Book Nook Cafe discussion

Here is the Folder to tell us what your monthly reads for December 2020 were.

Please provide:
~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

Book read: Ready for a Brand New Beat: How Dancing in the Street Became the Anthem for a Changing America

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Book read: Lulu in Hollywood

My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Book read: Miss Benson's Beetle

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Book read: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Apparitionists: A Tale of Phantoms, Fraud, Photography, and the Man Who Captured Lincoln's Ghost

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Book read: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I Have Something to Tell You

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

You had quite a December, John ! Thanks for sharing.

So many great books, John. I appreciate your comments particularly on the Chasten Glezman Buttigieg and Rachel Joyce books. Your personal comments, such as about the Astoria motion picture house, add to the pleasure in reading your reviews.

Thanks, folks!

I really like sharing reading experiences with like-minded people.

Given how busy i was with family, i'm surprised i read as much as i did. Although, to be fair, the last 4 are post-Christmas Day!

Earthlings--Sayaka Murata. I read and really liked her earlier novel, Convenience Store Woman. Both books contain people who are challenged just be living in today's world, feeling as though they are out of step with others. CSW was fascinating, as was this one, in the beginning. As a child Natsuki and a cousin whom she sees yearly, believe they are from another planet and/or are magical. The beginning is wonderful, sharing stories about family gatherings, ceremonies and activities. The second half is about Natsuki as a married adult & her re-acquaintance with her cousin. To say that part is odd is to put it mildly. I'll be eager to see what she next presents the world.

Leave the World Behind--Rumaan Alam is garnering all sorts of end-of-year praise but it failed me. I didn't find the character study particularly outstanding and felt the resolution/discovery was mild. Clearly i missed something. As i mentioned, my reaction may be because i read more science fiction than many reviewers, so felt much was redundant.

Oroonoko--Aphra Behn. Behn was a 17th author, the first female to support herself by writing. I read this for my book challenge, a book set in South America. Only around 1/2 the book is set there. It's about a prince from Africa who is taken into slavery and ends up being treated nicely by his owners because other slaves see him as a leader. Dramatic but not what i expected. Nonetheless, there were several interesting bits about SA, including the first description of an electric eel.

The Honjin Murders--Seishi Yokomizo was written in the late 40s. It's a "locked room" mystery, set on the wedding night of the victims in pre-war Japan. Innovative method, i must add.

Ru--Kim Thúy is a novel which is akin to the author's own story. She begins with her privileged life in Vietnam, time as a boat person, ending in a new life in Canada. Each chapter was under 3 pages, well written and a fascinating story. I really liked the way this was presented.

The Office of Historical Corrections: A Novella and Stories--Danielle Evans is a book of short stories and a novella set in the 20th century. Most of the main characters are women in their 20s, living in our world. The novella, and title story, was about a federal department which alters signs to correct historic misperceptions.

To the Far Blue Mountains--Louis L'Amour was part of my DL challenge. It's a sequel to the first Sackett book set in the fens of England. This one is mostly in the New World but also in Sackett's old home.

Nazi Wives: The Women at the Top of Hitler's Germany--James Wyllie was a disappointing book about the women who loved leading Nazis. The author never clearly defined the wives enough for me, so that i was constantly figuring out which one was which.

Jungle Child--Norah Burke is a memoir about a young child's life in 1910s India. See the link below for more details.

Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver--Jill Heinerth is a mix of memoir but also of science. The topic of underwater cave diving has been fascinating to me for decades. It was nice to get more detailed accounting, including a dive into caves of an iceberg. Again, see below link for details.

“All the Real Indians Died Off”: And 20 Other Myths About Native Americans--Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz and Dina Gilio-Whitaker. It is essays about myths some US citizens believe about members of tribes and US policy.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Message 108

madrano wrote: "Given how busy i was with family, i'm surprised i read as much as i did. Although, to be fair, the last 4 are post-Christmas Day!

Earthlings--Sayaka Murata. I read..."

Convenience Store Woman has been on my TBR for a while. I read a mystery set in Restoration England with Benn as a character - no shrinking violet she!


Quite varied reading, indeed!

madrano wrote: "Given how busy i was with family, i'm surprised i read as much as i did. Although, to be fair, the last 4 are post-Christmas Day!

Earthlings--Sayaka Murata. I read..."

Wow ! Well done, deb.

Here are my December 2020 reads.

Nevertheless--Alec Baldwin
Memoir
Audio book read by author.
Rate: 5- / 5
Even though I haven't seen much of his work, I really enjoyed this book and learning about his upbringing and career. Okay, I'll admit it. I loved listening to his sexy voice. :)

Outliers: The Story of Success--Malcolm Gladwell
Non fiction
Audio book
Narrator: Author
Rate: 4/5
I enjoyed this book quite a lot. What makes some outliers successful and others not? Well done. I read this one for my 2020 Determination list.

The Last Story of Mina Lee---Nancy Jooyoun Kim
Fiction
Rate: 3/5
Solid but slow read. This was a Reese Witherspoon book club selection. It's the story of a mother and daughter who struggle to understand each other. The daughter finds her mother dead and searches out answers. The more interesting part for me was the mom's back story about her struggles and hardship when she immigrated to LA from Korea. It's quite poignant as we learn the American Dream is not quite the reality many find here.

Trajectory---Richard Russo
Short stories
Rate: 2/5
Audio book
Narrator: Various
I read this for my 2020 Determination List. I like this author but I didn't feel a real connection to any of the four stories. Disappointing.

George Balanchine: The Ballet Maker---Robert Gottlieb
Biography
Rate: 3-/5
I read this for my 2020 Determination List. This book is part of the Eminent Lives series. I didn't care for the writing style at all. I wanted to learn more about the man and less gossip and a list of his works. It was a bit of a dry read.

Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil--Paul Bloom
Non fiction
Audio book
Narrator - Mike Chamberlain
Rate: 3- / 5
The narrator was good. The book was interesting. However, it tended to get bogged down in the listing of way to experiments and lost focus and got repetitive. Perhaps this would have been better to read than listen to.

The 6 Keys: Unlock Your Genetic Potential for Ageless Strength, Health, and Beauty---Jillian Michaels
Non Fiction
Rate: 3/5
Good book but it didn't cover any new ground for me. Still, a good book to help motivate and get one on the right track with their diet/exercise.

I only unfortunately completed one book in December:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Simon wrote: "I only unfortunately completed one book in December:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins"

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

No shame in reading one book. I rather read one good book a month then ten not so great ones. I hope it was a good one for you.

Alias, i'm sorry the Russo book was disappointing. He can be such a good writer. Perhaps shorter stories just aren't his shining moments.

Simon, i like that title. It has me wondering about the combo--songbirds? Snakes?

My December reads
Dreamstalker by Margaret Coel
Rating4/5
This is the 3rd book in the Wind River series.
Trimmed With Murder bySally Goldenbaum
Rating 3/5
This is part of the Seaside Knitter Series. Reading this series is liking visiting old friends
The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate
Rating 2/5
Book is written in two different times and two different narrators.
I was disappointed with this book I found the story about the freed slave in 1875 interesting but the storyline of the teacher in 1987 trite. Also found the weaving together of the two storylines at the end overly simplified. Ionly finished the book to find out the end of the freed slave's story
Hercule Poirot's Christmas byAgatha Christie
Rating 4/5
A good locked room mystery . How Poirot figures out the murderer is very clever
Wishin' and Hopin' byWally Lamb
Rating 3/5
Fun story of a Christmas pageant at a parochial school in 1964. The characters and situations although exagerated rang true
Murder in Chinatown by Victoria ThompsonRating 3/5
This is part of the Gpaslight series featuring a midwife and Irish
police detectives in early 1900's NYC.

madrano wrote: "Alias, i'm sorry the Russo book was disappointing. He can be such a good writer. Perhaps shorter stories just aren't his shining moments."

I like his writing, but I just couldn't connect with these stories. I usually like his books and I've added him to my Determination List for 2021. The amazon reviews seem to agree this wasn't his best.

Meredith wrote: "My December reads
Dreamstalker by Margaret Coel
Rating4/5
This is the 3rd book in the Wind River series.
Trimmed With Murder bySally Goldenbaum
Rating 3/5
This is pa..."

Overall good December for you, Meredith. Only one clunker in the bunch.

Meredith, you had a good reading month. The Coel series sounds very good. And i like the idea of a Poirot Holiday mystery. Thanks for sharing.

I was reading (mostly re-reading) a lot of paperbacks from my collection in an attempt to finish my goal of reading 20 books in 2020. I just barely made it by one day. I read:

Zia, the sequel to Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. Interesting historical fiction based upon a real Native American woman who was the last of her tribe.

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci - Classic Christmas season story with tons of interesting characters and a mix of several genres (mystery/romance/drama).

A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett - Historical fiction set in 1766 in Scotland, London, and Virginia. This one was an awesome historical novel about a coal miner and a high society woman from Scotland who are each trying to find a sense of freedom in their lives.

