Books of December

I know.  You're going to read this list of books I read last month and think, "Wow, she's a morbid person.  Does she have a death wish, or what?  Honestly, I'm quite normal.  These were book club choices or random picks.  You might even enjoy them.  Read on.

The Coroner's Lunch is a mystery, a very funny one, set in Laos.  The coroner, Siri, is a spry and charming 70-year-old, whose job has been rather dull until...   You'll have to read it and see.  Grade A.

At the End of Life.  Okay, this really is about death.  It's an anthology of beautiful essays, some of them award winners, about people dealing with friends, relatives, or patients who are dying.  Another A.

 

I spotted this book at the airport and the title intrigued me.  The book, not so much.  The author and his mother, who is dying of pancreatic cancer, talk books.  I didn't find their observations about their readings very profound or even mildly interesting, nor did I ever really feel the emotion someone might feel as their parent is dying.  Somehow I never really felt she was at the end of her life; she was too busy flitting about...to Geneva, to London, etc.  This book got rave reviews, but for me it was pretty much a waste of time.  B-

 

To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my very favorite books.  Every now and then my book group reads a classic and you can't find a better written, more thought-provoking and enjoyable book than this one.  A+

Escape into Danger is a WWII story of a young Russian girl's adventures as she moves through Russia and into Germany and eventually to the United States.  A-

What are you reading?  Have you read any of these and if so, what did you think?  What's on your TBR list for 2013?  Leave a comment.