November and December 2012 Reads

Good resolutions, all.

November

95 Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
 96 Assassin's Code by Jonathan Maberry
 97 The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
 98 A Simple Plan by Scott Smith
 99 Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham

December

100 Down River by John Hart
 101 The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma
 102 A Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins
 103 The Black Box by Michael Connelly
 104 Fobbit by David Abrams
 105 With or Without You by Domenica Ruta
 106 The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout
 107 Killer Instinct by Zoe Sharp
 108 Muscle for the Wing by Daniel Woodrell

Two books on this list are outstanding.  Talking to the Dead by Harry Bingham and With or Without You by Domenica Ruta.  I almost didn't read Talking to the Dead, I'm not into the YA zombie/vampire thing, and the title just put me off.  I'm really glad I read it.  I think this will be the next series for readers who loved The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, maybe Hunger Games fans will dive into it, too.  This is a well written mystery/procedural. It takes place in Wales and features rookie cop with  a most unusual talents.

With or Without You is a memior by Domenica Ruta.  It's a mother-daughter tale that was hard to put down.  The mom, Kathi is an absolutely horrible mother; addict, pusher, brilliant degenerate.  It's being published on 2/26/2013.  Read it, you won't be sorry.

Great, as usual was Michael Connelly's The Black Box.  In fact, I think this is the best Harry Bosch tale, ever.  Like all great writers, Connelly just gets better with experience.  Daniel Woodrell writes terrific noir and Muscle for the Wing was great.

Maybe not great, but good solid reads are Assassin's Code by Maberry, A Simple Plan by Smith, Down River by Hart, The Burgess Boys by Strout and Killer Instinct by Sharp.

I seldom say anything negative about a book, here on the blog.  If it's a book I don't like, I just don't say anything.  Today, I'm breaking my rule.  A neighbor loaned me The Poinsonwood Bible, by Kingsolver.  I really didn't like this book.  It takes place in Africa, and is full of Anti-American attitude; and the father is the story was so stupid, I found it very off-putting.  I also read Fobbit by Abrams, and didn't like it.   I'm just not a fan of satire, we don't need another Catch-22.

What are you reading?