December Wrap Up

We’ve made it to the end of another month and another year! My reading this month heavily featured holiday reads, which is a bit of a departure for me from most Decembers, when I might read one or two. I think I was just really attempting to fully sink into the Christmas magic, as a magic-maker for two littles currently residing in my home. Although they weren’t all excellent books, I think they generally did what I hoped they would, and a couple of them were really fantastic. My favorite book of the month (and right up there for the year) was a hold-over from last month and featured incredibly poetic language and many thought-provoking moments. Here’s what I read:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed 2013): This book is about so much more than plants and I loved my time spent in these pages. Kimmerer has so much to share about storytelling, climate, academia, motherhood, community, and, yes, plants. Full review still to come.

You, Again, by Kate Goldbeck (The Dial Press 2023): I loved this moderninzed reimagining of one of my fave rom-coms, When Harry Met Sally, and although it took me a while to warm to the main characters, they fully captured my heart by the end. Great New Year’s read! Read my full review here.

The Christmas Orphans Club, by Becca Freeman (Penguin 2023): My favorite Christmas book I read this month was a story of best-friendships and chosen family, some of my favorite tropes. I loved the structure, which flips between two POVs and multiples, non-consecutive timelines. Read my full review here.

Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan (Faber 2021): This Christmastime novella was not at all what I was expecting, but featured excellent storytelling and character development. Keegan shows how darkness can be brought into the light in such a short space. Read my full review here.

A Woman in the Polar Night, by Christiane Ritter, translated by Jane Degras (Dutton 1954; 1938): I wrapped up this one (and my #19Nonfiction reading challenge – translated nonfiction) yesterday. A perfect wintry read, this memoir first published in 1938 tells the wild tale of a woman who goes to join her husband for a year in the arctic where he is a hunter/trapper. Nuts, I tell you. Full review to come.

The Insiders, by Mark Oshiro; narrated by Avi Roque (HarperCollins 2021): A fun, middle grade novel that uses a magical room to tell a story of identity, self esteem, family, and friendship for three (and many more) middle schoolers. The narration by Roque is excellent.

Have I Told You This Already? Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember, by Lauren Graham (Ballantine 2022): I needed an easy-breezy audio to get me through the hecticness of traveling with two little kids, and this short memoir-in-essays was up to the job. Graham’s narration is extremely likeable and a couple of her essays are incredibly poignant (most notably for me: “Mochi”). Probably won’t remember much of this in a year, but I enjoyed my time with it a lot.

Once Upon a December, by Amy E. Reichert; narrated by Sharon Freeman (Berkeley 2022): This Christmas romance had impeccable vibes and not much else. It was fine for wrapping/baking/packing purposes. Read my full review here.

A Christmas Legacy, by Anne Perry (Ballantine Books 2021): This cozy mystery (I guess it’s a mystery?) was an enjoyable way to spend a few evenings in front of the Christmas tree, and my experience was boosted due to the fact that it was a gift from a loved one. Read my full review here.

Familia, by Lauren E. Rico (Kensington 2023): This new release just had way to much happening to ever really settle into the story Rico wanted to tell. I wished for a more focused purpose and took issue with a couple plot choices. Read my full review here.

I am ready for a brand new reading year and all the great stories it will hold! Do you have any books you are particularly looking forward to? I’m hoping to make a bigger dent in my TBR bookcase this year (don’t we say that every year?), but there are also some new books from beloved authors coming out in 2024, so we shall see. Happy 2024 Reading, book friends!

Review: Small Things Like These

Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan (Faber 2021)

First line: “In October there were yellow trees.”

I went into this book blind, just knowing the short Christmastime novella is beloved by so many. This is why I was radically surprised when I found a dark, tense story among these pages rather than a quiet, charming one.

