December RandomCAT: Secret Santa

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December RandomCAT: Secret Santa

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1LibraryCin
Nov 14, 2018, 10:54 pm

December RandomCAT: Secret Santa



Whether or not you have participated in LibraryThing’s Secret Santa program, I thought this might be a good way to get to those books that I’ve received as gifts.

Now, I don’t usually get books as gifts from people I know “in person” (I suspect they mostly wouldn’t know what to pick out for me!), but I do have books from LT’s Secret Santa that I haven’t gotten to. I wanted to use this as an excuse to do that.

So, that’s what I’m using this for: LT’s Secret Santa gift books. If you don’t or haven’t participate(d) in it (or have already read all the ones you’ve received), feel free to use any book that has been gifted to you.

If you don’t receive books as gifts (maybe for the same reason I don’t from people I know!), pick out a book that you “gifted” to yourself. :-)

I won’t make any suggestions, as of course, this is a personal challenge based on everyone’s own books/gifts.

Don't forget to update the wiki:
https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2018_RandomCAT#December:_-_Theme:



2LibraryCin
Nov 14, 2018, 10:59 pm

Now for me, I have a couple that I thought I might do this month, but that may not happen. If not, these are a few options, though I know I have more possibilities than this:

- To Sleep With the Angels / David Cowan
- Beneath a Scarlet Sky / Mark Sullivan
- Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen / Susan Gregg Gilmore

3LibraryCin
Nov 14, 2018, 11:00 pm

And didn't someone put a similar idea forward for one of next year's CATs? Maybe the TBR CAT? Yay for that! I've had this idea since at least the summer, so the idea, for me, was also in my head before it was suggested over there.

4sallylou61
Nov 14, 2018, 11:42 pm

I have only three which I haven't read. I'm planning on reading Paris Stories by Mavis Gallant. Although I often read short story collections, this year I've only read two such collections -- and neither were by women. (I try to read women authors for literature.)

I also thought of Secret Santa gifts for the gift book month for TRB CAT.

6MissWatson
Nov 15, 2018, 4:36 am

Oh, this should be the final push to finish a book I received for my birthday!

7dudes22
Nov 15, 2018, 6:17 am

Oh my gosh! I can't believe it's already time for the last Random Cat. I have no idea right now what I'll read. Need to go check my TBR.

8majkia
Nov 15, 2018, 6:19 am

Great idea. I've got quite a few. :)

9RidgewayGirl
Nov 15, 2018, 9:05 am

Fantastic theme! I love SantaThing, and it turns out that I do have a few that somehow didn't get read right away.

10clue
Nov 15, 2018, 10:08 am

I have one square left on my BINGO card and was planning on reading a book that was a given to me in 2015...The Accidental Empress by Allison Pataki. Perfect!

11LittleTaiko
Nov 15, 2018, 10:48 am

I am hoping to get to The Garden of Evening Mists which was a Santa Thing gift from 3 years ago that I can't believe I haven't read by now.

12whitewavedarling
Nov 15, 2018, 3:29 pm

I think I'll use this month to read either The House by Christina Lauren or else 28 Stories of AIDS in Africa edited Stephanie Nolen, or maybe both if I can fit them in. I don't often buy new books--I tend to buy used copies whenever possible, unless it's a book I've Really been waiting for--but these are two books I bought full-price, I so wanted to read them and not forget about them, and of course they've been sitting on my TBR stack for ages, so this will be a great time for them. I'd wanted to get to both this year, too :)

13LisaMorr
Nov 15, 2018, 4:50 pm

I'm planning on reading A Room with a View, which I received last year in the Virago Secret Santa event, over at the Virago Modern Classics group.

14rabbitprincess
Nov 15, 2018, 6:20 pm

My catalogue tells me I have only one book unread from my Christmas 2013 haul: Doctor Who: The Vault, by Marcus Hearn. So I will read that for this challenge. Great idea!

15LibraryCin
Modifié : Nov 15, 2018, 6:55 pm

Thanks, everyone! And, thank you, >9 RidgewayGirl: the name of the LT Secret Santa was escaping me - SantaThing!

16LadyoftheLodge
Nov 16, 2018, 5:30 pm

I love this theme! And I have one in my TBR pile from last year's SantaThing--Assaulted Caramel which my Santa got for me to help me find a new series to read. Thanks for such a great idea!

