Another year gone by, I can hardly believe it.
What better to end the year with, though, than a list of books. Here are those I read in December.
It's an overview of what I have finished in a month (not necessarily started
in the same month) and what I have read to the cats (marked with 😸)
Have you wondered, by the way, why some of the pictures in my book posts look so professional and some not? Of course, I could always find pictures on the web, but doing it like this is a way for me to remember which books I read in electronic form, either from the library - professional looks - or on The Internet Archive - screenshots of the covers digitized from physical copies - or which books I read in printed form - those pictures are taken by me just holding them up. As I usually seem to finish books at night, you get the "reading lamp colors and weird angle look".
I will be adding a short explanation why I chose a book and possibly if it's a re-read candidate, but I'm usually not
going to add real reviews or ratings (the cats also refuse to give ratings 😉). Should you want a personal rating for a book you are interested in, though, or a little more information, just let me know.
1. "Peter Cushing : An Autobiography" by Peter Cushing, first published in 1986 😸
"Begin at the beginning," the King said gravely, "and go on 'til you come to the end: then stop." What better advice than Lewis Carrol[l]'s when attempting to write a life story? However, since my life how I knew and loved it ended with the passing of my belovèd wife Helen, I intend to take this narrative no farther than that fateful Thursday in 1971, January 14th."I have to admit that to me Peter Cushing has mostly been Van Helsing and Sherlock Holmes, I hadn't even seen him as Baron Frankenstein. This book covers his rather short Hollywood career - he chose to go back to England - and about his theatrical and TV and film career back home.
He also speaks about his childhood and youth and the times before becoming an actor and thoses when he "was resting" meaning when he was without an engagement.
In fact, he had to earn his living for a while by designing head scarves.
A big part of this book is dedicated to the love story of him and his wife Helen, though, which will not surprise you after the quote above.
2. "The Last Library" by Freya Sampson, first published in 2021
June is a library assistant who lives only for her books and for the small village library where her mother worked until her death.
Only when the council discusses closing down six village libraries including hers, she finds her voice thanks to the support from her patrons for whom the library is just as important as for her.
I read Sampson's second book last month, this is her debut novel. As a librarian, I was interested in this (in a very nostalgic way) although I don't work in a public library myself.
3. "Black as He's Painted" by Ngaio Marsh, first published in 1973
(Roderick Alleyn 28)
When Ng'ombwana's (a newly independent African republic) president Opala - who happened to attend the same public school as Alleyn and was a good friend of his - is about to come to London for a state visit, the Special Branch is in uproar because "The Boomer" (Opala's nickname at school) refuses all their security measures.
At a reception at the Embassy, there's an assassination attempt, but instead of the president the Ambassador is killed.
Hampered by the fact that the murder has been committed on "foreign soil", Alleyn and his Special Branch colleague try to solve the case.
This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham.
Although the book was easy enough to read, it was also tough because some of the speech hasn't aged very well, but part of that is actually needed for the plot.
There's one character I really liked and a cat for which I had to do a quick check of the ending (not the solution, though) after a few pages, but she's not only fine, she also plays an important role.
4. "The Art Thief" by Michael Finkel, first published in 2023
Within six years, Stéphane Breitwieser stole artwork from museums and fairs in different countries while his girlfriend Anne-Catherine Kleinklaus stood watch - even in crowded museums during the day.
Unlike most art thieves, however, Breitwieser didn't sell the sculptures, paintings, weapons, etc. He stole them for "his" collection displayed in the attic bedroom in his mother's house where they lived. The value of the stolen pieces from over 200 heists is estimated at around $1.5 to 2 billion.
When he got caught, his mother threw part of the collection into a canal and burnt the other part.
Another random find on OverDrive. I like watching art documentaries and have also seen several on art forgery and theft, but surprisingly - I watch most of them on our French-German TV channel - I hadn't heard about Breitwieser yet.
5. "Antarctica" by Claire Keegan, first published in 1999
The debut collection of stories by the Irish author, each one of them gripping you in a different way.
I found it as a new entry on OverDrive.
6. "Old Christmas : from the Sketch Book of Washington Irving" by Washington Irving, first published in 1875
These five sketches around old English Christmas traditions are from Irving's "Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent." from 1820.
They describe the holidays as spent on a rural estate where traditions even older than from the 19th century are still observed.
