I often don’t post a December round up of what I have read since I am usually planning a post of my favorite reads of the year. Since I posted my reading superlatives earlier in the month, I decided to still keep track of all of the reads and I definitely had an eclectic reading month. This month I read:

• In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvaraez -In this book we family the Mirabal sisters in the Dominican Republic, leading up to 1960. The sisters, Minerva, DeDe, Patria and Mate, all find their ways into the revolution, the underground culture trying to ovethrow a 30+ year dictatorship. The sisters become known as “the butterflies” and their ending is famous across the country. We learn about their childhood dreams, their roving father and strong mother, and the goals they each set out to achieve, while also becoming wives and mothers. This was a beautiful tale that wove history and family love into a story of survival and the power of good over evil.
• Cue The Sun: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum [audiobook] – I saw Laura Tremaine post on Instagram that she was reading this book and it looked interesting. I have loved reality TV for years, from Real World to The Challenge, to my summer viewings of Big Brother, and my past obsession with Real Housewives, I know a lot about the genre. In spite of my history, I learned a lot in this nonfiction, historical accounting of the development of reality tv. All the way back in the 1940’s there was a hidden microphone radio show, paving the way for hidden camera. This chronociles everything from that forward, including many early iterations I had never heard of, as well as many behind-the scenes fact checks that confirm how fake most of what we see is. There is a section on The Apprentice, and how many of the people who worked on the crew of that show regret making Trump look even a little legitimate, as he was a nightmare to work with and a total fake. There are a few key players who created the genre as we know it today and they sound almost as dark as the people (mostly white men in both categories) who have created social media. I really enjoyed this.
• And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps [audiobook] – One of the teachers I work with recommended this middle grades book to me. I loved Starfish by this author and this was a bittersweet, beautiful story! Joe Oak is a young child with a mother who leaves when things get rough, and a grandmother who does the best she can. Joe and his family experience poverty and living unhoused and hiding these secrets from others to accepting help and support. I love Joe and just want to hug him!
• Someone in the Attic by Andrea Mara – I heard about this Irish crime fiction story from Currently Reading and knew I would enjoy it. We meet Julia as she and her ex-husband Gabe, and their kids Isla and Luca, move back to Ireland from San Diego. Julie reconnects with her old friend Eleanor as they are grieving the suddent death of another friend, Anya. As we learn more about the girls in their past and the women in the present, Julia’s house keeps showing up on a scary TikTok trend, making them believe someone is hiding in their attic. This book was creepy, tense and suspensful up until the end. I enjoyed it!
• The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop [audiobook] – I LOVE listening to a celebrity memoir read by the author themselves. I love to hate the “Emily” character in Gilmore Girls, and enjoyed getting to know the actress who made her so powerful. Kelly, born Carol, had a childhood made rough by her parents non-loving marriage and eventually divorce. She fell in love with ballet and became a dance on Broadway. Kelly and a group of dances were brought together for a workshop to tell their stories, and the produce turned their stories into what became A Chorus Line. Kelly’s story is the “At the Ballet” song and she played the original Sheila on Broadway. I never knew this about the actress, and I have personal love of this musical. My grandmother took me to see A Chorus Line in NYC when I was around 10 years old. We took a bus from NJ and the bus broke down halway there. We had to get out, wait on the side of the road for another busy to pick us up, and as a young child I was scared and wanted to go home. My grandmother excitely told me this was “an adventure” (which of course became the family code word for a challenging situation from then on!) and we made to the show and to Tavern on the Green for lunch afterwards. I remember the shock of hearing a song called “Tits and Ass” and being told not to talk about that one in front of my younger brother. I loved that “adventure” and all of the music. After reading this book, I immediately watched the movie version, had some good cries missing my grandmother and loving every song. Back to the memoir, Kelly went from dance to actress and had a great career and a loving marriage. She is brutally honest and a tough broad, and I respect her even more after hearing her story in her words.
