“I Can’t Believe I Haven’t Read That Yet” #4

September’s Result

Nevermind that this post is two months late😬Though I don’t remember how many votes it got, The Map Thief  by Michael Blanding was the winner.

The subtitle on the front of the book purports it to be “the gripping story of one esteemed rare-map dealer who made millions stealing priceless maps”. Gripping is quite an overstatement. A lengthy section on early exploration and map-making near the beginning just about put me to sleep; I skimmed most of it. I picked up this book for the drama of stealing priceless artifacts, not to actually read about historical maps. But even that story wasn’t as interesting as I thought. Smiley is just a well-off White dude who wanted more than he could afford, so he stole maps to pay for his luxurious spending. And even then he never had enough money. Boohoo, so sad. The story’s not super intriguing, though I did like reading about cataloging practices, library security, and how the libraries had to figure out which maps were missing. 

December’s Selection

This month’s picks come from my winter-reading shelf. 

• Cloud and Ashes: Three Winter’s Tales by Gilman Greer (speculative fiction)
• The Children of Green Knowe  by L.M. Boston (classic middle grade)
• Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick (young adult)
• The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell (middle grade)

Which book should I read in December? Leave a comment below or vote on Twitter! (I can’t tell who voted on Twitter, so if you’re really keen you can vote in the comments AND on Twitter 😜)