The February Book Report

I am happily crossing off book titles and am feeling good. This month I'm joining Stephanie for her What We're Reading Wednesday link up (pop over to her blog for a little interview by yours truly!) there's also a little Q&A at the end of this post with Penny and Stephanie. Affiliate links used. A small commission may be received if you purchase an item through my links. Thank you for supporting my blog!

The Sinner by Petra Hammersfahr

Goodreads Synopsis:

On a sunny summer afternoon by the lake, Cora Bender stabs a man to death. Why? What would cause this quiet, kind young mother to stab a complete stranger in the throat over and over again, in full view of her family and friends? For the local police, it's an open-and-shut case. Cora quickly confesses and there's no shortage of witnesses, but those questions remain unanswered. Haunted by the case, the police commissioner refuses to close the file and begins his own maverick investigation. So begins the slow unraveling of Cora's past, a harrowing descent into a woman's private hell. A dark, spellbinding novel, where the truth is to be questioned at every turn, The Sinner has been a bestseller around the world, and is poised to be a summer smash with the coming TV adaptation, already hailed as one of the most anticipated shows of the summer.

Thoughts:

Holy moly what a trip! This messed with my mind in the greatest way possible. I went back and forth between being horrified, repulsed and then depressed throughout the whole thing and enjoyed every minute. Originally written in German the translating was so hauntingly poetic. If you want a good psychological thriller, this is it. 

Stars:

5 out of 5

Buy the book here | DVD

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

Goodreads Synopsis:

There isn't one, just a quote from a critic and that aptly sums up this book for me, I really had no idea what it was even about when I picked it up.

Thoughts: 

Aside from the derogatory language used in that time period, this story was a good read. The three-way narrative made it that much more interesting and it resolved nicely.

Stars:

4 out of 5

Buy the book here

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Goodreads Synopsis:

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Yet Henrietta Lacks remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave.

Now Rebecca Skloot takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia — a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo — to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.

Henrietta’s family did not learn of her “immortality” until more than twenty years after her death, when scientists investigating HeLa began using her husband and children in research without informed consent. And though the cells had launched a multimillion-dollar industry that sells human biological materials, her family never saw any of the profits. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family — past and present — is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.

Over the decade it took to uncover this story, Rebecca became enmeshed in the lives of the Lacks family—especially Henrietta’s daughter Deborah, who was devastated to learn about her mother’s cells. She was consumed with questions: Had scientists cloned her mother? Did it hurt her when researchers infected her cells with viruses and shot them into space? What happened to her sister, Elsie, who died in a mental institution at the age of fifteen? And if her mother was so important to medicine, why couldn’t her children afford health insurance?

Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences.

Thoughts:

I've been meaning to read this Nonfiction book since last year but kept putting it aside. I'm almost done with it; it is a quick read and very informative and fascinating (the way the world worked just a few decades ago is mind boggling) The science aspect of this is written in layman's terms so its easy to process but what isn't understandable (to me) is why the Lacks family hasn't gotten more recognition for Henrietta's crucial role in medicine/vaccinations.

Stars:

4 out of 5

Buy the book here | Digital HD

Book counter: 8/30

Penny from Penny's Passion

1) What book did you read from start to finish that when finished you thought "That was a waste of time."?
I had the think long and hard about this one. If a book doesn't capture my attention, I have no problem abandoning it and starting a new one. One that eventually came to mind was Fifty Shades Freed. I got caught up in the whole "Fifty Shades" saga and didn't want to be left out of the conversation, so I read all three books. The last one was dreadful! When I finished, I definitely thought it was a waste of time.

2) Someone is looking for a tear jerker. Which book is your go to suggestion?
The Art of Racing in the Rain. This book, told through the eyes of the dog, made me laugh, cry and every emotion in between. I just loved it! If you haven't read this New York Times bestseller, I highly recommend you add it to your reading list.

3) What book have you read more than once? Maybe even more than 3 times?
A book I could read over and over is To Kill A Mockingbird. Who wouldn't fall in love with Scout?!? Fun fact: Apparently Atticus Finch was inspired by Harper Lee's father.

Read Penny's meet and greet experience. She, too, got to spend an evening with on of her favorite authors. Again, this is such a fun experience!

Stephanie from Wife Mommy Me

1) What book did you read from start to finish that when finished you thought "That was a waste of time."?
This is going to be a shock to those who love this author but Emily Giffin's One and Only was awful. While I love most of her stuff, this particular book left my feeling uncomfortable the entire way through. Another one that felt just wrong and off was Nicholas Sparks' Two by Two.

2) Someone is looking for a tear jerker. Which book is your go to suggestion?
I am a huge fan of WWII novels and when I finished reading Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, I was a sobbing mess. I was crying so hard my chest hurt. It's that good of a book! Not only does it create this amazing story of resilience but it gives a whole new perspective on the war. All while breaking your heart.

3) What book have you read more than once? Maybe even more than 3 times?
I have read The Help by Kathryn Stockett 8 times. It's one of my all-time favorite books and movie. It's always one those books that is made into a film that the film does the book justice. I'm sure you've seen the movie but the book is so worth reading anyway.

Read about Stephanie's meet and greet with Jojo Moyes by visiting her blog, Wife Mommy Me.

***If you're interested in co-hosting with Stephanie email her at sacox65@gmail.com***