I set a goal at the beginning of the year to update this list when I finished a book. Here it is, December, and I'm frantically trying to get this done. It was a bit of a hodge-podge of genres and a fair number of multiple books from the same series. As always, let me know what you're reading; I'm always looking for a good book!
Books I loved and recommend:
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1-8, Beth Brower
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Volume 8 was published and I decided to read them all over again. They are quick reads and they are so enjoyable. I'm so thrilled this book is gaining traction and getting noticed. Think Jane Austin (Pride and Prejudice) meets L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables).
Saints, Vol. 1-4, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
This year in Sunday School we studied the Doctrine and Covenants as well as church history. I decided it was time to read Saints. The first volume was a read, put it down to read something else, read, put it down... Volume 2 was similar. And then I got to Volumes 3&4. I was surprised when I could barely put them down. The stories of the members of my church are incredible. The Saints in South America are strong! The Saints in Africa were patient! The Saints behind the Iron Curtain persevered. So many things I feel I should have known and didn't.
Arcanum Unbound, Brandon Sanderson
A collection of short stories from places familiar to Sanderson fans from other books as well as stories from new places in his made-up universe. I have read almost everything this man has written (and it's a lot) and I highly enjoyed this compilation. If you haven't read Sanderson and enjoy 'mild' fantasy, I think you'll enjoy what he offers.
The Marlow Murder Club, Robert Thorogood
I was ready to swear off British mystery authors after some appalling books but this one was quite enjoyable. A truly mysterious murder mystery with some really quirky characters. While I was able to figure out the who-done-it, there were enough other details, character side-lines, and the telling of the story itself that made it an enjoyable read.
Maisie Dobbs, Vol 2-5, Jacqueline Winspear
I read the first book in the series last year and it only ranked so-so. I decided to try the second book before dropping the series and I'm so glad I did. Excellent mysteries solved in a unique way, all set in post-WWI London and surrounding environs.
Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir
LOVED this book! A wonderful sci-fi about saving the planet.
Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins
For those familiar with The Hunger Games, this is Haymitch's story. Some of it you'll already know if you've read the other books, but this goes into detail and gives little glimpses into the background of other characters in other books. Always enjoyable, if a bit gory, to return to Panem.
Alive, Piers Paul Read
This popped up as a suggestion from my library. It said it was a true story so I thought I'd give it a try. Oh my! The story of a Uruguayan rugby team flying to Chile for a game and their plane crashes in the Andes and how those that survived did so for 72 days before they were finally rescued. The writing is okay and there are a lot of people to keep track of (which is a good thing in a survival story!) but the story itself is amazing. And true!
Books I enjoyed or found interesting but would not necessarily recommend:
The Infernal Machine, Steven Johnson
Elder Renlund talked about the combination of nitroglycerin and diatomaceous earth to make dynamite in an excellent conference talk last year. Re-reading his talk, I followed the footnote at this explanation in his talk and this book was the reference. I decided if it was something Elder Renlund read, I could too. An interesting history of anarchy, the beginnings of forensic detective work, and dynamite.
Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers
We showed the kids the original "Mary Poppins" movie this year. Watching as an adult I found a whole different story than when I was a kid and I loved it even more! We then watched "Saving Mr. Banks" which we thought was so-so but it definitely got me interested in reading the book. Meh. It was fun to see where the inspiration came from, but this might be one of the exceptions where I like the movie better than the book.
A Redbird Christmas, Fannie Flagg
This was a book club read. It was an easy, light, predictable story about a man down in the dumps who is able to turn his life around, accompanied by a whole cast of other quirky characters. Fun, but not necessarily a must read.
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, Margareta Magnusson
A few book club friends said they were reading this and, always on the search for ideas for home keeping, I decided to read it. It's a short and fast read and I don't know if there were any insights particularly. She stressed cleaning your house before you die so your children don't have to. I think that's a great thing to do. Otherwise, nothing too profound.
The Costly Journey, Stormin Brooks
Book two in The Centaur Hero series. I spent almost a year working with the author on editing and getting the book ready to publish. Not an easy read with heavy themes, but something I'm content with how it turned out. (Note: at publishing of this blog, this book hadn't been published for mass consumption yet.)
Books I did not like and would not recommend:
The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman
Oh, did this book have potential! A group of seniors living in retirement housing, all with different backgrounds -- nurse, psychologist, spy, accountant -- trying to solve cold cases. Then a real murder happens and they jump right in. Sounds great doesn't it? Unfortunately, it wasn't. Perhaps I had a preconceived notion of what this book should have been and was disappointed. Also, I like mysteries where you can figure it out with everything given in the text. Hiding stuff from the reader seems like cheating.
The Mistletoe Mystery, Nita Prose
This one bugged me. I've read the first two books in the series but I may be done after this one. It is so obvious what is going on to everyone except the main character it is annoying to the reader. I'm also no a fan of first person prose.
The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers, Samuel Burr
Another book that sounded like it had potential and I was disappointed. I realized when one of the main characters was mugged I didn't care and I didn't finish the book.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Jamie Ford
This was also a book club read. I remember a coworker reading it about ten years ago and was interested to jump in. I didn't finish. I got so bored with the repetition of the relationships between the main character and his parents, his son, and his friend from school. I guess I'm at an age where there's plenty of other things to read and I'm not going to slog my way through something that doesn't keep my attention.
The Forest of Vanishing Stars, Kristin Harmel
Like the rest on this list, the premise sounded really interesting and the book is loosely based on facts. During WWII, Jews in Poland escaped the ghettos and spent the war hiding and surviving in the woods. This is definitely something I'd like to learn more about, but this wasn't the book for it. The story/truth is compelling enough by itself, you don't need to add any "spice" to the story.
