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Yeah, I decided I'm not going to read When Breath Becomes Air.
As for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,, I read it years ago and loved it.
I just finished Stone Yard Devotional and I found it quirky, but beautiful. Charlotte Wood writes with incredible clarity. The quirkiness comes from the little tableaus she weaves into the plot.
Joined the local library’s new “Thriller” book club. The first book is The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. It was an easy read that kept my attention! Dec 19 it comes to the theaters. Will be interesting to see how the movie deviates from the book.
I read that one, pretty creepy, would make a good movie.
These were my December reads:
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - really good story of an obsessed preacher missionary who brings his wife and daughters to Africa circa 1960, their trials and tribulations, political upheavals, transformation of relationships, etc.
- Evil Eye by Etaf Rum - somewhat similar to her first book, but I liked them both. Story of a woman who is the daughter of Palestinian refugees in the US and the cultural oppression she struggles against.
- Burn by Peter Heller - a really gripping page-turner of a book. I can't say much without spoilers, but I guess you could call it somewhat of a post-apocalyptic novel. I could not put it down!
- Snow in the Kingdom by Ed Webster (NF) - Beautifully illustrated book by a climber who attempted Everest 3 times. Amazing photography!
Honor by Thrity Umrigar - decent read about a US based, but Indian-born woman who returns to India to cover a story about a horrible crime against a woman. There was a predictable romance, but the local color of the story made it enjoyable.
I read 61 books in 2025. My hands-down favorites:
- Such Kindness - Andre Dubus III
- Horse - Geraldine Brooks
I jus finished "Witness at Sand Creek". It's a collection of 25 letter written by Silas Soule collected from his descendants, military archives, etc. I don't know if the Sand Creek Massacre is common knowledge around, but most people here know a bit about it since it happened in eastern Colorado. It's widely considered one of the most atrocious military actions in US history. A politically ambitious colonel lead troops to brutally attack a peaceful Indian village that had moved closer to Fort Lyons under the auspices of protection by the military. Most of the braves were hunting, so the village was only occupied by women, children, and old men, plus a few white traders. The mutilations were unspeakable. 1864.
Captain Soule refused orders to attack and ordered his company to hold fire. He gave testimony to a military inquiry and shorty afterwards was assassinated by a disgruntled trooper. Every year there is a pilgrimage to his grave by whites and Native Americans where they burn sweetgrass and say prayers. I would like to make a pilgrimage this year. Col. Chivington was never punished but lived his remaining days in disgrace. My friend says it's a good place for bird watching, too.
It's a recent book by a local author and I bought it before any of the current issues around not following illegal orders. There are remote similarities. It was one of those what would you do thought problems. You're some sort of weapons operator. Two men are clinging to a disabled boat and they are quite likely poor fishermen getting paid a lot by the cartel to smuggle drugs, but hardly narco terrorists. Or some low level operative. You are aware of the legalities from training. The order comes through, kill them. It just made me think more.
The massacre site is a National Monument. I've half way though Trump might try to cancel culture it as part of our shared history.
I only recently learned of Sand Creek so will look into that book since I like history.
I am making my way through How Not to Invest which is enlightening as it focuses on human nature and behavior. Can be applied to all things but in this case, investing. Basically, we're stupid which I kind of suspected:)
I finally finished Tom Lake by Ann Patchett and surprise, surprise, it really delivered! Originally, I had taken my SIL's recommendation to read it based on the fact that a core theme is the play Our Town. I was in it in high school, and it was a very meaningful, formative experience (hence my autosignature). But for some reason, the first couple of chapters didn’t hook me. Maybe I was just too busy at the time.
Then I used an Audible credit for the audio version, and while I was super impressed that Meryl Streep was the narrator, it was almost distracting. Sometimes you want to imagine the voices of the characters in your own head.
Also, I have a habit of listening to audiobooks when I go to bed—which means I fall asleep and then I don’t remember the last thing I heard when I was conscious, so it’s hard to keep the flow going. Anyway, in spite of all those barriers, a couple of nights ago, I FINALLY finished the audio book.
I LOVED that book. It was a perfect book for me on so many levels. I really connected with it. The Our Town focus, the sense of place that the juxtaposed plot lines with her past and present provide, the respect for nature and rural life, the narrator's foray as a seamstress in NYC theatres, the love affair with the “worldly” bad boy… I’m tempted to buy the book now and actually read it. That book was written for me.
That was my first experience with Tom Lake too, Catherine. Returned unfinished. Maybe someday I'll give it a shot audibly.
Ben Nighthorse Campbell just died. He was our state senator and representative and was the one who had the site designated as A National Historic Site, I think in the '90's. So it's been in the news. I went past a flag at half mast today and had to think why, as it seems like it's alway a half mast anymore. I'm sure it was for Campbell.Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkytoe