Even with the hectic holiday season, December was a great reading month for me, with some nice variety. Here's what I read:
- Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino and Ronald Cotton (NC) - nonfiction
- The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers (GA) - classic fiction
- Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani (CA/India) - MG/teen graphic novel
- American Street by Ibi Zoboi (MI) - teen/YA fiction on audio
- Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (CT) - adult fiction
- The Lotterys Plus One by Emma Donoghue (Canada) - middle-grade fiction on audio
- The Witch Boy by Molly Knox Ostertag - middle-grade graphic novel
I read 7 books total in December - not bad for a busy month! One was nonfiction (finishing off my November Nonfiction streak), and the other 6 were fiction. Three books were for adults, one was teen/YA, and three were for middle-graders (ah, so that's how I fit 7 books into a busy month). I listened to two books on audio, and two of my books were graphic novels. I read a nice variety last month! My favorite book of the month was American Street, a powerful and moving story of immigration and the dark side of the American dream.
Progress on 2017 Reading Challenges:
This is my favorite part of my monthly summary - updating my Reading Challenges! I read 3 more books from my own shelves for my Read Your Own Damn Books Challenge. For the Monthly Motif Reading Challenge, December was Read a Book from a Favorite Author, so the Jodi Picoult book fits. I read one last classic for the 2017 Back to the Classics Challenge! Nothing new to add to the Well-Rounded Challenge because the categories are almost filled now. I added India and Canada for my Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge. For my 2017 Literary Escapes Challenge, I added two last states: Michigan and Connecticut.
Finally, Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month. I filled in 20 squares in December:
Spaces filled in:
Picking Cotton - library book, read a physical book, white cover.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - not a recent release
Pashmina - presents, travel, red cover, deity
American Street - snow, baking/cooking, friendship tested/strengthened, car/sleigh ride
Small Great Things - beard, shelf love (TBR)
The Lotterys Plus One - audio book, play games, stand-alone
Witch Boy - free book
Free Space
And, yes, I gave LOTS of books for Christmas!
What was your favorite book read in December?
Gosh, a bunch of your December reads ended up on my TBR list! I am close to finished with the CYBILS non-fiction reads and am looking forward to getting back to some fiction in February.
ReplyDeleteOh, good! I liked all of these so I hope you do, too!
DeleteDaughters of Copper Woman, considered by many to be an 'underground cult classic' in Canada, was my favorite. So much so that I read it twice. Once from back to front and twice from front to back. Apparently you can do that with a First Nations topical book. First published in 1981 by Anne Cameron it launches right in with the decimation, through disease and violence, of the Native Indian population of Vancouver Island. Some estimate the death of 98% of the people over 50y rs. If it wasn't so horrific you might think it was fiction. No, it is true and compares with the parallel events in the USA and throughout the Americas. It was my first historical fiction, or any fiction, aside from the daily newspaper, read in 30 yrs.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of my reading for the month, about 20 books total, consisted of ethnobotany, folk medicine, clinical research and anecdotal testimonies regarding the medicinal properties of Rose. The worst read was the heavily biased bitch rant by Jennifer Potter in her highly regarded, up til now, tome called The Rose. I have not read such a rag and rant since The Change by Germaine Greer where she shreds the work of Patricia Davis who is herself a very competent expert in her field. All in all it was a productive month with great progress in spite of the bloody rags.
Wow, Daughters of Copper Woman sounds fascinating! I have read very little about Canadian history.
Delete20 books in a month? Wow, you read a lot!
Hope you are enjoying your books this month, too.
Sue
Great work on the 20 squares!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Julie!
DeleteBeautiful sky!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Klara! I know you are into photography - I always enjoy your photos. For my monthly summaries, I always try to include a seasonal/nature photo that I took during that month.
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