December Reading Log

 

December 1:  I’m dipping my toes into multiple books right now and all of them are different so don’t get them mixed up. When I get tired of reading one, move on to the other.

Steve Berry’s Emperor’s Tomb

Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore

Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa

Louise DeSalvo’s Art of Slow Writing

Emily Henry’s Funny Story.

My book buying binge is out of control and have added multiple books to my TBR. Thank you Amazon for extending Black Friday for a whole week. *facepalm*    Now it’s time to start Christmas shopping.

Saturday Night Movie: How to Train Your Dragon.

December 2:  All the packages from my black friday splurges have started rolling in and hubby asks did you do some christmas shopping?

Um, yeah sure. Hee hee

December 3:  Finished reread of Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore.  Understand a bit more, however feel the Same as when read it the first time.  Much to ponder, but it still left me in a state of confusion. Feel like that maybe if read Kafka’s metamorphosis I may understand but probably not.  Big book hangover.

December 8:  I recently added A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote to my stacks. Ann Patchett, author and owner of Parnassus books says she’s never been able to read the book aloud to a group of people without crying. I also added another holiday tale – Comfort and Joy: A Christmas fable by Kristen Hannah.

Plus I am reading Kingdom of Copper, part of the Daevabad series by our December author of the month, S. A. Chakraborty.  Be sure to check her out.

Besides Kingdom of Copper, I’m still in middle of Steve Berry’s Emperor’s Tomb.  Was reading it at breakfast but started to get gory so have to read when not eating.

Finally got back into reading my ebooks so on tap is Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn.

“Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing beautiful custom journals for New York City’s elite. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Like the time she sat across from Reid Sutherland and his gorgeous fiancée, and knew their upcoming marriage was doomed to fail. Weaving a secret word into their wedding program was a little unprofessional, but she was sure no one else would spot it. She hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid . . .

A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out—before he leaves New York for good—how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline, a fractured friendship, and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other about their lives, work, and regrets, both try to ignore the fact that their unlikely connection is growing deeper. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late . . .”

Also have several non fiction books going at the moment: Louise DeSalvo’s The Art of Slow writing as well as The Twelve Week Year, and Danny Gregory’s memoir Everyday Matters.

Saturday Night Movie: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

December 15: Will be reading the Kingdom of Copper for the next week or so with Steve Berry’s Emperor’s Tomb  waiting in the wings.  Making some headway in Louise DeSalvo’s Art of Slow Writing in which the current chapter details the art of slow reading. *grin*

Saturday Night Movie: Alien: Romulus.

December 17:  Adding Canticle to my bedtime reading pile. It’s been years since i read it so need to see how I feel about it now.  Currently rereading Brook’s  People of the Book at bedtime.  

Finished 2025's Bingo for 52 Books. 

December 21:  I’ve been counting down the days to Christmas with our advent calendars as well as anticipating the annual book flood Jólabókaflóð. However, I started a little early and our shelves and stockings are filling up. But nevertheless, we’ll spend Christmas Eve curled up on our cozy couch reading until the thought of Santa coming down the chimney drives us to our beds. Winter also officially started on Saturday, the 21st, which means plenty of cold weather books to keep us company.

Somebody reminded me the other day, it isn’t the quantity of books we read that’s important, but the quality. 

I’m still enjoying Kingdom of Copper in S.A. Chakraborty’s Daevabad Trilogy plus reading Geraldine Brook’s People of the Book at bedtime. I loved these type of stories

“The story traces the harrowing journey of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain.

When it falls to Australian rare book expert Hanna Heath to conserve this priceless work, the tiny artifacts she discovers in its ancient binding—a butterfly wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair—only begin to unlock the book’s deep mysteries and unexpectedly plunges Hanna into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics.”

Started listening to Patricia Brigg’s Moon Called with a dramatized cast which has been really fun.  Found I can listen and concentrate better with a book I’ve already read than a brand new one.

Will post wrap up and answers to questions later in the week after I finish my current reads.

Saturday Night Movie: Watched Red One with James.

Completed the spelling challenge for 52 books for 2025 which is dragon bookology.  Hurrah!

December 27:  I needed something more uplifting than The Kingdom of Copper and Emporer’s Tomb, so dove into Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons, as well as Murakami’s What I talk about When I talk about Running.  Refreshing.

I think my last book of the year will be Gwendolyn Brooks People of the Book so I’ll get started on my wrap up list….

Or maybe not.

Interruption # 53893  in which I have to help John set up his new cell phone.  Later.