Weekly Reading Round-Up

There’s something about the week between Christmas and the New Year, when the world goes calm and still, that invites curling up with a blanket, a steaming cup of something caffeinated, and a pile of books. There are so many books I associate with this particular week of the year, although the one that leaps to mind first is Dorothy Sayers’s The Nine Tailors.

This week, I continued my Jenny Colgan binge with Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe . (These books are perfect for being up at two a.m. with baby. They almost make me not mind being awake. Almost.)

I took a break from books about baked goods with Hercule Poirot’s Christmas. Is it horrible to admit that I like Agatha Christie better on the screen than on the page? Her writing is very spare and very cinematic, with quick breaks between viewpoints. I love her stories for the story of them, but when it comes to style, I much prefer Dorothy Sayers.

After my little excursion into crime, I returned to my Colgan marathon with Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe (self-explanatory). This one has the added bonus of being partly set in my own New York, and being very recognizably my own New York (which isn’t always the case in books).

Now, with the new year approaching, it’s just about time for me to really knuckle down on my new book. Which means finding a series to read while I work. I’m thinking of giving the Dresden Files a go. Any thoughts?

What have you been reading this week? And are there any books you particularly associate with this time of year?

13 Comments

  1. Tara on December 29, 2017 at 9:05 am

    Usually, I’ve asked for one nonfiction book among the many fiction books I’ve received, and I find myself wanting to increase my knowledge at this end of year time.

    This year, I’m reading Helena Frith Powell’s More,More France Please. It’s about her relocation from England to France and all the wonderful things she learns and encounters in her new home.

  2. Karen on December 29, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    I am reading “Sisi: Empress on her Own” by Allison Pataki. I loved the first book and have gr at hopes for this second book.

  3. Diane on December 29, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    Thanks to you, Lauren, I’m reading “No Mistress of Mine”. I haven’t read a good old-fashioned regency romance in FOREVER! I’m also listening to Eleanor Oliphan is Completely Fine when I am in the car, and my heart is breaking for Eleanor at the moment. I am hoping her situation is fixed in the next CD, or I’m going to be quite angry. And finally, my man and I are reading “Endurance: Shackelton’s Incredible Voyage” out loud together. We have completely different tastes in books—as in he would never choose a romance or chick-lit, but he does enjoy history and biography. He chose this one for me as a Christmas gift and while it wouldn’t normally be my cup of tea, I’m enjoying the story (all crazy people, imho. The Antarctic in 1915? Really? No thank you.) but am loving the experience of sharing with him.

  4. Sheila on December 29, 2017 at 3:57 pm

    Eleanor Oliphant is probably my favorite of the year.
    Recent reads:Someone to wed, Mary Balogh and Carla Kelly’s Mrs Drew plays her Hand…both top-notch.
    Rosen’s Nine Women, One Dress, which was delightful, Debbie Macomber’s If Not For You, a few I can’t remember, and one dud, Colleen McCullough’s Pride and Prejudice sequel, The Indepence of Miss Mary Bennet.

  5. Pat Dupuy on December 29, 2017 at 4:18 pm

    Dresden Files are fun. So is Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series. I just finished Catherine Lloyd’s Death Comes to the School. Currently in Dandy Gilver and a Most Misleading Habit.

  6. DJL on December 29, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    This week finished Roomies by Christina Lauren which was light & fun. This time of year always makes me go into “historical” mode, usually Victorian but sometimes Jacobean (By Order of the Company, aka To Have and to Hold by Mary Johnston is one I often return to at New Year’s, not quite sure why!).
    For series recs, the Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley are fun, oh-so-British and unique for the age of the sleuth (I think she’s 11 years old at the start?).
    Happy New Year!

  7. Liz on December 29, 2017 at 5:08 pm

    Every couple of years in late December, I start a re-read of The Lord of the Rings trilogy (although I’m lucky to get past Book 1). I think I associate this time of year with the series solely due to the films coming out in December years ago. I’m about 40% of the way through Fellowship of the Ring right now, and this is the perfect day for diving back into it.

    I finished The Essence of Malice (#4 in Ashley Weaver’s Amory Ames series) last night, and am just starting on The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden today.

  8. Miss Eliza on December 29, 2017 at 8:02 pm

    YAS to Dresden Files! Also, it will make you want to visit Chicago all the more! I spent the week reading Envious Casca, a nice Heyer holiday killer cozy. Also I will ALWAYS second anyone who recommends Flavia de Luce!

    • DJL on January 2, 2018 at 1:32 pm

      Envious Casca is such fun!

  9. Kelly Hutchison on December 30, 2017 at 9:57 am

    This week I am reading Fannie Flagg – The All Girl’s Filling Station. This is my first Fannie Flagg novel and I adore her sense of humor. Also, I began to read Susan Isaccs’ As Husbands Go (narrator is funny) and The Swan Thieves – which the author’s writing style is haunting- so a page here, a page there. I have Little Beach Street Bakery sitting right beside me as I was lucky enough to discover Jenny Colgan last week. I love reading everyone ‘s suggestions! Happy New Year!

  10. Carla on December 31, 2017 at 6:48 pm

    I just re read The Flower Master, part of the series by sujata Massey, modern misteries in Japan

  11. Lori on December 31, 2017 at 9:36 pm

    Eleanor Oliphant… may be my favorite this year. Just completed Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie and Twelve Days of Christmas by Tricia Ashley- looking for my next book!

  12. Lissa on January 5, 2018 at 12:59 am

    Dresden files is very good. The museum one is my favorite. If you like fantasy, you might like Steven Brust’s Vlad Taltos series. Very sarcastic but fun and many well written characters. I haven’t made it through the whole series, but you should definitely read through Dzur, the book takes place over a multi course meal with detailed description of the food.

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