Whew. Not just another month over, but another year. How did that happen? I only managed to get through seven books In December, which surprised me, since I was on leave from the day job for most of the month., but there were some fairly lengthy books in the mix, and lots of other good stuff away from reading, with family and friends and lots of swimming.

Anyway, here’s what I read in December:

Books for Children

1. 1. Bicycling to the Moon, by Timo Parvela, illustrated by Virpi Talvitie (Gecko Press, 2016). A cute and quirky collection of stories featuring an unlikely pair of housemates – Barker the dog and Purdy the cat.
   2. Water Boatman,by William Mayne (GazelleBooks,1964). Rescued from a discard pile a while back and sitting in my to read cupboard until now. A cute, though dated, early chapter book from 1964.

Books for Young Adults

1. Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green & David Levithan (Text Publishing, 2010).  Very late to the party reading this one – which, I suspect, may even have been in my to-read pile since it came out. I’ve heard a lot about it, so no reason not to read it. Anyway, I have now, and liked it.

Books for Adults

1. Father of the Lost Boys, by Yuot A. Alaak (Fremantle Press, 2024). This is a stunning memoir of the lives of South Sudanese boys during the Second Sudanese Civil War. The author was not only one of those boys, but his father, Mecak Ajang Alaak, was the man who took it on himself to lead and protect those boys.
2. The Yield: Winner of the 2020 Miles Franklin Award, by Tara June Winch (Penguin, 2021).
3. The Lost Bookshop, by Evie Woods (One More Chapter, 2024). Listened to this one on audio, thinking it would be lighter than it was – but really enjoyed it nonetheless. Magical realism about a bookshop that changes lives across generations.
4. The Power, by Naomi Alderman (Penguin Books, 2017). This book found me – or I found it, perhaps – on a ferry, where it was sitting on the window ledge next to my seat when I boarded.  I had planned to leave it there, but by the time we’d reached the mainland, I’d decided I was meant to read it. An intriguing interpretation of what might happen if women suddenly had all the power.

This brings my total for 2024 to 115.  I didn’t set a target number for the year, because I wanted to slow down and enjoy the quality rather than the quantity, and I think I achieved that. My goal for 2025 is to do the same.

Here’s to another year of reading.