This month was a pretty average month for me. 8 books. A total of 2,572 pages. An average of 86 pages a day. But most importantly, this is also the end of 2022. So it’s time for the yearly breakdown. A total of 100 books read. A total of 33,835 pages. An average of 93 per day. And the favorite book of the favorite books is……The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (October’s book). But let’s get into this month’s readings, shall we?
Circe by Madeline Miller (385 pages). I have always LOVED mythology. But the character of Circe had a small role in it. Until this book. I’d call it mythological fiction. Circe was the daughter of a Titan, the god Helios, and a nymph. Sadly, she had none of her father’s power nor her mother’s allure. What she did have was a fascination for mortals and a flair for witchcraft. After turning a mortal into a minor deity and a fellow nymph into a monster, Zeus banishes her to the island of Aiaia. There, she hones her craft and crosses paths with the greatest figures in Greek mythology- Hermes, Athena, the Minotaur, Medea, Daedalus and Icarus, and Odysseus (with whom she has a son). Despite many centuries alone, Circe never changes in her devotion to her witchcraft and to her humanity. I loved, loved, LOVED this book. From start to finish, it was practically perfect! I finished in 5 days.
The Vanished Bride by Bella Ellis (290 pages). The Bronte sisters as detectives? I’m in! When all 3 Bronte sisters find themselves living at home with their father and brother, they spend a great deal of time writing together. However, learning of a young wife and mother who has disappeared in a gruesome scene of apparent murder, the sisters immediately decide to become unofficial detectors (a newfangled idea at the time). As more clues turn up, the sisters find themselves caught up in a mystery of epic proportions. The conclusion to the mystery was perfect! I finished in 5 days.
The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy (292 pages). One of our dearest family friends from Cape Cod is Peter Walter. We met Peter through his brother Lamar (a former colleague of my father’s) and he is part of our Falmouth vacation every year. Peter is truly one of the most extraordinary men I’ve met. And Peter spent a day teaching with Pat Conroy on Yamacraw (aka Daufuskie) Island. Conroy took the job in 1969. Yamacraw had electricity but not much else. The school was one small building. And Conroy’s was one of the few white faces on the island and the only white face in the school. The 18 5th through 8th grade students were depressingly undereducated. I mean, depressingly. They did not even know that they lived in America. Or that the Atlantic Ocean lapped at the shores of their home. The school system had failed them. But Conroy didn’t teach by the book- he wanted to open the world off the island up to them. Music, a Halloween spent off the island, a trip to DC, and countless daily lessons made him beloved on the island. But hated by the school board. Shocker. After one year, he was let go. His memories of the island never left him. And one of those children went on to become a bestselling cookbook author. And most of them got of the island. It was a great story. And then, of course, I watched the movie. Not nearly as good as the book. But what movie ever is? I finished in 4 days.
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (432 pages). This was my October Once Upon a Book Club book (I’ve been hoarding them for the end of the year). So gifties on social, per usual. 12 years ago, Olivia McAfee took her young son Asher and escaped her abusive marriage by returning home. Home to a small New Hampshire town where she took over her father’s beekeeping. Asher’s senior year of high school brings Lily Campanello, the new girl, into his life. They fall passionately in love, as only teenagers can. But one day in December changes everything. Lily is dead and Asher is accused of killing her. With her defense attorney brother Jordan at her side, Olivia does everything in her power to prove his innocence. But does Asher have a darker side than she knew? And was Lily actually hiding things herself? Jodi Picoult had gotten a little predictable for a while. This book was not what I expected at all. I finished in 3 days.
The Christmas Witch by Dalea Faulkner (166 pages). This was a special edition Christmas Once Upon a Book Club box. So gifties on social. 13 year old Brigid Baelfyre and her mother Cerri relocated from Scotland to Amberlight Valley after the death of her father. Amberlight Valley is a town tingling with magick. But it’s magick is off balance and Brigid and her frenemy Morgan must find the mythical Amberlight Stone to restore their town. As both of them come into their witchcraft, they begin to learn some of the other secrets of their town. And whether or not they can trust each other. The book was not that great- lots of grammatical errors and one dimensional characters. I finished in 1 day.
Verity by Colleen Hoover (314 pages). Best selling author Verity Crawford was in a horrific car accident, an accident that left her unable to complete her successful series. Her husband Jeremy hires Lowen Ashleigh to complete the series. Lowen heads to the Crawford home in Vermont to look through Verity’s outlines. And finds an autobiography that she assumes Verity never wanted the world to read. Because what Lowen uncovers shows Verity to be a monster. But as Lowen finds herself falling for Jeremy (and Jeremy reciprocating those feelings), she becomes more and more unnerved by the woman she is there to write for. The ending was <chef’s kiss>. So unlike the other Colleen Hoover books I have read. I finished in 3 days.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (364 pages). When Carrie Soto retired from the world of tennis at 31, she was the greatest female tennis player of all time, with a record 20 Grand Slam titles. But 6 years later, she finds herself in the stands of the US Open, watching her record being matched. And Carrie is a winner who will not stand for that. With the help of her coach (who is also her father) and her hitting partner (who is also an ex fling), Carrie stages a comeback to reclaim her record. She has 4 shots to take back her title- the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. But for a woman who has only ever wanted to be a champion, will it ever be enough? And is there life beyond tennis? Loved it! I finished in 5 days.
Improbably Yours by Kerry Anne King (329 pages). This was my New Years book box from Once Upon a Book Club. On Spokane native Blythe’s 30th birthday, she gets a job she doesn’t want, a proposal she doesn’t want, and a present from her long decreased grandmother. The present? Blythe must take Nomi’s ashes to an island they had made up (but one that turns out to be in the San Juan Islands, clear across Washington State), dig up a treasure and bury the ashes. To everyone’s amazement, Blythe heads off on her treasure hunt. She rents out Improbable House and makes friends with islander/treasure hunter Flynn and his niece Savannah. Turns out, Blythe has more of a connection to Improbable House (and the island) than she could have ever imagined. It was a super sweet story about family and being yourself. I finished in 3 days.
This month’s favorite was…..Circe. But Verity and Carrie Soto were tied for a very close second.