17christina_reads
Nov 16, 2018, 6:05 pm

I got four books from a Secret Santa I participated in last year, and how many of them have I read? Zero! Maybe I'll try to knock out one of them in December:

- Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz
- Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham
- The Austen Escape by Katherine Reay
- Mystery in White by J. Jefferson Farjeon

18fuzzi
Nov 16, 2018, 8:34 pm

>1 LibraryCin: what about Member Giveaway or Early Reviewer books, would those qualify as "gifted"?

19LibraryCin
Nov 17, 2018, 1:03 am

>18 fuzzi: Sure, if that's what's easiest for you, I don't see why not!

20DeltaQueen50
Nov 17, 2018, 1:49 am

My brother sent me home with a 1,001 Book yesterday so I will read the book he gave me, The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson for this Cat.

21Jackie_K
Nov 17, 2018, 5:00 am

I have never participated in SantaThing, and my ER and Member Giveaway books are already read and reviewed. So I will pick a book I received as a Christmas gift and read that (there are quite a few to choose from - back later with my possible choices!).

22RidgewayGirl
Nov 17, 2018, 10:14 am

And this year's SantaThing is up!

https://www.librarything.com/santathing.php

23Jackie_K
Nov 17, 2018, 11:45 am

I think I'm going to have a go at reading Julian Barnes' The Noise of Time, which was a gift from my in-laws for Christmas 2016.

24virginiahomeschooler
Nov 17, 2018, 3:33 pm

So, my problem is that I do get books as gifts, but my memory is crap and I buy lots of books for myself. I can't remember what books I bought and which ones were given to me. I think I got a few Doctor Who ones for Christmas last year that I've still not read, but I can't be sure which ones. Sooo, I think I'm going to have to go with an ER book. Fortunately I do have a couple of those, and one I was planning to get to next month anyway (fits for Alpha and Color) is Christmas Camp.

On a side note, this has me itching to do Santa Thing.

I don't need more books. I don't need more books. I don't need more books....

25EBT1002
Nov 17, 2018, 5:26 pm

I received several books as gifts when I left Seattle and I have received lots of books from friends here on LT, so this should be an easy one! I just need to peruse my shelves and remember which ones have been gifts. :-)

26LibraryCin
Nov 17, 2018, 9:10 pm

>24 virginiahomeschooler: LOL! No worries. If you can't remember, just pick something you think might have been a gift - close enough! (And none of the rest of us would really know, anyway!)

27LibraryCin
Nov 17, 2018, 10:09 pm

I have a few more options after having checked my tbr piles:

The Dalai Lama's Cat and The Power of Meow / David Michie
After Visiting Friends / Michael Hainey
The Book of Joy / Dalai Lama

28fuzzi
Modifié : Nov 18, 2018, 12:49 pm

>19 LibraryCin: thanks! I don't have any SantaThing books unread.

>24 virginiahomeschooler: my memory stinks, so I make a notation when I catalog the book, to indicate where it came from.

29LibraryCin
Nov 18, 2018, 12:55 pm

>28 fuzzi: I didn't want to leave out options for anyone for this challenge, so I was trying to think of different scenarios so everyone can participate! Just didn't think of those!

30dudes22
Nov 18, 2018, 1:13 pm

Well - I've decided that my whole TBR pile will work because I consider them "to me, from me" gifts to myself. Mostly from library sales and used book stores which means someone wanted me to have them. :)

31LibraryCin
Nov 18, 2018, 1:49 pm

>30 dudes22: Haha! Well, you could use some of the other guidelines if you want to cut down the options a bit, too!

32dudes22
Nov 18, 2018, 4:51 pm

>31 LibraryCin: - Well, I haven't done Santa Thing and no one ever gives me books except for cookbooks, so I thought this way I can read a book for this Cat.

33LibraryCin
Nov 18, 2018, 11:32 pm

>32 dudes22: No worries! Go for it!

34LibraryCin
Déc 7, 2018, 11:35 pm

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen / Susan Gregg Gilmore
3.5 stars

Catherine Grace is the preacher’s daughter in a small town in Georgia in the 1960s and 70s. Her mother died when she was only six, so there’s just her, her sister, Martha Ann, and their father, the town preacher. All her life she’s known she wants out of the town; unlike many others, she does not want to stay and be a farmer’s wife. She plans to leave as soon as she turns 18.

I enjoyed this. There was more God in it than I expected. Growing up in a small town (unless it’s different in the South), I didn’t find that much talk of “the Lord” in casual conversation as there was in this book/town. I have mixed feelings about the ending. Some of it, I liked, but some of it seemed to tie up a bit too nicely in a bow. Overall, though, it was fairly enjoyable.

