Show Us Your Books December 2021

In November most of my reading focused on the Nonfiction November challenge, but I did manage to read some fiction too. Here are the highlights.

Five Stars

11/22/63 by Stephen King - This is the third or fourth time I‘ve read this chunkster and I really just am amazed every time. I prefer the print to the audiobook, but audio works when my hands are busy.

Why I Wake Early by Mary Oliver - Mary Oliver‘s poetry soothes my heart, and I was so glad to curl up with this last month. She was just so good.

Four Stars

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - This book was WILD and I loved every minute it.

November Road by Lou Berney - Great historical fiction set around the time of the Kennedy Assassination. I loved the characters in this one.

Three Stars

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - Now that I‘m done reading this I kind of feel like I need to start again so that I understand what‘s going on. Overall a pick, but I need a closer read.

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer - This was dumb and silly in all the best ways. I really enjoyed it.

This post is linked to Show Us Your Books and Quick Lit.

Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!

Food And Lit: Guatemala

September was Guatemala month for Food And Lit. If you’re looking to read a book about recent Guatemalan history you must read Caminar. Heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, it’s a middle grade novel told in verse. I read it and then began a campaign to get my son to read it.

Guatemala is known for its coffee and chocolate so of course I had to treat myself. I also made Kak’ik for dinner one night. Really good!

Next month we’re in Zambia!

Five Books That Are Perfect For Tent Reading

I learned at a scout meeting last night that camp grounds everywhere are filling up at unprecedented rates. I love that so many people are sleeping under the stars! And with sleeping under the stars comes reading under the stars. Tent reading is one of my favorite types of reading. If you’re new to sleeping on the ground here are five books that are perfect for reading while camping:

In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware- A sinister tale of a bachelorette party gone wrong. A closed door spooky thriller perfect for reading in isolation.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman is a really good book if you’re willing to go with it. If you think too much about it you’ll think it’s dumb. Put yourself in a tent in the woods, and you’ll have one of the best, creepiest reading experiences you’ve ever had.

The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is the start of a masterful trilogy. It’s the type of book you’ll want to read all at once in solitude, and when you finally figure out what’s going on, hang on!

Devotions by Mary Oliver is a gorgeous book of poetry that celebrates the little things that happen outside. Read it by the fire or in the hammock.

The River by Peter Heller is a charged and atmospheric wilderness survival story perfect for reading outside. Just don’t start too late at night because you’ll burn out the batteries in your head lamp reading all night.

Happy camping!

Note: Links to bookshop.org are affiliate links. Thanks for your support!