Dracula - Bram Stoker

It's hard to believe I have lived to this ripe old age and never read this book. As I mentioned in this post, I signed up for Dracula Daily in 2022 - a fun free service that sends emails of book excerpts on the day in which they take place in the book. This was a great way to get into the book but ultimately it made me want to read more in a single sitting than 1 email can provide so I decided to get myself a copy for December gift-giving purposes. This was another hit from Mr. K - check this beauty out: 

Yes, this book has illustrations by the wonderful Edward Gorey. It's hard to see in the photo, but there are also bats printed on the pages too. The red portion of the cover is a velvet type material - all in all, a great presentation for a (if not the) classic vampire novel. 

To be honest, while I enjoyed the book overall, the writing could be hit or miss for me. At times it got too repetitive for my taste. I realize this is a feature of the writing of this time period, but it's still sort of annoying to this modern reader. When the writing is on, though, it works really well - the scene setting is well done and the atmosphere is suitably creepy. I can imagine this being a huge hit when it was initially released and it's easy to see why, and also easy to see why it is such an inspiration for vampire stories even today. 

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

As an English (literature) major, one might suppose that I would have a well-thumbed copy of this book lying around, perhaps even notated by hand here and there. Sadly you would be mistaken. For some reason I decided I wanted a nice copy of this book to have on hand so I asked for one for Yule and Mr. K did not disappoint - check out this lovely cover: 

I actually reviewed this book on this blog 10 years ago (you can read that here). I still haven't seen the movie I complained about last time, but now I think I might want to check it out, just to see how it all comes together. I still love the writing. The story is still making me think about how our choices make us who we are (and who we are not). There is probably nothing I can really say about this book that hasn't been said before (and better) but it deserves to be considered a classic. 

The Leading Ladies - Erika Maren Steiger

The second book in the Ella Graepenteck Genealogy Mystery series did not disappoint (my review of the first book is here). This is another fun cozy mystery that kept me guessing. Something new in this book is the inclusion of family trees that get filled out as the story unfolds; this was a really neat addition to the story and a helpful visual aid at times. Apparently there will be another book in the series coming soon and I can't wait to read it. 

The Book of Dust Volume Two: The Secret Commonwealth - Philip Pullman

Wow, readers, this book was really something. The author has created another engaging and complex chapter in this alternate universe and added so many new aspects to it that it's really satisfying for a fan to read. He has managed to weave together the events of the previous volume and show some of the results of previous actions and choices made. The villains are no less scary than those in His Dark Materials - in fact, in many ways they are more frightening. The heroes are doing their best but they are outnumbered (what fun would it be otherwise?). The overall tone in this book is more serious and somber, but this isn't unwelcome at all - and that's not to say that it's joyless or something. It's just a well done, complicated story with a lot of facets that touch on philosophy, theology, metaphysics, and who knows what else. It's also a ripping yarn. I cannot wait for the 3rd book to see how it all comes out. 

The Book of Dust Volume One: La Belle Sauvage - Philip Pullman

Readers what can I say, this book was well worth waiting for. It's a sort of prequel to the His Dark Materials book series and it introduces us to many new characters we can love and hate, as well as filling in some of the gaps in our knowledge of characters from the previous series. I absolutely adore Malcolm; I so wish I had had a friend like him when I was his age in this book. 

I can't really say much about the book without getting into major spoilers, but I will say that something deeply disturbing happens at the end of this book and it made me seriously angry. So angry that I considered writing a bit of a rant about it, but after much reflection I understand narratively why the author  decided on it; that doesn't mean I condone it at all - I think the way things play out would have been fine without this particular something. But whatever, overall, it didn't spoil my appreciation for this book in general. And I can't wait to read Volume 2, which was also a December gift. 

Egypt's Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti were Gods on Earth - John Darnell and Colleen Darnell

My most anticipated December gift, this book was published in November of 2022 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the tomb of Akhenaten's son, Tutankhamun (né Tutankhaten). As I mentioned here, my ever-present love for Egypt has had a bit of an awakening lately and when I discovered this book I couldn't put it on my holiday gift wishlist fast enough. 

This is a beautifully written, thoroughly researched deep dive into the history of one of Egypt's most controversial and, consequently, interesting, periods. As the subtitle suggests, the book goes into detail showing how the role of the royal couple was transformed during this period. The writing is wonderful, scholarly but easily understood. Numerous illustrations augment the descriptions and there are extensive notes provided for sources and ideas for further reading. 

My favorite part was the beginning of each chapter, when the authors bring history to life with vignettes placing the reader in a scene as it might have occurred in history. I would love it if the Darnells produced a series of historical fiction books set in Amarna, maybe a mystery series starring the chief of police? Just an idea! :) A must read for anyone with an interest in Ancient Egypt. Highly recommended. 

Side note - the autocorrect feature here in Blogspot recognizes and autocorrects the names Akhenaten and Nefertiti, but not Tutankhamun - isn't that interesting? 

Counterfeit - Kirstin Chen (Spoilers?)

This review might have details that could constitute spoilers if that bothers you! 

This was a fun January book club choice. A deceptively fast read, I am left with so many questions. The title can be literal, but it seems to also pertain to the story as a whole - I am not sure if I was dealing with an unreliable narrator, or not - what was real? Can't wait for the discussion. Recommended. 

Downtown: Minneapolis in the 1970s - Mike Evangelist and Andy Sturdevant

This is a really neat coffee table type book featuring Mike Evangelist's photos of downtown Minneapolis in the early 1970s, with some text by Andy Sturdevant. I spent some time there in the later part of the 70s so while this book is a teeny bit ahead of my time, and I was just a kid, the photos brought back lots of memories. If someone invents a Time Machine in my lifetime, I would love to go back to this Minneapolis and just walk around the streets and take in the sights for a couple of hours on a nice fall day. Nothing like some good nostalgia to welcome in a brand new year! Recommended. 

Quick side note - this book is the first for the January reading category/theme: Books I got as gifts in December 2022. Many more to come! :)