What I Actually Read in February

For what I read the first half of February, click here.  Here are the stragglers I consumed at the end of the month:

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara :  One review I read described this book as long and dark.  Yes and yes.  However, I stayed in it because the characters were people you could really care about, hurt for, and hope for.  This book was number one on the BookPages list this year, and though I might not have placed it in the top spot, it was definitely an amazing accomplishment.  Spanning decades and following four male friends as they navigate careers, friendships, and their pasts, the story was painful to read but worth it.

Citizen:  An American Lyric by Claudine Rankine:  This book of lyrical poetry was breathtaking.  Rankine lets us see life from the eyes of a black girl growing up in this racially tense world.  It was a coincidence that I read Citizen the same month I read Ta-Nehisi Coates Between the World and Me, but I saw many of the same ideas and concerns echoed throughout both books.  Eye opening, tragic, and beautiful all at the same time, I absolutely recommend this one.

World War Z:  An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks:  I'm not technically finished with this one, but I am over halfway through, and I had to apologize to D because I really did not understand how awesome zombie books could be.  Brooks writes his history of what happened during the zombie war, interviewing survivors and sharing their accounts.  It is addictive and frighteningly accurate.  In the face of any major world collapse, I could see most of what Brooks mentions in the book taking place.  Plus, I've learned what to do in case of zombie attacks, so this book may save my life one day.  FYI:  D says the movie is nothing like the book.  Brooks himself confirmed that they took the name but scrapped his basic premise.  Bad idea, Hollywood, bad idea.