December 2019 Books

Dead Man's Folly ¹ by Agatha Christie - I keep trying to like Agatha Christie's novels since I really love the TV series Poirot but I really don't like them. Aside from And Then There Were None and Orient Express, I really only liked listening to David Suchet. Oh well. Time to move on to another author.

* Betrayed by Arnette Lamb - This was one of the many historical romance paperbacks that Godmommy Gina gave me in November and it was pretty good. The first in a series so more on those in the next few months.
♥ Holidays on Ice ¹ by David Sedaris - To be totes honest, I really only like the first part of this book where David Sedaris recounts his time as an elf at Santaland in Macy's. I cracked up last year and it was no different this year. Too freakin' funny.

♥ Home Work ¹ by Julie Andrews - I was on a roll with reading Home in November and absolutely adored this follow up. I loved learning about Ms. Andrews' life with Blake Edwards and her kids and loved having her tell it all to me. One of the best audiobooks, full stop.

♥ Kisses, She Wrote by Katharine Ashe - I read this novella last year at Christmas and it was so cute I had to read it again and keep the holiday spirit rolling.
* The Sisters ¹ by Dervla McTiernan - This was a free short-ish story from Audible. I like that it was set in Dublin. I may not get back there until the Autumn of 2020 (if I'm lucky) and it was something to keep my daydreams alive. Brief summary on Audible stated: Two sisters climbing the ranks of Dublin’s criminal justice system. A murder case that could change their lives forever. It was good story but it felt cut off at the end. Could have used a few more chapters to wrap everything up, but I would absolutely seek out the author's other work. I should note that the cover photo on the audiobook is complete and total fabrication. The Ha'Penny bridge appears as the bridge in the background, which means that the bridge in the foreground would be the O'Connell Bridge and that is not what the bridge looks like. In reality, the trees on the south side of the Liffey River are sparse, not a freakin' forest like the cover would lead you to believe. Also, just past the trees on the left side you'll see a tall building and the dome of the Custom House. Um, that's on the opposite side of the bridge, on the north side of the river. I mean, how hard is it to take an actual photo of the correct view of this major city and get it right. Just a hot mess of a cover.

The Viscount's Tempting Minx - A light romance read for the holiday. Not super fabulous but still fun

* All My Life ¹ by Susan Lucci - Fr. Michael was besotted by Susan Lucci and so every time I see her face I think of his love for her. I don't really know anything about her and so I gave this one a chance. It was excellent and Ms. Lucci seems like a genuinely sweet person. Even though there was loads of praise for nearly every person she ever met, I really loved her style and class. Definitely a cool lady.

¹ - audiobook
² - abridged version
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.