What are you reading December, 2013

[Elizabeth☮]

I am reading The Last Dogs: The Long Road. It is the third book in a fun series for kids.

[nancy]

Just finished my 50th book and completed the 2013 challenge..now I'm reading the goldfinch and hoping to finish it 2013 to fulfill my goal of "3 big fat books" in 2013..happy holidays to all.

[Elizabeth☮]

I am currently reading A Beautiful Truth. It has a fragmented writing style when told from the perspective of the chimpanzees, but has interesting content.

[Victoria]

I've read 8 books this month. With the exception of , they were all just okay. The other books are (all 3 stars):
, , , , .

I liked that Eye of the Red Tsar well enough though to read the next in the series I think.

Also read which was better than I was expecting, and read which I had high hopes for and was very disappointed. One of my rare 2 star ratings (usually I would have quit before the end for a 2 or 1 star book).

[Sue]

Victoria - Hopefully, everything won't be just okay after reading The Goldfinch - I may be putting off starting it for just that reason. I'd heard good things about The Maid's Version - not great, eh?

-Sue

Victoria wrote: "I've read 8 books this month. With the exception of , they were all just okay. The other books are (all 3 stars):
, [bookcover:Mc..."

[Victoria]

Well, of those 5 I grouped together, The Maid's Version is definitely at the top. Does that help? I thought it dragged although I was intrigued at the beginning. I think I was hoping for more mystery and I didn't find it particularly mysterious, although it does have a mystery as its center.

[Sue]

Yes, that helps. I'll keep it on the TBR. I find lately that if the writing is great, I don't really mind if not much happens in a book. Conversely, a non-stop action-packed book with bad writing won't keep me turning the pages. Anyway, just rambling. Thanks for the follow-up!

Victoria wrote: "Well, of those 5 I grouped together, The Maid's Version is definitely at the top. Does that help? I thought it dragged although I was intrigued at the beginning. I think I was hopi..."

[Melissa]

Just finished The Book Thief and it was amazing. Had it on my TO BE READ list thanks to Michael mentioning it on a podcast and picked it up during a sale at my local indie bookstore. Probably the best book I have read this year.

[Chanda2426]

I just finished Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. It was great, as advertised. I am hoping for his new one under my tree tomorrow. I just started Still Life with Bread Crumbs. Love me some Anna Quindlen!

[Denise]

I finished Crossing to Safety. Wow, such beautiful writing. I will definitely read Angle of Respose. I've read 107 books this year and enjoyed almost every one of them.

[Gerald]

Since I now count my "reading" in minutes(audio books) I was startled to find myself listening to several minutes of a description of a fire disaster in . After a glowing discussion of life in the 1880's Finney changed the story to how really bad life was in the 1880's. After listening to that I'll take life today over that any day.

[Gail]

I finished Wonder and enjoyed the idea of precepts. I think mine will be: Be More Present.

[Melissa]

Just started The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. I'm definitely ending the year with strong reads!!

[Karen]

Not sure if I posted this already, I'm really enjoying this book two of The All Souls Trilogy!

[Shannon]

Melissa wrote: "Just started The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. I'm definitely ending the year with strong reads!!"

Lucky you! Art of Hearing Heartbeats is beautiful! Enjoy.

[Chanda2426]

Finished Still Life with Bread Crumbs (Anna Quindlen) last night. Not nearly as good as her previous books. Started A Marker to Measure Drift this a.m. Such a sad story...

[Chanda2426]

Finished A Marker to Measure Drift. It had a climactic ending, but could have been much shorter. Starting & Sons or Want Not today.
Happy reading all!

[Gail]

I finished The Good Lord Bird and it wouldn't have received my vote for the National Book Award. It was ok, but I have read so many better books this year.
I have just started The Sound and The Fury...so far can only say, "Yikes!".

[Melissa]

Gail-- I felt that way about The Round House last year. It was a good book, but didn't read as National Book Award worthy...at least not for me.

[Nancy]

I'm currently listening to Beautiful Ruins, which is a book I put on my "must reads" for the year—it's about time I got around to it! I'm reading a mystery called Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey, set in Ghana. This will help fulfill my goal of reading at least one book by authors from every letter of the alphabet, since I haven't read any "Qs" yet. I'm not going to get to an X or Y, I'm afraid. I have a library book by a Y author on my shelf, but it's 600 pages and there's no point starting it now. I guess I should read it first next year.

I also recently finished Death Comes to Pemberly, Fever by Mary Beth Keane, and The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo.

[Gretchen]

Gail wrote: "I finished The Good Lord Bird and it wouldn't have received my vote for the National Book Award. It was ok, but I have read so many better books this year.
I have just started The Sound and The Fu..."

Hi Gail- I had tried to read The Sound and The Fury in the past and felt the same way. Then I listened to it on AudioBooks.com and loved it! It really made a difference.