When I did some research for my blog post about ghost stories at Christmas, I came upon this book and it made a quick seasonal read. The style is very flowery, but I quite enjoyed it in connection with the illustrations.
7. "The Secret Christmas Library" by Jenny Colgan, first published in 2025
(Happy Ever After series 6)
Mirren has already found a rare book once before. Admiring it at the British Museum, she meets a Scottish laird looking for a precious book in the crumbling castle left to him by his grandfather and gets hired by him to help in his search.
I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive and hoped for another quick fun seasonal read.
Instead, it was really close to becoming a DNF. Although I finished it rather quickly, I was annoyed with it all the time - the characters, the style (how often can you use the word "vast"?), the editing, and that it wasn't very Christmassy. I guess I hoped it would become better and then I was too far in to DNF.
8. "The Library Book" by different authors, first published in 2012
The book is a collection of 23 stories by writers about libraries or including libraries, depending on their being fiction or nonfiction.
This was a recommendation on OverDrive.
I was torn. There were some excellent essays, there were some quotes that really could have come straight from my heart (mostly due to nostalgia), but there were also some that were simply boring or repetitive (for example the everlasting "print or electronic" discussion, ok, so I prefer a printed book, but these days I read e-books as well because it makes access easier for me, isn't it important people read at all?).
Some have aged well, some not so much if you watch the development in the last few years (I'm talking book bans for example).
Of course I'm aware that most stories refer to public libraries in the UK and the danger of a lot of them being shut down at that point (I don't know how the numbers mentioned have changed since then).
9. "Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon" by Matthew Norman, first published in 2025
Grace - who has two children - and Henry have both lost their spouses.
Almost a year later, with the holidays approaching, their mothers try to bring them together. They are not ready yet, though, and become "grief partners" instead, bonding over a holiday movie marathon ... and some mice.
I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive and really enjoyed it.
10. "The Brits in Hollywood: Tales from the Hollywood Raj" by Sheridan Morley, first published in 2006
(updated edition, originally published as "Tales from the Hollywood Raj" in 1983)
Many British actors and actresses - mostly men, though - went to Hollywood (even before it was called that) to make films there. Most of them had a theatrical background. Some stayed, such as Ronald Colman or Cary Grant, some went back home, some chose to go back and forth.
A nickname for them in the Golden Age of Hollywood was "The Hollywood Raj" (hinting at the "British Raj", the time of the British Crown's rule in India).
I heard about Dean Street Press from Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home. When checking out their website, I found a few titles that looked interesting to me, among them film-related books by Sheridan Morley (this was not a Dean Street Press edition, though).
The book listed a lot of names of peoples and films not all of which I knew, but it was still an interesting read.
11. "Der Hyazinthen-Mörder" = "Singing in the Shrouds" by Ngaio Marsh, first published in 1958
(Roderick Alleyn 20)
A serial killer strangles women and leaves them behind with their necklaces torn and flowers strewn over their bodies.
His third victim is found near a cruise ship. Suspecting "The Flower Killer" on board because of a torn boarding card in the victim's hand, Alleyn joyns the cruise to investigate undercover.
This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham (just four of the Marshs missing now!)
12. "From the Alps to the Dales: 100 Years of Bettys" by Annie Gray, first published in 2019 😸
Founded by a Swiss baker and confectioner in 1919, Bettys is a Yorkshire based family company famous not for only for their Yorkshire tea rooms, but also their products among which tea and coffee lie in the responsibility of their sister company Taylors of Harrogate.
The book tells their history from 1919 to 2019.
I have read all of Annie Gray's books that I own so far to the cats, but haven't convinced them yet to become food historians themselves as they are more interested in what's on their plates now.
13. "The Case of the Silken Petticoat" by Christopher Bush, first published in 1953
(Ludovic Travers 43)
Private detective Ludovic Travers is witness when a young woman storms into Café Rond and kicks well-known critic Clement Foorde in the shin over a review he wrote on Robert Ashman's book "The Silken Petticoat".
Some time later, Ashman is found drowned in a river and he's not the only body in this mystery which Travers has to solve.
I had never heard of Christopher Bush before - as far as I remember - when Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home reviewed one of his books for a 1952 challenge. I found a few of his books on The Internet Archive and started randomly with this one.
14. "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas, first published in 1954 (as a book, it was a recording first) 😸
The Welsh poet's story is a beautifully told nostalgic memory of the Christmas of a young boy, the family gathering, playing in the snow, going carolling.
