December AlphaKIT: T and E

December AlphaKIT letters are :

and

Please remember to update the wiki here: http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/2016_Unofficial_AlphaKIT#December

Thanks for participating in AlphaKIT for 2016! We'll be back for 2017.

I still need to look closer for a T, but for E, I'll read:
Dead Wake / Erik Larson

... as it will also fit both DeweyCAT and GeoCAT.

I am planning on reading An Irish Country Wedding by Patrick Taylor and Eye of the Red Tsar by Sam Eastland.

I haven't been very good at following up on any planning lately, but at the moment hoping to read:
Brat Farrar - Josephine Tey
The Thousand Names - Django Wexler

A few options that I'm considering for December:

American Creation by Joseph Ellis
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden

I'm still working on reading a book for November! :D

Thanks for all you do, @majkia.

I'm going to be reading Native Believer by Ali Eteraz for my 'E' book, but I'm still debating on the T book, so we'll see what happens. It may end up being 12.21 by Dustin Thomason, which I've been wanting to read.

I've a ROOT book that needs to come off my shelves, A Tangled Web by L.M. Montgomery. It'll do.

My online bookclub is going to be reading a book by Marilyn Todd in December. Lots of E's as possibilities.

I got skunked for November, the first time I think that's happened to me with AlphaKIT. :(

I am determined to not let that happen again this month!

>10 fuzzi: Oh no! Good luck in December!

>11 LibraryCin: thanks! I am going to make it happen in December..."Y" was a tough one to match for me.

I am still finishing up some November books, but plan to read The Expedition of Humphrey Clinker by Tobias Smollett for this so I will get my E and T in a single book :)

>12 fuzzi: Do you usually manage to finish X? X is always the toughest one for me (even with an entire year!)

>14 LibraryCin: I am not sure...I think I forget it.

You know what would be "neat"? Make a list of all the books you've read for AlphaKIT, A to Z.

I might try that on my journal thread...

>14 LibraryCin: I read X: A Novel which is a nonfiction novel about Malcolm X's journey to become "Malcolm X" written by his daughter. It isn't the type of book I would normally read but I found it quite well done.

>15 fuzzi: I like your idea of an A-to-Z list!

I just finished The Ice Carriers by Anna Enquist. It was simply wonderful. Full review written.

Just finished Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin

>15 fuzzi: Oh, that A-Z list would be cool!

>16 leslie.98: Ah, that sounds interesting. I usually limit myself (and that one would work) to the first letter of the title (ignoring The, A, An) or the first or last letter of the author's name, but next year, I think I might open it up to the first letter of any work in the title, as well. Because I tend to work off my tbr, that's where X is tricky and it still may be tricky, but I'll maybe give that a try next year and see if I can manage it!

I got my first AlphaKIT of December completed, Moon of Three Rings. I liked it enough to look for book #2...

#2 book, At the Water's Edge by Sarah Gruen.

Starting I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd

COMPLETED I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd. Starting the same author's Virgin Territory.

COMPLETED Virgin Territory by Marilyn Todd.

Starting the next in the series, which gives me a double score:

"Man Eater" by Marilyn Todd.

Finished The Eagle Tree, a book about an autistic boy fascinated by trees.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania / Erik Larson
4.5 stars

The Lusitania was a large passenger vessel, travelling from New York to England in 1915, during World War I. At the time, German submarines were patrolling and sinking ships, neutral, passenger, or otherwise, in British waters. Woodrow Wilson was president of the United States and had just lost his wife The British had a room (Room 40) where they decoded German messages. This book follows all those different threads as it leads up to a disaster…

I hadn’t heard of the Lusitania until I started seeing reviews of this book. I found this story fascinating! There were a few parts that weren’t as interesting, but for the most part, I was engaged in the story. Of course, most interesting to me was the Lusitania herself, the passengers and the captain. I was a bit surprised to find even the submarine’s story held my interest, as well, though. Wilson and Room 40’s parts in the book were a little less, but did come into play for various reasons.

Finished Legacy of the Dead, 4th in the Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd. The series just keeps getting better.

