February 2020 Books

* The Bluest Eye ¹ by Toni Morrison - This was the first Toni Morrison book I'd ever read and was delighted to find that Ms. Morrison narrated so many of her novels. I can't say that I liked The Bluest Eye as it's so heartbreaking, but Toni Morrison's writing is absolutely beautiful and I plan to read the rest of her work. I desperately wanted someone to genuinely care about Pecola, the little girl who desires beauty in the form of blue eyes. Her friends love her, but it's not enough, at least for me. I wanted so badly for some adult to show her the kindness and warmth that every child needs and deserves. The Bluest Eye is completely devastating but a story that had to be written. I both love and loathe it.

* We Are SO Crashing Your Bar Mitzvah by Fiona Rosenbloom - I had first seen this book in Baldwin's Book Barn but felt it was too expensive and therefore didn't buy it. I couldn't get the hilarious title out of my mind and when I went back some time later was crestfallen to see that it was gone. So I ordered a secondhand copy online and gave it to myself as a Christmas gift. After reading The Bluest Eye, I needed to read something silly and light. This was the book to do the trick. It was just plain fun.

* My Girls ¹ by Todd Fisher - Having read both Debbie Reynolds' and Carrie Fisher's memoirs, I knew some of the stories told by Todd Fisher, but was given great insight into these two ladies.

♥ Breaking the Surface by Greg Louganis with Eric Marcus - I'm clearly obsessed with memoirs and although twenty-five years old, Greg Louganis' story was riveting and I long for him to write another book to fill in all that he has been up to since 1995. I simply adore this fella.

♥ A Life in Parts ¹ by Bryan Cranston - What a remarkable man. I thoroughly enjoyed learning all about his childhood, the early years of his career and all the way up to the now. Absolutely absorbing and Bryan Cranston is a fantastic narrator.

¹ - audiobook
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.