What Did You Read in December 2024?

I hope everyone had a good month of reading for the last month of 2024. I further hope that (1) you’ll find something interesting from my reading list and (2) you’ll share what you read.

---

Not pictured FICTION:

Beautyland (2024) Marie-Helene Bertino

Once I’ve told you the premise of Beautyland, you may think, “Yeah, this has been done before. I don’t need to read this.” You’d be right and wrong. Beautyland traces the life of Adina, an alien born of a human Earth woman. Adina has been sent to Earth to live as a human, but more importantly, to discover whether the planet would be a good place for her alien race to relocate. Adina reports to her superiors via fax machine. If you’re thinking of all the cliches and problems any author attempting such a story could encounter, know that Marie-Helene Bertino knows how to transcend them without sentimentality, ridiculousness, or coincidence. This is a terrific novel.

The Sins of the Fathers (Matthew Scudder #1, 1976) Lawrence Block

The Sins of the Fathers is a solid, no-nonsense detective story about the murder of a prostitute and her killer’s suicide. Although the case is closed, the murdered girl’s father hires private detective Matthew Scudder to find out why she was killed. The tale itself seems routine, but the unusual and somewhat cryptic character of Scudder makes the novel compelling. By the time you finish the book, you know everything you need to know for a satisfying ending, yet you’ve learned very little about Scudder himself. I look forward to reading further in the series, learning more about the detective and what makes him tick.

Not pictured NONFICTION:

Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable… about Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business (2004) Patrick Lencioni

I’ll admit it: I checked this out from the library based on the title alone, expecting little more than a chuckle or two. Then, when I found out the book is a fictional narrative (“fable”) and not a traditional nonfiction work, I thought, “This must be loaded with more cheese than a Cheez-It commercial.” But to my amazement, the story wasn’t bad at all. You don’t have to be part of the business world to want your organization to have better meetings. You can adapt the ideas and concepts in this book to fit your organization.

V13: Chronicle of a Trial (2022) Emmanuel Carrère (translated by John Lambert)

V13¹ covers the trials of the terrorists responsible primarily for the attacks at the Bataclan (theatre) in Paris on Friday, November 13, 2015, that killed 130 people and injured 416. If you think this is just another trial, think again. This ordeal lasted nine months, and Carrère was there for all of it, talking to the surviving victims, families of the murdered, and more. The French legal system varies from what Americans are familiar with, and you may be surprised at how it all plays out. I’m linking to the Amazon description if you want to know more.

From the photo FICTION:

Lost Estates (2024) Mark Valentine - Swan River Press

I’d like to thank Forrest A. for reviewing this collection of short stories from an author and a publishing house I’d never heard of. Forrest’s designation of “strange tales” is probably the best term for these stories, many of which involve book collectors and unique books (real or imagined, I have no idea). These tales contain elements of folk horror, strange interactions with odd people and/or places, the unexplained, and more. I plan to splurge for Valentine’s next hardcover from Swan River Press, a small press in Dublin, Ireland. SRP hardcovers are priced around €40.00, not counting international shipping, but from what I’ve read, the hardcovers display beautiful craftsmanship and are normally limited to 400-500 units. If you’re on the fence, the paperback editions are quite affordable.

The Lives and Times of Archy and Mehitabel (1916-1940) Don Marquis

Many of you reading this are undoubtedly well-versed in the world of Archy and Mehitabel, but for those who are not, here’s the gist: Archy was a poet in a previous life, now reincarnated as a cockroach, but that’s not keeping him from his writing passion. Climbing onto an old typewriter in a newspaper office after hours, he jumps on the keys one at a time and painstakingly pounds out observations about life as a cockroach, laments his bygone years as a man, and recounts his adventures with Mehitabel, a stray cat who believes she was Cleopatra in a former life. Many of these entries are hilarious, but Marquis’s main goal is to give us a satiric look at urban American life in the 1910s and 1920s. Spoiler alert: not much has changed in over 100 years, except that few modern writers can match Marquis’s imagination and talent. As enjoyable as they are, some of these short works rehash the same material and get a bit too pointedly political at the expense of all the fun, but please don’t let that small criticism keep you from reading them. Look for an edition that includes illustrations by George Herriman, creator of Krazy Kat.

The Radiance of the King (1954) Camara Laye (James Kirkup, translator)

A white European man named Clarence finds himself shipwrecked off the coast of West Africa. We don’t know where he’s from or where he is going, but we quickly learn that he feels a huge sense of entitlement, disdaining the locals and their customs. Eager to leave as soon as possible, Clarence seeks an audience with the king, but the ruler has recently appeared in the area and is headed south. Demanding to see him, Clarence settles for the company of a beggar and two incorrigible teenage boys. Do they have his best interests in mind? Does Clarence have any choice but to follow them? I was mesmerized by this novel and thought I knew where it was headed. (I didn’t.) If you pick up the NYRB Classics edition, don’t read the Toni Morrison introduction until after you’ve read the novel. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

From the photo CLASSICS/POETRY:

Paradise Lost (1667) John Milton (2x, previously read in 1996)

I can’t remember when a book has moved me as much as Paradise Lost. Cast out of heaven for rebellion, Satan looks for a way to seek revenge on God. That’s the story in a nutshell, but Milton’s epic poem is a masterful work that fascinates on the grandest of scales. I had previously read the work nearly 30 years ago and got little out of it due to my lack of understanding. This fall, I had an opportunity to teach several sections to different classes, walking them through it while learning with them. I love watching the story come alive in the students’ faces, the impact of each moment. Tremendous.

The Odyssey (701 BC) Homer (2x, previously read in 2022)

Perhaps the most enjoyable and flat-out fun entry into epic classic literature. I can’t tell you what a delight it was to teach this book, even as a substitute teacher, watching students going into the story with all they’ve got, examining character motivations, reveling in the adventure, and simply having a great time. Let’s face it: This book is a blast.

From the photo NONFICTION:

Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Communities, and Promotes Human Flourishing (2023) Jonathan Leeman

Authority can be abused, neglected, or—rarely, it seems—used properly. We don’t have to look very far to see abuses or abandonment of authority, but Leeman’s book focuses on proper authority, not just in the church but also at work, at home, and in society. Good authority can cause people to flourish rather than feel oppressed. Everyone should read this engaging book since it affects us all: those in authority and those under authority.

Okay, now let me know what you read in December 2024. The comments are open.

1. Vendredi is the French word for Friday, thus the title is short for Friday the 13th.