February Books

Married to Bhutan, by Linda Leaming. A few parts of this book were lovely: a day spent buying stationary, her courtship with her husband, a trip into the mountains. Most of it was ruined by how irritating the author is. She is mightily impressed with herself. The parts where she waxes philosophical or attempts to explain history are particularly awful.

The Marriage Portrait, by Maggie O'Farrell. I love her writing. I though Hamnet was beautiful, and I loved this book even more. She picks peripheral figures in history and creates back stories for them (very fiction-y historical fiction). I loved her imagined Lucrezia de' Medici, and I thought the ending of the book was perfect.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain. The first half of this book was a real slog, though I grew to like it over time and genuinely enjoyed the last third or so. I am definitely suffering from King Arthur fatigue at this point. I'm a little bummed that I didn't enjoy my first Mark Twain experience more. The cute guy at the bookstore assures me this is his least popular work, so perhaps I'll try Huck Finn later this year.

In Progress:

• The Ascent of Money, by Niall Ferguson
• The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage, by Paul Elie