December Books

Wyrd Sisters (Discworld #6) by Terry Pratchett

This is the second book with Granny Weatherwax, though it’s not necessary to read the first. She has two witch friends. Meanwhile there are ghosts, regicide, a traveling troupe of actors, and a very awkward romance involving one of the witches.

There’s a strong plot here compared to much of Discworld. Overall it’s a parody of Shakespeare, particularly Macbeth and Hamlet. The humor is heavy on puns. It’s a fine addition to the Discworld collection and a fun book that meets all expectations. (My edition has some glaring typos in it.)

* * *

Murder of Crows (The Others #2) by Anne Bishop

“Are there weapons in a bookstore?”
“It’s a store full of books, which are objects that can be thrown as well as read,” Monty replied blandly.
The Crow cocked his head. “I had no idea you humans lived with so much danger.”

This is not the kind of series I usually like. I thought maybe the first one was a fluke, but I enjoyed this one, too. Maybe it’s the lack of love triangle or lack of romance in general. Maybe it’s that the characters are somehow all endearing. Maybe it’s how so much of the dialogue is laced with humor. Maybe there’s enough exploration of culture and anthropology to sucker me in. WHY do I like it?



The story gets kind of dark as more is learned about blood prophets in general. There’s some violence and some rare strong language. Sexual content is discussed in a clinical manner.

* * *

Hunt for Jade Dragon (Michael Vey #4) by Richard Paul Evans

Re-read thoughts:
The first third is a bit slow, with lots of planning and hanging out. The rest is exciting with plenty of action. There are a few things to nitpick, like how a watch would still run after being thoroughly soaked, and no way is Jack walking, swimming, and lifting with eleven broken ribs. I’m also not crazy about the audio narrator, mostly because I have a firm idea of how the characters sound. Still one of my top favorite series.

* * *

Changes (The Dresden Files #12) by Jim Butcher

As the title implies, this is a pivotal book in the Dresden Files. Everything is deadlier, bigger, more serious, more urgent. I really appreciate Butcher letting his inner nerd come out more here with plenty of references to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and other fandoms. So there’s some good humor to counteract the darkness.

MINOR SPOILERS FOR EARLIER BOOKS AHEAD

This is the first Dresden book that isn’t two words. There are changes for all the characters. In the opening scene, Susan Rodriguez shows up at Harry’s door. It turns out that vampirism wasn’t the only “condition” Susan was dealing with back in books 3-5.



Harry’s thoughts quickly follow: I have a child. My child is in danger. I will do anything to protect my child.

Harry appeals to the White Council for help, then the Grey Council,


(oh, different Grey Council)

then more disreputable sources, proving just how far he’ll go for his little girl. Everyone’s on board for the final showdown: Murphy, Susan, Thomas, Molly, even Bob and the fairy godmother.





The stakes are high. Along with big action, there is sacrifice and heartbreak, and the ENDING!



Favorite quotes:
“My laboratory,” I said, experimentally, drawing out each syllable. “Why is it that saying it like that always makes me want to follow it with ‘mwoo-hah-hah-hahhhhh’?”

“You were overexposed to Hammer Films as a child?”
❊
“You know, I believe it is possible to reference something other than Star Wars, boss.”

I narrowed my eyes in Muppetly wisdom. “That is why you fail.”
❊
“Plan B,” I said. “Okay, right. We need a plan B. If we only had a wheelbarrow, that would be something.” 

Susan let out a puff of laughter, and then I turned to her, my eyes alight.

“We have a great big truck,” Susan said.

“Then why didn’t you list that among our assets?” I said, in a bad British accent.
❊
I took a big dose of Tylenol the original, since I didn’t have my Tylenol 3 or its lesser-known, short-lived cousin, Tylenol Two: The Pain Strikes Back.
❊
Thomas barked out a laugh. “There are seven of us against the Red King and his thirteen most powerful nobles, and it’s going well?”

Mouse sneezed.

