Six Degrees of Separation – from Dangerous Liaisons to Mrs. Plansky's Revenge

It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place as other readers, add six books, and see where it ends up. This month, Kate started with a classic, Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, which is about seduction and revenge.

My December 2024 Reading

Somehow in a busy December, I read 12 adult books and four children’s or YA books (two of which were rereads), plus listened to three audio books (all crime fiction) driving back and forth to various places.  A few of these were intended as Christmas presents so I was trying to vet them first!  Overall, it was an outstanding reading year (see my Best of 2024 list).

Merry Christmas, 2024!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and everything in between! Thanks to Marie Cloutier for reminding me of this end-of-year book meme:

Describe yourself:

How do you feel? I Need You to Read This

Historical Fiction Round-up Post for 2023

Look how much historical fiction I read last year!  Thank you to Marg from The Intrepid Reader for her Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.  Historical fiction is one of my favorite things to read and, as you can see, it comes in various subgenres.  There is a link if I reviewed the book in 2023, with those I liked best in red. 

Favorite Reads of 2023

Although I have not yet summarized my December reading, it is the time of year when it is fun to contemplate the entire year and my top ten. Unusually for me, many were recent pubs and four were audiobooks. I think the latter is just a coincidence – sometimes I put both the hardcover and audiobook on reserve at the same time so read whichever is available first and sometimes I will opt for an available audiobook that I expect to enjoy. Seven of these ten were historical fiction, which is definitely one of my preferred genres but my favorites are generally more evenly distributed. I read a lot of books in 2023 but a number of these were rereads or children’s books, which obviously take less time to read.

My November 2023 Reads

Although I sometimes think I have overdosed on World War II historical fiction, I am always fascinated by evacuation stories, and last month I listened to the audiobook of Beyond That, the Sea, in which a girl is sent from London during the Blitz to Massachusetts where I live. Although the heroine is eleven when the book begins, this is definitely a novel for adults. Not only was this my favorite book in October, I kept on thinking about it long after I had finished and I recommend it to you too.

WWW Wednesday – November 29

WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading

My June 2023 Reads

I had three short trips in June: New York for a nephew’s graduation, Ontario for a short family trip, and DC for a two-day conference, and these reduced my reading time this month and made what I did read distinctly lighter. Plus, I am still reading Middlemarch, although I am nearly done and very much enjoying it.  Here we are!

My December 2022 Reads

This month was noteworthy for finishing a group read of Susan Cooper, joining Liz Dexter's Dean Street December, and reading the new Lacey Flint mystery by Sharon Bolton, which caused me to go back to the beginning of the series, plus listen to her recent standalone, The Split.

A Snowfall of Silver by Laura Wood - coming of age in Earnest

Title: A Snowfall of Silver
Author: Laura Wood
Publication: Scholastic UK, paperback, 2020
Genre: YA
Setting: 1930s England

Description: Freya, the younger sister of Lou from A Sky Painted Gold, has always wanted to be an actress, so leaves Cornwall dramatically at 18, fortuitously meeting Kit McKay on the train to London.

Favorite Reads of 2019

Happy New Year and wishing you many delightful reads in 2020! I am enjoying seeing other people's "Best of" year-end lists, even when I haven't read any of their books.  There is always room on my TBR pile for books that sound appealing.

Historical Fiction

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce (2018)
This wound up being my favorite book of the year!  A warm and emotional story of a young woman who yearns to be a war correspondent during WWII but finds a job instead working on advice magazine during the day (what the Brits call an Agony Aunt) while doing her bit for the war at night as bombs fall.  You know how much I like books with WWII settings but some have become almost a cliche of tired plots.   This was fresh and appealing, humorous at times, heartbreaking at others, and altogether delightful. Those who remember Dear Lovey Hart will love it.