December RandomCAT- Home For The Holidays

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December RandomCAT- Home For The Holidays

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1lsh63
Editat: nov. 14, 2015, 10:09 am




It seems as though as soon as Labor Day rolls around, we are bombarded with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all at once. To get myself back in the holiday spirit, I starting thinking of my childhood memories and the fun I had growing up in my parents home. Things such as my favorite toys, cooking in the kitchen with my mom, and sometimes playing in the snow.

The fun we had at home during the holiday season is also what I think about as I remember those who are no longer with us and the fun I hope to have with the new generation.

So no matter what holiday you celebrate, or where home happens to be, I hope that everyone enjoys the season with fun, family and friends.

For this month's CAT, please read a book with house or home in the title. But, just because it's the holiday season, the book doesn't have to be a cozy read.

I will be reading Don't Go Home, and The Turner House.

Here are some other suggestions:

Bleak House
House of Mirth
A Land More Kind Than Home
Slade House
Home
The Long Way Home
Crooked House
House at Riverton
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
The Ice House
Flesh House

Enjoy!

2sallylou61
Editat: nov. 14, 2015, 10:29 am

What a nostalgic challenge. I'm amazed at how many books I have with house in the title -- which, on second thought is not surprising since I'm a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan and also have a number of books about the White House. However, I think that I will read the books with home in the title, especially Sheila Kay Adams' Come Home with Me: Stories. I have really enjoyed hearing her tell stories at the Augusta Festival at Elkins College in West Virginia about growing up in Appalachia. Don't know why I haven't already read her book.

3Chrischi_HH
nov. 14, 2015, 1:01 pm

>1 lsh63: Wonderful text! This is the right time to be nostalgic and to think of childhood, family and coziness.

I have four options on my tbr and wishlist:
House of Mist by María Luìsa Bombal
The House of the Mosque by Kader Abdolah
Das Limonenhaus by Stefanie Gerstenberger (German)
Eine Zierde in ihrem Hause: Die Geschichte der Ottilie von Faber-Castell by Asta Scheib (German)

The first is the shortest and due to some planned Christmas reading I might go for that.

4rabbitprincess
nov. 14, 2015, 1:09 pm

Great idea for a theme! I will be reading A.A. Milne's The Red House Mystery.

5dudes22
nov. 14, 2015, 5:43 pm

I'm going to read Home to Harmony by Philip Gulley. I think it will be a quick read which I'll probably need next month and it's also the first in a series which I can continue next year.

6LittleTaiko
nov. 14, 2015, 9:31 pm

I have a couple of options - The Homesman by Glendon Swarthout or Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler.

7DeltaQueen50
nov. 14, 2015, 9:48 pm

Fun theme, Lisa. I have a number of books on my shelves to fit this but have narrowed it down to either Full Dark House by Christopher Fowler or The Girl from Barefoot House by Maureen Lee.

8cbl_tn
nov. 14, 2015, 10:08 pm

I will plan to read The Orchid House by Phyllis Shand Allfrey, and perhaps an Overdrive audiobook as well. There seem to be plenty of choices. I'll see what's available when I'm ready to listen.

9VivienneR
nov. 15, 2015, 10:31 pm

Great topic! I have lots to choose from but Anne's house of dreams by L.M. Montgomery looks like it heads the list.

10mathgirl40
nov. 16, 2015, 8:00 am

Nice choice of topic! I'm thinking of No Safe House by Linwood Barclay.

11LibraryCin
nov. 16, 2015, 9:44 pm

I like this idea! I will need to take a closer look at my tbr and I'll post my plan after that...

12LibraryCin
nov. 16, 2015, 10:00 pm

I have a few options:
- The House of Doctor Dee / Peter Ackroyd
- The Lake House / Kate Morton
- No Safe House / Linwood Barclay

13clue
nov. 17, 2015, 10:51 am

I started Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt several weeks ago and although it's very good I put it aside to finish a couple of other things, so if I don't finish it this month I will in Dec.

I also have The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor, a historical novel, in my TBR pile.

I'll also look for a Christmas themed title that would fit, I don't have one in the TBR but I'll bet I can find one. Off to see what the library might have.

14clue
nov. 17, 2015, 10:55 am

For those who read the Charles Lenox Mystery series, I've just finished his new one, Home By Nightfall and it's very good.

