Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my December 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for December 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Told from the perspective of Christopher, a boy who is on the Autism Spectrum and experiences the world very different from most people, this is a very enjoyable read. At times I wanted to shake Christopher, and at times I wanted to shake the “normal” people around him. This is a wonderful book that gave me a better appreciation for those with sensory issues.

House by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker

I read this book in November, but wanted to wait to post about it until after my book club had met and discussed it, so as to not color anyone else’s opinions with my VERY strong opinions about this book. So, here goes. I HATED this book so, so much. It’s been a long time since I disliked a book as much as this one. And it surprised me how much I disliked this book, as I’ve previously read books by both Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti and didn’t feel as I do about House. This book felt to me as if it was every crappy horror movie plot device put together into a single book, without any thought for how or whether they went together, and whether the story would actually make any sense (spoiler: it doesn’t). There is a particular character who just pops into the story, without any sense of where she comes from or how she arrives there. Ugh. This was just truly awful.

Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin?: The Arc of Love by Esther Perel

This was an Audible original pick for me. Perhaps I’m alone (although I suspect not) in being really interested in mental health/psychology topical books. And this audio experience was essentially sitting in on Perel’s therapy sessions with different couples, and then her commentary on what their issues were. It was super interesting.

King Rat by James Clavell

This is my book club’s pick for January, and I read it early so that I could pass the copy on to someone else to read. I felt like this book started a little slow, mainly because of the need to set the scene and the main characters in the book. The book is set in a POW camp in Asia during World War II, a setting that I know very little about, and which I was glad to read a bit about. Once the scene was set, the book picked up and I was drawn into the story. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting; and after finishing the book, I’ve thought a lot about it. I’m looking forward to discussing it with my book club.

The Art of Peeling an Orange by Victoria Avilan

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book with a fruit or vegetable in the title

Another book this month that I wasn’t impressed with. It started fine, but then just turned totally bizarre. This is the story of an artist whose fiance leaves her at the altar for a superstar. Then the fiance dies and the artist meets with the superstar. They fall in love, and there are just a ton of super graphic lesbian sex scenes. Their relationship is really dysfunctional, as were the superstar’s relationships with the dead fiance and other previous boyfriends/girlfriends. There is a sort of supernatural element to the book that came out of left field and is just odd. I thought I’d like the book, because it’s a retelling of a Greek myth, but it was just not good.

The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher

This book is exactly in my wheelhouse of historical fictional novels based on real people and real events. I loved getting the story of the beginnings of World War II from a woman living in London and with Kathleen Kennedy’s unique life experiences and contacts. But knowing how Kathleen Kennedy’s life ended made the story a little bittersweet. It was well written, and clearly well researched. I enjoyed it.

Alexander’s Bridge by Willa Sibert Cather

2018 PopSugar Challenge: a book by a local author

I had forgotten how much I enjoy Cather’s writing, so I am glad to have ended the reading challenge with a local author book. Cather is from Red Cloud, Nebraska, which isn’t terribly far from where I live.

This book is the story of a man and his two loves, and his career as a bridge builder. That sounds sort of weird, but the book is well-crafted and makes sense. It is fairly short, but packs everything in without feeling rushed. I enjoyed this book.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

I read the entire book in an evening, in part because it is not even 300 pages, and in part because the story was so engaging that I couldn’t put it down. The novel is based on the true story of a Jewish Slovakian man who was held at Auschwitz during the Holocaust and held the role of tattooist, where he had a small amount of freedom that he used to obtain food and medicine for other prisoners. It’s so good, even with difficult subject matter, and I definitely recommend this book.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

2018 PopSugar Challenge:a book that is also a stage play or musical

I enjoy classic adventure stories. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Days, and Journey to the Center of the Earth were all fantastic. This book fits right into the same category, as well as being a pirate story. It was great, and was shorter than I’d expected, so it didn’t take long to read.

I Won’t Be Home For Christmas by Amanda Prowse

My sister-in-law recommended Amanda Prowse to me, and I set about downloading and reading her books straight away. This is a delightful romantic comedy set in Bristol, England and in New Zealand. I’ll definitely be reading more by Prowse in the future.

Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be by Rachel Hollis

This is a fantastic book, and wonderful as an audiobook. I found the writing to be relatable and easy to understand, without it feeling like the author was talking down to you. There were a few chapters that don’t really apply to my life (i.e. parenting), but the rest was so good that I didn’t mind.

Christmas Eve, 1914 by Charles Olivier

This is a dramatic audio play set in the trenches of World War I. It was surprisingly moving, and a great listen especially while I was doing some Christmas baking.

Jingle Bell Pop by John Seabrook

Another Amazon Original, this was about Christmas music over the decades, why certain songs are so popular, and why we may not see another pop Christmas song as big as Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas.

Never Stop Walking: A Memoir of Finding Home Across the World by Christina Rickardsson

This is the memoir of a girl who grew up in the favelas of Brazil and was then adopted into a family in Sweden. It’s an incredible story, and fairly well told. At times there were sort of strange phrases that I attributed more to the book being a translation, but they didn’t take away from her incredible story of finding home in two very different parts of the world.

Gather ‘Round the Sound: Holiday Stories from Beloved Authors and Great Performers Across the Globe

This was an Amazon audio production that I didn’t get to last year. It’s a series of different kinds of shorts about Christmas. I enjoyed it, especially as an audio listen while baking.

The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas by Ann Voskamp

This is a re-read for me, which doesn’t happen all that often. But I hadn’t read this book since 2015, and only remembered that I loved it the first time around. It is beautiful, as Voskamp’s writing always is. Looking back at my initial post about the book, I picked it up because of the beautiful cover art, and the book includes wonderful illustrations inside too. I loved it, and likely will read it again for Advent in a few years. If you liked One Thousand Gifts, then you’re sure to love this book as well.

 

Books in Progress:

Twelve Women of the Bible by Lysa TerKeurst (My bible study is working through this book and the associated videos)

Flawed Convictions: “Shaken Baby Syndrome” and the Inertia of Injustice by Deborah Tuerkheimer

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

The Brave Ones: A Memoir of Hope, Pride and Military Service by Michael J. Macleod

A Little Love by Amanda Prowse

The House by the River by Lena Manta

 

Books Abandoned:

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo

2018 PopSugar Challenge: nordic noir