November Book Recap and December Reading List

Hey, did you miss me?  I feel like I was MIA for most of December, although blogging was frequently on my mind, and I've been thinking of how I want my 2017 to look- both personally and blogging wise.  So, since I never got around to posting my November book progress and my December reading list at the beginning of the month, I'm just lumping them into one post now.

First off, what I read:

I only made it through two books, but one was a duzy!  Gracious Living in a New World by Alexandra Stoddard had me by turns nodding in agreement, then rolling my eyes, and thinking this book was written for the 1%.  Stoddard is a successful interior designer in New York City who owns multiple homes and apparently thinks shipping furniture you find at the open air market while you're on vacation in France is something we all can do.  There were little nuggets here and there that I found useful but for most of us, staying in bed until noon for gathering ones thoughts and writing is not an option, nor is having a secretary just to transcribe our notes because we prefer paper and pen to untrustworthy computers.  I only finished it because I was more than halfway in and it's not that thick.

The other book I read was The World's Last Night by C.S. Lewis.  I always find Lewis refreshing and after finishing the Stoddard book, this was a nice change of pace.  Even though it was written decades ago, it felt as if a lot of it could have been written today.  It was pretty short so I breezed through it to, which was nice after trudging along through the previous book.

The book I acquired was one I read years ago, and gave my copy away, but have been looking for a copy for quite a while.  It's C.S. Lewis' Till We Have Faces, which is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche.  I remember reading it in high school, and loving it, but that's about all I remember.  I'm hoping it holds up better than some of the things I loved in high school.


2016 Totals:
Read- 34  Acquired- 51


Now, on to my December reading list:

• The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty- I read What Alice Forgot, and enjoyed it, so I'm interested to see what Liane has up her sleeve in this one.
• Dear Mr. Darcy by Amanda Grange is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice from Mr. Darcy's point of view, and to be honest, I can never get enough Jane Austen in my life.
• Life's Companion by Christina Baldwin is a book about the importance of journal writing.  To be honest, I don't know if I'm going to get to it this year, but it sounds good, and has gotten really good reviews on Goodreads so I hope to pick it up soon!
• Stone Mattress by Margaret Atwood is a collection of short stories, and really, I just love her writing.  Every time I finish a book by her, I think to myself, I need to sit down and write.  She makes it seem so effortless and spins the mundane into these weird tales that just get down into your bones and stick to you.

Alright, well, I have a few more posts planned for the end of the year, and some new things cooking for 2017.  And as always, if you think there's a book I have to add to my lists, drop me a comment and let me know, or if you've read any of these, let me know what you thought!

November Reading List

November's reading list is a little bit of a hodge podge.  But, I'm really looking forward to them. Here they are:

• The Trespasser by Tana French- I know I just got this one, but I can't wait to see what happens with Antoinette and Stephen.  I really enjoyed getting to know them in the The Secret Place, and was excited to see they get another book.  Tana French usually introduces the lead of her in a previous novel, as a minor character.  Like, in Faithful Place, we meet Stephen Moran who is the lead in The Secret Place.  He's also in The Trespasser, but I'm guessing Antoinette Conway will be taking the lead in this one, she was a supporting character in Secret Place.  She writes such real, flawed, but human characters, I can hardly stand it. Part of me wants to save this one for the middle of winter, but part of me just can't wait.
• The World's Last Night and Other Essays by C.S. Lewis- C.S. Lewis is my favorite theologian.  He can write deep, symbolic fiction, and he can write essays that feel like you're having a conversation.  There's been a lot going on lately, and a little Lewis is just what the doctor ordered.
• The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes- I let one of my friends borrow this one and she said it was good but the ending wasn't quite up to par.  So, I don't really know what to expect, but time traveling and a serial killer is enough for me to give it a try.  I just hope it's not too gory.
• The Mindfulness Habit by Kate Sciandra- I'm drawn to this one because it's supposed to help you increase productivity.  Yes please!  And, it's nice and slim so I think it's going to be to the point.  Sometimes I feel like self help books give you what you need to know in the first couple chapters but then needlessly drag on for another 100 pages.  So, this one is small enough that shouldn't be the case.

So what are you hoping to read in November?

November Book Recap

Sorry for being MIA for most of November!  I am working on a bunch of different projects right now.  I have five days off in a row starting today, and I made a list of all the things I want to get done.  It's two pages long right now, and I keep thinking of things I forgot.  I'm doing a craft fair this Saturday, so I've been sewing for that, I have some contracted sewing for a lady for Christmas presents, so I've been working on that.  Next week is finals for school, so I'm finishing up some projects for that.  There's Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, gifts to wrap, packages to mail, and all the usual house things- grocery shopping, cleaning, etc.  And I'm already making plans for what I want to do in 2016!

I didn't get much reading done last month, but did get through a couple books and started a couple more.  And, I only picked up two more.  So here's how November shaped up:

What I Read

• The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl- I love his brand of historical fiction.  This book really made me want to read some big, thick Dickens novels.  I may put that on my 2016 to do list. 
• Faithful Place by Tana French- Olive, my Books and Bloggers swap partner, was right, you just gotta love Frank!  Although, after reading this book, I don't feel as bad for all the headaches Cassie caused him in The Likeness.  I love Tana French characters because they're so real.  They make stupid choices, but they're real choices.  They lose their temper, they say hurtful things, but you love them all the more because they're more real because of it.  

What I Acquired
While I was up on Lake Superior for the day, with my friend Lori a few weeks ago, we stopped in to Spinster Books.  I am trying to be more conscious about what I buy, since my bookshelf is overflowing and my husband keeps casually mentioning, "When are you going to read all these?"  But, I found two new beauties.  I've been slurping up anything by Anne Lamott that I come across, so of course I had to get Imperfect Birds and then I found Finding Water by Julia Cameron.  She's the author of The Artist's Way and I love her style, so I snapped this one up to.  It's subtitled "The Art of Perseverance".  I think it'll be a good read.

2015 Totals
Books Read- 36
Books Acquired- 58

November Reading List

Since we're almost through 2015- yikes!- I decided I should go back and try to read some of the books I had been hoping to read earlier in the year, but didn't get to.  So here's what I'm hoping to read in November:

MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood- This was from my April list.  I got it from my Broke and Bookish secret Santa last year, and really think it's time I read it!

Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose- This one was on my June list, but never got read.  I bought it on Amazon a couple years ago but never got around to it.  Since I'm not going to do NaNoWrMo, I figured this might be a good, albeit weak, alternative.

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name by Heather Lende- This was a pick from way back in February!  The blurb on the front says it's part Anne Lamott and part Annie Dilliard, and after discovering Anne Lamott this year, I want to read it all the more!

Faithful Place by Tana French- I added this to my list just last month, and I was really looking forward to reading it, but didn't get through the books I had started in September!  I love Tana French so I'm excited to read it!

So, even though it's going to be a busy month, I'm hoping to get through my reads for November by reading more and wasting time surfing online less.  What are you hoping to read?