Book Reading Season Starts In December

I read books year-around but I really pile-on beginning in December. Donna Tartt's GOLDFINCH, an 800 page epic about art theft got me started while I simultaneously read SPHERE by Michael Crichton. PRACTICLE DEMONKEEPING by Christopher Moore and VILLA INCOGNITO BY Tom Robbins have launched me into 2021. Most of the books I read these days come from the communal-share Little Free Libraries we contribute to and mine in Sacramento, Chico and Burbank. This is one of the riskiest exposures we have in the age of COVID 19. We wear masks and gloves when leaning into these little roadside boxes. The Elmhurst neighborhood next to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, with it's numerous Little Free Libraries, has been a treasure trove for interesting books. I really don't set goals to read specific genres or titles or authors each year...the books I read actually find me. I recognize certain authors that I've had a good experience with so, I'm quick to pick them up when I see them, but I really don't make a "to read" list. I suppose reading is a form of escapism from the realities that hammer on us everyday, but I appreciate the offtime and relaxation it offers my body...and the worry centers of my brain...which explains why I don't read murder mysteries or "who done it" crime stories, as a rule.