[[deleted user]]

Gail wrote: "I have just started The Sound and The Fury...so far can only say, "Yikes!". "

Gretchen wrote: "Hi Gail- I had tried to read The Sound and The Fury in the past and felt the same way. Then I listened to it on AudioBooks.com and loved it! It really made a difference."

Gail, It may help, whether you read or listen to it, to go get a copy of the SparkNotes or CliffNotes beforehand! It's tough material to tackle in either print or audio and the notes really do give you a better idea of what you have in hand, especially if you haven't read The Sound and the Fury before!

Gretchen, YAY! I'm so glad the audio made a difference! As I mentioned to Gail (above) it is tough material, so making it accessible to the listener was a real challenge! Grover not only pre-read the book before recording, but read the Notes and quite a bit of literary criticism about Faulkner before recording. Interestingly, he recorded another Faulkner title right after that as well as a couple of Shelby Foote's novels :-)

BTW, Cesar Milan did not narrate The Sound and the Fury :-D

[Gerald]

Finally finished listening to . It took me 42 years to read this book and thanks to Audible I finally did it.What a great story of a time traveler who goes back in time using self hypnotist. The writing is very old fashioned and Finney takes several pages to describe touring 1882 New York City.He even came up with a good ending to make me want to read the sequel that Finney wrote right before his own death in the 1990's.Another interesting thing for me was the office environment that was pre PC and pre cell phone.Also interesting was the fact that Finney illustrated the original book which might force me to buy the real book if I can find it but that might take me another 42 years.

[Victoria]

That is on my TBR list as well! I do have Audible credits although currently am plodding through Wolf Hall in 20 minute per day increments. Might be done with that by 2015.

[Amy]

Amy wrote: "Ann wrote: "Amy wrote: "Ann wrote: "Amy, I get what you're saying -- but I also think WONDER surpasses the category. Also, it's a quick read -- 2 hours tops..."

OK, I'll read it. But, if I do and ..."

Alright all... I read Wonder this weekend. It seems like a fantastic book for a reader who is a young adult. In fact, I probably would have loved it in elementary school. Unfortunately I did not feel the connection so many of you felt for it, which seems to happen frequently with Young Adult titles. Now I am off the hook for reading Young Adult books in the future :) I will look out for a special young adult to pass Wonder along too.

[Tracey]

Amy wrote: "Amy wrote: "Ann wrote: "Amy wrote: "Ann wrote: "Amy, I get what you're saying -- but I also think WONDER surpasses the category. Also, it's a quick read -- 2 hours tops..."

OK, I'll read it. But, ..."

Huge props to you Amy for reading Wonder and giving it a chance. :)

[Denise]

Amy, I'm glad you gave Wonder a chance. I didn't have the aame problem with it, but trust me, it hasnt been very long since I finally consented to read some YA. I am still rather picky about it. But I've found myself loving John Green, Matthew Quick and Rainbow Rowell.

I gifted two special teen girls Wonder for Xmas, and they seemed excited about reading it.

[Mary]

Gerald wrote: "Finally finished listening to . It took me 42 years to read this book and thanks to Audible I finally did it.What a great story of a time traveler who goes back in t..."
I loved this book!!

[Melissa]

I just finished We Live in Water by Jesse Walters. I bought it at Booktopia Petoskey, and just now got around to reading it. I LOVED it!
I also finished listening to The Things They Carried audio book read by Brian Cranston. Awesome! Mr. Cranston is the perfect choice for narrator.

[Elizabeth☮]

@ Melissa,

I have recommended this audio version of O'Brien's book to my friends that teach. Things is typically taught at the junior level so many if the students know Cranston from breaking bad.

[Denise]

I'm starting Quiet Dell .. Should be right up my alley the reviews are mixed.., loved Cartwheel by Jennifer Dubois

[Gail]

Tanya and Gretchen,
Thanks so much for the comments on The Sound and The Fury. I have done some poking online and now have a basic understanding of what I am reading. I think I'm going to start again now knowing that the narrator switches from present to past tenses without many clues to the reader.
Thanks for the help.

[[deleted user]]

It's not often that I get misty-eyed at the ending of a history book. But the conclusion of this story of a great friendship did it to me.

At its heart, this book is about the friendship of two men. Theodore "The Colonel" Roosevelt: energetic, impulsive, combative, abrasive, but with a gung-ho charm that made him the most enduringly popular man in America for two decades. William Howard Taft: laid-back, thoughtful, guileless, genial, conciliatory, a true mensch who got along with everyone. I already knew a lot about the character of Roosevelt, but I was surprised and pleased to learn more about Taft, who was undoubtedly one of the nicest guys ever to become President of the United States.

Taft, too, was a better president than he ever got credit for, in his own time or in the light of 100 years of hindsight. Maybe this book will spark an appreciation for the man, who wasn't a self-promoter, but believed that if you quietly did a good job, your work would be appreciated.

