Welcome to December! Don’t ask me how we got here so fast, because I haven’t a clue. The year has just been zooming on by… Still, we have a few things to look forward to before we close it out, and before I start getting ahead of myself and planning next year, let’s take a look at the penultimate month of this one.
I only managed to complete 3 books this past month – the lowest month of the year so far, although my page count was fairly close to average, and it shouldn’t take long to finish my current read. As of December 1st, I’ve got 54 books completed – four over my stated reading goal for the year, and my secondary goal is still within reach: to complete the Linzthebookworm/Logophile Reading Challenge for the first time since we began it. With two plane flights and a week at my mom’s house on the agenda, I feel pretty confident I’m going to get there. So let’s take a look at the books I did manage to check off…
The first book I finished in November was a thick hardback of a romance novel, which took me 3 days to finish – Nora Roberts has a way of pulling me headfirst into her stories, and Northern Lights was (delightfully) no exception. What I particularly appreciate about Nora Roberts as a romance writer is that in some ways you know what you’re going to get – generally about 3 steamy but short love scenes interspersed through some adversity, with a happy ending. What you also get is something less expected – a location, or a character’s profession or hobby, for example – that the author has clearly meticulously researched and delivers without clunky exposition.
In this case, it’s the setting – a small town in the Alaskan Interior. I can’t remember a lot of Nora Roberts novels where the main point of view is a male character, and this one had a strong mystery element that served as the adversity portion of the story (instead of the more expected miscommunication or relationship drama). Our main character in this novel is a former Baltimore PD detective, who shortly after recovering physically from an officer-involved shooting that left his partner dead and himself struggling with guilt and crushing depression, decides to change his life dramatically by taking the job as chief of police in a 500-person town in Alaska. The small town characters, the daily routine of our hero establishing a brand new police force, and above all the breathtaking descriptions of nature drew me in until the mystery plot hit me like a ton of bricks and kept me up until 3:30 AM to finish the story. It was absolutely the right choice for challenge prompt #57, Read a book that takes place in Alaska. [4 stars]
Next up, I burned through a political conspiracy thriller that I had picked up on Amazon First Reads a few years back – The Rescue by Steven Konkoly is the first in a 4-book series starring a former CIA operative turned mercenary who specializes in rescuing kidnap victims. At the beginning of the story, a high profile rescue of a prominent Senator’s teenaged daughter from a human trafficking ring goes horribly wrong, and his company, his family, and his freedom are lost.
But less than two years into a 10-year prison term, he finds himself inexplicably released by unknown parties pulling the strings, and running for his life. The story is fast paced, with a few good twists, betrayals, and enough conspiracy to make this a perfect choice for prompt #47, Read a book that involves a conspiracy. [4 stars]
I’ve had a good run this year, but it looks like I’ve finally found my least favorite book of the year. I picked up The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milan specifically for challenge prompt #59, Read a book involving dinosaurs. The blurb from George R.R. Martin was a good selling point – “It’s like a cross between Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones.” I thoroughly enjoyed A Song of Ice and Fire (the books on which Game of Thrones was based), and I recall liking Jurassic Park as well… And I can see where that comparison comes in.
Imagine if you will a medieval European fantasy world, complete with rampant political intrigue and betrayal, infighting and brutality… but with dinosaurs of all types and sizes roaming the land, sea, and skies, some of which have been tamed and are ridden by knights. Picture what an enormous difference a Tyrannosaurus Rex would make in warfare. The concept is intriguing; however, none of the characters were all that likeable in my opinion, and the author’s tendency to describe every person, object, and location in meticulous detail made it difficult for me to grasp and follow what was actually happening with the plot. This is the first book in a trilogy, and I doubt I will brave the sea of adjectives to try to continue the story. [2.5 stars]
Aside from reading, I finished Loki Season 2 on Disney plus, finished rewatching Phase 1 of the MCU with one of my favorite reactors (as well as Season 1 of Veronica Mars)… and while on Thanksgiving vacation with my bestie and her family, we watched Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Loki had a very interesting ending, a bit bittersweet. Veronica Mars season 1 is putting it in contention for a new favorite, and I’m looking forward to seeing what season 2 holds. The strangest was definitely Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – although I know intellectually that Harrison Ford is over 80 years old, it felt very weird seeing Indiana Jones as an elderly man. They made good use of technology to de-age him for some of the flashback scenes, and I did enjoy the story overall… I’m hoping that this closes out the franchise, though – it feels like a good ending, and I really don’t need more.
Best photos of the month – including some Thanksgiving fun, and nail art – to follow.
So that’s November in a nutshell – now it’s your turn to talk back! What was your favorite thing in November? Anything you’re really looking forward to coming up this month? Have you met your reading goals for the year yet? When do you start planning your New Year’s goals? And most importantly, what is your favorite kind of pie?
