For 2021, I set monthly categories to read from, in an effort to feel less constrained by reading challenges that I’d participated in previously, while continuing to work through the massive collection of books that I already own or have borrowed from friends and family. Each month I’ll include the books that I finished within the month’s category reading, books finished outside of the category reading, books in progress, and books abandoned. And I’ll tell you where the book was sourced from. For December 2021, my reading list is from the category of Whatever Strikes My Fancy!
Books Finished:
Christmas on the Island by Jenny Colgan
Already owned physical book.
This is the first Christmas follow up book to The Cafe by the Sea and The Endless Beach, so it takes place on the fictional island of Mure in Scotland. In this novel, Saif is trying to navigate his children through their first Christmas after being evacuated from Syria. And the other island inhabitants are in on the celebrations too. I really love how Colgan’s novels feel like real people, and are fun while also being poignant and heartfelt.
Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan
Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby.
This is the second Christmas book set on Mure, and takes place the year after Christmas on the Island. The hotel is finally ready to open for business, and Flora and Fintan have been working to make it happen. But changes are of course on the horizon for the island’s inhabitants. Another wonderful book from Jenny Colgan.
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
New physical book.
My friend Tori recommended this book to me when we were at an area used bookstore, and we were both delighted to find that it is in fact a three-book series. In the first book, we meet Georgia and her daughter Dakota, and a cast of characters who find their way into Georgia’s knitting shop. The stories are complex and intermingled, and lovely.
Knit Two by Kate Jacobs
New physical book.
I liked this book less than the first one, and found it a little slow at the beginning, but it picked up pace and gained my interest. In this book, several of the characters found themselves in Italy, learning more about themselves and growing.
Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs
New physical book.
This book was wonderful from start to finish. The knitting club group members seem to be finding their way to happiness, and the futures that they want, while overcoming the difficulties of life. I felt like it was a delightful ending to the series.
Ruth’s First Christmas Tree by Elly Griffiths
Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby app.
This short novella is a continuation of the Ruth Galloway novels. It’s only a few days before Christmas, and Ruth is trying to do Christmas up right for her daughter Kate. And chaos of course, ensues. If you like Ruth Galloway mysteries, you’ll like this one too.
The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch
Already owned Kindle e-book.
I didn’t know this, but in Germany, there was a family who had the dynasty of being hangmen and torturers. This book is a fictional novel set in the 1600s, and is a mystery involving a hangman, a physician, a midwife accused of witchcraft, some children, some bad men, a devil, and all kinds of exciting events. It was really good, and kept my attention throughout.
The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan
Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby app.
This is a spin off of the Bookshop on the Corner and Bookshop by the Sea books. It takes place in Edinburgh, when Carmen is helping to turn around a failing bookstore, while torn between two very different men, and living in the home of her sister with whom she doesn’t exactly get along. But don’t you worry! Like a Hallmark movie, everything will come together in Christmas magic in the end.
Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
Borrowed audiobook from library using Libby.
Continuing my love of celebrity memoir, I listened to this one by Rob Lowe. Honestly, I didn’t know that much about him, so a lot of this was new and interesting information to me. He narrates the audiobook himself, so I recommend listening to it. Very well written.
The I-5 Killer by Ann Rule
New Audible audiobook.
Mike loves true crime, and on a recent roadtrip, we needed something to listen to so I downloaded this one. This murder and sexual assault spree took place in the 1980s along the I-5 corridor in Oregon and California. I knew nothing about it, so this was pretty interesting. Some of his crimes were pretty gruesome and horrifying, so be prepared for that, if you decide to read this one.
Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty by Anderson Cooper
Borrowed audiobook from library using Libby.
Anderson Cooper’s mother is Gloria Vanderbilt. This book isn’t a memoir, but instead is Cooper’s history and observations of his family going all the way back to the Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. I really knew very little about the Vanderbilts, and had pretty much only ever heard of them before. This was an interesting look at an American Dynasty and a piece of American history, and appeared to be an honest portrayal of the family members as individual people with desires, hopes, dreams, and flaws. The audiobook is narrated by Anderson Cooper, so I recommend it in that format.
Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness by Tara Brach
New Kindle e-book.
This book felt like a new-age version of Brene Brown’s work, in a lot of ways. It has some good information and guidance, but really wasn’t quite my thing.
Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life by Gretchen Rubin
Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby.
I previously read and enjoyed the Happiness Project about Gretchen Rubin’s yearlong experiment in trying to be happier. This is sort of a continuation or expansion of that experiment, with a focus on projects within the home and family life. It was also really interesting.
I Thought It Was Just Me (but It isn’t) by Brene Brown
New Kindle e-book.
I love Brene Brown. All things Brene Brown. If you haven’t read any of her books, start now. My favorites are Daring Greatly and Rising Strong. I liked this book, but not as much as those two. Brown researches shame and guilt, the webs that keep us in them, and how to break free.
Year of Wonder: Classical Music to Enjoy Day by Day
Already owned physical book.
I’ve been working through this book for a long time (like 2 years!) and am finally finished with it due to getting behind on my reading. Every day has a page to read and a piece of classical music to listen to. The book is physically beautiful to look at, and has all kinds of fascinating tidbits about classical composers and pieces of music.
The Joy of Christmas by Jane Hughes Paulson
Borrowed Kindle e-book from library using Libby.
A short little book, the author lists things that she is thankful for during the Christmas season, as well as snippets from literature and poetry. It’s a beautiful little book.
Books in Progress:
The Stand by Stephen King (Already owned Audible audiobook.)
Influence by Robert B. Cialdini (New Audible audiobook.)
An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears (Already owned physical book.)
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk (Borrowed audiobook from library using Libby.)
Books Abandoned:
None.