How are you doing with your goals for the year? Comment away, my friends!
The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2023 Reading Challenge
Level 1: Book of the Month Club [7/12 complete]
1. Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend – Recursion – Blake Crouch
2. Read a book under 300 pages – The Courts of Chaos – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book with a female main character – Tress of the Emerald Sea – Brandon Sanderson
4. Read a book by an author whose name is Samantha, Sam, or a variant – Seven Blades in Black – Sam Sykes
5. Read a book that was written by an author from your home state
6. Read a book you meant to read for last year’s challenge – Have We Met? – Camille Baker
7. Read a book with a basic shape on the cover (examples: circle, square, heart, star, diamond) – Call It What You Want – Brigid Kemmerer
8. Read a book you got from Project Gutenberg, a library, or another nonprofit source – The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
9. Read a book about a hobby you enjoy or want to pick up (fiction or nonfiction)
10. Read a book that starts with the first letter of your name
11. Read the next book in a series you haven’t read in a while – The Lost Metal – Brandon Sanderson
12. Free Space – Pick any book!
Level 2: Casual Reader Club [2/12 complete]
13. Read a book by Mary Faulkner (or one of her aliases)
14. Read a book of short stories or a novella – Ford County: Stories – John Grisham
15. Read a book that involves a lot of traveling
16. Read a book published in 1998 (25 years ago)
17. Read a book with a yellow cover
18. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – The Imperfect Disciple – Jared C. Wilson
19. Read a book by Dean Koontz
20. Read a book with a one-word title
21. Read book 1 in a trilogy
22. Read book 2 in a trilogy
23. Read book 3 in a trilogy
24. Free Space – Pick any book!
Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [1/12 complete]
25. Read a book that takes place somewhere you’d like to live
26. Read a book recommended by whatshouldireadnext.com
27. Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends
28. Read a book with a neon-colored cover
29. Read a book that has under 1,000 reviews or ratings on a website or app – Joshua: Man of Fearless Faith – W. Phillip Keller
30. Read a middle grade book (8-12 age range)
31. Read a book with the word “Time” in the title
32. Read a book about a famous criminal(s)
33. Read a movie novelization book (movie to book, instead of book to movie)
34. Read a fiction or nonfiction book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself – Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are – Shauna Niequist
35.Read a self-published book
36. Free Space – Pick any book!
Level 4: Speed Reader Club [0/12 complete]
37. Read a book that is over 600 pages
38. Read a book from ListChallenge’s Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge
39. A book by an author named David/Dave
40. Read a “Dark Academia” novel
41. Read a book with a title that starts with the letter V
42. A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture
43. Read a book with a cat on the cover
44. Read a folklore book or book based on folklore
45. Read a book where the main character is a dancer
46. Read a book by a new author
47. Read a book that involves a conspiracy
48. Free Space – Pick any book!
Level 5: Overachiever Club [1/12 complete]
49. Read one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022 (any category)
50. Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero
51. Read a book that has a title that is punny and/or alliterative
52. Read a “found family” story
53. Read a book that has a letter Q in the title
54. Read a book that has an illustrated cover – Naomi and Her Daughters – Walter Wangerin, Jr.
55. Read a book that takes place in at least two different decades
56. Read a book about an entrepreneur (real or fictional)
57. Read a book that takes place in Alaska
58. Read a book with the word “Justice” in the title
59. Read a book involving dinosaurs
60. Free Space – Pick any book!
After finishing the Reckoners series in April, I was still in a Brandon Sanderson mood, so I picked up one of my most-recommended Sanderson tomes, 
After that re-read, I figured I ought to check something off my unread books tracker, so I grabbed a paperback from my nightstand stack, and started 
After the frustration of the end of that book, I needed something light and fun, and nothing on my real or virtual shelves appealed at the moment, so I went to my Amazon wish list and snagged Brandon Sanderson’s newest offering, a Young Adult sci-fi novel called 
For the sake of balance, I felt it was time to check off another book from my unread tracker, so I went to one of the Kindle classics I had downloaded for free when I bought my first e-reader. For #17, a detective novel, I chose the ultimate detective, with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 
Finally, to close out the month, I figured I would focus for a while on completing another level. I had thought to re-read my favorite John Grisham novel (A Time to Kill) for #13, but I really wanted something new. Searching the Kindle store, I discovered that Grisham had revisited Jake Brigance and his Ford County crew in 
The Logophile 