Book Nook Cafe discussion

Here is the Folder and thread to tell us what your monthly reads for December 2024 were.

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

Here are my reads ... not a bad month!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... by https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


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


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... by https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


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


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... by https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


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



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2.... by https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


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

Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self by Jennifer Ouellette

After reading your review it sounds like one I would enjoy, John. So I'm adding it to my TBR notebook. Thanks !

Sovietistan: Travels in Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan by Erika Fatland

John, I'm glad to hear this one worked well on audio. Unless a book is pretty straightforward I tend to get lost.

RE: John's review of Ghosts: A Natural History: 500 Years of Searching for Proof by Roger Clarke

John noted, "Very detailed analysis of several incidents, one of the few criticisms I have is that having so many endnote was more distracting than footnotes would've been."

John, you hit on a pet peeve of mine. I am not a fan of endnotes. I want to see the citations as I am reading that section. I really like when eBooks give a link to the note in the text.

Congratulations on a very nice December, John. Here's wishing you continued reading success in 2025 !

Alias Reader wrote: "Me, Myself, and Why: Searching for the Science of Self by Jennifer Ouellette

After reading your review it sounds like one I would enjoy, John. So I'm adding it to m..."

It would make a good STEM challenge option.

There were A LOT of endnotes, some more relevant than others.

Thanks, for the Stem prompt idea. Good idea !

Here are my December reads. They were all 4 rated which is above average. A nice way to end 2024 !

Right Thing, Right Now: Justice in an Unjust World by Ryan Holiday
Non Fiction
This is the third book is Holiday's Stoic Virtue series.
1-Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control
2-Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave
3-Right Thing, Right Now: Justice in an Unjust World

The book started off a bit jumpy, but later on it became more focused. Ryan notes that this will probably be the least popular of the Virtue series. However, he thinks it's the most important. I tend to agree. If people followed the principles in the book the world world be be a much better place. That said, we can only begin with ourselves. You can read this one straight through or read a few pages daily for inspiration.
Rated 4/5

West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
Historical Fiction
In 1938 two giraffes survived a hurricane at sea. They were headed for the San Diego zoo. This story is how they were transported from NY to the California. It's a simple heartwarming story. Parts were slow but overall it really pulled me into the story. Rated 4/5

Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life by Lulu Miller
Non Fiction
I enjoyed this book very much. It's a mix of memoir, science, philosophy and also a biography of David Starr Jordan. The book is a wonderful story about how to find meaning and happiness amid the chaos of this thing we call life.

I gave the book 4/5 stars. It's a thoughtful book and I liked how she was able to weave all the parts into a smooth cohesive story.

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr
Non fiction
The title of the book says it all. Carr explains exactly how our computer and iPhone use is literally changing our brains. This is not a pop psychology book. It's a serious discussion. It's part history and part science. The book was also a finalist for the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. I am looking forward to his new book which should come out in late January 2025 and see if or how his thoughts have evolved. Rated 4/5

John wrote: "Here are my reads ... not a bad month!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... by https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️..."

John, you read a lovely mixed bag of books this month. I'm glad you shared about them with us, as three rang bells with me. For the fourth, the mystery, your analysis was informative. I like the way you decided whether or not you'd read the next installment.

The Ouellette rang bells because my family was discussing personality tests over the holidays. With my daughter now studying psychology in University, she had much to say about them. I've had a "fun" quarrel with a member of my husband's family over Myers-Briggs for a couple of years, as well. I may read only parts of this book. And certainly i'll mention it to my kid.

As one who regularly confuses the "Stans" geographically, i found your review informative. I felt they mixed well but after reading Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets--Svetlana Alexievich, i came to realize that once the Soviet Union died, Russians learned they were considered "outsiders" in the Stans, more often than not. Even those who had spent decades living there.

Finally, as one who used to revel in reading about "real life" ghost stories, i am intrigued to learn the latest. I'm glad you told us a bit of what he covered.

Thank you, on all fronts, John.

John wrote: "There were A LOT of endnotes, some more relevant than others. ..."

I'm still torn on endnotes vs footnotes. Once upon a time, i preferred footnotes. Nowadays, good and well researched notes are longer, so the end is probably a good idea.

Oops. It dawned on me that you two may be considering this from an audio POV. I only look at them via the "print" version & going back & forth to read them.

Still, i'll continue. The problem is that some authors seem almost determined to tell us "all" they learned, while others only give you the citation, no details. I want a mix!

Alias Reader wrote: "Here are my December reads. They were all 4 rated which is above average. A nice way to end 2024 ! ..."

True! I'm happy for you, on that front, Alias.

You had some intriguing books this month. I'm particularly drawn to the last, as i am still examining my own thoughts on the 'Net, as well as working on what i want to use it for, from this point onward.

Thanks for sharing here on this thread, as it reminds me of things i've forgotten about the books as you reviewed them at the time. Good ending.

Happy '25 Reading!

As i have mentioned any time i saw an opening in the last two months, my reading has been stymied. However, i managed to read a few, which i share here. I'm hoping the onset of a new Challenge will ignite my reading passion.

The Wall of Life: Pictures and Stories from This Marvelous Lifetime--Shirley MacLaine. I was sure this would kick-start my sluggishness but it didn't. In this book, MacLaine shared photos from her living room wall, sharing a line or two about the choices. Some were interesting, some were downright gossipy (although, if you are recounting whether or not you slept with a certain man, is it gossip?), and some were not very interesting, at all. I still like her and her life, i just expected more words about each shot.

The Night Guest--Hildur Knútsdóttir is an Icelandic mystery. It was fine but also a tad bizarre. The author made good use of recent technology, so that the puzzle was fleshed out in a neat way. Who knew an Apple watch could tell a person so much? Not i. However, this will probably end my Nordic mystery reading for awhile. :-)

Thunder Bay--William Kent Krueger is in the middle of a long series of mysteries about the same character, Cork O'Connor, was fine. I suspect fans who grew with the series would appreciate the novel better than i did. There was quite a bit about the local Native American tribes in the area (northern Minnesota, with dips into Canada), but, frankly, i'd rather hear it from a tribal member. His vantage made it sound boring!

Finally, to complete my 2024 Reading Challenge, i read X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft but Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking--Jeff Gordinier. It was an enthusiastic paean to GenX and its reworking of the world. Think slacker & irony rolled into one fun but thoughtful group. Well, so he says.

I'm reading a Gore Vidal novel called Kalki. The plot revolves around a famous female test pilot who is out of work and who is recruited by a U.S. newspaper to interview an American man in Nepal who claims to be a Hindu God. She discovers a bomb on the plane to Katmandu and appears to be caught up in a drug investigation upon returning to the United States. I'm about halfway through the book but the story line seems more implausible as I go along. I read Vidal's historical novel on Aaron Burr and thought it was well done. Does anyone have other impressions of Vidal's work?

madrano wrote: "John wrote: "There were A LOT of endnotes, some more relevant than others. ..."

I'm still torn on endnotes vs footnotes. Once upon a time, i preferred footnotes. Nowadays, good and well researched..."

I read the Ghost book in print, finding it very frustrating shuffling back and forth to the Endnotes often, as he used a lot of them!

madrano wrote: "As i have mentioned any time i saw an opening in the last two months, my reading has been stymied. However, i managed to read a few, which i share here. I'm hoping the onset of a new Challenge will..."

The Shirley McLaine format seems odd to me?


My mom is a huge fan of Krueger's historical fiction. I noticed he has a mystery series, but never explored that.

Congrats on the Gen X read! Gotta keep up with the times!

Hello everyone! I read four books for the month of December.

The first book I read was Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. My full review can be found here.

So this book stars a severely troubled youth named Cole Matthews and, after beating up another kid named Peter to a severe degree, takes part in what's called Circle Justice, which in Cole's case involves him living on a remote island for some time.

In all honesty, I think I found a new personal favorite! What I absolutely love about this book is that it highly respects the reader's intelligence. For example, whether it's surviving on a remote island or not succumb to severe injuries from a bear, or making amends, the book legitimately forces the characters to really work for it and forces them to be open to change if they want to accomplish it and if they mess up, they get serious, meaningful consequences. Speaking of consequences, this book isn't afraid to get pretty gruesome, but not in a way that feels like it's there for shock value.

