January TIOLI: Christmas Presents

What books are you reading that you received for Christmas? Either this Christmas or ones past, and who gave the book to you?

If I have time, I will be reading In a Summer Season and Rounding the Horn, both given to me by Peggy (LizzieD) and Supreme Courtship, given to me by Linda Panzo. I received all of the books for the Christmas just past.

I'm currently reading Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler. I will also be reading Super Sad True Love Story within the next week or two. Both are gifts from my dad this year and he chose these books after he heard glowing review on a radio program. I'm also currently reading La Belle au Bois Dormant by Tahar Ben Jelloun, an adaptation of the tale of Sleeping Beauty in a Middle Eastern context, which I received from my mom when I went to visit her in France for Christmas 2004. This book is beautifully illustrated and takes no time at all to read, but I want to extend the pleasure, so just reading a few pages at a time.

I just finished Christmas with Tucker a gift from my M-I-L and will read the next one A Dog Named Christmas very soon, which I bought to go along with it, with a gift card from my B-I-L. Hurray for book related gifts!

I just started Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson this morning. It was a gift from my brother this Christmas... he always gets me good ones!

#4: I read that one a couple years back and enjoyed it. I hope you like it!

I'm reading a short story collection, Dancing with Mr. Darcy, compiled by Sarah Waters from entries in a Jane Austen short story contest. It was a gift from friends. I'll probably read a story a day along with the other books I'm reading. With 20 stories in the collection, I should have time to finish it by the end of the month.

I'm not sure which book I'll be reading for this one. I received Great House and The Distant Hours from my parents, and I'm still waiting to see what I get from my Santathing, so it will likely be one of those.

Here my review for Barney's Version, my first book for 2011. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue for about the first quarter of it but persevering proved very satisfying.

I've started to read When the Devil Holds the Candle by Karin Fossum which I received this Christmas.

I got the 13th installment in the Wheel of Time series for Christmas, and I considered using it for this challenge, but it's so long, I might not finish it by the end of the month! LOL Instead, I'm going with The Hunger Games, thoughtfully chosen for me this year by my 8-year-old son.

You're in for a treat, bunkie68 .. that's a great book your son gave you.

I got Little Bee, Up from the Blue and The Penderwicks on Gardam Street for Christmas. Not sure which one to read first- any recommendations?

I read Little Bee when I got it from Early Reviewers and quite enjoyed it.

I don't know if Stasia would mind me directing your to the 'colour' challenge (#14) with your 2nd book... ;-)
(would you, Stasia?)

I've been out of town so I just discovered another Christmas present -- a gift card to a bookstore -- when my accumulated mail was delivered today! A perfect gift!

Wow, I finished this TIOLI by accident also! I read The Ultimate Gift given to me by my husband's cousin.

#2: The only one of those I have read, Colleen, is The Penderwicks on Gardam Street, which I enjoyed. Sorry I cannot be more helpful.

#13: Nope, I have no problem with that.

My husband gave me As Always, Julia for Christmas and so far it's good. It's the letters between Julia Child and Avis De Voto, who answered a letter about a knife, became good friends and ended up getting Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking published. Email is just not the same!

I'm in . . . I received a hard copy of The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker, but actually, every time I open my new IPad :^) to read one of the hundreds of titles there, I'll be reading a book I got for Christmas.

>11 cameling: - it was a great book! I've got to get the other two in the series now.

A friend gave me a belated Christmas present yesterday (Fran Ross' 1974 novel Oreo), so I think I'll start reading that! I hadn't heard of it before, but it's apparently "an uproariously funny novel about relations between African Americans and Jews."

#20: Cool beans, Krys! I am glad you will have the opportunity to join in!

I finished one of my Christmas books during the Readathon on the 3rd, Rounding the Horn, and am well into the second one, In a Summer Season, which is excellent thus far.

Am halfway through Super Sad True Love Story. A very unusual novel, to be sure!

My daughter bothered to ask me what I would like for Christmas and I asked for (and received) Cleopatra: A Life which I will be starting forewith.

I finished the second of my Christmas reads in the wee hours this morning, In a Summer Season.

Well, I couldn't decide what impression it had left on me exactly, but I took time to think about it and just posted my review here for the novel Super Sad True Love Story.

I will be reading Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten. My fiance got it for me this Christmas and I just started it today. I hope it is as good as it sounds. Has anybody read this book before? What did you think?

It's on my TBR pile, though I didn't get it as a gift. I need to read it soon. I'll let you know my impressions when I do.

26: I read it and liked it to the tune of four stars.

My review of Saving Max

Edited to remove review clutter from a thread I don't own!

Reading Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn. It was my SantaThing present... from 2009. Heh.

I'm still going on the two books I got for Christmas. I'm about one-fourth through Dorothy Seymour Mills' book Chasing Baseball. I find that I tend to read this book in fits and starts, just a few pages at a time. The discussion of each mini-topic is fairly short so this works well.

For instance, this morning, I read about baseball stadium tours (which I've done).

I pulled out the other Christmas book and meant to start it but haven't done so as of yet. It's getting great reviews and plenty of people are reading it now so I'll probably get to it this month. Susan Hill's Howard's End Is on the Landing: A Year of Reading from Home.

Last night I finished a collection of short stories I received from friends this past Christmas: Dancing with Mr. Darcy, compiled by Sarah Waters. All of the stories were entered in a Jane Austen short story competition. Although short stories aren't my favorite genre, I was sorry when I ran out of stories in this collection. With a variety of styles and settings (some in Jane Austen's era, some contemporary), there ought to be something to please almost every Jane Austen fan.