What are you reading for December?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Reading Killers of the Summer Moon. I love historical books - fiction and non fiction- but I can see how a person of color would feel left out. Even though there are Osage in the book, they really don’t have a voice. They are just written about, part of the story, but it’s rally about white men mostly.

I am DNF on that book. I thought it was SO dry although the story is fascinating. It felt like it was pages and pages of facts with no dialogue at points. I wish it had been done by Erik Larson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished The Covenant of Water and now reading My Murder. So far I’m finding My Murder really interesting.

Just started this and really enjoying it so far!

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Finally reading all the light we cannot see. I don't usually like historical fiction, but I like it so far.

Oh I loved that book! Can I ask why you don't like historical fiction? I've found that I really enjoy it because I feel like I am learning while still reading something "easy" (i.e. doesn't feel like a textbook).

I don't really like history in general. As a person of color, historical fiction doesn't usually feel relevant to my experience.

Thanks for responding. In high school and college I mostly hated my history classes and I think it was because I had a hard time imagining what I was learning about because I had no frame of reference (I had never been to Europe, for example, so learning about WWII battle sites was not fun). I enjoy learning things about places I've been but I've also discovered that historical fiction can make learning fun because it's written in an easily digestible way. I don't feel like many historical fictions I've read were relevant to my experience because I have no reference point for Elizabethan times, for example, but I can appreciate that you're saying that's possibly because the characters are White like me so I just never consciously or unconsciously questioned it. I do also enjoy books about non-White experiences, but I suppose it's impossible for me to say one way or the other whether they feel relevant because they have an element of Whiteness about them even if they take place in India, for example, and consist of entirely Indian characters. Anyway, interesting perspective, and thanks for sharing.

I think it probably depends on what you’re looking to get out of the book. I’m queer (and white so really can’t speak to whether my experience has anything to do with PP’s preferences) and am very picky about what historical fiction I like — a lot just doesn’t consider the existence of queer people (no issues with this although I do get why some people don’t want to read it), some has homophobia-coded queers (eg the only gay character is predatory, stereotypical, and creepy — I hate these), some have historically accurate representations of queerphobia (I like these as long as they’re not total downers and not everybody ends up miserable but I know some queer folks who find them triggering if they’ve experience similar situations), and some are sort of alternate history-ish where everyone is fine with all genders/sexualities and the characters have a modern perspective on sexual politics (I fully respect the value of this genre but don’t enjoy it myself).

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"An elderly lady is up to no good" by a Swedish author named Helen Tursten.
It's about -- well, it's about an elderly lady who is up to no good. And no one suspects her because she is elderly.
I thought it was awesome. It's a short book at just under 200 pages. The audio version is 3 hours long.
I plan to check out what else this author has written because I really liked this one. I see there is a sequel to the one I just read.

That’s one of the best titles I’ve ever heard!

I just put the audiobook on hold based on the title alone.

I sounds a lot like The Old Woman with a Knife by Gu Byeong-mo. It's a 2022 Korean book, also short in length. You should check it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read an advanced reader copy of Laurie Frankel's upcoming release, Family Family. It's excellent. I highly recommend it, especially if you like stories that explore what it means to be a family.

l

Great news, I love Laurie Frankel. How do you get ARCs?

You can sign up at Netgalley.

[Anonymous]

Just finished "The Orphan Collector" by Ellen Wiseman.
It is set in Philadelphia during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. Everyone is on quarantine but 13 year old Pia leaves her twin baby brothers home alone while she ventures out because the family is out of food. She then collapses while out in the city and is hospitalized. When she is finally able to return home her brothers are gone.
The audio version of the book was 15 hours long.
I thought it was very good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
"It is a historical urban fantasy of sorts, about a Golem and a Djinn separately stranded in turn-of-the-century New York city. "

Long book and I flew right through it. I do think it's set up for a sequel which I would also enjoy.

It's a beautifully written book that spans the deserts of syria, the jews of nyc, old mysticism.

I LOVED that book. The sequel is on my list, but I haven't gotten to it yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting The Lincoln Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch about the failed assassination attempt in 1861. I love Meltzer's Ordinary People children's book series and anything about Abe Lincoln, so I have high hopes.

Plus, I only have to read two more books to finish my 24 books in 2024 challenge.

I'd be interested to hear what you think of this. I have tried multiple Brad Meltzer books because the topics can be really interesting but I end up hating a lot of them. There is something about him that infuriates me but I can't put my finger on what it is!

I'm on chapter 11 and so far I'm enjoying it. It's a little frustrating how they keep skipping around in time. I thought the first chapter was a good hook and then it jumped back to his roots, which made sense. But there's all these other asides that are important to the story, but happening years earlier or later, and it's a little disjointed.
I'm going to finish it, because I'm still very interested in the plot and I think it's well written.

[Anonymous]

I just finished Yellowface and Hello Beautiful.

I loved Hello Beautiful. The author did a great job of shifting perspectives and connecting you with the positive attributes and flaws of all.

Yellowface was also great but I was so tense throughout it, haha. It is a thriller for avid book people.

[Anonymous]

I’m about to DNF “How can I help you” by Laura Sims. I typically like weird books by and about women, and thought this would be another one, but the main characters are just unredeemingly bad.

I’ve been on a roll with books I really enjoyed this fall (Big Swiss, Mother daughter murder night, bandit queens, my murder, our share of night, drunk on all your strange new words, people collide, the office of historical corrections, true biz, being mortal)…

And I don’t want to finish it off spending time with an unpleasant and somewhat boring serial killer nurse.

[Anonymous]

I’m about halfway through Pageboy, Elliot Page’s memoir. I’m really enjoying it so far.

[Anonymous]

I listened to "The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett" by Annie Lyons.
The book was set in London and had a British narrator. It was 10 hours long.
It was very similar to "A Man Called Ove".
Eudora is 85 years old and has no family left. She doesn't want to slowly decline like her mother did, so she makes arrangements to go to a clinic in Switzerland to be euthanized. But then new neighbors move in. Eudora and the 10 year old girl who moves in next door become friends.
I liked it, but not as much as I liked a man called Ove.

[Anonymous]

I am reading My Father's House by Joseph O'Connor about a Vatican City priest who headed a small resistance unit during WWII. I am listening to Going Zero by Anthony McCarten, a thriller about a government contest to avoid surveillance for thirty days. I am enjoying both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Last Applicant. (Great so far.)

I’m the one who got this based on your description. Just got to Part III last night. Have you finished it? I have to say it has taken a turn I was not expecting…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just finished 12 Months to Live by James Patterson and Mike Lupica. It was an impulse buy at Costco and not something I normally would pick up. I liked it okay, but with over 100 short chapters in a less than 400 page book, I feel like I paid for a lot of empty paper. The book is about a top notch criminal attorney who gets a cancer diagnosis at the start of a murder trial. It was OK but I'm donating it, too unrealistic and a bit dry & dull.

Just started The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. It's about 4 kids about to inherit a trust fund called the nest, when one of them gets into an accident and the mom designates the trust to payoff a lawsuit. The other three sibs are rightfully upset and so far, I'm finding the dysfunctional family rather endearing.

I loved The Nest!