I hadn't known the story yet, it was mentioned in an article but it certainly evoked memories of past Christmases of my own. Reading it might become a Christmas ritual.
15. "The Women on Platform Two" by Laura Anthony, first published in 2025
Saoirse doesn't want to have children, her fiancé Miles does. After a negative pregnancy test and an ensuing discussion, Saoirse leaves to do some thinking and ends up on a train where she meets an old lady, Maura, who tells her the story of her best friend Bernie and herself in the Republic of Ireland of the 70s when contraception was still forbidden.
(TW: Domestic violence/suicide)
I think I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive.
While knowing about all contraceptives being forbidden in Ireland around that time, I hadn't heard about "The Contraceptive Train" before when 47 women's rights activities took a train to Belfast to buy contraceptives there which were illegal to bring back into the Republic.
16. "The Carlyles at Home" by Thea Holme, first published in 1965
"Home" was 5 Cheyne Row in Chelsea, London where the Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher Thomas Carlyle lived from 1834 to his death in 1881.
With him lived his wife Jane until her death in 1866. She was an avid writer of letters which allow us a look into the Carlyles' life from her point of view.
I found the book through a review by Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home (whose ears are probably ringing by now).
While it was very interesting to read, for example how difficult it can be to find reliable servants (there's a lot of that), I went to hug my appliances and my cats afterwards. We three are lucky in many regards to live now instead of back then (because we are a spoiled lot).
17. "The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Moaning Cave" by William Arden (the books were published attributed to Alfred Hitchcock), first published in 1968 😸
(The Three Investigators 10)
What makes a cave moan and why has it started again after 50 years? Is the legend about "The Old One" true and what about the rebel El Diablo, can he still be alive?
This time Jupiter, Pete, and Bob are on a case trying to help out the Daltons who own the ranch next to Devil Mountain.
I read this series a long time ago and am going through it again bit by bit after writing a blog post about it. This book is the tenth in the series.
They describe the holidays as spent on a rural estate where traditions even older than from the 19th century are still observed.
When I did some research for my blog post about ghost stories at Christmas, I came upon this book and it made a quick seasonal read. The style is very flowery, but I quite enjoyed it in connection with the illustrations.
7. "The Secret Christmas Library" by Jenny Colgan, first published in 2025
(Happy Ever After series 6)
Mirren has already found a rare book once before. Admiring it at the British Museum, she meets a Scottish laird looking for a precious book in the crumbling castle left to him by his grandfather and gets hired by him to help in his search.
I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive and hoped for another quick fun seasonal read.
Instead, it was really close to becoming a DNF. Although I finished it rather quickly, I was annoyed with it all the time - the characters, the style (how often can you use the word "vast"?), the editing, and that it wasn't very Christmassy. I guess I hoped it would become better and then I was too far in to DNF.
8. "The Library Book" by different authors, first published in 2012
The book is a collection of 23 stories by writers about libraries or including libraries, depending on their being fiction or nonfiction.
This was a recommendation on OverDrive.
I was torn. There were some excellent essays, there were some quotes that really could have come straight from my heart (mostly due to nostalgia), but there were also some that were simply boring or repetitive (for example the everlasting "print or electronic" discussion, ok, so I prefer a printed book, but these days I read e-books as well because it makes access easier for me, isn't it important people read at all?).
Some have aged well, some not so much if you watch the development in the last few years (I'm talking book bans for example).
Of course I'm aware that most stories refer to public libraries in the UK and the danger of a lot of them being shut down at that point (I don't know how the numbers mentioned have changed since then).
9. "Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon" by Matthew Norman, first published in 2025
Grace - who has two children - and Henry have both lost their spouses.
Almost a year later, with the holidays approaching, their mothers try to bring them together. They are not ready yet, though, and become "grief partners" instead, bonding over a holiday movie marathon ... and some mice.
I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive and really enjoyed it.
10. "The Brits in Hollywood: Tales from the Hollywood Raj" by Sheridan Morley, first published in 2006
(updated edition, originally published as "Tales from the Hollywood Raj" in 1983)
Many British actors and actresses - mostly men, though - went to Hollywood (even before it was called that) to make films there. Most of them had a theatrical background. Some stayed, such as Ronald Colman or Cary Grant, some went back home, some chose to go back and forth.