15luvamystery65
nov. 17, 2015, 10:15 pm

I was trying to fit in Fun Home by Alison Bechdel this month. Not sure I'll get to it but I will set it aside for this challenge.

16LadyoftheLodge
nov. 18, 2015, 9:00 pm

Yes! Home by Nightfall with Lenox it is! Just got it in the mail. Great theme.

17Roro8
nov. 19, 2015, 5:59 am

I was already thinking of reading Calling me Home by Julie Kibler next month for another group, so this is further encouragement to get hold of a copy ready for December.

18dudes22
nov. 30, 2015, 7:43 pm

I know it's not technically December yet, but I read faster than I expected this weekend and I've finished Home to Harmony by Philip Gulley. Slice of life in the town of Harmony from the point of view of the Quaker minister. First in a series.

19lsh63
nov. 30, 2015, 8:06 pm

Ha Betty, I was just about to confess that I finished The Turner House, which I had intended to start and then finish in December Nope, I read it in two days.

20sallylou61
nov. 30, 2015, 9:22 pm

I have also read a book which I was planning to read in December -- A Little House Sampler by Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose Wilder Lane. This compilation includes some of Laura's articles for farm journals and miscellaneous short writings by Rose. The volume was edited by William T. Anderson, a Laura Ingalls Wilder scholar.

21DeltaQueen50
des. 1, 2015, 8:29 pm

I've started At Christmas the Heart Goes Home by Marjorie Holmes it a small book of short stories and essays that I intend to dip in and out of over the next week.

22LittleTaiko
des. 3, 2015, 8:54 pm

Read The Homesman by Glendon Swarthout which is not my usual sort of book as it's a western. Started off great with a really kick-ass strong heroine and then lost direction during the last third. Still good, but not as good as it could of been.

23VivienneR
des. 5, 2015, 10:08 pm

I read A Christmas Homecoming by Anne Perry. It was slow and not very Christmassy. Would have worked better as a short story.

24rabbitprincess
des. 5, 2015, 10:10 pm

I finished The Red House Mystery this morning. Bonus: it's available on Project Gutenberg.

25thornton37814
des. 6, 2015, 3:23 pm

>23 VivienneR: I may have read that one before I began logging things in LT. Perry's Christmas books are not very Christmas-y. If you just remember they can be read any time of year when you want a fast read, you'd probably enjoy them just as much then.

26VivienneR
des. 8, 2015, 4:36 pm

>25 thornton37814: I think I'm finished with Ann Perry. This one was filled with too much heavy discussion without going anywhere.

27clue
des. 8, 2015, 11:45 pm

I finished Little House on the Prairie and loved it.

28VivienneR
des. 9, 2015, 2:08 pm

>24 rabbitprincess: I loved this quote from The Red House Mystery: "There was indeed a frightful lot of books. The four walls of the library were plastered with them from floor to ceiling, save only where the door and the two windows insisted on living their own life, even though an illiterate one."

29rabbitprincess
des. 9, 2015, 5:34 pm

>28 VivienneR: Yes!! That one went into my commonplace book :D Also, I want that library.

30DeltaQueen50
des. 12, 2015, 5:22 pm

I finished my book of Christmas stories, At Christmas The Heart Goes Home by Marjorie Holmes. I found it a little too sweet for my taste. I am hoping to get to at least one more book for this Cat - time allowing.

31MissWatson
des. 13, 2015, 6:46 am

I find that I don't have many books that fit the theme on my shelves, but at least I found a novella by Theodor Storm Im Nachbarhause links which roughly translates as "In the house to the left of mine" which is typical Storm fare: a man reminisces about an event long ago in his grandfather's time which relates to an event in his own past. Rather melancholy and suitable winter reading. I don't know yet if I'll get around to The small house at Allington.

32mathgirl40
des. 13, 2015, 6:49 pm

I finished No Safe House by Linwood Barclay. I really enjoyed it, but I recommend reading No Time for Goodbye first.

33LibraryCin
des. 13, 2015, 7:17 pm

>32 mathgirl40: And I just started reading it yesterday! (I did read No Time for Goodbye a few years back, as well.)

34inge87
des. 14, 2015, 4:18 pm

I finished and reviewed my book for this month's challenge: Pomfret Towers, about a house party at an Earl's estate. It's definitely one of Thirkell's better works.

