December 2023 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

Lookee there, another month is done and dusted (yeah, a year, too…but we’ll get to that later). This month I finished 27 titles (3 down from last month, 6 down from last December), with an equivalent of 7,905+ pages or the equivalent (1,599 more than last month), and gave them an average of 3.78 stars (the same as last month).

There were a couple of picture books in that total, and 2 books I’ve been working on for months, so that’s really a lower number. But…eh, whatever. With one exception, I had a good time with them. I didn’t write as much this month as it felt I did, but I liked almost everything I produced. So…I’m calling it a win.

Here’s what happened here in December.
Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to

Ratings

	3		1
	4		0
	7		0
	5		0
	7
		Average =	3.78

TBR Stacks/Piles/Heaps

Breakdowns:
“Traditionally” Published: 18
Self-/Independent Published: 9

Review-ish Things Posted

• Up on the Woof Top by Spencer Quinn: I Have No Humbugs to Give
• The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 40: Close/Open by R. T. Slaywood: Moving Day Cont’d
• The Holy Spirit: An Introduction by Fred Sanders: A Vital and Needed Work
• Robert B. Parker’s Broken Trust by Mike Lupica: Lupica Earns Some Trust from This Longtime Spenser Fan
• Fuzzwiggs: The Switcheroo by Amy Maren Rice: 1/2 A Silly (and Odorous) MG Adventure Sure to Please
• The Secret by Lee Child and Andrew Child: Time for Me to Slip out the Back (away from) Jack
• Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith, Boulet (Illustrator): A Joy-Filled Retelling for Readers of All Ages
• Grandpappy’s Corner: Saint Valentine the Kindhearted by Ned Bustard: …Violets are Blue, I Liked this Book, and You Will, Too.
• The MOST Powerful Christmas by JCM Berne: The Best “Superhero Christmas Story Written by a Jew about Hindus Saving the Holiday” You’ll Read All Year
• The Last Devil to Die by Richard Osman: The Joy Love Brings, and the Price We Pay
• The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 41: Garden Conversation by R. T. Slaywood: Did We Just Get Some Answers?!?
• Regeneration and Redemptive History by Scott R. Wright: Recalibrating Our Understanding on an Important Distinctive
• Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire: One of McGuire’s Best (no matter what series). A Magical Novella
• Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up): A Mixed Bag That Features Plenty of Tasty Treats
• Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan: A Pair of Potential Hate Crimes are Almost Too Much for the Communities and the Investigators
• The Ballad of Bonaduke—Episode 42: Meaningful by R. T. Slaywood: Lesson One
• Grandpappy’s Corner: Saint Nicholas the Giftgiver by Ned Bustard: The Making of a Legend
• The Chimes by Charles Dickens: A Different Set of Bells You Don’t Want Tolling for You
• Ozark Dogs by Eli Cranor: The Sins of the Fathers…
• The Mayors of New York by S.J. Rozan: Let Your Honesty Shine…
• The God of the Mundane by Matthew B. Redmond: A Call to the Ordinary Life

Other Things I Wrote
Other than the Saturday Miscellanies (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th), I also wrote:

• MUSIC MONDAY: Call It What You Will by Joe Pug
• A Few Quick Questions With…Amy Maren Rice
• Opening Lines: The Last Dance by Mark Billingham
• MUSIC MONDAY: Spidey Bells
• The Irresponsible Reader’s Guide to Picture Books—2023 Edition
• LITERARY LOCALS: A Q&A About Writing in Idaho with Brock Poulsen
• The Irresponsible Reader’s Guide to Picture Books That Aren’t Necessarily for Kids—2023 Edition
• MUSIC MONDAY: Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love
• The Grandcritter’s First Festivus
• MUSIC MONDAY: Christmachanukwanzaramadanamasmukkarborday by Gangstagrass
• WWW Wednesday for December 6, December 13, December 20, and December 27, 2023.

Enough about me—how Was Your Month?