December Reads in Review, 2016

December

101. The Orphan's Tale - Pam Jenoff
102. Sydney Bridge Upside Down - David Ballantyne
103. Born a Crime - Trevor Noah
104. Under the Influence - Joyce Maynard
105. The View from Flyover Country - Sarah Kendzior
106. Appointment in Samarra - John O'Hara
107. Think Happy, Be Happy - Workman Publishing
108. Wild Pork and Watercress - Barry Crump
109. Rebirth - Kamal Ravikant
110. I Could Pee on This - Francesco Marcialiano

I'm not going to write a paragraph about each book, as I usually do, since I've already written about all of my December reads. Hop through the links to read about them.

Favorites were Born a Crime, The View from Flyover Country, Appointment in Samarra, Wild Pork and Watercress, Rebirth, and I Could Pee on This. Born a Crime is exceptional, more a book about how race impacted Trevor Noah's life in S. Africa than a general memoir. The View from Flyover Country is a little repetitious but fascinating. I learned a lot about why 20-somethings have it a lot harder than we ever did. Appointment in Samarra was my classic choice and I enjoyed it. I liked the writing style and it was especially cool that Sherlock kept referring to the fable upon which it's based in the first episode of the new season. Wild Pork and Watercress was fun because it was mostly survival and I love survival stories. Rebirth was much more interesting than I expected and had an impact that I didn't realize until I went back to review it and pulled out a few quotes. I Could Pee on This is a hoot.

I liked but didn't love The Orphan's Tale, Sydney Bridge Upside Down, and Under the Influence. The Orphan's Tale offered an interesting perspective on WWII that was new to me but I still disliked the circus setting; it occasionally bored me reading about the aerialists practicing. Sydney Bridge Upside Down was very good but when it turned sinister, I confess it was pretty upsetting. I liked it, though. It just wasn't a favorite. I'm more impressed with the writing than in love with the story. And, Under the Influence was just kind of meh till the end. The ending was good, though.

Think Happy, Be Happy is cute - a book of quotations that are upbeat with marvelous illustrations. It's a fun little thing, gimmicky but in a good way. I have a couple books that are similar in style but with different topics (one is a book of funny things spouses have said). I find books like Think Happy, Be Happy and the cat poetry the kind of smile-inducing books that are great for rereading when I'm in need of an upper.

Next up will be the full year's list of books read!

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