Best Books of December
As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.
So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.
These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from December.
My Lovely Wife (Samantha Downing): This book was bananapants, in the best possible way. It’s about a suburban husband and wife who… murder people. WAIT! Before you reject this book, it is such a bizarre and interesting story filled with wonderfully terrible people. Downing makes you want to keep returning to the story to find out what happens next. This is my second book by this author, and she is great at creating horrible, fascinating characters.
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill (Sophie Hannah/Agatha Christie): Hannah does an amazing job of sliding into Christie’s style and resurrecting Poirot. It was a clever book with a classic Poirot reveal at the end. Totally enjoyable if you already enjoy Christie.
Not a Happy Family (Shari Lapena): This was my first book by this author, and it was kind of the verbal equivalent of potato chips. Even though I guessed the murderer early on, I felt compelled to keep reading and reading and reading. It’s a super quick read because the sections are brief. It would make the perfect beach read because it’s easy to jump in and out of the story.
Good Omens (Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett): ChickieNob and I listened to the audio version while we walked. Martin Jarvis is amazing at doing voices. I always knew which character was speaking from the first second of the chapter. And the strange thing is that the voices he did — many years ago — matched the voices of the actors from the recent television show. Bizarre.
Dava Shastri’s Last Day (Kirthana Ramisetti): One of my favourite books of the year. It’s about a woman tech giant who is dying and decides to announce her death a day early so she can read the obits. But… she learns that instead of basking in her accomplishments, people discuss her secrets. And now she needs to make peace with her kids who learn about these secrets while she’s still alive. I had to slow down towards the end because it is a painful read about loss. But the book is also filled with hope and love. Because family can be complicated, and while you will not always like the characters, you will love them and hurt for them. A lot of tears reading it — but good tears.
What did you read last month?
4 comments
Thanks for this list. Every one but the last pick (can’t do loss stories) sound amazing and I’m gonna bookmark this post for payday!!
I finished five books in December:
* “Gerald and Elizabeth” by D.E. Stevenson. This was a chapter-by-chapter re-read with my online DES fan group. One of her last novels, and not one of her best, but still some things to recommend it.
* “Charlotte Fairlie” by D.E. Stevenson. This is our next/current read for the online group, and I read it through myself ahead of our discussions kicking off. It’s newly available again in both print & e-versions. Also known as “The Fair Isle” and “Blow the Wind Southerly.” A pleasant diversion. 🙂
* “Emily Climbs” by L.M. Montgomery. This was a chapter-by-chapter re-read with my LMM Readathon Facebook group. The second of the Emily books, covering Emily’s years in high school.
* “Emily’s Quest” by L.M. Montgomery. This is NOT our next group read, but I decided I wanted to read it now anyway. The third, last and darkest of the Emily trilogy, as she tries to climb “the Alpine Path” to literary success.
* “Unrequited Infatuations” by Stevie Van Zandt. This was a fun read, but I think it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. 😉 About Van Zandt’s years with Bruce Springsteen and how he got involved in acting, political activism and other interesting stuff.
I’m a big fan of “shamelessly stealing” blog post topics from others, with the proper acknowledgement of course!
If you liked “My Lovely Wife” you might like the series “Why Women Kill.” It’s actually very funny. And I desperately want to watch “Good Omens” on TV but don’t have the right streaming services here.
I didn’t read a lot in December. Too much going on! But I did enjoy “Sorry and Bliss” by Meg Mason, and wrote about it on No Kidding in NZ. I listened to the “Bad Science” audiobook on long drives with my husband, and we both really enjoyed it. The principles of the book (written around 2008) apply very much to 2021/22 and the media’s approach to science. Highly recommend.
I enjoy these posts each month and am always surprised to see that you have read books I haven’t read, or often, books I haven’t even heard of. Guess it just goes to show how many good books are out there.
Here are a few of my favorite titles from December:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I listened to the audiobook version mostly on flights. The book wasn’t quite what I expected initially, but I enjoyed it.
I read several other installments in the Ruth Galloway series by author Elly Griffiths and enjoyed them all. I am now caught up to present on these books: I finished book #13, and the 14th book isn’t due to be published until April 2022. *sniff*
I *finally* finished Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi which I started in February 2021. This one clearly wasn’t a “quick read” for me — it read like a textbook IMO — but I am glad I finished it and learned a lot.
I also read a few more Georgette Heyer books but have kinda soured on her now after reading one book with some antisemetic content. Moving on to other authors. . . .