It's December, 2017 and we are reading......

I'm reading Passionate Minds: The Great Love Affair of the Enlightenment, Featuring the Scientist Emilie Du Chatelet, the Poet Voltaire, Sword Fights, Book Burnings, Assorted Kings, Seditious Verse, and the Birth of the Modern World by David Bodanis.

I'm reading Strange Angel, about rocket scientist Jack Parsons.

The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer
Kate Summerscale
5/5 stars
This is the true crime story of Robert Coombes, who at the age of 13 in 1895 killed his mother in England while his father who was a sailor at sea. Robert and his brother Nattie (12) then went about their lives and eventually Robert convinces John Fox, a friend of the family to come and live with them. Fox does not suspect anything while in the house. When the boy’s Aunt finds out they are alone, she comes to the house and finds the mother dead. The two boys and Fox are arrested for the murder. As the trial proceeds, Fox and Nattie are found not guilty of the crime and Robert goes to an asylum instead of jail for the crime, eventually being released to live an eventful and exemplary life. So why did he kill his mother? I had a hard time putting this down. Summerscale does a great job discussing the time period, facts of the crime, the lives of the boys and the aftermath of the trial.

Lynn, how do you like Passionate Minds? That one has been on my TBR list for a couple of years, but I haven't moved any closer to reading it. Am I missing out?

I'm still listening to The Day of Battle. It is great, but so grim. The allies are really struggling in Italy and it's depressing stuff, for me at least, to read about how so many mistakes lead to so many unnecessary deaths.

I've started Jolly Wicked, actually a selection of 100 words that, in the author's opinion, say something about us as a nation and who we are. It's in alphabetical order, and I'm in the C's at the moment, including cuppa, chat and cad.
Listening to it, so will almost certainly not finish in December. I've changed job and my commuting (and hence time to listen to audiobooks) has dramatically reduced. That's actually a god thing.

cmbohn, I did enjoy Passionate Minds because it was written in such an engaging style. The characters of Emilie and Voltaire are both fascinating, as are the politics and science of the era they lived in. That said, it is a bit "light" on the actual science and the full implications of Emilie's work so if you want that kind of depth, you may not enjoy it. I see it as a great introduction to Emilie's life...gave me a good basis and enough info to admire her.

I'm on to Made in America which is 50% American History. Very similar to Lies my teacher Told Me or that wonderful A people's History of the United States. On the words origins side, it is equally fascinating. Scholarly, funny Bryson, not Traveling curmudgeon Bryson.

I started out the month seasonal: Christmas Treevia, The Book of Christmas, and Christmas Cheer For The Most Wonderful Time of The Year. Not sure what is next, I will choose tonight.

'Just finished a series of nature essays from the hippy 70s; oops, it's actually from the 80s: The New Year's Owl. meh...

I just finished an old Bill Bryson book A Walk in the Woods which was the first Bryson I've read. I enjoyed its mix of humor and information.

I'm reading and enjoying Mary Roach's most recent book, Grunt.

>10 snash:>11
I enjoy both of those authors.

I'm reading Evita: The Life of Eva Peron by Jill Hedges.

I recently finished Washington and his Generals by Joel T. Headley. The book was published in 1875 and contains short biographies on every man who served as a general in the Continental Army. The chapters are of varying lengths and mostly cover each man's war service, but they also offer quick surveys of each person's early life and time after the revolution as well. My copy is a first edition, so it's 142 years old!

Ending the year a quarter of the way through The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene, so that will be where 2018 starts.