A nickname for them in the Golden Age of Hollywood was "The Hollywood Raj" (hinting at the "British Raj", the time of the British Crown's rule in India).
I heard about Dean Street Press from Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home. When checking out their website, I found a few titles that looked interesting to me, among them film-related books by Sheridan Morley (this was not a Dean Street Press edition, though).
The book listed a lot of names of peoples and films not all of which I knew, but it was still an interesting read.
11. "Der Hyazinthen-Mörder" = "Singing in the Shrouds" by Ngaio Marsh, first published in 1958
(Roderick Alleyn 20)
A serial killer strangles women and leaves them behind with their necklaces torn and flowers strewn over their bodies.
His third victim is found near a cruise ship. Suspecting "The Flower Killer" on board because of a torn boarding card in the victim's hand, Alleyn joyns the cruise to investigate undercover.
This is still part of my vintage crime project for which I keep getting books by Marsh and Allingham (just four of the Marshs missing now!)
12. "From the Alps to the Dales: 100 Years of Bettys" by Annie Gray, first published in 2019 😸
Founded by a Swiss baker and confectioner in 1919, Bettys is a Yorkshire based family company famous not for only for their Yorkshire tea rooms, but also their products among which tea and coffee lie in the responsibility of their sister company Taylors of Harrogate.
The book tells their history from 1919 to 2019.
I have read all of Annie Gray's books that I own so far to the cats, but haven't convinced them yet to become food historians themselves as they are more interested in what's on their plates now.
13. "The Case of the Silken Petticoat" by Christopher Bush, first published in 1953
(Ludovic Travers 43)
Private detective Ludovic Travers is witness when a young woman storms into Café Rond and kicks well-known critic Clement Foorde in the shin over a review he wrote on Robert Ashman's book "The Silken Petticoat".
Some time later, Ashman is found drowned in a river and he's not the only body in this mystery which Travers has to solve.
I had never heard of Christopher Bush before - as far as I remember - when Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home reviewed one of his books for a 1952 challenge. I found a few of his books on The Internet Archive and started randomly with this one.
14. "A Child's Christmas in Wales" by Dylan Thomas, first published in 1954 (as a book, it was a recording first) 😸
The Welsh poet's story is a beautifully told nostalgic memory of the Christmas of a young boy, the family gathering, playing in the snow, going carolling.
I hadn't known the story yet, it was mentioned in an article but it certainly evoked memories of past Christmases of my own. Reading it might become a Christmas ritual.
15. "The Women on Platform Two" by Laura Anthony, first published in 2025
Saoirse doesn't want to have children, her fiancé Miles does. After a negative pregnancy test and an ensuing discussion, Saoirse leaves to do some thinking and ends up on a train where she meets an old lady, Maura, who tells her the story of her best friend Bernie and herself in the Republic of Ireland of the 70s when contraception was still forbidden.
(TW: Domestic violence/suicide)
I think I found this one as a new entry on OverDrive.
While knowing about all contraceptives being forbidden in Ireland around that time, I hadn't heard about "The Contraceptive Train" before when 47 women's rights activities took a train to Belfast to buy contraceptives there which were illegal to bring back into the Republic.
16. "The Carlyles at Home" by Thea Holme, first published in 1965
"Home" was 5 Cheyne Row in Chelsea, London where the Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher Thomas Carlyle lived from 1834 to his death in 1881.
With him lived his wife Jane until her death in 1866. She was an avid writer of letters which allow us a look into the Carlyles' life from her point of view.
I found the book through a review by Liz from Adventures in Reading, Running, and Working from Home (whose ears are probably ringing by now).
While it was very interesting to read, for example how difficult it can be to find reliable servants (there's a lot of that), I went to hug my appliances and my cats afterwards. We three are lucky in many regards to live now instead of back then (because we are a spoiled lot).
17. "The Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Moaning Cave" by William Arden (the books were published attributed to Alfred Hitchcock), first published in 1968 😸
(The Three Investigators 10)
What makes a cave moan and why has it started again after 50 years? Is the legend about "The Old One" true and what about the rebel El Diablo, can he still be alive?
This time Jupiter, Pete, and Bob are on a case trying to help out the Daltons who own the ranch next to Devil Mountain.
I read this series a long time ago and am going through it again bit by bit after writing a blog post about it. This book is the tenth in the series.
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