Another thing I adore is that it takes things that seem like bad ideas and makes them work. Like with Cole, he could've easily become an insufferable protagonist. But between providing an understandable explanation for why he is the way he is, giving him serious consequences when he messes up, and giving him a redemption arc, Cole actually becomes an interesting, believable character. Here's a snippet of my towards the tail end of the novel in relation to Cole's redemption arc: "(view spoiler)[ ...towards the tail end of the novel, Peter has tried to commit suicide at least twice and Peter's parents have him stay on the island that Cole has been banished to. (hide spoiler)] Now, here's why it works. (view spoiler)[ Cole and Peter's parents want to help Peter, but they don't have any other option and are basically willing to try anything. Second, Cole and Peter really have to work to heal and build a sense of trust among one another, with Cole having to prove to Peter that he's become a better person who has no interest in hurting him further and Peter has to come to terms with the fact that Cole has indeed become better. When the two do actually gain that sense of trust and become friends, it's all the more satisfying. (hide spoiler)]"

Oh and the writing at times is actually quite good, even when it sounds dumb at first because in those moments, there's actually some logic to the silliness.

Though the one thing that really fell flat for me was the character of Edwin. Despite him playing a somewhat major role in the story, he's severely underdeveloped. Like, "I could count all his character traits on one hand" kind of underdeveloped. I know there's a sequel to this book, so maybe he gets more development there, but still, it was kind of a letdown.

Rating: A

Another book I read in December was Run Away by Anne Social. If you want to know my full thoughts on it, you can go here. Keep in mind, however, that the version I read was a free ARC from the author, so some details I mentioned in my review and whatnot may be different in the final version.

Anyway, Kyro, Yuki, Harper, and Lucy are a group of teenagers that have decided to run away for their own unique reasons and embark on a road trip.

I'm so glad I got to check this out because there's quite a lot to like. For example, from the way the first chapter got me hooked and established Kyro's character to the way to certain interactions to how each of the four main characters has their own unique motivations and struggles, this book absolutely excels at creating characters that stand out from one another and are easy to get invested in.

It also has a knack for build up, as it's very good at knowing what information to reveal at certain points and what information is necessary for delivering the best impact. Speaking of impact, one of the chapters near the end was straight up mindblowing and intense, not only in what was revealed, but in how the characters acted towards one another. I was honestly shocked.

That being said, there were a couple of elements that really could've used some tweaking. For one thing, it seems like this book is trying to set itself in the early to mid 2000's, but there are aspects that are clearly not from this time period (like having UI that's clearly not from that time period), which comes off as rather distracting and confusing.

Also, there were some plot twists that I could see coming from ten miles away and I wish more was done to make them a little more surprising, but still logical in hindsight.

Rating: A-

One of the other books I read was The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo. I wrote an entire review on this book and you can read it here.

This is basically a whodunit where Detective Kosuke Kindaichi has to figure out whodunkilled certain members of the Ichiyanagi clan.

If you love Agatha Christie like I do, you will love this book. I think a big reason why I fell in love with this book was Detective Kosuke. He may be quirky and a whiz at solving mysteries like Agatha's Hercule Peroit, but he still manages to stand out thanks in part to him being a mystery nerd that was able to dig himself out of the gutter and turn his passion into an actual career. In other words, he pays homage to the classics while still managing to be his own character.

On the subject of homages, one thing that I forgot to mention in the actual review was that, while there may be a lot of references to other mystery stories and whatnot, they're used to establish character and make sense of the mystery at hand, which in my book, is pretty cool and clever.

This book also shines in how well its collage-like story structure is able to tell a coherent, well-rounded story and how well the book is able to subtly convey important information and use it in logical yet unexpected ways.

That being said, there was a moment in chapter two that shocked me, but in a way that I didn't know if it was a good or bad kind of shocked. To quote my review: "So the narrator spends a good chunk of this chapter describing various members of the Ichiyanagi family and when they get to Ryosuke's wife, this is what they have to say about her, "As for his wife, Akiko, there was nothing particularly distinctive about her; she was just an ordinary woman, obedient to her husband." It is so over the top, so blunt. What's even funnier is that the narrator describes the backstory and positive and negative personality traits of nearly every other family member, but this is all Akiko gets. It's such a bizarre line, that it's kind of hard not to laugh at and absolutely be bamboozled by. Like, does the narrator have it out for Akiko? Is that how she actually is?" I don't know. What do you all make of this?

Also, there are way too many characters in this book and, despite this presence of a character list at the beginning, I still had trouble trying to remember who was who, especially when the character in question didn't have a very distinct personality.

Rating: A-

The final book I read was Rock, Paper, Scissors by Alice Feeney. My review can be found here.

The plot of this one involves a couple named Amelia and Adam who go to stay at a remote chapel to try and repair their marriage. A roller coaster of events ensues.

If I had to summarize this book in one sentence, it would be "Great setup, horrible payoff." From the atmosphere to the sheer amount of mystery and so on, I was hooked and wanted to find out how everything would come together in the end. Heck, even some of the writing was pretty good.

However, by the tail end of the book, it all just started falling apart. There were plot points that ended up going absolutely nowhere, twists that made no sense if one gave them five seconds of thought, severely underutilized character traits that were made a big deal out of, and even entire chapters that were almost entirely pointless! Like, what happened? Was the author on a deadline and just got rushed in order to meet it? Was it some kind of publisher meddling? Either way, the book really suffers.

Rating: D

Overall, December was a pretty good month for me and a pretty good conclusion to my 2024.

madrano wrote: "As i have mentioned any time i saw an opening in the last two months, my reading has been stymied. However, i managed to read a few, which i share here. I'm hoping the onset of a new Challenge will..."

All in all, I think you had a fine finish to the 2024, deb.

Here's to banishing all reading slumps in 2025 !

Lincoln wrote: "I'm reading a Gore Vidal novel called Kalki. The plot revolves around a famous female test pilot who is out of work and who is recruited by a U.S. newspaper to interview an American man in Nepal wh..."

Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Lincoln. Thank you for sharing your December read with us.

Sorry to hear the book is going off the rails a bit.

Somehow I've never read one of his books. I'm going to check out the Burr: A Novel. I might also check out his Lincoln.

Thanks again for sharing.

madrano wrote:
I'm still torn on endnotes vs footnotes. Once upon a time, i preferred footnotes. Nowadays, good and well researched notes are longer, so the end is probably a good idea.
"

With eBooks the footnotes can be a whole page if the author wishes. It's easy to tap the number, read the footnote and switch back to the text. Love it !

What I want is to see the notation in the text so I can read it when I am reading that pertinent part. I am not going to go back and hunt down relevant passages after I read a chapter or the whole book.

Hailey wrote:

In all honesty, I think I found a new personal favorite! What I absolutely love about this book is that it highly respects the reader's intelligence."

It's a treat when the author respects and knows his readers.

Hailey wrote: "Overall, December was a pretty good month for me and a pretty good conclusion to my 2024.
.."

Hailey, you had only one clunker and the rest were A's. I would say that is a very nice way to end 2024.

Sorry that Rock Paper Scissors fell apart. I know this title and book from somewhere. Maybe someone else at BNC read it or I saw it on the Bestseller lists. Anyway, I see she is coming out with a new one in January. It sounds good.
Beautiful Ugly
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life.

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared.

A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible – a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.

madrano wrote: "As i have mentioned any time i saw an opening in the last two months, my reading has been stymied. However, i managed to read a few, which i share here. I'm hoping the onset of a new Challenge will..."

Not sure where that whole slacker thing came from. I work my %&* off and so do all the other GenXers I know. I don’t remember him owning up to the slacker in the book I thought he tried to repudiate it, but I read it early in the year I may be forgetting

But the irony, sarcasm, and jaded-ness? Absolutely

An alternative radio station here outside LA is playing a countdown of best 500 songs of the last 30 years. Given its preferred genre it’s basically “30 years of songs GenXers like”. What a depressing bunch we are based on the music…..but they’re still good songs (only imo of course)

I finished Just Kids which I really liked due to its writing

Girlhood which was different from I expected but she makes some great points about growing up female and how hard it can be to learn that one has control over one’s body and feelings and it’s ok to say “no”

Hidden Figures which I did not care for due to the writing and not allowing the subjects to shine through

A Hitch in Time: Writings from the London Review of Books which I enjoyed, they were long book reviews

The Year of Reading Dangerously which was a memoir/musing on why we are drawn to certain books that forced me add books to my TBR ( as does the authors podcast)

Life, the Universe and Everything not the strongest Hitchhiker book but still good for laughing out loud

Denise wrote: "I finished Just Kids which I really liked due to its writing

Girlhood which was different from I expected but she makes some great points about growing up female ..."

Thank you for sharing your December reads with us, Denise! I had no idea The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy had sequels. I thought it was just a one-off novel for the longest time.

Denise wrote: "I finished Just Kids which I really liked due to its writing

Girlhood which was different from I expected but she makes some great points about growing up female ..."

You had quite the eclectic reading month, Denise. Very nice.

Only one, Hidden Figures, seemed to disappoint.

John wrote: "The Shirley McLaine format seems odd to me?


My mom is a huge fan of Krueger's historical fiction. I noticed he has a mystery series, but never explored that.

Congrats on the Gen X read! Gotta keep up with the times!..."

Shirley MacLaine's book was odd. Because i was reading an e-book, some photos had the heads on one page & the rest of the shot on the next. Distracting enough. But the line or two for some was barely worth reading. She claims she came up with the idea when looking at all the photos on her wall, thinking about questions folks have asked her about them. Etc. Not really a successful endeavor, for me.

It's funny about Kreuger, John. After reading this book, i was surprised to see he wrote NF. And is known for that, for many readers.

Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! I read four books for the month of December.

The first book I read was Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. My full review can be found here.

So this book stars a severely troub..."

Good reviews, even for the one you didn't much like, Hailey. The one which calls to me most is the Honjin mystery. Like you, the fact one character reads many mysteries appeals. It would be a good way to learn from "the best".

Your month was good. I'm hoping 2025 books are as rewarding, Hailey. Thank you for sharing your comments, both the short versions & the full ones, with us.

Lincoln wrote: "I'm reading a Gore Vidal novel called Kalki. The plot revolves around a famous female test pilot who is out of work and who is recruited by a U.S. newspaper to interview an American man in Nepal wh..."

I haven't read any Vidal novels, but the synopsis of some intrigue me. Still, over the years, i've not been tempted enough to actually have a copy in hand.

Lincoln, i appreciate that you shared about this novel. I admit, this is one i do not recall knowing about previously. Had i, the subject may have been the one to entice me. Never too late.

Thanks again, for sharing here.

Alias, thanks for your comments on endnotes. Like you, i usually am able to easily go back & forth, i just don't want to take the time when reading an eBook. This makes no sense, but there it is.

Alias Reader wrote: "Beautiful Ugly
Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life...."

I feel as though i heard about this one recently but it isn't released yet? Wonder why?

ANYway, it sounds intriguing.

Denise wrote: "An alternative radio station here outside LA is playing a countdown of best 500 songs of the last 30 years. Given its preferred genre it’s basically “30 years of songs GenXers like”. What a depressing bunch we are based on the music…..but they’re still good songs (only imo of course..."

I think much of this is about what we grew up listening to. It's odd but my daughter listened to more music from my generation (Beatles, Janis Joplin) than those in the '90s. Still, when asked, she is aware of them, so, clearly, she was listening to our music when we were around, but her "own" when alone.

I agree about the slacker business. His idea of slacker seemed to be more that they didn't work typical 9-5 jobs. At the time he wrote it, this may have been true. (Also true, the number of his generation who made millions from tech inventions, then retired with the money. Is that really "slacker"?)

I think he just wrote too soon, so to speak. Our society is driven by people in steady, regular employment. Maybe as he wrote, the change was just beginning to occur? Or maybe he just didn't want to see it.

Thanks for your comments, Denise. I tend to agree with you.