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt - This is a classic coming of age story set during the Civil War. I have read this one several times, so much so that my paperback copy is starting to fall apart. It is told from the point of view of a 10 year old boy in Southern Illinois in 1861. It shows his childhood as his brothers, teacher, and cousin leave to fight in the war, leaving him with the responsibility of looking after the family farms.

A Fine Night For Dying And Midnight Runner by Jack Higgins (initially published under the name Martin Fallon) - This is an espionage novel set in England, France, and Italy as well as the waterways in between them. This is the 6th book featuring the main character Paul Chavasse, though I didn't realize that when I started and the novel didn't reference much from the other books. Chavasse works for a spy agency that tasks him with investigating a group smuggling people into England. There are many action scenes involving boats crossing the English channel and other waterways.

Congratulations, Dru! What a good set of books you read, too. You've pointed out a couple i want to explore. Thanks.

Well done, Dru !

December was really good for me as I read quite a few books - I was trying to finish up some group challenges so I ended up cramming a bunch of books and tried to squeeze in as many as I could before the New Year.

The Christmas Bell by L.A. Detwiler - 4 stars. A new author to me and this was a good Christmas ghost story. I really enjoyed it.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Damnation Code by William Massa - 5 stars. A sort of new author (lol) as I read another series by him earlier in 2020 and enjoyed it so much that I grabbed some other series by him. This book starts out the Occult Assassin series which has a mix of horror with urban fantasy and I loved this series. This the first book to kick off the series and I continued on with the series for the month of December.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Apocalypse Soldier by William Massa - 5 stars. The second book in the Occult Assassin series which also was great and rocked along with action!
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Ice Shadows by William Massa - 5 stars. The writing style of this author is impeccable and I just sank my teeth into the whole series quickly as I wanted to savor all the books as quick as I could. Easy reading and lots of action!
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Nang Tani by Lee Franklin - 5 stars. This is extreme horror but the story was original as I hadn't read anything quite like it before - also it was a new horror author to me - so after this book I am in pursuit of her other works.
My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Season's Creepings: Tales of Holiday Horror by Ronald Kelly - 5 stars. The author, Ronald Kelly has a way of grabbing the reader and drawing them into his world! I love his work and I read quite a bit by him in 2020! This book was just perfect as it was almost like sitting around a campfire and telling ghost stories.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Xtreme Xmas by D.J. Doyle - 5 stars. Another extreme horror book, but this one was interesting as most of the character names used in the book are of other horror authors who let their names be used in the name of horror so it was interesting to say the least. But with an extreme horror book nothing ever ends well so there are lots of blood in this book. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Horror Collection: White Edition by Kevin J. Kennedy - 5 stars. This author always puts together anthologies that have quite a few different authors within his books - all the stories were awesome in this edition. One of the best Christmas horror books I have read in awhile.
My review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Spirit Breaker by William Massa - 5 star. As you can see I wasn't kidding when I said I was making my way through this series for the month of December! lol My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Christmas Tales by John Everson - 5 stars. Normally this author writes horror only, but he branched out to write heartwarming Christmas tales in this book which were excellent. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Ebenezer by Duncan Ralston - 5 stars. Horror author, Duncan Ralston wrote a story that is a different take on the story "A Christmas Carol" but this story has more of a twist, but anything with this author is twisted (lol) but I really enjoyed this book - twisted or not as I have read almost everything Duncan Ralston has put out there. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Coffin Collector by William Massa - 5 stars. To wrap up my December I read another book in the Occult Assassin series. The books are short so it was easy to go through most of the books for the series. I did finally finish the series, but will put them in the January 2021 reads. :)

Tons of five star reads this month and I enjoyed all the books! The urban fantasy series by author, William Massa was really my highlight for December as I just fell in love with this urban fantasy series and the whole series is now on my favorites shelf. He has a few more series out there that I will be jumping into as well this year and looking forward to them. :)

What an outstanding month, Marie! Your only non-5 star was a 4-star. Impressive. And even that 4-star story sounded good to read for the winter holidays.

It's fun to read your description of the stars, too. Not just 5-stars, but 5 "magical", "twisted Santa" and "splatterpunk" stars. Then there is the line from your review of the Franklin novel, "...and when the gore started flying I was wishing I had that gore suit I usually keep handy as this story is soaked in splatter!" I laughed out loud.

I liked the description of the Ebenezer/Ralston book. Creative story telling, it seems. Thanks for the collections of holiday stories, too. It's neat that the genre has it's own selection of holiday-themed books, such as these. I had no idea.

