What You're Reading in December!

[New Jersey State Library]

Somehow, it's December! You may be as confused as I am as to how that could have possibly happened. December! I was certain that it was only late September, at best.

December usually has us all scrambling, but I hope you'll be able to take a break sometime this month to talk about what you've read, and what you're reading.

ETA: Oops! I originally titled this "What You're Reading in November!" - I guess I *am* really confused as to what month it is!

[Martha]

In November I had a bit of a reading slump where my brain just couldn’t focus on anything. Or perhaps I just didn’t find anything that struck me enough to stick with it. Now that it’s December I have started some books that I am really enjoying.

First I am re-reading a novella (or perhaps it is a long, short story) on my Kindle. It is called All Seated on the Ground by Connie Willis. I love this story and read it every December, since it has a holiday theme. It is a sweet, funny story about aliens coming to Earth and people trying to communicate with them. The aliens don’t speak, but they just glare disapprovingly at everyone. According to the main character, the aliens’ expressions are just like her “Aunt Judith.” They don’t seem to react to anything until one day in the mall at Christmastime they do finally have a reaction to something, and the story is about the 2 main characters trying to figure about what the aliens responded to. And what they want. The whole thing is comical and heartwarming. I love Connie Willis.

I am also listening to an audiobook of The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. It’s a YA novel about 2 teenagers – one is a girl whose family is about to be deported the next day, and the other is a boy who is getting ready to apply to college, but is really unsure what he wants to do. They meet and like each other right away. I love the way the story is written. You care about the characters and hear both of their voices since it alternates from his point of view, to her point of view. Then there is also a 3rd point of view from an overall omniscient narrator.

Finally, I also started a print book called The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen. It won the Pulitizer Prize, so I thought I would give it a go. This is about a spy (not a spoiler – he says he’s a spy in the first sentence!) from Vietnam, who survives the fall of Saigon and makes his way to the U.S. I’m at the beginning but it is well written and I definitely want to see what happens. I don’t usually read spy novels. It’s good to try something different!

[Cjdaze]

Martha wrote: "In November I had a bit of a reading slump where my brain just couldn’t focus on anything. Or perhaps I just didn’t find anything that struck me enough to stick with it. Now that it’s December I ha..."

New Jersey State Library wrote: "Somehow, it's December! You may be as confused as I am as to how that could have possibly happened. December! I was certain that it was only late September, at best.

December usually has us all sc..."

[Cjdaze]

I just finished "Beyond the Beautiful Forevers," which I enjoyed enough to pass along. Well-written and fascinating.

[Audrey]

I recently started reading "Prudence" by Gail Carriger. The genre is steampunk. It's the first book of a new series, based on Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series (which I thought was funny, quirky). So far the new book is slower, not as much fun, but I am hoping it gets better.