35MissWatson
Déc 9, 2018, 11:16 am

I have finally reached the end of the journey to the West in my birthday present book, all 1319 pages of it: Die Reise in den Westen. This has been a fun trip.

36EBT1002
Modifié : Déc 9, 2018, 4:10 pm

I finished Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover for this month. It was given to me by a colleague when I left UW last summer and I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. Very worthwhile.

37whitewavedarling
Déc 10, 2018, 2:15 pm

Finished The Tourist Trail by John Yunker, which was an LT early reviewer book--as close as I get to secret santa gifts probably :)

38LibraryCin
Déc 10, 2018, 9:15 pm

>37 whitewavedarling: No worries! Whatever works!

39christina_reads
Déc 11, 2018, 10:15 am

As it turns out, I just received A Duke in Shining Armor by Loretta Chase from a Secret Santa! So I'm reading that for this CAT. :)

40staci426
Déc 11, 2018, 1:25 pm

The only books I've ever gotten as gifts have been cookbooks. So I will count a book I bought as a gift to myself, My Sister the Moon by Sue Harrison. This is book 2 in The Ivory Carver series which takes place in prehistoric Alaska. I loved the first book which I read quite a while ago, so finally decided to treat myself to the second. This one wasn't quite as good as the first, but I still rated it 4*.

41LisaMorr
Déc 15, 2018, 5:46 pm

Finished A Room with a View - a short 1001 book that started out a little annoying, but turned out all right. A fairly light romantic comedy where the English prejudices of the time played a major part.

42LisaMorr
Déc 15, 2018, 5:46 pm

Finished A Room with a View - a short 1001 book that started out a little annoying, but turned out all right. A fairly light romantic comedy where the English prejudices of the time played a major part.

43RidgewayGirl
Déc 15, 2018, 8:21 pm

I've started A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra. Not only did I get a copy from SantaThing, I was gifted a second copy later on. Fifty pages in and I can see why people wanted me to read it, it's fantastic.

44fuzzi
Déc 16, 2018, 8:48 pm

Started reading a book last night, The Four Graces, and discovered a note from the giver, SylviaC!

45LittleTaiko
Déc 19, 2018, 11:43 am

After receiving The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng as a SantaThing gift in 2015, I finally got around to reading it for this challenge. Honestly I'm not sure why it took me so long as it's the sort of book that I enjoy. Thankful for this challenge to nudge me to read it.

46DeltaQueen50
Déc 19, 2018, 12:03 pm

I have just finished The Master of Ballantrae by Robert Louis Stevenson, a book that was recently gifted to me by my brother. Another great adventure classic from this author, I really liked it, but Treasure Island is still my favorite by this author.

47VivienneR
Déc 19, 2018, 3:23 pm

I'm about to start Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan that was a gift last year and one I never got around to reading until now.

48thornton37814
Déc 19, 2018, 9:12 pm

>45 LittleTaiko: I really enjoyed that one when I read it.

49Kristelh
Déc 23, 2018, 7:35 am

>45 LittleTaiko:, I also really enjoyed that one and it took me awhile to finally get to it, too.

50rabbitprincess
Déc 23, 2018, 11:13 am

>14 rabbitprincess: I finished Doctor Who: The Vault before going on Christmas vacation, and it was excellent. Thanks, LibraryCin, for the push to finally read it!

51LibraryCin
Déc 23, 2018, 3:32 pm

>50 rabbitprincess: You're welcome! I'm a bit disappointed myself, in that I was hoping to get more than one book read for this challenge! Looks like it will only be the one.

However, one of the others I was hoping for for this will also fit for January's "Reading Through Time" challenge (along with a few others I have for it), so hopefully I'll get that one read next month!

52VivienneR
Déc 25, 2018, 8:52 pm

Change of plan! My library hold for The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths came in so I will be reading that instead (like a gift from myself). It's a Christmas mystery so I don't want to put it off. I'm also in the middle of a few other books that I want to finish this month so may not get to the originally planned Murder for Christmas by Francis Duncan.

53Jackie_K
Déc 30, 2018, 6:14 am

I finished The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes this morning - an excellent read to finish the year. This was a gift from (I think) Christmas 2016, from my in-laws (I don't take part in the LT Secret Santa, so I chose a book I remembered receiving for Christmas instead). 4.5/5.