The two men, who were dear and loyal colleagues and friends, experienced an ugly break in their friendship during Taft's presidency and during the three-way presidential race race (with Woodrow Wilson) in 1912. The book lays the blame on Roosevelt's ego, and his predisposition toward attacking the personal character of those with whom he disagreed. Would they ever patch up their falling out? You have to get to the end to find out. It's probably the best story of friends/enemies/rivals in American politics since Adams and Jefferson.

But wait! There's more! This book will also introduce you to an intrepid band of crusading journalists who helped sway public opinion away from laissez faire capitalism toward a regulated approach to business. McClure's magazine, published by Sam McClure, was the chief engine of the muckraking movement. His major writers, Ida Tarbell, Ray Stannard Baker, and Lincoln Steffens, were superstars, and exposed corruption in both big business and government. William Allen White, a Kansas conservative turned progressive, offered commentary from his rural roost. Roosevelt, in an often uneasy alliance with them, accomplished much. The reforms continued under Taft, who unfortunately wasn't as skilled as Roosevelt in making friends within the Fourth Estate.

In our current era of corporate overreach, it would behoove us all to look back at the pre-reform Gilded Age, and to recollect what unregulated laissez faire capitalism looks like. This book would be a sharp dose of reality for pie-in-the-sky libertarians who believe in letting the invisible hand of the free market work its magic.

[Victoria]

Great review Eric! I hope to read that in 2014. I know very little about either man, but do know a bit about Ida Tarbell and the muckrakers because she went to my college.

[[deleted user]]

(Just because I reviewed two massive history books in one day, don't think I'm a fast reader. I've been working on these two for the past couple of months.)

Here is the fourth book on LBJ from Mr. Caro. It's fitting that there will be five. Johnson's story is Shakespearean enough to deserve a five-act structure. It's a story of ambition, glory, and fatal hubris. This book showcases Johnson's journey from his long, dark night of the soul (the obscurity of the vice presidency), to the glory of his assumption of command after Kennedy's death. The third book, "Master of the Senate", prepares you to understand exactly how Johnson is able to get done what would probably have remained undone under Kennedy, the passage of the Civil Rights Act. JFK was a fairly uninvolved Senator, although he shone as a president. But as "Master of the Senate" showed us, Johnson, by virtue of his being Senate Majority Leader (the most canny, powerful man ever to hold that post), knew the rules, knew the psychology of the personalities he would have to use as levers in order to get things done.

In this suspenseful tour de force of a book, once he flies into action, LBJ is TCB! Stage managing the transfer of power and swearing in on Air Force One. Striking the right notes of mourning. Cajoling Kennedy staffers, who had ridiculed him as "Rufus Cornpone", to stay on. Charming world leaders in a way that surprised and impressed those doubtful Kennedy staffers. Using the Christmas holiday at his Texas ranch to establish a new presidential personality and tone. Wheedling Virginia Senator Harry Byrd to get a budget bill passed, so as to clear the way for the civil rights bill. Vote counting. Mustering the required Republican support to get the cloture vote to end the Southern filibuster. Giving an unassailable State of the Union address. Keeping careful control of his frantic, domineering personality for the seven weeks he needed to get all his ducks and a row to become the presumptive Democratic nominee in a election less than a year away.

Throughout the book lurks LBJ's scowling nemesis, Robert Francis Kennedy. Far from being the young idealistic presidential candidate Americans would come to love, RFK was just as ruthless and paranoid as Johnson himself. His transformation into the more compassionate, humane figure would come later. LBJ and RFK hated each other, and would until the day RFK died.

I await the final act of this great play, yet unpublished, in which our American Richard III, Lyndon Johnson, meets a gradual downfall in the quagmire of Vietnam.

[Gerald]

Weird things happen when you read. I just finished were much of the action takes place in 1882 Manhattan. So I picked up another book about Civil War reenactors. Where does the book start,1882 Manhattan.

[Denise]

Can't put down Quiet Dell .. It's a great historical novel. I hope this novel wins some awards ..

[Becky]

Finished my last book of the year earlier today….Night by Elie Wiesel

[Shannon]

Christine wrote: "I have just started reading The Secret History and Tiny Beautiful Things and am enjoying both so far. I'm really hoping to be able to find some time to read over the holidays however the next few d..."

I just finished the audio version of Tiny Beautiful Things. It packed quite a punch! Would love to read your opinions on it. Happy New Year!

[Kathie]

My last book of the year--Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel It was....AWESOME, and that's a word I don't use often. Fabulous prose. Can't wait for her next one.

[Linda]

I made my 80 with 10 minutes to spare. As the last book, I picked up one I bought a couple of years ago that was written and self-published by an 85-year old woman who grew up around here. Thank goodness it was only 100 pages - double-spaced. I paid too much for it!

But it helped me reach my 2013 goal.

[Gerald]

Happy New Year of reading . My goal is 24 in '14. Time to turn over a new page.