February Reads

February was a GREAT reading month, as I gave 3 of the 4 books I read 5 stars!!! Let's get into the reviews:

 

City of Girls by: Elizabeth Gilbert (I rated 5 Stars)

This was the first fictional book I've read by Elizabeth Gilbert (previously read "Eat, Pray, Love" and "Committed"). I got this copy through a book trade board. I had heard a lot of hype about this book with the only complaint being too much focus on sex. But if you know anything about the author, you will know that she is a very liberal woman who has written about her real life struggles of divorce, love, and not depending on a man. So of course she is going to write a book about strong female characters who do not follow the traditional path. I personally did not think the element of sex overtook the story, nor was it too graphic. I absolutely loved immersing myself in the New York theatre scene in the 1940's! And then following the characters through the changes after the war and as they grew old. A wonderful story about finding your true talents in life and surrounding yourself with your chosen family (whether blood or not). I adored these characters!

 

The Feather Thief by: Kirk Wallace Johnson (I rated 5 Stars)

This book was on my "want to read" list and I was thrilled to find it on the bargain table at the book store. The title of this blog indicates that I love peacocks, but that love had grown to encompass all birds and they are a big part of my adult life. Without even getting into the story, I love the cover of this book and the photo insert section. The book starts out detailing the expeditions of Darwin and the lesser know Wallace in the 1800's, and how these people managed to explore these parts of the world during that time just fascinates me. It then goes into the demand of feathers in Victorian fashion, and sadly how many birds died in order to achieve that. Once people realized they were depleting species, protection acts came into play and certain birds (and other animals) were illegal. Next, the reader learns of the hobby of fly tying and how a single tie can demand a dozen different rare feathers. Not being satisfied with dyed imitations, the obsessive community creates a black market for birds/feathers. The author becomes interested in a case where a talented young musician (and fly tier) is accused of stealing almost 200 bird skins from the British Museum of Natural History (most of which were collected by Darwin and Wallace). Committed to solving the crime and trying to recover as many birds/feathers as he can, Kirk exposes a world that most people know nothing about. I learned so much in reading this, and it was so interesting to me! I was amazed that the flies are not even used for fishing! They are just to "have" or "collect". Being a collector of things myself, I couldn't imaging spending hundreds/thousands of dollars on something illegal that is also taking away a part of history. If you like birds, early exploration, fashion, a passionate hobby, and true crime...... this book has it all!

 

Fashion Climbing by: Bill Cunningham (I rated 3 Stars)

A friend of mine passed this copy on to me, and being a fashion lover of course I wanted to read it. The memoirs of Bill Cunningham gave me another peek into 1940's New York when he first moved there. Starting out as a hat designer, he became a legendary writer/photographer for the New York Times fashion scene. This book details what I have known about fashion lovers - they often do not have any money but will do anything to be involved in fashion. In the early days, Bill barely made rent, barely ate, barely had money to produce his hats, but was fulfilled by his passion. Scheming his ways into parties, fashion shows, etc.... he truly "climbed" his way up. It was really cool to get an inside look at the famous fashion houses like Dior, Balenciaga, Chanel and I loved his outlandish hat designs in some of the included pictures. The reason I rated this 3 starts is because the writing itself was very simple and unless you are interested in fashion this book would probably not hold your attention.

 

142 Ostriches by: April Devila (I rated 5 Stars)

 This book just came out on February 25th - thank you to Kensington Books for an advance copy which even included a couple of colorful ostrich plumes! Not saying that I need to compare this book to anything similar, but it reminded me of Midnight at the Blackbird Café in that the theme of a decreased Grandmother is leaving a business to a Granddaughter who does not want to be committed to a small town and the business is not the same without those matriarchs. Talullah has lived with her Grandmother on her ostrich ranch in the Mohave Dessert since she was 13. Now at 24, and much to her Grandmother's disputes, she wants to accept a new job. A sudden car accident takes Grandma's life and Talullah finds out she inherits the ranch. Quick to sell to a neighboring ranch who has been after the property for quite some time, she thinks she still has her out. But now estranged family members start showing up (the unstable Mother she left behind 11 years ago, and her druggie uncle) and the ostriches suddenly stop laying eggs. Her family oriented aunt, pregnant with #5, also shows up with news that she is leaving her cheating husband. With all this on her plate, Talullah is also grappling with the knowledge that the future ranch owner would be using the birds for slaughter, rather than her Grandma's method of only harvesting the eggs for high end grocery stores. This book had a lot of twists and turns due to the interesting characters and family issues, and in keeping on with the bird theme I learned a lot about ostriches! I couldn't help but fall in love with them.