February 2020 books

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another important historical story told well, this time set in Franco's Spain. I like this author's Lithuania books better but this one got me thinking, too!

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The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Sławomir Rawicz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really good book! Not sure if it's true, though. It got progressively more unbelievable the farther they got from the prison camp and by the time the Yetis showed up I was just like ok, whatever. The internets say that *someone* (or someoneS) probably made this trek or something like it, but it wasn't Rawicz. In the olden days when this book was published maybe there was more pressure on the authors to make it a first-hand account for whatever reason. I'd like to think that a book like this published now would be more careful with how it presented such a narrative - maybe citing sources and going back to find evidence, etc.? Although now that I've written that sentence, I am remembering that We Die Alone was ALSO published in the olden days and it cites sources and goes back to find evidence! So there's really no excuse.

So yes, well worth reading but probably not a true story. And that's ok.

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The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series has so much heart. I liked this installment's return to family relationships, plus the really thought-provoking plot lines about old ways vs. new ways and how to respect other people even when they choose a different path than what you hoped or expected. Plus, medieval fairy tale Russia, it's still amazing. I plan on reading this series again someday.

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The Royal We by Heather Cocks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Second reading 22 Feb 2020:
What a fun re-read! You know, even more than the story or the romance, I found myself captivated by the LOGISTICS of this relationship! There are a LOT of moving parts here! And now that we have an actual prince who has married an actual American, it's fun to imagine how much of the logistical hurdles this book imagines have come true for Harry and Meghan.

First reading 23 April 2015:
4.5 stars. I am a big fan of GFY's recaps of Downton Abbey and other period television, so it was great to sit down with them for a few hundred pages. I loved their imagining of a William-and-Kate-ish courtship story.

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