What are you reading the week of December 25, 2021?

Merry Christmas!

I picked up some light reading to round out the year, All Seated on the Ground and The Winds of Marble Arch by Connie Willis. The first was a single novella; the second is a story collection. All Seated on the Ground was amusing but too cute for me. It was like watching too many Wes Anderson movies in a row. The quirkiness quickly turns from entertaining to irritating.

Just about done with The Apocalypse Factory, because nothing says Christmas quite like nuclear weapons! Will wind up the year with Nucleation, Matilda and A Game of Birds and Wolves.

Merry Christmas to all. I'm just getting going on the American Revolution history, Now We Are Enemies: The Story of Bunker Hill by Thomas J. Fleming.

Happy Christmas to everyone!

I've had a reading-intense week. I've read Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Washington Square and Daisy Miller by Henry James, and I just finished listening to Oracle, an audiobook by Andrew Pyper, and read by Joshua Jackson, who has a lovely voice.

I don't know what to read next. I need something light and happy after the terror of Oracle.

Merry Christmas!

Enjoying ~
Twisted Tea Christmas by Childs (latest Tea Shop mystery/eBook)
Nantucket White Christmas by Kelley (Beach Plum Cove series/audio)

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Also, because this is the final thread for the year, I've decided to list this year's most satisfying novels for me in this disappointing book year (audios in order consumed) ~

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain
The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Radar Girls: a novel of WWII by Sara Ackerman
The One by John Marrs
The Guide by Peter Heller

Merry Christmas everyone!

From the library: Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann (Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann), translated by Ralph Manheim and illustrated by Maurice Sendak
This edition was published in 1984; Sendak writes the forward to the book. He was involved in the Pacific Northwest Ballet production of the Nutcracker.

Marry Christmas to all, and I hope Santa left you lots of good books!

I received Flying Angels, by Danielle Steel, which I have put away for later. Conundrum ... I generally dislike Steel, but the subject matter (women in the military in WWII) is something I'm interested in. Hopefully Steel won't mess it up too badly!

Just finished Magic for Liars, which was a pleasant enough little book, but I'm glad it was a library loan and not something I spent part of my book budget on! I've got it marked as "Harry Potter Meets Sam(antha) Spade" in my journal.

Next up is Sweet Thunder, by Ivan Doig.

The end of the year looms (less than a week away), and it looks like my annual total is going to be way down. Not sure just why -- perhaps something will jump out at me when I take a detailed look at the titles.

Merry Christmas! Joyous Jolabokaflod!

I'm reading The Twelve Strange Days of Christmas by Syd Moore. The stories are pretty simple. The first story is an extension of the series which was fun. Nice light reading for the holidays.

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History
Robert M. Edsel
4/5 stars
I had seen the film based on the book years ago and enjoyed it but the book is so much better and interesting than the film as the author follows the men and women as they search for the hidden treasures stolen by Hitler's men during and after the last months of WWII.

Still reading Leviathan Falls, Prince Across the Water, and Brothers of the Wind.

Finished the excellent novella, A Short Tale of Shame.

Next up for reading is Man Booker Prize Winner, Milkman by Anna Burns.

>11 hemlokgang: "Next up for reading is Man Booker Prize Winner, Milkman by Anna Burns."

Buckle up. It is an intense book, but absolutely worth it. Brilliant writing, in my opinion.

Bailed out of Ivan Doig's Sweet Thunder, bringing my DNF total for the year up to 8, back into the normal range. I usually enjoy Doig, but this one just never got off the ground for me.

Starting Laughing Boy, by Oliver LaFarge, which I should be able to finish before the end of the year.

Sad to finish Merivel a Man of His Time by Rose Tremain now started on
Brief Lives by Anita Brookner.

The Art Forger – Barbara A. Shapiro
3.5***

Claire Roth is an aspiring artist who is making a living (just) by painting reproductions of old masters. And then she’s approached with an opportunity she cannot resist. A Degas painting is delivered to her studio, along with all the tools she’ll need to reproduce it … well, to actually forge the painting. In return she’ll not only be paid handsomely, but she’ll get her own show at Boston’s most prestigious gallery. But as she begins to study the original in preparation for painting the forgery, she makes a startling discovery.