Bill Furlong lives in a small Irish town in 1985 with his wife and daughters, doing long, tiring work supplying coal and timber to the residents and businesses in the surrounding area. As Christmas approaches, he goes to make his delivery at the convent and finds something disturbing behind their locked doors. Before Christmas Eve is over, he will have to decide what to do with this information.

I get why this author is so respected. Her writing is excellent, with sparse yet effective dialogue and tremendous character development in such a small space. Like I said, I was startled by the grim nature of this story, and not only because I hadn’t read a synopsis, but also because I had never heard of the Magdalen Laundries of Ireland before. I did find the ending to be hopeful, despite the bleak situation, as the darkness of the Christmas season gives way to light. I think knowing a little bit more before diving in would have led to a better reading experience, but even so, I will definitely return to this author.

Review: Once Upon a December

Once Upon a December, by Amy E. Reichert; narrated by Sharon Freeman (Berkeley 2022)

First line: “In a place outside of time, every day was December.”

If a book could succeed on vibes alone, this book would be all you could ever need this holiday season. Jack is part of the family business in the Julemarked (pronounced Yule-market), baking all flavors of kringles, a special holiday pastry, from December 1st through the 24th as part of the Milwaukee Christmas Market. When the clock strikes midnight in Christmas Eve, everyone in the Julemarked, including Jack’s family, the bookshop owner, the toy shop, and all the others, get one week off before December 31st rolls over again to December 1st and they wake up in a new city, at a new Christmas Market and start things all over again. The exact details of this process are a little complicated, so just go with it. They never know which city they’ll end up in, or when they’ll be back. But more than a decade ago, Jack saw Astra for the first time when she gave him a red knit hat, and even though she doesn’t remember him from year to year (that’s part of the Julemarked magic), each interaction they have is better than the previous, and Jack falls in love. Astra doesn’t realize it, but she is falling too. But to be together, one or the other will have to give up everything.

Like I said, the vibes here are impeccable. Milwaukee at Christmas (I spent half my childhood going there for the holidays) is perfection, and the Julemarked only adds to the wonder. It oozes Christmas goodness, sweet heavenly flavors and smells, bookish delight (Astra is a librarian and there’s a magical bookshop), a perfect dog, and an excellent cast of best friends. There’s not much more that you could need. However, books cannot survive on vibes alone, and I found the story to be a bit lacking and eyerolly. It didn’t help that the audiobook narrator made every conversation Jack and Astra had feel sultry rather than sweet. It made it icky rather than charming or authentic, which pushed it over the top for me.

I think there’s a lot to love about this book during this season, but might I suggest going with the print rather than the audio. Also, if you can get your hands on a kringle, as we did this morning for our early at-home Christmas, that will improve things drastically.

Review: A Christmas Legacy

A Christmas Legacy, by Anne Perry (Ballantine Books 2021)

First line: “‘How old are you?’ Gracie asked sternly. ‘I’m very almost six,’ Charlie replied, taking her finger away from the mixing bowl in which Gracie was stirring the Christmas cake for the final time, and looking at her mother with a combination of awe and pleading.”

A couple Christmases ago, one of my grandmothers gifted me this book, calling it “pure escapist reading” and with a main character who “is a riot.” I had never read any Anne Perry before, but settled into this book in just the way it was meant to be read, cozy in front of the Christmas tree with a cookie and some nog. At least, that’s my perfect way to read a book like this.

Part of a many-booked series/collection, this “mystery” (I argue not very much mystery) is led by Gracie Tellman, mother of three and former housemaid to a police inspector and his wife. When a young girl shows up on Gracie’s doorstep with a plea for help, Gracie finds herself stepping back into the role of housemaid to figure out what has this girl so terrified in her place of employment just days before Christmas. Some dark is lurking beneath the beautiful furnishings and warm tea, and Gracie is determined to get to the bottom of it and get home to her children in time for Christmas.

Anyone looking for a quick and easy pageturner with Downton Abbey vibes that you can easily gulp down in a night or two should feel free to give this one a try. Was it the best Christmas book I’ve read this year? Nah, but it was just what my grandma promised, a quick escape into 1900s London with a solid character to root for. Another win for the call to gift books you love to people you love!