“Eight,” Thomas corrected himself. He rolled his eyes and said, “And the psycho death faerie makes it nine.”

“It is like movie,” Sanya said, nodding. “Dibs on Legolas.”

“Are you kidding?” Thomas said. “I’m obviously Legolas. You’re ...” He squinted thoughtfully at Sanya and then at Martin. “Well. He’s Boromir and you’re clearly Aragorn.”

* * *

Addicted to Outrage: How Thinking Like a Recovering Addict Can Heal the Country by Glenn Beck

I was surprised at how good this turned out. It’s quite different from Beck’s other books: no graphics, no footnotes. This is an honest appeal to the country to stop demonizing each other and be civil again. He reviews history, looks at the future, and encourages all sides (especially along the liberal/conservative divide) to see each other as human beings and to forgive each other for being human.

The divisiveness is growing and growing and will end in civil war if we aren’t careful. I am frequently reminded of the words of Isaiah in the Bible: “That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.” All the time I hear and see on social media, “I’m very accepting. I just can’t tolerate THOSE people.”

I recommend this for anyone of any political persuasion who is tired of arguing and being angry all the time. I’ll just post some parts I highlighted.

If we actually listen to each other, we may find that one of us is mistaken in what we believe, what we think others believe, or what is separating us in the first place.

But somewhere we began judging people not by their character or their actions but by their political affiliation and beliefs. A person who had different opinions than you wasn’t just wrong but suddenly became a bad, deplorable person, someone not to be trusted. Someone who must be ostracized, isolated, and destroyed.

Outrage addiction has replaced constructive dialogue and suppressed genuine empathy and warmness. It’s no wonder that suicide has become the tenth leading cause of death in America—we don’t have authentic conversations anymore. We don’t express actual sympathy when others are suffering or being abused; we express outrage instead. Do people really care about women being sexually harassed or assaulted in Hollywood and the Arkansas’s governor’s mansion, or are they just following the crowd because to avoid doing so would be to aid and abet rape culture?

We have literally become chemically addicted to the social rewards we receive online, through digital thumbs and text-message acronyms and emoticons. Virtue-signaling our friends and trolling our foes have replaced actual virtue and spirited debate with our peers.

In 1976, studies showed, less than a quarter of the country lived in what Bishop called “landslide counties,” areas that delivered huge numbers for one presidential candidate, but by 2004 about half of the country lived in counties that voted by large margins for one party or the other. Whether consciously or unconsciously, we had self-segregated into communities of like-minded and like-moraled groups: We had created the first safe zones for ourselves and for our beliefs. And as we gathered in tribes around the campfires, it wasn’t enough just to be with people who thought the same way we did; it became necessary to reinforce our beliefs by demonizing the other side.

They are not us. That’s all that matters. Once you divide people into groups, it becomes much easier to scapegoat others. It makes it acceptable to criticize them. To be outraged at everything they do. To hate them. And then, gradually, it becomes okay if bad things happen to that group. And then it goes further: It’s actually okay to do bad things to that group.

Certainty and a lack of intellectual diversity always lead to dark places. When you demand absolute acceptance of your theories and back your “science” with arguments of moral outrage, you end up having to shove, shout, and, in the end, shoot.

We all know what’s right—it’s what we believe. So accepting the fact that someone can believe exactly the opposite of what you believe and be just as positive that he or she is right about it as you are is not the easiest thing to do. But admitting that you might be wrong is even harder. And there are reasons for that: Researchers have found that our political beliefs tend to get entwined with our personal identities; in other words, we become what we believe, so an attack on our political positions is perceived by our brain as an attack on our self, and the brain has been conditioned to fight that type of attack.

In 2016, for example, an ad by a supposed conservative organization on Facebook invited Americans to protest the “Islamification of Texas” by participating in a rally outside an Islamic center in Houston, but a second ad directed at the Muslim community invited them to attend a “Save Islamic Knowledge” rally at the same place and time. Both organizations were Russian creations, and the result was a nasty confrontation. Total cost to the Russians was estimated at $200. What was real? The confrontation.

