December RandomCAT: Auld Acquaintance

Since I have some free time this weekend, I thought I'd post the theme for December's RandomCAT! It's a bit early, but I know many of you like to have some advance notice so that you can find appropriate books.

That said, I'm planning to take it easy on everyone this month, since we're trying to finish our challenges and survive the busy holiday season! Therefore, the December RandomCAT theme is Auld Acquaintance: Read a book by an author you've read before.

I chose this theme because it should be fairly painless for everyone. Go ahead and take this opportunity to delve deeper into the work of an author you've enjoyed in the past -- or read the next book in a favorite series! This theme also brings the RandomCAT full circle, since the January theme was to read a book by a new-to-you author. Finally, I thought it would be nice to revisit an "auld acquaintance" before we turn to a new year and a new challenge.

I hope you all enjoy the theme and have fun with the last RandomCAT of 2013!

I think I ought to be able to do some catching up on a few series with this RandomCAT!

great randomCAT. thanks!

Thanks for taking it easy on us. Love this challenge!

Great idea, Christina!

Fabulous idea, I might even manage to do this one! ;D

Yes - great theme!

Ooh, so many possibilities! :)

Glad y'all like the idea! :) Next month I'm planning to read at least 2 books that will work for this CAT: Whom the Gods Love by Kate Ross, the third book of a wonderful mystery series set in Regency England, and The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins, which should be a sweet contemporary romance.

If I can hold out, I'll be reading the latest Julia Spencer Fleming, Through the Evil Days. If I cave before the end of November and read it then I'll probably read something by Jhumpa Lahiri or Jojo Moyes. Hmm...seem to like the J authors.

I have a couple of definites and a few maybes depending on how my reading goes. I'm planning on Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier (I've read his Family) and The Fleet Street Murders by Charles Finch, which I've been saving for my holiday reading since it's set at Christmas. I may also listen to one of Anne Perry's Christmas novellas.

Christina, great concept to end the year on. I like that you've pointed out how it matches up with January's topic too. This will definitely be an achievable one for me.

I'm sure I should be able to find something for this!

Woo! I like this one...

Does re-reading books we've read before count or must they books we haven't read before?

I love Kate Morton and I've had House at Riverton on my night table for the last 3 months - maybe this is the push I needed to get it started.

I've decided to include books I've read before provided I have also read something else by the same author. I am now starting to re-read after a very long timeGerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals. I have also read his Rosie is My Relative, amongst others, before.

Well I had hoped to finish it last month, but as I started today a little under halfway through it, Nabokov's Speak, Memory will count for this RandomCAT.

The Man with a Load of Mischief and The Fleet Street Murders will both count for me for this challenge.

I've started The March of Folly by Tuchman. This is the third book I've read by her so I am counting it for this CAT.

I've finished my first Auld Acquaintance. The Song Is You by Megan Abbott was, for me, even better than Queenpin, which is really saying something. A great start to my December reading.

I started A Savage Place book 8 in the Spenser series by Robert B. Parker and Tuesday I pick up The Man in the Balcony by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, book 3 in the Martin Beck Mysteries. It will be nice to finish the year off with these old friends.

Started Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri - this will be the third book of hers that I've read this year.

@ 15 -- Robertgreaves, I'd originally intended for people to pick an author they like, then find a new-to-them book by that author to read. But if people would like to include re-reads in this theme, that's fine by me.

I've already read one book for this CAT, The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins. Looking forward to knocking out a few more by the end of the year!

Judy, I'm so glad you liked your second Megan Abbott. She's one of my favorite authors.

Roberta, I'm currently reading (not for this challenge, obviously) the first Martin Beck novel, Roseanna. I'm loving the 1965 details -- everyone smoking like chimneys and a transatlantic call is quite an involved undertaking.

As soon as I finish Roseanna, I'm diving into the newest Ian Rankin, Saints of the Shadow Bible.

