I am updating my monthly reading list to READING, WATCHING AND LISTENING. I will be sharing this year not just what I’m reading/listening to but also any shows I’m watching. Listening will also include any podcasts that I’m enjoying.
This is my December list.
READING
For obvious reasons, I didn’t do a ton of reading in December. I’m going to make reading a priority in January & really every month. I have a ton of books on my want to read list and I continue to add more!
The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain
SYNOPSIS: Maya and Rebecca Ward are both accomplished physicians, but that’s where the sisters’ similarities end. As teens, they witnessed their parents’ murder, but it was Rebecca who saved Maya from becoming another victim.
The tragedy left Maya cautious and timid, settling for a sedate medical practice with her husband, Adam, while Rebecca became the risk taker. After a devastating hurricane, Rebecca and Adam urge Maya to join the relief effort. To please Adam, Maya agrees. She loses herself in the care and transport of victims, but when her helicopter crashes into raging floodwaters, there appear to be no survivors.
Forced to accept Maya’s gone, Rebecca and Adam turn to one another—first for comfort, then in passion—unaware that miles from civilization, Maya is hurt and trapped with strangers she’s not sure she can trust. Away from the sister who has always been there to save her, Maya must find the courage to save herself—unaware that the life she knew has changed forever.
This is an older book by this author (2011) and I have to say that I didn’t really enjoy it. It wasn’t bad but the story felt a bit too outlandish. I don’t necessarily look for a book to be realistic but I prefer a story to flow a bit better. I can’t give too much information as it will give too much away but I will say that you can safely skip this title.
The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abi Waxman
SYNOPSIS: Life is about to blossom for Lili . . .In the three years since her husband died in a car accident, Lili has just about managed to resume her day-to-day life as a single mother and successful illustrator. She can now get her two girls to school, show up to work and watch TV like a pro. But there’s still the small problem of the aching loss she feels inside.
When she’s commissioned to illustrate a series of horticultural books, and signs up to a weekly gardening class, finally her life starts to bloom again.
The class provides Lili with a new network of unexpected friends – friends with their own heartaches and problems – and, maybe, another chance at love . . .
This book was delightfully sweet and funny as well. While there isn’t a ton of mystery as to what’s going to happen, the characters are all interesting and you find yourself rooting for them. The book tackles a tough topic (death of a spouse/father) with compassion and humor. I previously enjoyed The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by this same author.
SYNOPSIS: San Francisco. Summer, 1947. A dame walks into a saloon . . .It’s not every afternoon that an enigmatic, comely blonde named Stilton (like the cheese) walks into the scruffy gin joint where Sammy “Two Toes” Tiffin tends bar. It’s love at first sight, but before Sammy can make his move, an Air Force general named Remy arrives with some urgent business. ’Cause when you need something done, Sammy is the guy to go to; he’s got the connections on the street.
Meanwhile, a suspicious flying object has been spotted up the Pacific coast in Washington State near Mount Rainer, followed by a mysterious plane crash in a distant patch of desert in New Mexico that goes by the name Roswell. But the real weirdness is happening on the streets of the City by the Bay.
When one of Sammy’s schemes goes south and the Cheese mysteriously vanishes, Sammy is forced to contend with his own dark secrets—and more than a few strange goings on—if he wants to find his girl.
I read (listened to) this book for one of my book clubs. It is definitely not a book that I would choose to read on my own. This book is described as a graphic novel and is definitely an acquired taste. The best decision I made was to listen to this book. The folks in my group who read it did not like it very much. The reading was very theatrical and gave the story good flavor and tenor.
The book takes place in San Francisco and it was fun listening to the narrator talk about locations and neighborhoods that I was very familiar with.
Would I recommend it? That depends. I’m in 2 book clubs because I want to be challenged to read what I wouldn’t normally. However, that doesn’t mean that I’ll like everything. So, I didn’t hate this book but I also was not inspired to want to read more by this author. It was good for what it was but not for me.
WATCHING
BIG SKY (ABC)
PREMISE: Private detectives Cassie Dewell and Cody Hoyt join forces with Cody’s estranged wife, ex-cop Jenny Hoyt, to search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. But when they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop a killer before another woman is taken.
This is a limited 10 episode series. Before the winter break, I watched 4 episodes and I am hooked. This show is a thriller but they gave you new information each week which keeps me hooked and interested. The first episode had a completely stunning ending that I did not see coming! I look forward to watching how this plays out. It returns to network television (ABC) on January 26.
THE UNDOING (HBO)
PREMISE: Grace Fraser is a successful psychologist who lives in Manhattan with her husband Jonathan, an oncologist, and their young son Henry, who attends the elite Reardon School. Grace helps some of the other Reardon parents plan an auction event, where she meets an enigmatic woman named Elena. Grace continues to encounter Elena over the next several days: once in a gym bathroom, where a nude Elena approaches her and remarks on her “kindness,” and later at the auction itself, where Grace finds Elena crying in the bathroom and consoles her. As she leaves the event, Elena kisses Grace on the lips in the elevator. The next day, Elena’s body is discovered in her artist’s studio by her young son, also a Reardon student. The police rule the case a murder and question Grace and her friends; Elena’s husband is noted as a potential suspect. Grace attempts to reach Jonathan, who is supposedly at an oncology conference in Cleveland, but finds that he has left his smartphone at their apartment. Unable to trace her husband’s whereabouts, Grace becomes paranoid and experiences visions of the scene of Elena’s murder.
This show generated a lot of buzz in the fall and for good reason. It is one of the few streaming shows that was released traditionally-one episode per week. No bingeing allowed. By the final episodes, folks were on pins and needles wanting to find out who did it. The previous episodes leads the viewer down several paths and definitely does a good job with the “whodunit” suspense. I won’t ruin it but I was not happy with the ending. I think they could have made it much more intriguing.
The show is only 8 hour long episodes so now it’s easy to binge watch!
LISTENING
I did not listen to any podcasts this month. I plan to change that in January. My goal is to resume listening to podcasts that I used to enjoy before I was working from home everyday. I enjoy true crime, financial, politics, pop culture, really anything interesting!
Any books or podcasts on your list? Share in the comments.
