Month: January 2023

December in Review

/ Kristi / 3 Comments

I read 18 books last month, which beats my old record for books read in a month by 2. I mostly chalk it up to going into the month knowing I needed to read 15 more books to hit my Goodreads goal for the year and then proceeding to read a few short children’s books (which were part of my plan to hit that number anyway, but I hadn’t been getting to them throughout the year like I meant to). More astounding, though, is that I surpassed my previous amount of pages read per month by about 100 pages, so the smaller books do not mean that I didn’t read very much over all. That is most likely due to the speed with which I went through an entire 4-book series of audiobooks during the month. That series was 1500 pages by itself.

I hit my Goodreads goal on December 18th, 10 days earlier than I did last year. That means I read 15 books in the first 2 1/2 weeks of December and then only read 3 books in the last 2 weeks! This makes me laugh, but also makes sense, what with Christmas through New Year often being a busier time.

Here are the books I read in December:

tcw-12
Dark Sea
Memoirs of Sherlock
pageant
mcgee-1
ruth
dresden-3
North
Ralph 1
cozy-christmas
addie-2-1
little-house-3
monster
greatest-gift
39-1
wing 4
tcw-13
Narnie 7

The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal by Lilian Jackson Braun (4.5 / 5)
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (3.5 / 5)
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson (5 / 5)
The Big Lie by Bill Myers (5 / 5)
Ruth by Ellen Gunderson Traylor (5 / 5)
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher (3.5 / 5)
North! or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (5 / 5)
Cozy Up to Christmas by Colin Conway (2.5 / 5)
Addie McCormick and the Mystery of the Missing Scrapbook by Leanne Lucas (5 / 5)
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (5 / 5)
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale by Philip Van Doren Stern (3.5 / 5)
The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan (4 / 5)
The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson (5 / 5)
The Cat Who Moved a Mountain by Lilian Jackson Braun (4 / 5)
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (4 / 5)

This list includes 5 re-reads (most of that was listening to the audiobooks of the entire Wingfeather Saga again). My favorite book from December (that wasn’t a re-read) was Ruth. I started 4 series, continued 4 series, and finished 2 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Reads from 2022

/ Kristi / 21 Comments

It’s time for another Top Ten list from That Artsy Reader Girl, which I haven’t done in a while now. The topic today is a look back at our favorite books from the past year. Since I already pick out my favorite book at the end of each month of reading, it wasn’t too hard to narrow the books from the year down to 10. Here they are, listed in the order in which I read them throughout the year.

1. Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin
A beautiful story written by an author who is becoming one of my favorites. See my full review here.

2. I Can Only Imagine by Bart Millard with Robert Noland
I have recently discovered that I like listening to autobiographies or memoirs read by the author, especially when the author is someone of whom I am a fan already. This did not disappoint. See my full review here.

3. The Giver by Lois Lowry
I didn’t like the rest of the series as much, but the first book was great! See my full review here.

4. Mr. Lemoncello’s Very First Game by Chris Grabenstein
I didn’t expect to like this book all that much, but I gave it a chance because I’ve overall enjoyed the series for which it is a prequel. I ended up loving it! See my full review here.

5. The Debutante’s Code by Erica Vetsch
The beginning of a mystery series that I have fully enjoyed so far. It helps that it is set in the same world as another trilogy that I loved! See my full review here.

6. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
I haven’t finished the series yet, though I’m actually currently reading the that is technically #4, but #3 in the sequence of the actual story. I’m enjoying this one more than I did the 2nd, but I loved the first one. See my full review here.

7. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Jurassic Park is one of my top 3 favorite movie franchises, if not the top, even though I can certainly admit that there are some duds in there. I just don’t care; I love them anyway. I did read this book once, back in high school, most likely because of how much I already liked the first couple of movies then. This is the first time I’ve read it in 20+ years, and I loved it all over again. See my full review here.

8. Lightning by Dean Koontz
I also read this book back when I was in high school, or maybe just after. It took me a long time to re-read it, but I’m so glad I did! See my full review here.

9. Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Just one in a long list of books or series that are classics or at least have been around a long time, but I’ve never read them. I’ve only read 3 of this series yet, but I’ve enjoyed them all. This one was my favorite. See my full review here.

10. Ruth by Ellen Gunderson Traylor
Ruth is my favorite book in the Bible, and the account of Ruth and Boaz has long held a kind of romance for me, so I have been picky about fictionalized versions of it. I’d almost given up on reading any more and finding one that I really liked, but this one was just what I was looking for! See my full review here.

Have you read any of these? What were some of your favorite reads this year?

Book Review: The Last Battle

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The Last Battle
The Chronicles of Narnia #7 (original order)
by C.S. Lewis

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic fantasy

From the creation of Narnia to the destruction of it. This book seems to be pretty polarizing, and it’s the same in my mind. I appreciate Lewis’s vision of the afterlife, eternity for the world he’s created and the characters in it. I’m a little uncertain about why everyone had to die at the same time to get there. But that’s Lewis’s choice to make. I also like Lewis’s view of God, shown through his writing of Aslan—His love, mercy, and righteousness. I noted that the dwarves that couldn’t see the beauty around them is a pretty clear representation of casting pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6). I don’t fully agree with all of the theology presented within the story, but since it’s allegorical, it’s difficult to say for sure what Lewis is saying with certain aspects.

This wraps up my first reading of this series. I wish I could say I liked some of the books more than I did, but others I really enjoyed. I am certain there’s more to get out of the books than I did, though, so I do plan to re-read the series someday.

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If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!

Book Review: The Cat Who Moved a Mountain

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The Cat Who Moved a Mountain
Book #13
by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Cozy mystery

When his 5-year requirement to live in the small, northern town of Pickax ends, former crime reporter Jim Qwilleran has a big decision in front of him. To help him make it, he decides to get away to a mountain retreat. But his plans for a quiet getaway are quickly spoiled when he gets caught up in local prejudices and politics and a murder investigation that might have convicted the wrong man.

I guess it makes sense to move the action away from the same small town/northern county now and then, so it doesn’t become a place full of murders, but sadly, the change of locale often means I won’t like the book as much. Still, this one wasn’t too bad. I liked the way Qwilleran sees both sides of an ongoing battle, meeting and talking talking to people with both points of view. The mystery was decent, though not quite as interesting as others in this series have been. Koko’s antics that inspired the title aren’t exactly new, though I did appreciate the play on words.

I recently read a mystery novel with a main character who had been a gangster in the past but was forced to change due to circumstances beyond his control. In that book, the MC’s new life involved things he never would have done or cared about in the past, but it felt really forced to me. That made me notice all the more the way Qwilleran’s changes in lifestyle and personality throughout the series have been a lot smoother and more subtle. He’s certainly still himself, but also quite different from the man that used to live in the big city and write about urban crime. Overall, this was a good addition to the series.

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If you’ve read this book, or read it in the future, feel free to let me know what you think!