I've decided to read One Day, by David Nicholls, for this challenge. I've been saving it for a while and this is the perfect time to read it! :)

I just finished The Man with a Load of Mischief a several times re-read for me. This is definitely a comfort read. I love it.

Kay - I am so excited you are reading Roseanna. I loved all the day to day details too. In the second book they have to call Martin's neighbor at this vacation home because he doesn't have a phone. The neighbor comes by boat to get him and take him over to use the phone.

I have finished My Family and Other Animals and am now starting Civil To Strangers by Barbara Pym, all of whose novels I have read except this one.

Finished The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri - not my favorite of hers but still good nonetheless.

>29 Robertgreaves: - I seriously considered reading a Pym for this challenge as I somehow just now discovered her this year and have enjoyed a couple of her books. Will be curious to see how you like this one.

I've been reading the complete Pym novels this year in honour of the centenary of her birth. There is a group of us who've been working our way through the novels (both those published in her lifetime and those published posthumously) over at the Virago Modern Classics group.

I've finished Civil to Strangers and am now reading Agatha Christie's They Do It With Mirrors. I have previously read quite a few of Christie's works, most recently The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Big Four.

My next old friend is David Wishart. I've just started his Old Bones, having most recently read The Lydian Baker (last August).

I just read Jemima J by Jane Green, an author I haven't read for a while. This book also completed my chick lit category so that was great.

Finished Charles Finch's seventh book (and my seventh Finch book!) in his Charles Lenox Victorian mystery series, An Old Betrayal. Exactly what I was in the mood for!

I'm about 1/3 of the way through Whom the Gods Love, the third Julian Kestrel mystery by Kate Ross, and -- no surprise -- I'm loving it!

I've added two more titles to the wiki for this challenge, Winter Thunder by Mari Sandoz and Un Lun Dun by China Mieville.

I read Saints of the Shadow Bible by my old friend Ian Rankin for this CAT. I would probably have read it anyway, but thanks for the excuse.

RG, I aim to please. :)

I've finished my auld acquaintance book The Body in the Kelp by Katherine Hall Page.

I did the Nabokov one earlier in the month, and have also read two Alistair MacLean ones, one of my favorite authors :)) There's also some authors in the Oxford Book of Modern Fairy Tales that I've read before, if that counts, haha.

I'm loving this Random CAT...I've read five books so far this month and all have been CATs : )

Martin Eden by Jack London
On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Broken Harbor by Tana French
High Five by Janet Evanovich
After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

Up next, Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence

Being the series junkie that I am, I'm following David Wishart's Old Bones with Last Rites.

This morning I finished The March of Folly which is the third book I have read by Barbara Tuchman.

I finished Whom the Gods Love, and overall I loved it...EXCEPT one character whom I really liked ended up doing something completely awful, and it sort of broke my heart. But it's a testament to Kate Ross that I cared about that character so much!

I finished the audio version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I've seen several TV/film adaptations, but I'd never read the original!

I read Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier and learned that I prefer his straight non-fiction to his humorous pieces. It also fits this month's AlphaCAT and AwardsCAT so it's my last hat trick for the year.

After reading Last Rites and White Murder, both by David Wishart, I am now reading The Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin, the last of whose books I read was Four Ways to Forgiveness.

I am now reading Camelot's Blood the final book in Sarah Zettel's Paths to Camelot series.

I finished a couple of books today by familiar authors: A Killer's Christmas in Wales by Elizabeth J. Duncan and A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry.

Having finished The Telling, I am now reading Age of Bronze: Sacrifice by Eric Shanower, whose Age of Bronze: A Thousand Ships I read in January 2013.

I've now read The Oracle Glass by Judith Merkle Riley, an excellent historical novel set in seventeenth century Paris. I had read this long before LT and I enjoyed getting reacquainted with this author.

#52 by RidgewayGirl> That's in my TBR mountain somewhere. I do need to get to it.

Age of Bronze: Sacrifice completed

A couple of days ago I finished Camelot's Blood by Sarah Zettel. It is the final book in the Paths to Camelot series. Yay!! I finished a series.