Set against the backdrop of the infamous art theft at the Isabella Stewart Garner Museum in Boston – still the largest unsolved art heist in history – this is a marvelously intricate story. My feelings about Claire kept changing as I learned more of her backstory, and saw how vulnerable she was to being manipulated by unscrupulous men in a position of power. And then again, how could she be so stupid?!

Despite wanting to slap Claire silly a few times, I was engaged from beginning to end and Shapiro kept me turning pages to see what would happen next.

Finished listening to the excellent thriller, The Bone Tree.

Next up for listening is The Book of Form And Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki.

I finished the excellent Now We Are Enemies: The Story of Bunker Hill by Thomas J. Fleming. First published in 1960, this history of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major battle of the American Revolution, was evidently hailed as a major success at the time, and I can see why.

Next up I'll be reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, a Pulitzer Prize winner that I'm very much looking forward to.

Finished Leviathan Falls by James S. A. Corey. An acceptable end to the story. Added Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff to my rotation.

I finished reading The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough. I have started Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck.

Finished 2 books in quick succession this wk, which I haven't done in awhile.
First, I finished The Plot, a novel about a has-been writer who takes someone else's plot for a book and writes his own. Problems ensue. The beginning was a slow burner, but after the first 20%, it was a page-turner.

Yesterday, I finished A Beautiful, Terrible Thing by Jen Waite, a memoir about the end and aftermath of her marriage.

Finished Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Loved the story. Hated the telling. The AIDAN bits were almost impossible to read on my tablet--background, font type, font color--nasty choices. Started Gemina, the next book in the series.

Finished Laughing Boy, and enjoyed this introspective and low-key novel. The character of Slim Girl, Laughing Boy's beloved, is particularly well-done.

Will start Hick, but don't know if I will get it finished before the end of the year.

Reading Red Land, Black Land by Barbara Mertz because I am going to Egypt. (Hopefully)

Read the absolutely lovely The Phone Box At The Edge of The World.

Now to continue reading Milkman.

I finished the LTER book, The Last Professional a fictional account of hobos who ride the rails. I quite enjoyed this book and can understand the comparison to Steinbeck. I found the character development and plot well done. As for the topic, the fact that the lifestyle is vastly different from mine was part of its appeal.

I just finished the first four books in A Court of Thorns and Roses, I honestly loved it. I loved the twists and the characters! 9/10. Waiting for my next paycheck to get the last book.

Just finished Hick, which will be my last full read of the year.

I'm dipping into a "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book, My Cat's Life to provide some light amusement as I get ready to take down the Christmas decorations and do other New Year's Eve chores tomorrow.

Will put together my "Best of" list tomorrow.

Happy New Year ... Happy New Reading!

Just finished A Gift From Bob by James Bowen. Easy read about James and his street cat named Bob around Christmas time.

Just finished reading the novel THE LOST DAUGHTER by author ELENA FERRANTE.

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Had a couple of chapters left in The Storyteller, Dave Grohl,'s memoir which I got and started in October at his sold tour one-man show. That was a great read with tons of stories from his life in rock and on the road.

That makes my grand total for the year 33. Pretty good since I haven't read as much as I normally do the last few yrs.

I read Talking to Girls About Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield. I thought there would be more memoir as it relates to music, and less of a catalogue of 80s singers, songs, and videos. It was ok.

I also finished a book of poetry, Electric Deserts! by Amber McCrary, about life for a Dine' goth girl living on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Vg.

Then I read The Walking Dead, Vol. 9: Here We Remain by Robert Kirkman. I'm hoping to read Vol. 10 and Vol. 11 today.

Earlier in the week I finished The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen, which was a fun little mystery.

Now I'm reading The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans, and have also started A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! (Fingers crossed!)

Finished Gemina by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Not quite as good as the first book of the series. Started the third book, Obsidio.

Also finished Brothers of the Wind by Tad Williams. Lovely background story.

Added The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman to my rotation.

The new thread is up over here.