You have truly entered the Occult Assassin world with both feet. Reading one in 24 hours! I appreciate the introduction to this series.

Oddly, it's the 4-star novel which calls to me most. The idea of a sort of haunted-Christmas-tree-ornament sparks my curiosity.

Thanks, Marie, for the reviews.

I read a good bit in December.

Writers & Lovers. I really liked this book and rated it 5-stars. I enjoyed the waitressing lingo, the hurt and pain and confusion about life, everything. I was hesitant at first, I thought I wouldn't like it. But King changed my mind.

Agaat. This was mostly stream of consciousness, It was a difficult read about a South African woman who is wasting away from ALS and her relationship with her maid and confidant for many years. Rated it 4-stars.

The Bean Trees. This was one of Barbara Kingsolver's first books and not nearly as complex as her later ones. Rated it 4-stars.

The Secret River. Another story of an Englishman sent to Australia instead of prison, and the greed for land and willingness to take it from the Aborigines. Rated it 4-stars.

madrano wrote: "What an outstanding month, Marie! Your only non-5 star was a 4-star. Impressive. And even that 4-star story sounded good to read for the winter holidays.

It's fun to read your description of the s..."

I am happy that you enjoy reading my reviews, Madrano! Yes - I try to make sure my star ratings have a description - I just started doing that within the last year or so. Also happy to be able to make you laugh at my descriptive reviews! :)

I have learned from being on this site for a very long time to do the reviews in such a way that they are eye catching to other readers. That is why I add images, gifs, bold highlights, and anything else I can think of to draw attention to the review. From seeing what my friends do with their reviews has taught me how to do good reviews and to always tell it like it is. I want to convey what I feel about the book and project that feeling into my review. I figure for myself I just try to be creative and still be able to get my point across on why I liked/loved the book.

So I am happy to keep you entertained! lol :-)

Marie wrote: "December was really good for me as I read quite a few books - I was trying to finish up some group challenges so I ended up cramming a bunch of books and tried to squeeze in as many as I could befo..."

A good month is an understatement ! Well done, Marie.

Alias Reader wrote: " A good month is an understatement ! Well done, Marie. .."

Thank you, Alias! :)

Gina wrote: "I read a good bit in December.

Writers & Lovers. I really liked this book and rated it 5-stars. I enjoyed the waitressing lingo, the hurt and pain and confusion about life, everyth..."

I had this on my TBR list when it was selected as a Read with Jenna book. I thought I had it on hold at the library. Maybe my hold list was full and I forgot to add it later on. ANYway, thanks for the reminder, Gina !

Gina, you had a good reading month and i like your comments. It's neat that your books cover the planet. Thanks for sharing with us.

Sandy, reading creative reviews on this board has been fun. It's fascinating to see how the illustrations and such enhance my memory of reviews here. I appreciate the time reviewers take to create accounts about books they've read. It helps us all winnow through books/topics we may or may not want to read. Thanks.

Marie, what a terrific month of reading!
I'm going to put The Christmas Bell on my TBR list. It should make for some fun Christmas reading later this year.

Gina, I really liked The Bean Trees and still remember Turtle. I enjoyed the sequel, Pigs in Heaven, as well. I really should reread them. It's been so very long since I have.

Gina's reminded me that i didn't like The Bean Trees but i couldn't recall why. Using the GR description of the book, i didn't recall it at all. Why? Because i was thinking of Carolyn Chute's The Beans of Egypt, Maine. Somehow my brain confused the two. It sounds as though i should give Barbara Kingsolver a try, eh?

madrano wrote: It sounds as though i should give Barbara Kingsolver a try, eh?
."

If you have never read her books, my favorite is The Poisonwood Bible

Deb, I agree with Alias. Poisonwood Bible is really good.

Petra wrote: "Marie, what a terrific month of reading!
I'm going to put The Christmas Bell on my TBR list. It should make for some fun Christmas reading later this year..."

Thank you, Petra! Awesome that you are adding The Christmas Bell to your tbr! I hope you really like it! It was a spooky ghost story and perfect around Christmas time. :)

madrano wrote: "Gina's reminded me that i didn't like The Bean Trees but i couldn't recall why. Using the GR description of the book, i didn't recall it at all. Why? Because i was thinking of Carolyn Chute..."</i>

I loved [book:The Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna the best but Unsheltered and Prodigal Summer were good also.

Thanks to each of you for the Poisonwood endorsement. It makes my decision making somewhat easier.