I read.

A lot.

I think I’m not alone here. 😊

I don’t read as much as the women in my writer’s group, though.

Holy moly, those women are voracious!

I don’t read just middle grade or how-to-write books either.

I think that a writer or anyone can glean a ton of advice, inspiration, hope from any genre.

I’ve started books that I thought were just kind of “meh,” and wanted to quit reading.

But I’ve found that if I push on, I can always find something helpful— either for an issue I’m thinking about in my life or for a problem I’m having with my current work-in-progress.

Here are my suggested books from what I’ve read in February.

The Escape Artist by Jonathan Freedland.

This is the story of Rudolf Vrba, one of only four jews who successfully escaped Auschwitz and lived to tell his story.

In fact, he shouted his story at the top of his lungs in the hopes that it would save hundreds of thousands of people…and was met with resistance.

An excellent book.

In fact, one fact that stands out to me this month as I hear more about the tragedy from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria is that Vrba hid for 72 hours inside the camp before making it to the outside of the camp.

When he emerged from his hiding spot, he could barely walk or even stand because he’d been motionless for so many hours.

Thinking of how difficult it was for him to move after 72 hours makes me so amazed by the people who are emerging from the rubble in Turkey after 278 hours!

The human will to live is mind-boggling.

I Am with You Everywhere by Kim Han.

This is a mother’s memoir about trying to pick up her life after the death of her adult daughter.

One beautiful bit of wisdom: When a loved one dies, they become a part of you.

They move from being outside of you, to inside of you.

The Midnight Children by Dan Gemeinhart.

A middle grade novel about a boy who befriends an orphaned girl and her family of orphans as they try to outwit social workers, bullies, and “well-meaning” neighbors.

A compelling read, with more-than-a-nod to becoming vegetarian.

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill.

Who knew there was such a thing?

This fictitious story about a war between New York City’s pushcarts of 1964 versus the monster delivery trucks sounds so true.

It reminded me of the Orson Welles War of the Worlds “news” story.

In The Pushcart War, the truckers feel as if they should own the city and its streets and have the right to push out the little guys—the pushcarts.

Little do they know, the pushcarts may be smaller than they are, but they are able to collect themselves into a cohesive group and face their foe.

A fantastic look at how wars start, as well as a look at how “a committed group of men and women can prevail against a powerful force.”

Face: One square foot of skin by Justine Bateman.

Yes, she’s the sister of actor Justin Bateman, and an actor herself.

And an aging female.

This book shines a light on the standards that society places on women and how it determines who’s “worthy” and who’s not.

It’s about facing your face (and your body) and claiming your right to be happy and fulfilled.

And how hard it is to disregard the words of society even when we know they’re bulls–!

Yes, I know, men face ageism, too.

But this isn’t about ageism so much as it is about faceism and the audacity of a woman to look anything but rosy and dewey-cheeked and youthful.

Willodeen by Katherine Applegate.

This is a middle grade fantasy novel about a girl who is worried about the fate of the environment and tries to uncover what happened to the beloved hummingbears.

A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser.

I’m in the middle of this one.

It’s a middle grade novel about two girls and their mother who suddenly find themselves homeless and living in a homeless shelter.

The main character brings along her prized possession: a viola given to her by her now-deceased father.

Unfortunately, the shelter doesn’t allow instruments of any kind, so her viola is taken away.

On a side note, I recently read a news item in an online newsletter.

(Murderous Winnie the Pooh is here to ruin your childhood. 2023, February 17. The Morning Brew, https://www.morningbrew.com.)

Winnie-the-Pooh is now in the public domain and is being made into a horror movie called Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey by Rhys Frake—Waterfield.

Apparently many of its copyright protections are about to expire, so it’s open season on some of the characters in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Frake-Waterfield also has movies planned based on Peter Pan and Bambi!

Oh bother.

If you’ve read anything good lately, please share it with me in the comments.

And if you like the idea of this Winnie-the-Pooh adaptation, let me know that, too.

No judgment here.

Have a great week!

Here are some books I’ve previously reviewed here: Reviews.

~ Gail

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