2025 December Reading Wrap Up

 

December has been an interesting reading month with books running the gamut from uplifting to disappointing. 

Rebecca Yarros - The Reality of Everything (472) 4/5 stars.  I don't know what Jackson saw in Morgan because this gal was deep in the throws of grief after two years, but he was able to see through her grief, her panic attacks, and sadness to her strength, her perseverance, and her humor.  Morgan felt betrayed by her friends who were so caught up in their own grief over the death of their friend, their brother, that they didn't see her, so she moved to a fixer upper house on the coast of Florida. A lonely house on the sand dunes next to Jackson and his little girl.  Yarros's stories always hit me in the gut, drawing you into the lives of the characters and their emotional journey's as they navigate life amidst the chaos of the story. 

Julie Caplin - A Little Place in Prague #12 Romantic Escapes  (ebook)(385) ****  Anna was selected as one of two people for a beer brewing contest in which she must create and design a beer competing against who? Her ex husband Leo evidently. In the city of Prague.  And to top it off, the only housing available is a single flat for both of them.  Prague, the restaurants, the rest of the tenants in the building, complete the picture and against that backdrop, Anna and Leo try to regain their lost friendship and resolve past issues. It's truly a romantic escape. 

Brittney Morris - Spiderman-Miles Morales Wings of Fury (audiobook)(263) ****   James and I listened together in which Miles  teams up with Peter Parker to battle Vulture and his grand daughter Beatrice, who launched a virus against the citizens of New York and turned them into zombie birds. Great narrator who made the story much more interesting! 

Edited by Jonathan Montaldo -  Dialogues with Silence: Thomas Merton (nonfiction)(189) ** I love Thomas Merton but this little book turned out to be more depressing than anything else. I think he was going through a dark night of the soul or maybe it was the way the book was edited. The pictures were simple but powerful, but his prayers were all downers. 

Scott Reintgen - The Last Dragon on Mars #1 Dragonships   (378) ****  This middle grade science fiction adventure didn't let me down. Lunar Jones (don't you love that name) is a scavenger, roaming the sands of mars for scrap to sell to support all the orphans who live in his house. He stumbles upon a secret base which leads to an extraordinary experience. Full of scary twists and turns. 

Mary Oliver - Upstream (nonfiction) (178) **  Full of essays in which Ms. Oliver explores nature and I was greatly put off when she talked about watching pregnant turtles nesting and as soon as they left, she stole some of the eggs for her breakfast. There were a few other things about her experiences that turned me off. 

Victoria Erickson - Edge of Wonder: Notes from the Wildness of Being  (Nonfiction)(152) ***** Beautiful book of poetry written in a way that was inspirational, warmhearted, made me think, and really spoke to me. 

Tony Bertauski - Claus: Legend of the Fat Man (ebook)(390) Clause and evil Jack Frost, and two factions of elves are torn apart by their rivalry, then enter Arctic explorer Nicolas Santa, his wife, and son who are trying to find the North Pole and it makes for a wonderful imaginative story, about science vs magic, darkness versus boldness, being lost in the wildness of the arctic, and family. Fun read! Look forward to reading more in the Claus Universe. 

2025 November Reading Wrap Up

Robin Hobb’s Assassins Apprentice #1 in the Farseer Trilogy (438) was excellent. Hobb’s writing is really good and flows. Her world building, empathy, and emotions are so well done, you’d think you were watching a movie. Looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy and explore more books in that world.  5 Stars

Andrew and Lee Child's In Too Deep, #29 in the  Jack Reacher series (224) was unfortunately a miss with me.  I’m sad to say Andrews’s writing isn’t up to par with his father, so I won’t be continuing the series from here. I’ll have to go back and read earlier novels in the series because I missed a bunch.  This always happens, same as with Tom Clancy and other writers who let others take over their series. They are subpar and I can tell the difference in the writing styles.  2 Stars

Fredrik Backman’s Britt Marie was Here (324) was a very moving story.  She’d  lived her life for some one else and lost herself in the process.  She’s socially awkward, a bit ocd, and maybe a little autistic (imho). She ends up in a small town, full of misfit, oddballs, juvenile delinquents, and more and finds her backbone as well as a found family. It’s sad and funny and the ending is a bit vague which leaves me wondering.  5 Stars

Hazel Prior’s  How the Penguins Saved Veronica (333) is a really sweet story about a 85 year old, bored and set in her ways, who goes to the Antarctic to save penguins and discovers herself. 4 stars

Julie Caplin’s The Northern Lights Lodge #4 Romantic Escapes (Ebook) (346) is a great escape, a bit of a mystery,  and a wonderful meet cute.  Lucy is hired to temporarily manage a failing lodge in Iceland and discovers someone is trying to sabotage the owners and close the place down.  4 stars  Liked it enough to explore more books in the series.

Julie Caplin’s The Little Cafe in Copenhagen #1 Romantic Escapes (Ebook) (415)  which is a great story in which the lead character, as well as her associates, all learn to find their voices and speak up for what they want and go after it, along with learning about hygge.  4 stars

Nora Roberts’s  The Seven Rings #3 Lost Brides Trilogy (454) was full of lively ghosts who make the story rich with color.  4 stars

Stats:

7 books in which three were new to me authors for a total of 2534 pages.