Following yesterday’s post and giveaway celebrating my fourth blogoversary, I have to go back in time to review last December. After a busy and very full November, I took it easier last month with fewer reviews and a break over Christmas. Life also stepped in with some crises that took a lot of time and energy, and so I didn’t do much for the first two weeks. But things are slowly settling down, and I’m excited about my reading plans for the New Year, as well as my ongoing tidying project. I plan to share more about that soon.
How did 2017 end for you?
[divider]
Reviews
- I briefly reviewed books I read this year for my Reading All Around the World project.
- John Steinbeck’s East of Eden lived up to its reputation as a favorite book of many readers, while his Journal of a Novel was a fascinating companion read.
Other Books Read
The Novel of the Century by David Bellos- Going into Town by Roz Chast
- The Populist Explosion by John B. Judis – Review to come
- Let Me Tell You by Shirley Jackson
- The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – Review to come
- The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert – Review to come
- Don Quixote, Part I by Miguel de Cervantes – Review to come
Other Features and Events
- The first day of the month saw me rounding up posts from the final Nonfiction November topic, New to My TBR.
- I also posted Gems of 2017 (my favorite books read this year), and a Challenge Update.
- My discussion question was Can a book change your mind?
Shared in the Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer, the Month in Review linkup at The Book Date, and the Monthly Wrap-up Round-up hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction
The Emerald City Book Review Archive 
Interesting choices!
LikeLike
It was an interesting month in so many ways.
LikeLike
Great wrap-up! Sorry to hear about the crises though. I hope all is well now! ❤
LikeLike
It’s okay, sometimes a crisis is necessary to get things unstuck. Just doing cleanup work now. Thanks for the support!
LikeLike
A very impressive list of books finished. I slowed down a lot in December myself, partially because of business and partially because I read the Unabridged version of Anthony Trollope’s The Duke’s Children. Of course, you have been reading Don Quixote!
LikeLike
Yes, that took quite a bit of time – even half of it!
LikeLike
East of Eden is one of my favorites of all time! 🙂 Happy belated 4th blogoversary!!!! Wishing you the best for 2018!
LikeLike
Thank you Freda. I’m so glad I finally joined the East of Eden “club.”
LikeLike
I’m glad to hear things are settling down for you. I hope 2018 brings a healthy dose of peace for you in your non reading life. 🙂
LikeLike
Boy, me too. 😉
LikeLike
My reading numbers were really down in December, as I sort of just let the crazy, social busyness of Christmas take over 😀
LikeLike
It was a crazy month. Now it’s just dealing with snow and ice, but hopefully I’ll have more time for reading as I’m holed up during the blizzards.
LikeLike
I hope the crises is resolved now. I understand how that can bring things to a grinding halt. Your tidying project sounds interesting. I cleaned out my closets over the summer, although I should go back through again. I hope you have a great January!
LikeLike
Yes, it’s all right now. Life is just like that sometimes. Thank you for your concern.
Tidying has been VERY interesting. I’ll be posting about my book cleanup soon.
LikeLike
Well done for persevering with the tidying project. I ground to a halt in November because of our holiday but am now ready for the next stage. The kitchen can look out because it’s on my radar.
LikeLike
Arrrggh, yes, my kitchen desperately needs attention. I also have stopped lately with all the holiday madness but need to get back to it.
LikeLike
Blech, I’m sorry to hear your December contained crises. Hopefully your January will be completely crisis-free!
2017 ended pretty great for me. I got obsessed with hitting an arbitrary number of books read in 2017, so in December I read an insane amount, and several of them were winners. Jane Unlimited! Frances Hardinge’s new book! It was great!
LikeLike
I’m so glad you had a good reading month! I’m excited to read Jane Unlimited (once my three month no-new-books ban is over).
LikeLike
I should read East of Eden. I always thought I didn’t like Steinbeck, due to a forced 4th grade reading of The Red Pony. I was about 35 when I picked up The Grapes of Wrath because I was living abroad and it was hard to find books in English. I was SO BLOWN AWAY. If East of Eden is anywhere near as good, I should up break out of my YA rut and give it a go.
LikeLike
I do think you should read EofE. I think there’s a very good chance you will love it.
And I have to read The Red Pony to find out why everyone hated it in school. I’ve not read anything by Steinbeck I disliked so it’s somewhat puzzling to me.
LikeLike
As far as I recall (it was a LONG time ago), it’s a story about a pony and the pony dies. Or the kid dies. Or the kid loses the pony. Something tragic happens, anyway. Not what I was looking for at the age of nine.
LikeLike
Understandable – why do those weird grownups insist on giving kids the totally wrong books to read? I’m sure you’re not like that though. 🙂
LikeLike
I’ll have to check out your review of The Girl in the Tower, I read it, and liked it a lot. 2017 ended on an okay note, lots of hope for some good things this coming year. Hope you’re having a good week!
Check out my Sunday Post
LikeLike
I liked Girl in the Tower too. Looking forward to book 3.
LikeLike
It looks like you had a successful December! I need to read more Steinbeck. I read Of Mice And Men in high school and really liked it.
LikeLike
I’d like to read more Steinbeck too. I took the three-volume edition of his works as a Library of America joining offer, so now I really need to dig in.
LikeLike