Books - December 2024
Dec. 31st, 2024 03:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitI read 8 book this month, since I had 3 on reservation at the library and they all arrived in just over a week (as is the rule). Which means I have passed my Goodreads goal of 75 and this year have read 78 books.
Litany of Lies by Sarah Hawkswood
The newest in the Bradecote and Catchpoll series, set in Worcestershire in 1145. Another excellent tale which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Death and Papa Noel by Ian Moore
A short book set in part of the Loire Valley in France. Like the other books this is an entertaining story - completely far-fetched but fun. And a very good pre-Christmas read.
Christmas is Murder: A Chilling Short Story Collection by Val McDermid
Unlike many others, I'm not a particular fan of Val McDermid. I enjoyed some of the short stories, others didn't impress.
Stories for Christmas and the Festive Season - British Library Women Writers collection
A wide variety of stories, written between 1922 and 1982 and set in many different places, I enjoyed reading almost all of them.
Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway
Nick Harkaway is John Le Carré's son and this is a new story set just after Le Carré's The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. I wasn't much taken with it. Perhaps inevitably, although the setting is accurate it does not have the nuances that come with a book written at the time (1963).
Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jónasson
The book is set in Iceland, both in Reykjavik and in a sanatorium outside a small town. As an example of Nordic Noir I can see how it might appeal, but I disliked the main protagonist who did not have any of the characteristics I look for.
Murder by Candlelight: Ten Classic Crime Stories for Winter edited by Cecily Gayford
Not a bad selection, but I had read a number before. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a good selection of crime stories for my December read, which is something I'm always keen to do.
City of Destruction by Vaseem Khan
The latest in the Malabar House series, set in Bombay in 1950 just a few years after partition. I very much like Persis Wadia, a female police detective inspector. Not only is there an engaging story, Vaseem Khan brings in so many interesting details of life in India at the time.
Looking at my stats for the year, 55% of books I read were crime novels, with the other 45% covering a wide variety of genre. 35% were borrowed from the library and 65% I owned either as presents, new books just published or cheap secondhand copies.
Looking forward I shall be setting my Goodreads goal as 75 books again, with a split of 12 x Library list A; 12 x Library list B; 12 x Currently on physical TBR shelf; 12 x Series (Discworld and Murderbot); 12 x Book Club; 15 x new reads (either newly published or recently arrived in the library) There is no particular difference between the two library lists - I make a note of books I'd like to read over the year and A has the first 12 and B has the second 12.
Lastly, below is my badge for completing the book bingo in 2024. I'll be posting about the 2025 bingo in the next few days.
Litany of Lies by Sarah Hawkswood
The newest in the Bradecote and Catchpoll series, set in Worcestershire in 1145. Another excellent tale which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Death and Papa Noel by Ian Moore
A short book set in part of the Loire Valley in France. Like the other books this is an entertaining story - completely far-fetched but fun. And a very good pre-Christmas read.
Christmas is Murder: A Chilling Short Story Collection by Val McDermid
Unlike many others, I'm not a particular fan of Val McDermid. I enjoyed some of the short stories, others didn't impress.
Stories for Christmas and the Festive Season - British Library Women Writers collection
A wide variety of stories, written between 1922 and 1982 and set in many different places, I enjoyed reading almost all of them.
Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway
Nick Harkaway is John Le Carré's son and this is a new story set just after Le Carré's The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. I wasn't much taken with it. Perhaps inevitably, although the setting is accurate it does not have the nuances that come with a book written at the time (1963).
Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jónasson
The book is set in Iceland, both in Reykjavik and in a sanatorium outside a small town. As an example of Nordic Noir I can see how it might appeal, but I disliked the main protagonist who did not have any of the characteristics I look for.
Murder by Candlelight: Ten Classic Crime Stories for Winter edited by Cecily Gayford
Not a bad selection, but I had read a number before. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a good selection of crime stories for my December read, which is something I'm always keen to do.
City of Destruction by Vaseem Khan
The latest in the Malabar House series, set in Bombay in 1950 just a few years after partition. I very much like Persis Wadia, a female police detective inspector. Not only is there an engaging story, Vaseem Khan brings in so many interesting details of life in India at the time.
Looking at my stats for the year, 55% of books I read were crime novels, with the other 45% covering a wide variety of genre. 35% were borrowed from the library and 65% I owned either as presents, new books just published or cheap secondhand copies.
Looking forward I shall be setting my Goodreads goal as 75 books again, with a split of 12 x Library list A; 12 x Library list B; 12 x Currently on physical TBR shelf; 12 x Series (Discworld and Murderbot); 12 x Book Club; 15 x new reads (either newly published or recently arrived in the library) There is no particular difference between the two library lists - I make a note of books I'd like to read over the year and A has the first 12 and B has the second 12.
Lastly, below is my badge for completing the book bingo in 2024. I'll be posting about the 2025 bingo in the next few days.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 05:14 pm (UTC)Yeah, I don't like Val McDermid, either, and have no desire to know what they might cook up for Christmas.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to find a good selection of crime stories for my December read
Yes. That's the only thing that consoles me of the fact I didn't get much Christmas reading done this Christmas.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 05:19 pm (UTC)For me December is all about Christmas reads and as a short story fan I always want at least one book which feels that category, and by preference it will be crime stories.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 06:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-31 06:38 pm (UTC)