February in Review

So February flew by, and thank God, I am so ready for spring! But Spring looks like it could be holding out on us - early March and with the wind chill today it feels like 17 below. A great day to snuggle with the worlds greatest dog, turn on the fireplace and read a book.

To start off the month I enjoyed a community theater production of Of Mice and Men, it was an amazing play and the first time I had seen a live production of this Steinbeck classic. I went with several people who had never read the book or seen a movie version so it was fun to see their reaction to the play. Of Mice and Men has always been one of my favorite books, if you have not had the chance to read it, put it on your TBR, it's a quick book but so worth it!

For a month or so my generation 2 Kindle has been acting up and just as I neared the end of Burial Rites, it died. I HAD to finish it that day, I could not wait, so I rushed to Best Buy and picked up a Kindle Paperwhite. It was my lucky day as it was on sale and I got the last one in stock. I rushed home and quickly picked up right where I left off. My cousin mentioned that Burial Rites was an appropriate book to be reading when my Kindle died and then I realized the first book I read on it was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Perfect! I love the Kindle Paperwhite, with the built in light and touch screen. Despite my love of actual books, the smell, the weight, the piles of them around my house, I have been a Kindle convert ever since my husband gifted me my first one.

On one of the rare warmish days in February I slipped and fell going up the icy stairs into work, fracturing my hip......so lots of rest, no stairs, no riding my horse....I am taking consolation in the fact that it is really to cold to do anything and that I feel like I am healing quickly. Maybe late March I will be back in action, I hope.

Now, what I read this month (in order from least favorite to favorite) and how I am doing on my New Year's Book Resolutions.

5. Be Safe I Love You Cara Hoffman
4. The Wind Is Not a River Brian Payton
3. The Fault in Our Stars John Green
2. Serena Ron Rash
1. Burial Rites Hannah Kent

As for my New Year's resolution, I tried the young adult genre with the Fault in Our Stars.

So here is hoping for spring and more happy reading!

Serena Ron Rash

Serena by Ron Rash

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Serena, oh my gosh, I loved her, despite her cold, calculating, murderous ways. I loved the whole story and once I got started I could not put this book down. George and Serena Pemberton are newly weds returning to North Carolina to manage their timber company, upon arriving they are greeted by a women, pregnant with Pemberton's child and her father. The father is killed by Pemberton and the women, Rachel Harmon, is told in no uncertain terms, by Serena, that she will get nothing from them.
In the first few pages we learn that the Pemberton's will stop at nothing to get what they want. After suffering a miscarriage and learning she will never have her own children, the one thing she wants and cannot get, Serena sets out to kill Pemberton's child with Rachel Harmon.
This book kept me hanging right up until the ending, I had ideas of how I wanted things to turn out and hopes for what would happen, but the ending snuck up on me, it was truly shocking, but fitting. I really enjoyed the authors writing style, the descriptions of the Smokey Mountains and all the minor characters through out.
There were times I felt like I missed something in the book, such as when the doctor and Harris were killed. I didn't need explicit details but felt like something was missing in explaining what happened to them.
The house fire, it sounds like Serena and Pemberton lost everything, yet for his birthday she wears her old green dress. It also sounds like other personal items of theirs were saved. A few inconsistencies such as these through me off, but not enough to ruin the book for me.
I would like a Serena prequel, it would be fascinating to learn more about Serena's time in Montana and why she was so cold.
As I read this book, I didn't see either Jennifer Lawrence or Bradley Cooper in these roles, but still excited to see the film version.



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