The Linzthebookworm/Logophile 2023 Reading Challenge
Level 1: Book of the Month Club [11/12 complete]
1. Read a book recommended to you on social media or by a friend – Recursion – Blake Crouch
2. Read a book under 300 pages – The Courts of Chaos – Roger Zelazny
3. Read a book with a female main character – Tress of the Emerald Sea – Brandon Sanderson
4. Read a book by an author whose name is Samantha, Sam, or a variant – Seven Blades in Black – Sam Sykes
5. Read a book that was written by an author from your home state – Ten Arrows of Iron – Sam Sykes
6. Read a book you meant to read for last year’s challenge – Have We Met? – Camille Baker
7. Read a book with a basic shape on the cover (examples: circle, square, heart, star, diamond) – Call It What You Want – Brigid Kemmerer
8. Read a book you got from Project Gutenberg, a library, or another nonprofit source – The Blue Castle – L.M. Montgomery
9. Read a book about a hobby you enjoy or want to pick up (fiction or nonfiction) – The Bullet Journal Method – Ryder Carroll
10. Read a book that starts with the first letter of your name – Daughters of the Lake – Wendy Webb
11. Read the next book in a series you haven’t read in a while – The Lost Metal – Brandon Sanderson
12. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England – Brandon Sanderson
Level 2: Casual Reader Club [11/12 complete]
13. Read a book by Mary Faulkner (or one of her aliases)
14. Read a book of short stories or a novella – Ford County: Stories – John Grisham
15. Read a book that involves a lot of traveling – Swan Song – Robert R. McCammon
16. Read a book published in 1998 (25 years ago) – Ship of Magic – Robin Hobb
17. Read a book with a yellow cover – The Likely Resolutions of Oliver Clock – Jane Riley
18. Reread a book you have recommended to someone else – The Imperfect Disciple – Jared C. Wilson
19. Read a book by Dean Koontz – Intensity – Dean Koontz
20. Read a book with a one-word title – Slayer – Kiersten White
21. Read book 1 in a trilogy – The Armored Saint – Myke Cole
22. Read book 2 in a trilogy – A Heart so Fierce and Broken – Brigid Kemmerer
23. Read book 3 in a trilogy – Red Country – Joe Abercrombie
24. Free Space – Pick any book! – Mad Ship – Robin Hobb
Level 3: Dedicated Reader Club [11/12 complete]
25. Read a book that takes place somewhere you’d like to live – Revenge of the Nymph: The Faeries Vol.2 – Ramon Terrell
26. Read a book recommended by whatshouldireadnext.com – The Lion of Senet – Jennifer Fallon
27. Read a book by an author who shares a first or last name with one of your friends – The New York Trilogy – Paul Auster
28. Read a book with a neon-colored cover – Exiles – Ashley and Leslie Saunders
29. Read a book that has under 1,000 reviews or ratings on a website or app – Joshua: Man of Fearless Faith – W. Phillip Keller
30. Read a middle grade book (8-12 age range) – Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
31. Read a book with the word “Time” in the title – The Last Time I Lied – Riley Sager
32. Read a book about a famous criminal(s) – Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde – Jeff Guinn
33. Read a movie novelization book (movie to book, instead of book to movie) – The Phantom Menace: Star Wars: Episode I – Terry Brooks
34. Read a fiction or nonfiction book that motivates you to be a better version of yourself – Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are – Shauna Niequist
35. Read a self-published book – Duel of Fire – Jordan Rivet
36. Free Space – Pick any book! – Yumi and the Nightmare Painter – Brandon Sanderson
Level 4: Speed Reader Club [11/12 complete]
37. Read a book that is over 600 pages – The Stone of Farewell – Tad Williams
38. Read a book from ListChallenge’s Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge – The Art of War – Sun Tzu
39. A book by an author named David/Dave – Pawn of Prophecy – David Eddings
40. Read a “Dark Academia” novel – The Secret History – Donna Tartt
41. Read a book with a title that starts with the letter V – Vanishing Acts – Jodi Picoult
42. A book set in Asia or an Asian-inspired culture
43. Read a book with a cat on the cover – The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern – Lilian Jackson Braun
44. Read a folklore book or book based on folklore – American Gods – Neil Gaiman
45. Read a book where the main character is a dancer – Someone Else’s Life – Lyn Liao Butler
46. Read a book by a new author – Dead Man’s Hand – James J. Butcher
47. Read a book that involves a conspiracy – The Rescue – Steven Konkoly
48. Free Space – Pick any book! – The Sunlit Man – Brandon Sanderson
Level 5: Overachiever Club [10/12 complete]
49. Read one of the New York Public Library’s Best Books of 2022 (any category) – Ordinary Monsters – J.M. Miro
50. Read a book where the main character is a villain or anti-hero
51. Read a book that has a title that is punny and/or alliterative – Murder’s No Votive Confidence – Christin Brecher
52. Read a “found family” story – The House in the Cerulean Sea – T.J. Klune
53. Read a book that has a letter Q in the title – The Queens of Innis Lear – Tessa Gratton
54. Read a book that has an illustrated cover – Naomi and Her Daughters – Walter Wangerin, Jr.
55. Read a book that takes place in at least two different decades – The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
56. Read a book about an entrepreneur (real or fictional) – Family Money – Chad Zunker
57. Read a book that takes place in Alaska – Northern Lights – Nora Roberts
58. Read a book with the word “Justice” in the title – The Justice of Kings – Richard Swan
59. Read a book involving dinosaurs – The Dinosaur Lords – Victor Milan
60. Free Space – Pick any book!
The Logophile 