Denise wrote: "I finished Just Kids which I really liked due to its writing

Girlhood which was different from I expected but she makes some great points about growing up female ..."

Thanks for sharing your round-up of December books read, Denise. I hope i actually get around to reading the Andy Miller book. Reading about books is a pleasure.

Alias Reader wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Overall, December was a pretty good month for me and a pretty good conclusion to my 2024.
.."

Hailey, you had only one clunker and the rest were A's. I would say that is a very nice..."

Thank you for bringing Beautiful Ugly to my attention, Alias. The blurb does sound promising, so I might be willing to check it out in the future.

madrano wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone! I read four books for the month of December.

The first book I read was Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. My full review can be found here.

So this book stars a..."

Thank you, madrano! I'm always glad to share my thoughts on books. I definitely think The Honjin Murders is up there with some of the greats and definitely worth checking out.

One thing I will say is that, from what I can tell, it appears that not all of the entries from the series that The Honjin Murders is a part of have been translated yet. Thankfully, the next entry in the series has been translated.

Well, this is just crazy, Hailey. When making a note about the Honjin series, i see i already read the one you reviewed. I knew the mystery-reading detective idea was one i liked...now i know why. lol

The next in the series that has been translated, according to your link is Death on Gokumon Island. Thanks for noting that for us.

madrano wrote: "Well, this is just crazy, Hailey. When making a note about the Honjin series, i see i already read the one you reviewed. I knew the mystery-reading detective idea was one i liked...now i know why. ..."

You're welcome, madrano. It's a bit difficult to determine how many Detective Kosuke books there really are. Some sources only count the ones that have been translated into English while others (like this page on Goodreads for example) include both the English translated titles and non-English translated titles.

Though, if you want to go by Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosuke_...) it claims that there are seventy-seven titles in total.

Wow, 77 titles!

I've found that not counting those which haven't been translating frustrates the linear me. A couple of times i've seen books in a series translated out of order. I cannot figure out why they would do that.

I have a handful that I read for December.

The Witches of Ravencrest by Tamara Thorne - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Woman in the Woods by Jonas Saul - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A Gathering of Ghosts by David Haynes - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Hotel Chelsea by Jeremy Bates - 3 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A Christmas Warning by David Kempf - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Out of just that few the biggest disappointment was the book by Jeremy Bates as I have owned that book for a long time and I thought it was going to be spooky but if anything it was just boring. The last two books by Bates haven't been that great and I own quite a few of his books on my kindle - I am hoping to find one that is good - though I have read a couple or so of his that I liked but he is kind of hit and miss. :)

A horror filled December for you, Marie !

Marie wrote: "I have a handful that I read for December...."

These sound like good choices, Marie. I'm glad you shared your opinions of them. The last, by Kempf, sounds delicious. I like that he used a familiar story & updated it somewhat. I'll have to check him out.

The ghost story which sounded creative to me was "The Speaking Tube" A son's hatred for his father has a tube that connects to hell letting his father hear the cries and torment from beyond.

What a great idea for eternal damnation.

As spent many years in Oregon, the Saul novel calls to me most. The woods are lovely...or are they?

Thanks for the star ratings, too. Creative as Ever!

Alias Reader wrote: "A horror filled December for you, Marie !"

Yes it was! Thank you, Alias! :)

madrano wrote: "Marie wrote: "I have a handful that I read for December...."

These sound like good choices, Marie. I'm glad you shared your opinions of them. The last, by Kempf, sounds delicious. I like that he u..."

Thank you so much, Deb. :)

The author, David Kempf does that with some of his short stories - he will take some type of classic tale and then do a twist with it. Kind of gives the story a more unique look - lol - from the horror aspect realm though. lol

The Jonas Saul novel was great and the best part of that book was the author kept the mystery of the book up until the very end. It was my first time reading him as well but that book kept my insomnia fueled as the mystery was like a true mystery where it left you thinking of what the answer was going to be. I have since grabbed a couple more by him from Kindle Unlimited as I want to see if his other books are just as good. :) I would definitely check him out and I would start with that book. :)

I appreciate that tip, Marie.

madrano wrote: "I appreciate that tip, Marie."

You are welcome, Deb. :)