December Reads

In a mad, limping dash to finish out my reading for the year--not in hopes of reaching my goal of 52 but of at least surpassing the year-before-last's total of 42.5.

I will post another overview of what I read in the past year later, but in the meantime, here is what I read in December with one-sentence reviews because time is a-ticking.

Unholy Night by Seth Grahame-Smith: In this very satisfying "Christmas" novel, Grahame-Smith imagines the three wise men as mercenaries on the run from King Herod, and in so doing, he highlights the very real violence of the time, something that is often forgotten when we think of the story of Christ's birth.
Freeing Your Child From Negative Thinking by Tamar E. Chansky: Chansky gives useful advice and strategies--visualization techniques and things to say, in particular--for walking your child through those difficult patches where nothing seems to go right.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe: A classic gathering dust under my nightstand (otherwise known as my To-Read Pile), Achebe's novel took me to Nigeria in the nineteenth century where British colonialism and Christianity wear down the traditional ways of life.
Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn: Another novel addressing imperialism, Dogeaters, written in a multiplicity of voices and with great verve and wit, takes the reader to Manilla in the 1950s where no one safe and everyone is suspect.
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle: Purchased for a song on my Kindle, this Young Adult collection of three interconnected Christmas stories is easy and light fun, nothing serious or memorable.
Paper Towns by John Green: Green, an acclaimed author in the Young Adult genre, offers a funny and oftentimes sadly profound novel about what it means to grow up and realize that most people do not fit the convenient labels placed upon them.
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz: Noticing more and more that half the novels I read this month address themes of colonial and imperial power as well as diaspora, I enjoyed the hell out of Diaz's novel set in New Jersey and the Dominican Republic and I do hope that more people I know read this book so I can discuss it with them.

This year's total, I think: 42.

Another post forthcoming in which I give an overview of the books I read this year. I'm hoping I forgot to include a book or two in my final count. I would hate to come up one book short although I would almost count John Sayle's epic novel A Moment in the Sun twice.