What Are You Reading: December 2015

[Sacramento Public Library]

The end of the year holiday season is always a busy time. That doesn't mean you should stop reading, though! (Not that we think you would, mind you!) Inspire someone else by sharing what you're reading this month. Got a great gift book suggestion? Please share that too!

[David]

Currently reading Demon Hunts for this months challenge. I would, of course, recommend Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss as an amazing gift this year. Easily the best (in my opinion) fantasy novel ever written. The only downside is that he's been working on book 3 for about 5-6 years now so we're getting anxious waiting for it!

[John]

I put off a lot of reading as November was National Novel Writing Month. Now that it's over I've picked up "Galileo's Dream," by Kim Stanley Robinson (have to hustle to finish it in time for our book club meeting December 12). In audio I've got "Winter," by Marissa Meyer, the last of the "Lunar Chronicles" series.

[Susan]

While I do try and cut back on my reading during the holidays, it doesn't tend to happen. Right now I am reading "The Price of Salt." I wanted to read it before the movie "Carol" came out.
I bought "The Three-Year Swim Club" for my dad as a Christmas present. It combines several of his favorite subjects: swimming, history, and Hawaii. And, since it just came out, chances are he doesn't know about it yet!

[Michael]

I'm currently halfway through "The History of the World in 12 Maps" by Jerry Brotton. It's fantastic so far.

[Teresa]

Just finished Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Such a fun read and a nice roll around the Harry Potter type world. I saw a name for that genre but forgot what it was. Carry on is a YA novel, a fast read and good for all sorts of readers. Deals well with homosexuality -
Now I'm taking up a Walter Mosley book "Rose Gold", and then reading "In the Unlikely Event" by Judy Blume. I've never read her adult stuff before so am looking forward to it.

[Susan]

@Teresa
I was startled by In The Unlikely Event. It wasn't at all what I expected. That said, I adored it!
Carry On is on my to-read list. I was hoping the library would get it in e-format, but no luck so far!

[Julie]

I just finished the Serpent King-- so good and it comes out next year. I loved that slight romance but more about friendships :)

[Brendle]

@Susan I had the pleasure of reading Carry On this past weekend and I agree with @teresa that it was delightful! But then Rainbow Rowell, so no surprise there! Also, I had someone else recommend The Three Year Swim Club to me today. May have to check that out.

I also recently read Dark Reservations by John Fortunato, a recent Hillerman prize winner. While the story was good, the writing didn't quite match up in my opinion. Still, an okay read and suitable for those who are interested in mysteries set in the southwest.

[Susan]

@Brendle I liked The Three Year Swim Club so much I actually bought it for my father for Christmas!

[Brendle]

So I did a bunch of reading over the weekend and got seriously caught up with my tbr pile. The best book I plucked out of that stack was The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck. He and his brother, both around retirement age, got a wagon and a 3 mule team and traversed the country via the Oregon Trail. It's a wonderful mix of history, adventure, travel and mules. It seriously made me sad that I wasn't heading to work in a covered wagon each morning despite the descriptions of the hard work this trip entailed. It would make a great gift this season for a history or adventure buff.

[Susan]

That sounds right up my alley!! Another book I'll need to read!

[Allie]

I'm currently reading guilty pleasure books -- just finished Down the Rabbit Hole by Holly Madison and am currently reading House of Hilton, both of which I got from the library!

[John]

I didn't quite finish "Galileo's Dream" in time for the book club meeting...ended up about 80 pages short. I got the gist of the story, however, and skipped to read the last few pages. I don't often do that. "Galileo" was detailed, dense, but OK. Galileo Galilei is certainly an interesting character; the best parts of the book were the passages about Galileo in 17th century Italy.

Since Carrie Vaughn's "Kitty Norville" series has concluded, I've been looking for another paranormal series to sink my teeth into. I'm giving M. L. Brennan's "Generation V" a try.

Meanwhile, I'm progressing through Marissa Meyer's "Winter" in audio. The book has fallen victim to a common affliction: the concluding volume in a series is always the longest. At 800+ pages--over 23 hours in audio format--it's double the length of "Cinder," the first book in the series. Still, it's good, and the story is holding my interest.

[Brendle]

I'm winding up December by listening to the absolutely delightful Lafayette and the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell. Vowell reads her own work with the help of a variety of familiar actors who voice the quotes. Not surprisingly she captures her snark perfectly. I don't know that I have ever laughed quite so much while reading a history book. At the same time, I'm learning a lot about the American Revolution. The focus on the letters and documents from the actual participants are what really make the book come alive. If you're an audiophile, don't miss this one.