I got bogged down in the middle of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden this month (it’ll be in March’s batch since it’s not yet finished), and trying to catch up with reviews for the books I read in January. Add to that a shortened month, and the result is that my reading list is a little thin for February.

I’m trying hard to get caught up in my reviews because I don’t want to be playing catch-up for the rest of the year.

Here’s what I managed to read this month:

1. My Financial Career and Other Follies by Stephen Leacock
This collection of Leacock’s short stories written between 1895 and 1943 is the first five star book I’ve read this year. I loved, loved, loved it. Watch for the review. In the meantime, here’s a little taste. (5 stars)

2. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Macbeth is one of the Shakespeare plays that I am most familiar with. I read it for the Reading Shakespeare challenge which may have fallen by the wayside. I’m waiting a few more days for Risa’s prompts for the review. (4½ stars)

3. The Secret River by Kate Grenville
Set in Australia in the early nineteenth century, this is the story of William and Sarah Thornhill, a fictionalized account of the author’s ancestors’ settlement. (4 stars) I’ll be reviewing this in tandem with:

4. Searching for the Secret River by Kate Grenville
The non-fiction account of Grenville’s research of her family tree and then the book The Secret River. A look into the birth of a novel.(4 stars)

5. Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools by Victoria Twead
Subtitled “Tuck into a slice of Andalucían Life”. Non-fiction account of how two fifty-something Brits quit that rainy isle and retired to a mountain village in sunny Spain. Intelligent & amusing – plus luscious-sounding recipes! (4 stars)

6. Trixie Belden & The Red Trailer Mystery by Julie Campbell
This is another of the Books That Made Me Love Reading. It’s the second in this classic series that, while never achieving the cult status of Nancy Drew, had many, many loyal fans, of which I was one. (4 stars)

7. A Prairie Boy’s Winter by William Kurelek
Non-fiction illustrated memoir of winter on a Canadian prairie farm during the 1930s and 1940s. Kurelek is better known as an artist than a writer, and this book is really a narrative to explain a series of his paintings. (4 stars)

8. Seeing Trees by Nancy Ross Hugo & Robert Llewellyn
Subtitled ‘Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees’, this non-fiction book “invites readers to watch trees with the care and sensitivity that birdwatchers watch birds.” Llewellyn’s photographs are breath-taking and the information is fascinating, but only one of the ten trees looked at in detail lives where I live. Four stars minus half a star for not being relevant to me. (3½ stars)

9. A Shortage of Bodies by Dr. Gary D. McKay
This is the first novel for McKay who has co-authored 14 books and parent/teacher education programs. I think he should have stayed with the non-fiction. I’ll explain in my review. (2½ stars)

Is there anything in particular in my list you’re looking forward to hearing about?

For Canadian readers:
My Financial Career and Other Follies
Macbeth
The Secret River
Searching For The Secret River
Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools
Trixie Belden & The Red Trailer Mystery
A Prairie Boy’s Winter
Seeing Trees: Discover the Extraordinary Secrets of Everyday Trees
A Shortage of Bodies

Kindle editions:
My Financial Career and Other Follies
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Searching For The Secret River: The Story Behind the Bestselling Novel
Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools
Trixie Belden & The Red Trailer Mystery
A Shortage of Bodies