Chris Wolak

That’s a Wrap: February Recap

February was an awesome month. My partner Laura and I got married! We’ve been together for thirteen years, but Illinois (where we recently moved from) does not have marriage equality, although it’s on its way. Connecticut (where we recently moved to) was one of the first states to extend full marriage equality to all of its citizens. People have asked us if marriage equality was the reason we moved from Illinois to Connecticut. It is not the main reason, but it is certainly one of the factors included in why we chose this state. When we started talking about moving we knew we wanted to live our lives in and contribute to a state that valued equality. I look forward to the day when all Americans have the right to marry.

Here’s a recap of my month in books.

READ:

  • The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

I’m thrilled to have The Woman in White under my belt. It is on my Classics Club list, but what got me motivated to read it now was Andi over at Estella’s Revenge who hosted #WilkieinWinter. Check out her vlog review. I enjoyed the book, but it was a struggle to get through at times. I will probably write about it later this week.

  • Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Woman’s Prison by Piper Kerman (audio)

I worked at Borders when this book first came out and it was all the rage. I resisted reading it. It sounded so girly and WASPish (and my “its popular so it must not be any good” obstinacy kicked in). Fast-forward to this past summer. I had three clients ask me if I’d watched the Netflix series of the same name. They were hooked and thought I’d like it. So one night I decided to check out an episode. I ended up binge-watching the whole series in two days. The book is good, but I love the TV show even if they did take liberties with the Kerman’s story. Oh, and Kerman served her time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, right here in Connecticut. Hmm, I wonder if I could go on a field trip  and write a post about it?

 Hope Street, Jerusalem was a fantastic read. It is fresh and new. Makler is an Australian and has worked as a freelance correspondent for over fifteen years, reporting from London, Moscow, and now Jerusalem. Her book is a memoir of her early years in Jerusalem. I loved learning about the city and some of its people. I read the book for TLC Tours and will also apply it towards my commitment to the Australian Woman Writers Challenge.


Total pages read in February: 986
Total pages read so far in 2014: 2,480
Hours listened to in February: 11 hours, 14 minutes

CURRENTLY READING:

  • Let’s Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell 

Caldwell writes about her friendship with Caroline Knapp as well as her own alcoholism and dog love. It is really good so far, both in content and style. It’s a book to read slowly to savor its beauty. Don’t let the book’s banal cover fool you.

  • Louisa May Alcott by Susan Cheever (audio)

I didn’t read Little Women until I was in my 30s and was surprised by how much I liked it. What really got me interested in Louisa May Alcott was reading Old Books, Rare Friends: Two Literary Sleuths and Their Shared Passion by Madeleine B. Stern and Leona Rostenberg. They’re the ones who discovered that Alcott wrote a bunch of stories under the pseudonym A.M. Barnes.

    LIBRARY VISITS:

    AUTHOR EVENTS ATTENDED / PLACES VISITED:

    COMING UP IN MARCH:

    March is the month when some of the literary sites that have been closed all winter will reopen. Emily Dickinson’s house in Massachusetts is the next author home I’d like to visit. I also hope to make a pilgrimage to Willa Cather’s grave in New Hampshire sometime this month.

    As for reading, I didn’t get to Twelve Years a Slave in February, so I’d like to read that. I’m also planning on reading Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky for the Classic Club Spin.

    What’s on your bookish agenda for March?

    6 comments

    1. Congrats on the marriage! I really should look into reading more Wilkie Collins. I loved No Name and everyone seems to review most of his other works in a positive light.

      Reply

    2. Thank you! I've had several people tell me that The Woman in White was not their favorite Wilkie, which leads me to want to read more. Curiously, it does seem to be his most well-know title.

      Reply

    3. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! I am so very happy for you and your partner!! I would say that your February is definitely worth celebrating!!

      Not as exciting … The Woman in White! I read the book and enjoyed it, but it was definitely wordy in parts. I'm glad I read it though and am curious about his other works. Someday … I need some lighter reads for a while!

      Reply

    5. Thanks, Tif!!! I'm all for lighter reads, too, at this time. I'm currently reading an ARC of The Collector of Dying Breaths by MJ Rose and it's just what I need now, part historical fiction, part love story.

      Reply

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