I love February. It is the month my mother was born in. Also, every year on February 14 my annual Audible subscription renews – a Valentines Day gift to myself… audiobooks for a year! February also is a month of promise – the promise being that winter is nearly over.
Word of the Month
Promise
Bible Verse of the Month
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy,
Now I will arise,” says the Lord; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.””
– Psalm 12:5
This month’s reading diary is at the bottom of this page, after the book list.
My Goodreads page: https://www.goodreads.com/lindajm
★ – I’m reading it.
✓ – I finished reading it. Yay!
⇗ – Still reading at the end of the month.
⇓ – I did not like it or finish it.
∅ – Stalled – I started but didn’t finish.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
Also, Joyous Lent, upcoming…
And Happy Birthday, Mom, wherever you are!
Lord knows I love you.
✓ Classic: North and South, by Elizabeth Gaskell
I’ve already started this book and am 12 chapters into it. It seems like a romance is going to develop between the protagonist, Margaret, and her father’s friend. Finished: February 9 – Worth reading. A young woman moves with her family from rural Hampshire, England (south) to a huge manufacturing city, Milton, England (north) and experiences many changes. Here’s my review. Five stars.
✓ Historical Fiction: Lieutenant Hornblower, by C.S. Forester
This is book 2 of an 11 book series. There’s a Booktube readathon for this series in 2023! The plan is to read one Hornblower book monthly from January through November.
This video is my first update for my Hornblower experience – about last month’s book.
Finished: February 15 – Very nautical, with a tour of the coast of the Dominican Republic. My review. Four stars.
✓ California History: Camp Far West: A Memoir of Early California, by Randolph H. Pirtle
Still reading. Very interesting… Finished: February 18 – not a real memoir, but a fairly good faux-memoir of Lieutenant Nelson Davis’ activities in California during the years of 1849 to 1853. The good, the bad, and the terrible. Here’s my review. Four stars. (Knocked off a star because I don’t like violence and because it took 30 pages for the author to get these military men into the San Francisco Bay.)
⇗✓ Nonfiction: How to Write Like a Writer, by Thomas C. Foster
Still reading this! I’m in the third and final section now. Finished: February 19 – holding my very negative review for three days before posting… Done. Here’s the review. Two stars.
✓ Romantic Suspense: Airs Above the Ground, by Mary Stewart
This is the continuation of my intention to read all the Mary Stewart romantic suspense novels. I’m about half-way through the list now, reading with a group on Goodreads. Finished: February 20 – Wonderful novel, as is usual, for Mary Stewart. Here’s my review. Four stars.
✓ Christian Historical Fiction: The Tea Chest, by Heidi Chiavaroli
Revolutionary War era historical fiction! Finished: February 25 – Great novel. Here’s my review. Five stars.
⇗✓ Christian Nonfiction: Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace, by Julianne Stanz
Still reading – I’m in the last half, so eventually will finish. I occasionally read a chapter. Finished: February 27 – Wonderful blending of Irish custom and legends with Christian philosophy from a Catholic point of view. Here’s my review. Five stars.
★ Christian Fiction: The Challengers, by Grace Livingston Hill
Vintage Christian fiction from 1932! Finished: February 28 – Enjoyed, very much! Here’s my review. Five stars.
☆ Juvenile Literature: Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Second book in the Little House series.
☆ Christian: The Cloud of Unknowing, by A 13th Century Monk
This is a classic Christian text. I’ll be reading it during Lent with a group of Booktube people.
Still reading, since last month
★ History: Lifting the Veil on The Lost Continent of Mu, the Motherland of Men, by Jack Churchward, great-grandson of James Churchward
The entire original James Churchward text about Mu is contained in this book. This is novel research, and I’m reading it for Historathon 2023!
Here’s where I’m keeping notes on this book and my research on it: The Continent of Mu: history or fantasy?
★ Local Fiction: Life Along the Applegate Trail, by Linda Lochard
Local fiction – from Southern Oregon!
