books on tap: February made me shiver

I really hate reading on my tablet, but despite that, all my books this month were ebooks. Three were books I'd been granted to review from NetGalley, and two were Amazon Kindle Daily Deal $1.99 ebooks that I couldn't turn down.
 
Despite my distaste for reading electronically, each of these books was really good. I highly recommend them all - but then, I suggest you buy a paper copy instead :)
 
xoxo,
E

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All Over the Place*, by Geraldine DeRuiter. Oh, my God. Any book that makes me laugh so hard on a plane that I snort, and the people in front of me turn around to see what's wrong - well, that's a good book. And you should read it. DeRuiter is more or less me, and her husband is, without a doubt, B. She gets into trouble, he rescues and loves her. This book is about the travels, but it's as much about her relationships with her various family members and especially her husband. The hysterical combines with the poignant to make a wonderfully balanced book that you want to read again and again. 5/5 stars.

Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love*, by James Runcie. The sixth book in the Grantchester series, this edition brings back all your favorite characters. But in my opinion, the format is getting stale. The "mysteries" are usually wrapped up quickly, with no suspense. Also, while a significant amount of time has passed since the series originally opened, it still just seems...the same. Despite a very dramatic ending. I feel like this series should have been done in a tighter time spectrum. Don't get me wrong - I do like these books, and this is a worthy addition - but it's starting to get repetitive. 3/5 stars.

You Are Free*, by Rebekah Lyons. I know a lot of faith-themed books seem to say some variation of the same thing: you can stop striving, God's got this. But I keep reading, because maybe it will finally penetrate my thick, stubborn skull. This book is beautifully written, with plenty of personal anecdotes and gentle encouragement. My favorite part, though, is a list of questions at the end of each chapter to get you thinking, reading your Bible, journaling, and praying. You can tell that Lyons truly cares about her audience, and her words are incredibly helpful to anyone feeling stuck. 5/5 stars.

Firefly Lane, by Kristin Hannah. This is a decent book, but I'm surprised the reviews are as high as they are. A nice, easy read, but honestly, there isn't a lot of urgency here that keeps me turning the pages. It's a story about two best friends through the decades, and in my opinion, the best part is reading about how their personal history is intertwined with the historical moments of the day. Naturally, the ending is tragic and dramatic, but the middle is mostly a long, hard slog of the same-old, same-old. It's okay, but I wouldn't rush out to buy this one. 3/5 stars.

Dinner With Edward, by Isabel Vincent. A true story, Vincent agrees to have dinner with 90-year-old Edward, the recently widowed father of her friend. But as he regularly cooks multi-course gourmet meals for Vincent, Edward also teaches her life lessons along the way. As a memoir, it's a little trite and expected at times. But I love elderly people, so I really loved Edward, and of course the descriptions of food were fantastic. A sweet, uplifting book for anyone needing a pick-me-up, or maybe a little perspective. 4/5 stars.

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*Disclaimer: The titles notated with a star (*) above were given to me for free by either NetGalley, BookLook Bloggers, or Blogging For Books, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
**Also - the books linked in this post are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on any of the book links and order one (or any) of them through Amazon, I may earn a small commission. B thanks you in advance for helping to support my psychotic book-buying habits.