35Chrischi_HH
des. 15, 2015, 4:30 pm

I finished House of Mist by María Luisa Bombal, a magical realism story set in Chile in the early 20th century. It was a great read for this time of year, with all the dreams and fairytales. :)

36cbl_tn
des. 16, 2015, 9:00 pm

I finished Halfway House by Ellery Queen this evening. As much as I love vintage mysteries, I don't think I could take a steady diet of Ellery. I enjoy my occasional visits with him, though!

37LibraryCin
des. 19, 2015, 12:20 am

No Safe House / Linwood Barclay
4 stars

This sequel to No Time for Goodbye takes place 7 years later. Terry and Cynthia are having a few bumps in their marriage and Cynthia periodically moves out to sort things out for herself. Their daughter Grace is now 14-years old, and though her mother tries to protect her a little too much, she still manages to get herself in trouble one night when she is out with her boyfriend, Stuart, whose father is involved in various crimes. While what Stuart and Grace are doing is not overly serious (but still illegal), things take a turn for the worse when someone gets shot!

This was another fast-paced read from Barclay. It's been quite a while since I read No Time for Goodbye, but from what I remember, this one's not quite as good. But that's just a comparison – this one is still really good. The book does alternate viewpoints (most commonly from Terry's), and I have to admit (and this is usually the case) that I tend not to find the viewpoint from the “bad guys” as interesting... at least until things start coming together at or toward the end. And this one had multiple “bad guys”. But, as usual, it all came together at the end with a little twist thrown in.

38lsh63
des. 19, 2015, 5:13 am

I read Don't Go Home the most recent installment in the Annie and Max Darling series. I always enjoy this series as I usually make note of some new author to investigate . I thought that I read last year that Carolyn Hart hinted that the series would end soon, I really hope not.

Then I read Flesh House, the next read in the Logan McRae series for me. These books are always dark with gallows humor thrown in and I enjoy them very much. This one was especially bloody, so I wouldn't read it during the lunch hour or right before dinner! I have to say that Steel cracks me up.



39DeltaQueen50
des. 19, 2015, 3:36 pm

>38 lsh63: I remember really liking Flesh House - sick puppy that I am. However my last Logan McBride didn't quite satisfy me, but that was quite some time ago so I think I am ready to jump back in again. I too get cracked up by Steel.

40sturlington
des. 20, 2015, 8:36 am

First read for this theme was A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash, which ended up disappointing me. Not the kind of story I was expecting.

I am going to try to finish House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy for this CAT as well.

41sallylou61
des. 20, 2015, 11:29 pm

Just finished reading Come Go Home with Me by Sheila Kay Adams, a collection of stories about growing up in Appalachia. Some of the stories had been handed down by older relatives. Many of the stories she had told her children at bedtime as they were growing up. A couple of the stories I had heard her tell several years ago at the Augusta summer festival in West Virginia at which she sang and told stories. At first the slang rather bothered me,but I soon became used to it. Some of the stories were humorous.

42sturlington
des. 24, 2015, 7:56 am

And I finished House of Echoes--an entertaining Gothic horror potboiler.

43luvamystery65
des. 24, 2015, 8:32 am

I finished Fun Home by Alison Bechdel. The artwork is excellent and her memoir is a sad tale of a smart talented family so isolated under the same roof.

44countrylife
des. 28, 2015, 5:16 pm

My reads for December's RandomCAT: Home for the Holidays (House/Home in Title)

Home Front by Kristin Hannah- 4.1 stars
Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow - 3.8
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay - 3.2
Summer House by Nancy Thayer - 3.2
The Way Home by George Pelecanos - 3.3

45staci426
des. 30, 2015, 10:47 am

I was able to squeeze one in before the end of the year, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

46mathgirl40
des. 30, 2015, 11:45 am

>37 LibraryCin: Glad to hear you liked No Safe House too!

47LibraryCin
des. 30, 2015, 4:02 pm

>46 mathgirl40: I don't know if I've read anything by Barclay that I've rated less than 4 stars! He's so good! He and Harlan Coben, both!

48Dejah_Thoris
Editat: des. 30, 2015, 5:11 pm

Just today I picked up the book I wanted to read for this challenge: The French House: An American Family, A French Maison, and the Village that Restored Them All by Don Wallace. I don't think it's too likely I'll get it finished in time......