December's Books (and a bit of art too)

Hi everyone. Happy  Sunday. How is the New Year going so far?

I thought I would start this post with another journal page for My Favorite Things challenge at  Art Journal Journey.

One of my favorite things is using quotes on my artwork, and here's a title from an article in an old FLOW magazine. I thought  it works great with this very sophisticated looking lady, like she is some famous actress or other personality telling us something important . 

I  also used a few assorted items that were taking up space on my work table to make this page; another thing I love is when I finally clean off a mess and have a bigger work space.  

Speaking of titles, my page today is a lead in to my December book post.

I liked how it worked writing a monthly book lists last year, so I am going to continue again this year. These are my December 2020 reads and listens.  If you're not interested, that's OK. I know some of you like to read book recommendations, as I do.

I started by listening to this book, Death on the Nile, but then decided I wanted read the actual book. So I dumped the audio version and dug through my shelves to find my ancient copy. I read many many Agatha Christies starting in high school right up into my twenties, and I've kept them all. Some of mine are still buried in some book boxes in my attic,  and some of them are on the book shelf. Luckily this one was on the shelf. I highly enjoyed this story, vaguely remembered who did it, and recommend this one!

Janet Evanovich has been writing these Stephanie Plum novels forever. The new one, #27, came out this year, but I am a year behind and read number 26. I must say for a light and fluffy book, they are fun to read, always make me laugh, and I keep on going back. Stephanie is a bail bondsman in Trenton, New Jersey and  she always has these adventures, like having her car blown up. You would think they would get old, but  they don't. I think it is her wonderful reoccurring characters like her parents, Grandma Mazur, Morelli and the super hot Ranger.  

Marley wasn't the lightest of books, but what a good book this is. Yes, Marley, as in  A Christmas Carol.   Jon Clinch writes in a style close to Dickens, and this story was a joy to listen to/read. It follows the story of how Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge  met, how they came into business together, and their lives.  Maybe by now as it is January this might not be something that interests you, but keep it in mind until December as it is  really worth the read, especially if you are a Dickens fan.

When I finished Marley, I was itching to listen to or read  A Christmas Carol  again. I found this one on Audible, and since I like Patrick Stewart  from Star Trek and X-Men fame (as well as other things), I picked it up. Wow. For me this was better than reading the book, which I have done a few times. Stewart did such a great job bringing the story to life. Listening right after  I finished the Marley novel, I  feel I have a bigger story. Smile. A few years ago I did listen  to another Marley story, Jacob T Marley by William Bennett, which goes into Marley's younger life. I also recommend that book, if not for this year, for next.

Mistletoe and Murder was an Audible freebie.  Set in the early 1920's at an British estate at Christmas, it was a nice little listen that I enjoyed. This is not the first book in the series, and I hadn't read any others, but I was able to follow along without any difficulties.  Since it was a freebie,  if it had been too hard to follow, I wouldn't have been out anything to return it.  If you are looking for something lighter but still well written and full of historical atmosphere, then this is a good choice.

Susan Branch's latest book is a novella about her 9 year old Christmas back in the 1950's. It is full of the nostalgia and all those wonderful things, like her drawings and fabulous quotes, expected from her books. It was a very quick read, not even a full afternoon, but an enjoyable holiday story.

The Sakura Obsession is a book I picked up early in the summer and that got buried in a pile of books on the floor next to my bed. It was time for a more "meaty" read after some fun but lighter books. The author, Naoko Abe,  is  a Japanese journalist who is married and lives in England. The book is a sort of sequel to one she wrote in Japanese about the Sakura, and then she revised and rewrote it in English for a non-Japanese audience.

 I didn't know a whole lot about Japanese history, and not that I am any expert now, but this book does give a nice overview and explains  some things  along the way. This  history is all tied into the Sakura or cherry tree blossoms that we associate with Japan. 

For me this book also tied into a book a read a few summers ago (The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone)  and also things I learned during my trip to Japan in the spring of 2018. 

I didn't know there was so many varieties of cherries, nor did I know how many had gone extinct in Japan, and had it not been for "Cherry" Ingram, a British self trained botanist, they wouldn't be around now.

It is clearly written and very readable. I very much enjoyed it and highly recommend it if you are looking for a non-fiction read about flowers, botany  or Japan.

While reading about the Sakura or cherry blossoms, I listened to this fun mystery.

This is the first Amelia Peabody mystery book which was published in the 1970s. I had read it maybe 30 years ago and have read a few others from this series. It was a good refresher for me, as I haven't read any in this series for many years.  This one starts in the late 1800's and is set in Egypt, as are the bulk of the stories. The author, Elizabeth Peters (pseudonym for Barbara Mertz) actually had a PhD in Egyptology ( she passed away a few years back), so the book has some nice factual background. I love that Amelia Peabody is such a strong willed lady. I did enjoy this book and hope to relisten to or reread some other Amelia Peabody mysteries.

It was a good book month for me. Did you read anything worth recommending?

Thanks for visiting.