What actually happens in these so-called debates is that neither side is listening for anything other than a few seconds of silence so they can jump in and tell the other side why they are wrong. When both sides believe there is nothing to be learned by listening to the opposition, we begin to dismiss them and ridicule them. Gradually the other rhetoric is ratcheted up, and we begin to dehumanize the other side. We may even begin to hate those who disagree with us and believe that if it wasn’t for people like them, America would be a safer, more prosperous, and happier place. Here, once again, is my reminder: The other side is thinking the same thing.

Do you really want to be someone who becomes outraged when other people don’t agree with your beliefs? Really? Listen to me now: You are not responsible for anyone else’s behavior; you are responsible only for your own actions.

This book is different from Beck’s other books. There’re no fancy graphics or even footnotes. It’s a collection of thoughts that are meant to inspire real conversation.

There are some typos and editing errors, including a lot of sentence fragments.

* * *

Jinx (Bigtime #3) by Jennifer Estep

Technically this is a paranormal romance, a genre I tend to give a wide berth. But Estep’s world of superheroes and villains is charming enough to keep me interested. Most of the characters have Stan Lee-esque alliterated names, often using the same letter for their hero/villain name. (Readers find out secret identities much easier than these characters.)

This is the kind of world where a villain will spill all the details of their diabolical plan to take over the world to their captive heroes, who will then exclaim, “You won’t get away with this!” These kinds of cliches belong here.

This edition follows Bella, a secondary character from book 2. She doesn’t have a real power, just a string of bad luck balanced by good luck. She starts falling for a bad(ish) boy in leather who is somewhere between hero and villain, even though she normally likes nice guys.



The two of them have to face a couple villains while navigating a romance. It’s light, cute, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.

There’s some occasional swearing and several sex scenes. Writing is pretty solid except for frequent sentence fragments.

P.S. I’m not crazy about the phrase “confined to a wheelchair.” Wheelchairs are not confining. They provide mobility. They are liberating, not confining.

* * *

The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus #3) by Rick Riordan

Another great adventure from Uncle Rick. I can understand people getting tired of his formula, but don’t. I enjoy the quirkiness, dire danger, and imagination that goes into every book. In this one, our seven heroes are finally all together. The POV rotates between Annabeth, Leo, Piper, and Percy. It opens with the Greeks greeting the Romans at their camp, and it ... doesn’t go well.



Our heroes don’t have time for diplomacy, though. They have to rescue Nico, stop some giants, and Annabeth has got some job for Athena she has to do. Of course they run into all kinds of obstacles along the way as they follow maps, clues, and prophecies. Along the way they run into such legends as Nemesis, Narcissus, and Hercules.





The audio narrator is pretty good. He does different voices for all the characters, which is great for the monsters but turns some of the kids into big dorks.

* * *

The Real Story of Christmas by W. Cleon Skousen

My husband and I had the lecture version of this article on cassette but no longer have a working cassette player. The lecture is brilliant; it’s funny and engaging. The hour goes by in what feels like a few minutes.

The written lecture/article is still very good, though it loses a lot of the humor and the enthusiasm of Skousen’s voice. It provides the historical background to the birth of Jesus, such as the Roman Empire, King Herod, the wise men, and so on. It provides context and depth to the New Testament account of Jesus’s birth.

Here’s an interesting look at the star of Bethlehem that complements this article nicely.

* * *

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

I was at a reading where Sanderson read the first two chapters of this book a couple months before its release. He described it as “Top Gun” meets “How to Train Your Dragon.”

I was easily absorbed by this book. I felt constant second-hand stress for Spensa and enjoyed all the other characters. Spensa goes through a lot of growth in the book as she first tries to prove she’s brave and then has to figure out what bravery really means. She finds a mysterious spaceship with a quirky AI that’s obsessed with mushrooms. And shoes.

“I’d be insulted at that,” M-Bot said through the speakers at the side of the ship, “if I were human!”