⇗★ Christian Nonfiction: The Power of Praying For Your Adult Children, by Stormie Omartian
Still reading. It isn’t a page turner and I usually take it section by section rather than reading an entire chapter per day.
My February 2023 Reading Diary
February 1 – Another month, another learning adventure. With the start of this new month (and the freezing weather) I felt like a lot was coming at me all at once, with three groups I’m keeping up with presenting me with three books to start reading all at once. It was a bit too much for me! I decided to start with The Challengers by Grace Livingston Hill, and let the other two groups wait for my participation. One reader can only do so much, and I have a collection of books left over from last month; still reading on them. Today I managed to read a little from every one of those books. **happy**
February 2 – Yesterday I also took a walk around the block and discovered I’m so out of shape now I got muscle cramps from the experience!? …and today, I’m still recovering, with chills. So I’m giving myself a day of rest from the walking activity and hopefully will try again tomorrow. Meanwhile – there are books to read, and I should be making another video soon.
February 6 – Here we are on the 6th already and I haven’t finished even one book. Tonight I’m reading Camp Far West and am feeling a deep sadness. This sadness isn’t the same as depression. I’m not depressed – I’m just sad… not because of the book I’m reading, and not because of the forest fire or anything associated with that. My sadness goes deeper and beyond all that. I feel a great loss in my life. Jesus fills up all the empty places, when I let Him in. I will survive this sadness. The Bible says, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.” (Isaiah 65:17) … I think that might be a good solution for me… that certain things and people never come to mind. But so far, it hasn’t happened.
February 9 – I finally finished a book in February! North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. No, it isn’t a Civil War novel. It is about a woman who moved from Hampshire, UK north to Milton (Manchester) UK . . . Nice story… Victorian classic novel. Here’s my review. Five stars. Over 500 pages, so it took a while to get through it.
February 10 – Last night I started listening to Lieutenant Hornblower as an audio-read. So far, there seems to be a lot of tension on the ship, plus a short-tempered captain.
Today I’m reading Camp Far West – not a real memoir but a nice fictional pretend memoir about the soldiers who established a military outpost in 1849 in California, to help keep the peace between miners and settlers and their Native American neighbors.
February 15 – I finished the audiobook version of Lieutenant Hornblower. Very interesting! My review. Four stars.
February 18 – Yay! Finished a book today! I finished reading Camp Far West which is a fictionalized faux-memoir of Lt. Nelson Davis. It stayed close to the historical record. Here’s my review. Four stars.
February 19 – I’m one book behind on my goal of 104 books this year. I should finish 8 books per month (or more) and this month I’ve finished only 3 books. (I count books in the month they are finished.) so I’m looking at my reading list and seeing I have some books I could be done with rather quickly at this point:
How to Write Like a Writer
Airs Above the Ground
Braving the Thin Places
The Challengers
I need to finish all these and one more by the end of the month.
Later – I finished reading How to Write Like a Writer and in so doing got very upset with the author for displaying his very biased political thoughts as examples. I wrote a negative review and am holding it for thee days before posting.
February 20 – I managed to finish a book yesterday so I’m no longer “behind” but I’m making hay while the sun shines so to speak… planning to finish them in the order listed above.
Later – finished reading Airs Above the Ground. Awesome… an Austrian circus, horse, mystery kind of adventure. Here’s my review. Four stars.
February 23 – I posted my negative review of How to Write Like a Writer. Here’s the review. Two stars.
February 27 – I finished reading The Tea Chest 2 days ago… and loved it. This is a dual timeline novel. Here’s my review. Five stars.
Later – I finished reading Braving the Thin Places, by Julianne Stanz. Wonderful Irish spirituality from a Christian / Catholic point of view. Here’s my review. Five stars.
February 28 – Last day of the month, and I finished one more book: The Challengers, by Grace Livingston Hill. Awesome 1932 Christian novel. Inspirational. Here’s my review. Five stars.
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