Review: Flight

Flight, by Lynn Steger Strong (Mariner Books 2022)

First Line: “You left them alone in the apartment?”

I picked up this short ebook shortly after Christmas while I was still in that holiday, cozy vibe, and I think it was a great time for it – though there’s no reason this couldn’t be read year-round. Fans of the show Parenthood or the holiday movie The Family Stone will find lots to love here, just as I did. The older I get, the more I find myself drawn to these stories of grown siblings and their families, the families that form from the choices of individuals, people you wouldn’t necessarily choose yourself, but find yourself loving anyway.

In Flight, three grown siblings — Kate, Henry, and Martin — and their spouses and kids are gathering for their first Christmas together after their mother has died. Helen (their mother) was always the one to hold the family together, and the six adults remaining are realizing they are now the ones responsible for doing so, despite their feelings of inadequacy. I found these characters to be so compelling and felt connections to each of them: Kate, the stay-at-home mom just doing her best to make it through her days as primary parent; Tess, whose anxieties often manifest as bossiness; Alice, who worries she’s moving through life without really making choices… I highlighted so many passages throughout that struck me. Strong’s pacing is great — often switching to a different scene or perspective after only a few paragraphs, reminding me of Fredrick Backman in style. And while there is definitely enough action to keep the pages turning, this is primarily a character-driven book and a family drama. However, unlike many family dramas, despite their bickering and conflict these characters find themselves in, ultimately it is a story full of love, affection, and hope.

I loved this one.

Review: The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, by Karina Yan Glaser; Narrated by Robin Miles (Recorded Books 2017)

First line: “In the middle of a quiet block on 141st Street, inside a brownstone made of deep red shale, the Vanderbeeker family gathered in the living room for a family meeting.”

I downloaded this first in an ongoing series for a couple of reasons: first, it was narrated by Robin Miles, who I’d just just become a fan of after hearing her narrate The City We Became; second, it was short, and I had a hold coming available soon for Dolly Parton, Songteller so I didn’t want to get too involved in a long audiobook. It didn’t hurt, of course, that I heard this was delightfully charming. And that it was.

The five Vanderbeeker children, ranging from 4-and-3/4s Laney up to the 12 year old twins, Isa and Jessie, have lived in the brownstone apartment on 141st Street for their entire lives. They know and are loved by everyone in their community, and can’t imagine living anywhere else. So when they find out that their upstairs curmudgeonly landlord Mr. Beiderman (“The Beiderman” — who’ve they have never actually laid eyes on) isn’t renewing their lease and they have until the end of the year (less than two weeks from now) to find a new home and move, they are devastated. They can’t imagine a more wicked thing for The Beiderman to do, just days before Christmas, and decide that they must convince him to let them stay. Over the course of the next week, the Vanderbeeker children brainstorm and attempt to carryout all sorts of tactics to stay in their home, some more strategic than others. But the clock is ticking, and if they can’t change his mind, they might have to leave Harlem altogether.

Perhaps it’s because this book is set at Christmastime, perhaps it’s because it’s a family story, but I found this story to be incredibly cozy and heartwarming. For lack of a better description, it felt like an old-timey children’s lit classic, one you’d read aloud with your parents before bedtime, snuggled under the comforter together, while still maintaining modern sensibilities, like having a mixed-race title family, wifi problems, and a miscommunication about an 8th grade dance invitation. The plot was fairly predictable (which makes sense for a cozy family story, after all), although the details of the climax and resolution were refreshingly interesting. I can totally see why the Vanderbeekers have charmed the younger middle grade set and families all over, and would love to spend more time with them in the other books in the series. I don’t know that I’ll download the next immediately, but I’m happy to know it’s available to me on Hoopla should I ever need another quick breather to fit between other audiobooks.