• Search by Michelle Huneven – I have heard this book discussed on multiple podcasts. At first, because the topic is a search committee seeking a new minister for a church, I was putoff by the religious focus. However, enough people mentioned that this was less about religion and more about group dynamics so I was willing to try it. I’m so glad I read it because it was fascinating! Our narrator, Dana, is a writer working as a food critic and trying to figure out what her next book will be about when she is asked to join her nondenominational church’s search for a new minister. The group is made up of representatives from different aspects of the church, with someone in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, Dana in her 50’s, and their eldest was in her 80’s. Over the course of 9 months, this group got together regularly, over meals, to determine what their needs were, read applications, do initial virtual interviews, and then invite 4 pre-candidates to meet in person with them. Throughout the process, we know that Dana is secretly hoping to turn this experience into a book, and she shares her copious notes from each meeting, each drink and meal they share, and the characters of the committee members as well as the potential ministers. This was truly a study of how people act in a group, what consensus means, how to disagree respectfully, and how to listen openly. I loved the entire reading experience, and felt Dana’s hope and frustrations through her literary writing.
• Skipping Christmas by John Grisham [audiobook] – I have read and reread this book in December so many times. It is a short, silly book that just brings laughter and delight into what is often a stressful holiday season. While there are elements that haven’t held up well after 23 years, the general premise still cracks me up. Luther Krank convinces his wife that they should “skip Christmas” this year, and save all that money to go on a cruise instead, since their daughter is in Peru with the Peace Corps. Luther and Nora quickly realize how challenging this will be, as their entire town expects 100% participation in everything holiday related. Despite the silly, over the top hijinks, I laugh at the “willpower” it takes to buck the national hysteria around Christmas. The ending always brings in sentimentality and a found family element that is sweet. I don’t know if I need to listen to and/or read this anymore, but I am ready to skip Christmas myself.
• The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon – I have seen Sharon McMahon on Instagram for years. She is known as “America’s Government Teacher”. Because of that, I was intrigued enough to pick up this book. What I appreciated about it was the staggering number of everyday heroes I had never heard of, all of whom did incredible things to make America better in big and small ways. Almost everyone mentioned was Black, in times of our history where Black stories were not told as part of America’s history. Their contributions were not acknowledged, yet their left a legacy on our country. From pioneers to educators to suffragists to Civil Rights activities, the unsung heroes in these stories paved the way for others, often selflessly and to their own personal danger. This is history that we should learn in school!
• As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh – I picked this from Book of the Month one or two years ago and finally picked it up to read it. While it’s classified as a YA novel, I didn’t know that until I finished it. The main character, Salama, is an 18 year old girl living in Syria during the revolution. Due to the state of her country, she doesn’t feel like a teenager at all, as all children had to become adults overnight after surviving neighbhorhood bombings and seeing so much death and destruction. Salama was studying to be a pharmicist when she was forced to serve as a doctor in her local hospital, fighting for her people’s freedom and yet wanting to escape and live safely. We go through her internal and external struggles with her, as she finds found family and fights for her life. This was a sad and yet heartbreakingly beautiful story.
• Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood – This was a fun, fast-paced thriller that had me on the edge of my seat for the last 75 pages. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out how it was all going to wrap up. This style is my favorite for a mystery or thriller – alternating narrators. In this case, we had the narrations of Harry and his wife Zara, in the past. We also have the present day, where a court case is going on. From the beginning, Harry and Zara’s daughter Sophie, is missing. The couple is torn apart from worry and potential grief and the lack of any progress in the case. As their relationships unravels, so does their reason. This was a fascinating look into what a parent will do for their child. It was sad and creepy and propulsive and entertaining.
• Think Twice by Harlan Coben [Myron Bolitar #12] – I love this series, though I haven’t followed closely enough to know if I’ve missed a few along the way. Myron and his insanely wealthy friend Win always manage to get into serious issues, trying to help the “good guys” and saving each other’s life in the process. In this story, Myron is helping is former high school rival, the now ex-husband of his first love, fight a murder charge. We learn that the FBI believes there is a seriel killer who is setting innocent people up with DNA evidence. It’s a wild ride for Myron and Wi to find the connections and to solve the case, barely making it out alive.
• The Bear by Andrew Krivak- this was an impulse purchase at an Indie bookstore this month. It is a gorgeously descriptive story of a father and daughter who happen to be the last two humans on earth. They’re living in the wild, off the Earth, and the father is trying to teach the daughter all he can about survival. It was beautiful and bittersweet.
• Natural Selection by Elin Hilderbrand- this was a fun, free audio story available through Audible. This author is hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this short story, especially because it took place in the Galapagos Islands.

Favorite Books

Fiction: Search and As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow

Nonfiction: Cue The Sun: The Invention of Reality TV and The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement