After a fast start, I slowed down a little bit in February. I could make excuses about a shorter month, but what I did was find a few books I really just enjoyed reading. I finished a historical fiction series that was great while it lasted but waned near the end. Another factor in my slower pace was the lack of an audiobook that I could stick with. I won’t be too hard on myself, after all, although I have set a goal, reading is to be a joy and not a burden.

Here are the few books that enjoyed in February:

THE TWISTED SWORD BY WINSTON GRAHAM

The eleventh novel in the legendary Poldark saga. Cornwall, 1815: Demelza sees a horseman riding down the valley and senses disruption to the domestic contentment she has fought so hard to achieve. For Ross has little option but to accept the summons - and travel to Paris with his family, as an "observer" of the French armed forces. Parisian life begins well with an exhilarating round of balls and parties. But the return of Napoleon brings separation, distrust and danger to the Poldarks... and always for Demelza, there is the shadow of the secret she does not even share with Ross.

In The Twisted Sword, the story moves from Cornwall to Paris and I began to miss the descriptions of the coast and the imagery of crashing waves. There was a lot that happened in the book with Napoleon, marriages, births and deaths. It was a little difficult to keep up with the different battles, but I did enjoy the tension around the stagecoach robbery, Cuby’s pregnancy, Harriet’s twins and the strained relationship between Valentine and Selina. Many other subplots were happening that would help cause a break in the tension of the main plot stories.

THIS HERE FLESH BY COLE ARTHUR RILEY

In her stunning debut, the creator of Black Liturgies weaves stories from three generations of her family alongside contemplative reflections to discover the "necessary rituals" that connect us with our belonging, dignity, and liberation.

So writes Cole Arthur Riley in her unforgettable book of stories and reflections on discovering the sacred in her skin. In these deeply transporting pages, Arthur Riley reflects on the stories of her grandmother and father, and how they revealed to her an embodied, dignity-affirming spirituality, not only in what they believed but in the act of living itself. Writing memorably of her own childhood and coming to self, Arthur Riley boldly explores some of the most urgent questions of life and faith: How can spirituality not silence the body, but instead allow it to come alive? How do we honor, lament, and heal from the stories we inherit? How can we find peace in a world overtaken with dislocation, noise, and unrest? In this indelible work of contemplative storytelling, Arthur Riley invites us to descend into our own stories, examine our capacity to rest, wonder, joy, rage, and repair, and find that our humanity is not an enemy to faith but evidence of it.

After only a few chapters into This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley the book grabbed my attention. I wanted to read the entire book in one sitting and I also wanted to take my time and let Riley’s words flow gently and slowly and allow space and time for her words to permeate my consciousness. Her ideas and personal recollections exposed areas of my own trials, but also provided an antidote, like golden honey, as a source for healing. Although our history is different, our adventures are different and our lives are different, I felt so much connection to her words and what they mean for me with my own history.

BELLA POLDARK BY WINSTON GRAHAM

The stories of the Poldark family—Ross, the strong, independent squire and his beautiful, outspoken wife Demelza; their son Jeremy; their talented, headstrong daughter Bella; and their long-standing feud with humorless landowner Sir George Warleggan—have sold millions of copies. Now, the twelfth and final novel brings the family story to a close—with Bella taking center stage, moving between her home at Nampara on the rugged Cornish coast and the wildly exciting world of the theater in London and Europe at the beginning of the 19th century.

The final book of the Poldark series. I will admit that this twelfth book was one of my least favorites. Although certain events worked themselves out there was also many areas that just weren’t all that enjoyable to read. I really struggled with Valentine’s character for obvious reasons, but also with his obsession with his ape. It seemed an odd inclusion within this series and the ape never normalized for me in this story.

I also did not care for Bella’s character and her life on stage. Perhaps some found it intriguing, I found little I cared for in the sections of her life as a singer and whomever she was with. I did like how Clowance’s story ended even in the seemingly unromantic way it came about. I never liked Stephen Carrington in the other books so it was a nice close to have her settled with someone less self-absorbed.

FEBRUARY 2023 READING LIST