What I read in December..

Despite having "Reader's block"...I still managed to read about 110 books in 2013...Granted, some were on CD in the car and a great number were "young adult" books...but comparable with 2012, when I read 121...I'm not going to go look up earlier years though, because I think I broke my little toe and I'm sitting in the kitchen with my foot elevated.  Grr.

Here's the December list and commentary:
1. Catching Fire-After we saw the movie I wanted to fill in some "blanks", so I read it (again...maybe the 4th time?).  Still a great read, entertaining, engaging, etc, etc etc...
2.  Five Days in November  Written by Jackie Kennedy's secret service agent.  Interesting book, includes lots of pictures and family stories.  It was more of a memoir than an analysis of the shooting--not very long, but interesting.
3. Maria Von Trapp: Beyond the Sound of Music  We watched the Carrie Underwood version of the sound of music and started talking about the real Von Trapps--I think this book was actually a biography for children, but it did fill in the gaps about the real story.  Quick and easy read.
4.  Mockingjay  I wasn't going to read it, because the 2nd half of it isn't my favorite of the series...but then I re-read the last chapter....and then I re-read the beginning...and then I just read it again.
5.  Sleepwalk with Me  Hilarious book...a bit vulgar in places, but still very funny.  Written by Mike Birbiglia, who has a sleep disorder that causes him to act out his dreams (really).  He also covers his childhood and anything else that he thought would be funny.
6. Trojan Gold  Ah, here begins my mindless descent into Elizabeth Peter's world(s).  This is the 4th book in the Vicky Bliss series--one of my favorites, since Vicky searches all around Germany for a treasure and blames the Russians for hiding it (this was written before the USSR folded...).  It is based on a real lost treasure, which did turn up in a Russian museum in the early 90's...and it features a cameo by some Krampus like creatures.  If you google it, instead of using the link...beware, apparently there is also a Harlequin-like novel by the same name...the cover was a doosie...
7.  The Laughter of Dead Kings  The 6th (and last) Vicky Bliss novel--tried to tie the Vicky and Amelia novel series together.  Vicky, of course, solves another mystery and might actually live happily ever after this time since the author passed away last August and I haven't heard of any "unfinished manuscripts" involving Vicky...the book's happy ending might "stick" this time.
8.  Tomb of the Golden Bird The last of the Amelia Peabody books, chronologically.  The author wrote A River in the Sky after she wrote Bird, but it is set earlier.  This book (I think) was designed to be the end to the series, as it also seems to leave the main characters living happily ever after.
9.  So then I decided that I should start at the beginning of the Amelia series... so, Crocodile on the Sandbank it was...This book starts with a young woman in the 1880's who has a small inheritance, travels to Egypt and solves mysteries...Most people either love the series or hate it...if you love it, you'll enjoy the rest of the series...and if you're nice and promise to return them, I might even loan you my copies (might...).  I did start The Curse of the Pharaohs,(book 2) but I don't think I'll finish it by midnight..so it will go on January's list :)
10, 11, 12, 13....The 39 Clues, books 6 ,7, 8, and 9  We are continuing to listen to these in the car...the good news/bad news is that there are two more series after this...Amy and Dan, the heroes of our story, haven't found all the clues yet, but are almost there!  Or not...since there appear to be 2 more books in this series, then 6 in the next and apparently 4 written in the 3rd series.  Hmmm.
14.  Then, as mentioned in my Jan 1 blog, I finished the Daily Bible.  So I don't know if that counts as one book or a bunch or if it counts, since it took a year...but anyway, I finished it...

So on to 2014 books....Happy New Year (again)!