Reading in December was fine. Blogging about my reading was much more difficult. We all were sick from about the 15th of December until just before Christmas, so blogging went onto the back burner. Luckily I wasn’t too sick to read. And really, the only time I can imagine being too sick to read would be me in a coma. And even then I’ve instructed my family to set up an audio book for me to listen to while in a coma. Anyway, reading this month was good for me. So, without further ado, here is my reading month.
Reading in December: 8 Books
Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey [Library eBook]
Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys [paperback]
How I Met My Countess by Elizabeth Boyle [Library eBook]
Love Letters from a Duke by Elizabeth Boyle [Library eBook]
Mad About a Duke by Elizabeth Boyle [Library eBook]
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi [paperback]
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older [paperback]
Lord Langley is Back in Town by Elizabeth Boyle [Library eBook]
DNF/In Progress: 4 books
S. by J.J. Abrams, Doug Dorst
The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff
Talking As Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls, and Everything in Between by Lauren Graham
Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini
Books acquired:
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman (BookMail Box)
Long Division by Kiese Laymon (BookMail Box)
Exit 22 by P.M Terrell (gift!)
Across the Web:
I’m a huge fan of historical dramas, and in November/December I watched The Crown on Netflix. I enjoyed it. How “real” or “true” it is isn’t as important to me as the story that it told. And I love stories. And I love thinking about and analyzing the stories that I read and watch. This is all left over from my years as English lit major in college and grad school. So when I find a new way to analyze how a story is told, I’m interested. And Tom and Lorenzo are fabulous commentators on fashion and how stories can be told through the costumes. And they did a wonderful job of making connections between the clothes worn by the characters and the story. Here is a link to their analysis of the first episode of The Crown entitled Wolverton Splash. You will never look at pearl necklaces the same way again!
As is evidenced by the number of romance novels I read this month, it should be no surprise that I love to read about romance novels,too. For so many reasons the publishing industry looks down their noses at romance writers and readers. But the rise of the bodice ripper romance novel happened at the same time as the the 2nd wave of feminism and, you know, I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Over on the website Jezabel they published a very interesting article about the rise of the bodice ripper in the 1970’s. Here is a link to the article. I’m old enough to have read many of the romance novels mentioned in the piece not long after the original print date., so I have a lot of affection for them even if they are problematic for today’s readers.
So that is my December. In the coming week or two I’ll be blogging about my 2016 challenges and plans for 2017. And a post about my favorite books of 2016, too. I’m looking forward to my upcoming reading year.
How was your reading life in December? Tell me in the comments, and be sure to leave a link to your December Wrap-Up, too. I love to see what everyone else is doing.
Coffee and Cats 