December Books

The Almost Nearly Perfect People: Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia by Michael Booth -- I had too many scattery notes so I posted them already

Jesus Freak: Feeding -- Healing -- Raising the Dead by Sara Miles -- a lovely book. I was touched by many things she wrote though I disagreed with a few things. Still, stuff like this makes me smile:

"Sure, it's impossible to feed five thousand people, make a deaf man hear, bring a dead girl to life, as long as you obey human rules.  So do it God's way instead, Jesus teaches. Say yes.  Jump right in. Come and see.  Embrace the wrong people. Don't idolize religion. Have mercy. Jesus' tips cast a light forward, steering us through the dark."  (pg. 3)

Beyond the Blue by Leslie Gould -- a story about international adoption and a family in Vietnam and another family in Oregon

Little Pretty Things by Lori Rader-Day -- I saw this in the new books section and thought I'd give it a try even though I wasn't familiar with the author.  I rather liked it.  It's a story about Juliet, ten years after her high-school graduation, still in the same small town, working at a one-star motel, and her former best friend showing up at her workplace - and finding Maddy hanged the next morning right there on the hotel railing.  It's a mystery to be solved. 

Prints Charming by Rebeca Seitz -- a light-reading book about friendship, scrapbooking, and finding true love just across the breezeway

A Night to Remember by Walter Lord -- not a light-reading book; an account of the night the Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk

How Sweet the Sound by Amy Sorrells -- a "coming-of-age tale, inspired by the story of Tamar," this book tells about life mostly from 13 year old Anniston's point of view.  It discusses family secrets and how they haunt people. 

Death of a Dunwoody Matron by Patricia Sprinkle -- "a Southern mystery" which I really liked for the most part.  I like the main character's sense of humor, and this story about who killed off doll-like Yvonne - and why? 

The Black Hour by Lori Rader-Day -- when Amelia Emmet returns to teaching after being shot by a college student, she gets a graduate assistant who is intrigued by her story, who wants to solve the mystery of why this student shot a teacher prior to killing himself. 

The Secret's in the Sauce by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson -- the first in The Potluck Catering Club series. It's not a new series, and I'd previously skipped over it at the library, but I was in the mood for some light reading.  This is the story of six women who start a catering service. Each chapter is written or told by one of the members. It was decent so I got the other two books at the library yesterday. Might as well.

A Taste of Fame by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson -- book two in the series mentioned above; this time the ladies compete in a national reality show: catering for events in New York City

Bake Until Golden by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson  -- the ladies are back home from New York, and when a murder occurs in their town, one of them is the prime suspect

Trouble the Water by Nicole Seitz -- a pretty good book to read while I was sitting on the beach listening to the waves during this super-mild December; partly because the title has "water" in it, and also because it takes place along the coast of South Carolina.  This is the story of Honor and her showing up at the home of Duchess, and how their lives intermingle. It's also the story of Alice reading her baby sister's story through letters as Honor wastes away from an aggressive form of cancer.

Did You Declare the Corpse? by Patricia Sprinkle -- When MacLaren goes on a trip to Scotland to explore her genealogical roots, she got more than she bargained for when two people - one from her group - wind up murdered.  I enjoyed learning a bit about Scotland's history and scenery from this book.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold -- I got this at a book exchange awhile back. It's about a girl who was murdered by a neighbor who lured her into his secret hole in the ground.  All that was ever found of her body was an elbow.  And the story is told by Susie as she watches from her heaven. It's a bit weird.

Hiking Through by Paul Stutzman -- "One man's journey to peace and freedom on the Appalachian Trail" ; I like AT stories quite a lot.  Andrew and I have hiked very small parts of areas mentioned in the book so it's always fun to think of those places when you hear authors mention them.  This book had a lot more God talk than other AT books.  We actually heard of this book from a lady in Damascus, Virginia, back in May when she was greeting thru-hikers with trail magic (e.g. candy bars) as they came into the town.  I got the book off my wishlist for Christmas and finished it quickly so it would be my last finished book of the year!

Happy 2016, folks!