Back to reviews in a few days – but it seems as if I have run out of days. I’m posting this round up post early to make way for my books of the year post tomorrow. The last two books of 2014 will be reviewed in the first week of 2015, which seems rather untidy, but there it is. With Willa Cather reading week and Christmas holidays it has been a good reading month for me. December was a month which saw me finish Anthony Powell’s Dance to the Music of time, which has kept me company each month throughout the year. The final book on the list in fact I have only this morning started to read, however it is a slight book and I will definitely have finished it by midnight tomorrow.
My December list: bringing the total of books for 2014 to 131 – a bit below the last few years I think.
121 The Well of Loneliness (1928) Radclyffe Hall (F)
122 The Troll Garden and selected stories (1905) Willa Cather (F)
123 A Lost Lady (1923) Willa Cather (F)
124 Shadows on the Rock (1931) Willa Cather (F)
125 Hearing secret Harmonies (1975) Anthony Powell (F)
126 Tell it to a Stranger (1947) Elizabeth Berridge (F)
127 Because of the Lockwoods (1949) Dorothy Whipple (F)
128 Mystery in White (1937) J. Jefferson Farjeon (F)
129 Christmas Pudding (1932) Nancy Mitford (F)
130 H is for Hawk (2014) Helen Macdonald (NF)
131 Strangers (1954) Antonia White (F)
My stand out reads for this month; (I could easily list about seven of them, but I’ll narrow it to three).
1. A Lost Lady – Willa Cather – a beautiful novel, probably Cather’s best, it tells of the decline of a beautiful woman seen through the eyes of a young boy, later young man.
2. Tell it to a Stranger – Elizabeth Berridge – short stories by an author I’ve not read before, every sentence seems gloriously written.
3. H is for Hawk – Helen Macdonald, a fantastic non-fiction book a blend of nature writing and biography, one of the best books of the year – and one which kept me sitting up very late to finish, then perversely I wanted there to be more. Review sometime in the next few days, time permitting.
So then 2015 – it will be here before we know it. During 2015 Karen, Liz and I – and possibly one or two others will be reading the entire Forsyte Saga – there are three large volumes, each split into three main books, though some of the individual books have an interlude tagged on to the end. I read the first volume, many years ago – but never got around to getting hold of and reading the next two volumes. Well now I have a matching set, and I am looking forward to getting stuck in. A quick flick through the first volume today makes it look quite dense – fairly small print and each of the individual books over three hundred pages. Still I have a feeling I will love them, and having company along the way is always fun. At the moment I am not making too many reading plans, I want to read more poetry as I talked about recently, and there is the possibility of another Librarything group read – but nothing finalised yet. In the meantime, if you saw the picture I posted of my tbr a few days ago – you’ll know I have plenty to keep me busy.
So what were your highs of December? And what are your plans for next year?
heavenali 
Lovely December books Ali! Looking forward to the Forsytes – having dipped my nose in, I would say they look very readable! 🙂
I think they will be. Plan on starting NYD 🙂
That was a wonderful month, and I hope the months ahead will be as good. I have a few plans going forward, all aimed at reading and re-reading more of the books I have on the shelves.
Those sound like good plans 🙂 I really want to concentrate on my towering tbr but fancy a few re-reads too.
Wishing you an awesome 2015 in books and everything else Ali!! 🙂
Thank you 🙂 and to you.
131 is a great amount of books read. I wish you happy reading in 2015 🙂
Thank you.
I read the first volume (3 books) of the Forsyte Saga long ago and then about 2 years ago. I loved it both times. I continued on long ago and stopped liking them at some point. My reread 2 years ago stopped at the end of Vol 1. I am collecting the others very slowly and have the next 2 books (2/3 of Vol 2). Someday I will start again and see how far I can go. You will love Vol 1 at least, I am sure.
I really hope so 🙂
Keep wondering whether to read H is for Hawk. It’s getting some wonderful reviews. (Fascinated by hawks at the moment after reading that Emily Bronte had a hawk called Hero!)
H is for Hawk is brilliant. Didn’t know that about Emily Bronte how interesting.
I’m keen to join in The Forsyte Saga read along, are there any rough deadlines etc for when we need to read each book/section?
We were talking about this earlier and although there isn’t a hard and fast schedule, broadly speaking we thought one vol (ie 3 novels and interludes) every 4 months. Or you could do one individual book a month for nine months. Does that make sense?
Yes that makes sense. I’m leaning towards the first option, but knowing me I’ll pick it up and change my mind. I’m looking forward to it and reading everyone’s thoughts on it.
Funny, I just read a Margery Sharp book (The Nutmeg Tree) in which the heroine carries around a copy of The Forsyte Saga as a sort of talisman of respectability. I’ve never read it but it made me rather curious to look into it! I’m certainly going to look for H is for Hawk, which sounds fascinating.
Ha 🙂 I love that idea if carrying a book as a talisman of respectability.
It was a delightful book altogether.
Oh so tempted by that group read of Forsythe. I’ve only got as far as book one but loved it.
I would love you to join us. No hard and fast dates to keep to broadly one volume per 4 months. 🙂
Wow – 131! I managed 104, but 12 in December so building up to old levels again. “Americanah” was my stand-out December read and made it into my top 10 of the year!
Yes but you read a lot of non-fiction which I read very little of. Sounds like December was a good month for you.
Weirdly, I read the same amount of non-fiction as last year (give or take) but far less fiction – only 2/3 (ish) of the number I read last year. Still can’t quite work that out!