Rig rolled his eyes. “Would you go keep that thing occupied? I don’t want it jabbering at me while I work.”

“I can both talk to her AND bother you!” M-Bot called. “Multi-tasking is an essential means by which an artificial intelligence achieves more efficiency than fleshy human brains.”

Rig looked at me.

“No insult intended!” M-Bot added. “You have very nice shoes!”

“We’ve been working on his compliments,” I said.

“They aren’t nearly as stupid as the rest of your outfit!”

“He still needs practice.”

The world-building is really cool. All the action scenes with the spaceships are easy to picture. With most writers, I start to zone out whenever they give play-by-play descriptions of action sequences. (Even in movies, I zone out during long action sequences, which probably explains why I can’t remember anything that happens in “Transformers” or “Pacific Rim.”) But Sanderson writes action just right!

It’s a fun book and way better than most YA right now.

* * *

Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia

This is a book about hunting and killing monsters. It’s what you read when you’ve had a bad day or work or on PMS. It’s not Jane Austen or Tolstoy. It is what it is, so take it or leave it.

The opening lines set the tone for the story:
On one otherwise normal Tuesday evening I had the chance to live the American dream. I was able to throw my incompetent jackass of a boss from a fourteenth-story window.

Owen Pitt gets recruited by Monster Hunters, and they quickly run into some really, really monsters. I liked all the team members enough to be upset when anyone got maimed or dead. It’s a long book and probably could use some trimming.

Larry is the gun authority other authors go to when they want to be accurate. He really captures the deafening LOUDNESS of gunfire that very few books and movies do. He also gets the attachment one feels to a firearm (they are not cheap!) and recognizes that ammo is not infinite. He also knows what it’s like to get beat up. No characters with broken ribs just “shaking it off” here.

There’s lots of violence of the type you see in monster movies. There’s some occasional strong language and colorful language, such as this line: “Personally I’d rather be gang-raped by giant, rabid, syphilitic porcupines, than join your s**t-head, hippie-commune, undead family, you scrawny-ass, vampire skank whore.”

The editing is weird. It’s like it’s been edited by an amateur for the big stuff but not by a professional for the lesser-known stuff.

The book is permanently free on Amazon Kindle.

* * *

Little Town on the Prairie (Little House #7) by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I went back and forth between the audio and the physical book to finish before the New Year’s deadline.

The book covers about a year and a half, Laura being 14 to 15 1/2. There were a lot of things I could relate to:

• Carrie complaining about her hair getting caught in the buttons on the back of her dress — That happened to me when I was little, and I’d completely forgotten about it.
• The birds eating the crops — They always pick clean my fruit trees, and that makes me so mad.
• Laura being in awkward social situations — Story of my life.

There are a lot of life stories in this account, not just “this is how we lived back then stuff.” I found myself anxious to find out what happened next and felt outrage, happiness, and frustration along with Laura and her family. (Nellie Oleson shows up again — what a B**CH!)

The writing is lovely and offers an interesting historical (if not always PC) perspective.

* * *

Transport Seventeen (Horizon Alpha #2) by D. W. Vogel

This is book 2 of the Horizon Alpha series. It should be no problem to start here if you want. I am interested in seeing what happens to the other arks.

The colonists have settled into their safer home when they discover survivors from the mother ship that they didn’t know about. Rescuing them is supposed to be a quick trip over and back, but of course nothing is that simple. Most of the book is dealing with dinosaur-like monsters and big jungle bugs. It takes a few stupid decisions to get into the mess and a few convenient events to get out. I’m not crazy about that pattern, but it’s fine for a disaster story.









There are some really glaring errors here such as bad grammar, misused vocabulary, and misspellings. The writer or editor (if there was one) also didn’t realize that apostrophes and single quotes are not the same thing, so the frequent words ‘till and ‘saurs were written with single quotes (just shown) instead of apostrophes ’till and ’saurs (like that). That was the most irksome error because it was everywhere.