Kelly's Thoughts & Ramblings

First things first. Here are my December extras.

When the Jessamine Grows by Donna Everhart

First line: “Joetta McBride could not stomach conflict.”

This is our January selection for book club. Even though I’m glad I read it, I found it to be incredibly depressing. I did enjoy the writing and appreciated that it looked at the American Civil War from a different perspective than I’ve ever considered before. Sadly, I think it was quite accurate in many of its portrayals, too. I’m sure we’ll have lots of good discussion about it.

Separation of Church and Hate by John Fugelsang

First line: (An Introduction) “I’m here because two people broke a promise to God.”

The book’s blurb begins with this: In the spirit of George Carlin and Christopher Hitchens, the son of a former Catholic nun and a Franciscan brother delivers a deeply irreverent and biblically correct takedown of far-right Christian hatred – a book for believers, atheists, agnostics, and anyone who’ll ever have to deal with a Christian nationalist. I highly recommend it.

Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott

First line: (Prelude) “There’s not much truth being told in the world.”

Yet another collection of essays on life and faith by Anne Lamott, and again I opted for the audiobook narrated by the author. It was published in 2007, so it’s fun hearing her rants on various issues, including politics. (I follow her on Substack, so I get to hear her currents thoughts, as well.) I enjoyed this one very much. Not only did it help me understand more about Lamott, it gave me more insight into my own life. Just remember if you decide to read any of her books, there is profanity and her ideas are not exactly mainstream.

Letters From Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

First line: (Introduction) “To the children of J.R.R. Tolkien, the interest and importance of Father Christmas extended beyond his filling their stockings on Christmas Eve;”

What a delightful holiday book this is, not just for children but for everyone. For years Tolkien wrote letters to his children from Father Christmas and his friends (Polar Bear, Ilbereth the Elf, and others) at the North Pole that included wonderful illustrations. They’re reproduced in a beautiful manner in this volume, perfect for reading throughout the days leading up to Christmas. I’m passing along my copy to my youngest grandson’s family to enjoy next year.

Who Killed Father Christmas? edited by Martin Edwards

First line: (Introduction) “Most of us will surely agree that Christmas is, as the song goes, “the most wonderful time of the year.””

I love these anthologies published by The British Library and this was my fourth with a holiday murder theme. There were a few stories I felt were a bit sub-par, but others more than made up for them. The final story was by one of my favorite authors from the past: Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter).

Somehow by Anne Lamott

First line: (Overture) “My husband said something a few years ago that I often quote: Eighty percent of everything that is true and beautiful can be experienced on any ten-minute walk.”

Another Anne Lamott, this time a collection of thoughts on love. Published in 2024, I think it might be one of my favorites so far. I could totally relate to many of her ideas. After listening to her narrate so many of her books, I almost feel like I know her and would like to be her friend. It’s a sign of a good author, in my opinion.

The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong

First line: “The hardest thing in the world is to live only once.”

I wanted to love this book since it came highly recommended by one of my book club friends, but it ended up just being okay for me. It took awhile to get into, but I finally became invested in the characters, needing to know what would happen. Despite having some humor and positives regarding friendships, it was a sad and often depressing story with an ending that was too ambiguous. I didn’t dislike it, I just didn’t love it.

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Now to sum up the year.

I read a total of 106 books, 19 of which were non-fiction. If you would like to see the full list, click HERE. As I’ve mentioned a number of times in my wrap-ups, I don’t usually have many selections that I dislike. Occasionally a book club choice falls short for me, but not often. We’ve read quite a varied assortment over the years and if you’re curious, you can click HERE to see the full list. A few of my Classics Club choices disappointed me, but not many of them. In general, I’m pretty good at vetting what I read and it’s why I have so few DNRs. So rather than attempting to pick my favorites for the year, I’ll just say I’d recommend the majority of them to the right person at the right time.

This was year four for my five year Classics Club challenge. I only lacked 15 books, so I got inspired to finish early… and I did! I have a brand new list of 50 books that I’m excited to get started on in January.

I once again took part in the annual R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge (RIP XX) and read the following books in September and October. (links are to Amazon):

Black Beadle by E.C.R. Lorac
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson  
The Venice Murders by Merryn Allingham (Flora Steele #11)
What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce #11)
The October Country by Ray Bradbury
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Serpents in Eden edited by Martin Edwards
Aurora by David Koepp
There Will Be Bodies by Lindsey Davis (Flavia Albia #13)
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden  
In the Dark by E. Nesbit
After the Funeral by Agatha Christie
The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes
Bog Queen by Anna North
The Employees by Olga Ravn
Case in the Clinic by E.C.R. Lorac

As for the coming year, here’s what I’m thinking:

My goal is to read ten books from my new Classics Club list. It goes without saying I will read my book club selection each month and some R.I.P. appropriate books during September and October. Meanwhile, my TBR is totally out of control. I seem to add physical books to my shelves, digital books to my Kindle, and tag books for my wishlist at Libby (library) faster than I can read what’s already there. Rather than set any number goals, I’ll just do the best I can. Reading is meant to be fun, not a chore. Here’s wishing you fun and happy reading in the coming year, as well!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!