Just finished The Good Thief's Guide to Paris by Chris Ewan. It might be unrealistic but as usual Charlie Howard, professional burglar and author of mystery novels, is a lot of fun.

Finished The Twelve Clues of Christmas which I enjoyed.

COMPLETED Man Eater and Wolf Whistle, both by Marilyn Todd.

Starting the same author's Jail Bait.

Finished Eye of Cat by Roger Zelazny.

I finished The Three Hostages, the 4th book in the Richard Hannay series.

My "T" read for the month was An Irish Country Wedding by Patrick Taylor.

The Three Snow Bears / Jan Brett
3.5 stars

This is an Inuit retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, but in this case, it’s a little Inuit girl, Aloo-ki, who is looking for her dogs who floated away on a piece of ice and she stumbles upon the igloo where three snow bears live. She goes inside to investigate, while the bears are out.

3 stars for the story, 4 stars for the artwork. It’s a cute story, but one that’s been told. But, the pictures in the book are amazing. The Inuit setting is a nice change and it makes for beautiful pictures. It reminded me of some graphic novels where there is a border. The pictures in the border were following the dogs and the bears, while the main story with text followed Aloo-ki. I read my first picture book by this author last year and I am reminded of the wonderful pictures with her stories.

I just finished The Gathering by Anne Enright

In Enright's fourth novel, Veronica Hegarty mourns her brother who committed suicide by walking into the sea at Brighton. As Veronica broods she creates portraits of all her family with a reality that is startling although she is the first to admit that her memory may be faulty. Enright does not hold back on earthy metaphors or boorish sex but never sinks to mindless coarseness. Her first-rate writing sparkles with insight and acumen, although not everyone is comfortable with her particular kind of merciless narrative.

Added:

Around the Year by Tasha Tudor

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick

Starting "A Game of Thrones" by George R. R. Martin.

Charlotte's Web / E.B. White
4.5 stars

Wilbur is a pig and was the runt of his litter. When the farmer wants to kill him, his 8-year old daughter, Fern, won’t let him. She insists she’ll raise him. When Wilbur gets older, though, he is sent to Fern’s uncle’s barn, where Fern visits daily. Wilbut makes friends with many of the other animals in the barn, and his closest friend becomes a spider, Charlotte. When the other animals warn that Wilbur won’t be alive come Christmas, Charlotte comes up with a plan to save Wilbur’s life.

I remember reading this and loving it when I was a kid, but I certainly don’t remember specifics. I do remember bawling at the end! I still love this story, and though I didn’t bawl like I did when I was a kid, I did cry. Maybe I’m rating it higher because of my memories of the book, as well, so the extra half star may be for that, but that’s ok. Part of it could also just be my love of animals, and I love how they are portrayed in the book. I believe I read the original edition of the book (and I’m sure it was the same edition I read when I was a kid), and the illustrations are very nice.

I loved Charlotte's Web, and Garth Williams' line illustrations are superb. My favorite character was Templeton, lol.

I finished The Pucelle Connection by Estelle Ryan. Not my favorite of the series but still pretty good.

I read Christmas at Thompson Hall and other Christmas Stories by Anthony Trollope.

Five delightful short stories centering around Christmas time. No politics, just the usual Trollope relationship/romance/misunderstood issues. One story was quite different: "The Two Generals", which was written in 1863 and is set in Civil War Kentucky. Two brothers end up becoming generals on opposing sides of the war. Not only is the material very different for Trollope, the language seemed different too.

>39 fuzzi: Aw, Wilbur was my favourite!

I read Dragons of Crumbling Castle by Terry Pratchett which I guess will fit.

COMPLETED Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

I finished At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen. That for E, I'm afraid I didn't get a T this month.

Finished The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe which will work for E and T.

Finished The Farm on the River of Emeralds by Moritz Thomsen, and what a fascinating read it was. Full review written, and I'm adding it to the Wiki now...

And... I finished Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor; there's a full review written, but this one I wouldn't recommend. Nevertheless, I'm adding it to the Wiki now...