December Reading Wrap-Up

 

Welcome to our winter wonderland.  December has had plenty of crazy weather.  We had a snowstorm that brought us over 12 inches of snow.  The following week our temperatures were in the 40's and 50's.  Then we had thunderstorms, tornados and high winds.  We were thankful that through it all we had no damage and our power didn't go out.  There were many in our area that had tress down and were without power on a very cold day.  The month is ending with some very cold weather with highs expected in the single digits.

As far as reading goes, I read 8 books. 

Here's the breakdown:

Nonfiction: 2

Suspense: 1

Classic: 1

Cozy Mystery: 2

Fiction: 2

Nonfiction:

The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile - this was my introduction to the Enneagram personality type system.  It gave a thorough description of each type and included stories of people in the author's lives who fit the various types.  After reading the book I felt I had a good understanding of the system, but also realize that there is a lot more to learn.  

A Circle of Quiet (Crosswicks Journals #1) by Madeleine L'Engle - Writings taken from the author's journals during the time when her children were young and the family lived full-time an an old New England farmhouse. I really enjoyed this.

Suspense:

Dead Fall (Quantico Files #2) by Nancy Mehl - The FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit is called in to investigate one of the strangest cases they have ever dealt with.  The case involves the death of one of the cofounders of the BAU.  What makes it so strange is that his body was found in a locked room with no signs of forced entry.  When they realize members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit are being targeted, the pressure is on to stop the killer before one of their own becomes a victim.  This was a thrilling, fast-paced story.

Classic:

As You Like It by William Shakespeare - This was a fun read that was easy to follow.

Cozy Mystery:

Murder with Orange Pekoe Tea (Daisy's Tea Garden #7) by Karen Rose Smith - A lawyer who was willing to take cases that many lawyers would not due to moral issues was found murdered.  Daisy begins asking questions to see what she can learn. The mystery was solid and kept me guessing until the end. And it is always fun to catch up with the characters in this series.

A Palette for Murder (Murder, She Wrote #7) by Jessica Fletcher & Donald Bain - While Jessica is on vacation in the Hamptons, she gets involved in a murder investigation that doesn't at first glance appear to be a murder.  A young model collapses while poses for an art class.  The coroner says she died of heart failure.  Clearly, there is more to this story.  I always enjoy time spent in the company of Jessica Fletcher. 

Fiction:

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman - A bank robbery that goes wrong and turns into a hostage situation.  I had mixed feelings about this one.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - There is a place between life and death called the Midnight Library that allows you to explore what would have happened if you would have made different decisions in your life.  Nora Seed is the character we follow as she explores what could have been as she looks through her book of regrets.  This was just not the right book for me. 

Other things on the blog:

Year End Wrap Up Chat - where I answer some questions about my reading year

My favorite reads of 2021 

That is it for December.  I hope you all have a very Happy New Year!

~ Gretchen

I am linking up with The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight. 

I'm also linking up with The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb @ Readerbuzz.