Books I Read In December

 Ten books read in December for a total of 97 for the year. 

My One and Only by Kristan Higgins is one I chose in order to have a paper back by the bed and because I have been enjoying some of her other romances. This one was a definite disappointment.

False Witness is Karin Slaughter's latest stand alone novel. It is as well written and finely crafted as all her other crime thrillers I have read.

Wish You Were Here is Jodi Picoult's newest novel. It is set in NYC during the early days of the Covid crisis. On the eve of departure on their dream vacation to the Galapagos, the boyfriend breaks the news that he has to stay because it is 'all hands on deck' at the hospital where he works. He encourages his girlfriend to go ahead because the trip is non-refundable. She goes alone and then finds herself stranded because of the pandemic.

I don't know how Picoult can write so beautifully about any and all subjects. I loved learning more about the Galapogos, their beauty and magic. This book had a twist that only added to its enjoyment. I won't spoil it for you.

A Darker Reality is the third in Anne Perry's Elena Standish series. I am really enjoying this series set in the 1930's between the two World Wars.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was the Adult Book Club's choice for December. I wasn't planning on attending Tuesday's meeting (which was cancelled anyway), but I did want to read the book. It was about a woman who wanted to die, but ended up in the Midnight Library where she could choose any book which would give her variations of what her life could have been. I wasn't surprised by the life she finally chose, but it was an interesting read.

Leave The World Behind  by Rumaan Alam is a book I read after a conversation with a friend in Wisconsin. Kristina told me about her favorite bookstore located in a nearby small town. I visited their website and it does look like a delightful store, one I'd certainly love to visit. The website listed a number of books recommended by their staff. This was the only one of those that my local library had. It is not a book I would normally read - a dystopian novel about the end of the world. I found it disturbing because it is too close to my fears for our world. But the book was well written with just a tad bit of hope in the ending.

The Crossing and The Wrong Side Of Goodbye were the next two books in the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. These books are like eating candy, once I start, I cannot stop. 

The Book Of Magic by Alice Hoffman is the fourth and concluding book of her Practical Magic series. As with some other last books in a series I have read, this one felt rushed, as in, "Let's just get it over with." I did not like it as much as the preceding novels.

And finally, Oh, William! by Elizabeth Strout which I just finished yesterday. I've been a fan of her writing since reading her Pulitzer Prize winner Olive Kitteridge. The narrator of this book offers her reflection on the nature of existence: "This is the way of life, the many things we do not know until it is too late."

I look forward to another year of good reading in 2022. I hope you do too. Happy New Year! 🎉