1. 
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol 2
by Alan Moore (author) and Kevin O'Neill (illustrator). Despite not being thrilled by the plot execution and the artwork of the first volume, I decided to go ahead and give this one a try. Half of the first issue contains conversation only in Arabic (TEN PAGES!) which necessitated searching for an annotation site from the beginning. This entire first issue shows the League for two pages, after setting up a particularly ridiculous desert battle against "Sorns" and mollusks and cannons and "tripods". . . I didn't continue to the second issue in this volume. This time I have given up the series for good.
2.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
by Lisa See.I was, and still am, quite interested in the history being shared by this novel. It prompted me to do my own research on foot binding and the "secret language" of nu shu. I really wanted to like this, and expected I would, but the voice of Lily just wasn't convincing, was too lacking in personality, too stiff, too cardboard. Also, the reader knows from the beginning that the friendship is going to end unhappily and I didn't want to read that, for some reason. It could just be this season of my life, and I may give it another try sometime later. For now, though, despite reading 37% of it (according to my Kindle), I just can't go any further.
I hope my February readings are more successful, or at least that the March book choices will be!
