There are plenty of serious books on my TBR list but February has been all about good stories:
Pardonable Lies: A Maisie Dobbs Mystery: This is the third book in the series and was as good as the first two. I love the historical setting of England between the wars with a focus on the experience of World War I. The narrative is as important as the mystery.
The Last Kingdom: The first in Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Chronicles, set in the time of Alfred the Great. No chick lit here: this is manly historical fiction full of wenching and fighting. But Cornwell always has a strong woman character, too.
Evening Class: My second Binchy of 2012 and I enjoy her story telling. This book uses the frame of Italian classes to introduce a wide variety of characters, all lovingly drawn by Binchy as ordinary people looking for happiness.
Wishin’ and Hopin‘: Wally Lamb’s Christmas novel had me laughing out loud. The fifth grade narrator’s voice made the 1960s come alive.
I Still Dream About You: Fannie Flagg’s tale of a woman who decides to end it all only to be caught up in life is a bit predictable but funny and endearing.
