February Reading List

This is a busy, busy week in our household, so I've scheduled some book review posts for you.  I realize that's not as fun and exciting as hearing about our fabulous lives, but that's all I can manage this week.  Enjoy!

My "to-read" February books were While We're Far Apart by Lynn Austin and Simplify Your Time by Marcia Ramsland.

I loved this book!  The story is set in the 1940's during America's involvement in World War II.  Eddie Shaffer is a young widower with two children.  Unable to cope with his wife's death, he enlists in the army without much thought as to who will care for his children while he is away.

Penny Goodrich has been in love with Eddie since she was a little girl.  Unable to win his heart any other way, she volunteers to watch his children, Esther and Peter, while he is away, hoping that will make him notice her.

The story is part history, part coming of age and part love story.  It starts off slow, but, let me tell you, about a third of the way into it, I couldn't put it down.  Not only are you following the stories of those left at home during the war, but you are also following the story of Mr. Mendel, the Hungarian Jewish landlord, and his son who is trapped in Hungary with no way to communicate to his father.  Neither of those storylines are ones I had heard before.

The writing is fantastic and the storyline riveting.  I highly recommend this book.

Marcia Ramsland is a professional organizer and has written many books.  Her goal in writing this book is to give you short, specific ways to simplify your life in 30 days.

This is the second time I've attempted to read through this book.  Notice I said "attempted."  I didn't finish it.  Don't get me wrong, this book is very practical.  But if I don't do a section, I feel like I can't go on in reading, then I get stuck.

However, if you have the time and motivation to actually do the suggestions in this book, it would really improve your organization in life.  In that sense, I recommend the book.  But for just informational reading, when not applying it to your life, I would pass it up.

Find out what other books I'm reading this year and get all the reviews here.

Note:  I'm changing my yearly reading list a little bit.  There were such horrible reviews of my March fiction selection that I'm just going to throw it away and not read it (I got it for insanely cheap during an online book sale - now I know why).  Instead I'm going to read Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl.