The Books I Read in December:
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi- 4 stars Honestly, this book started out as a 5-star book, but it felt like seven different books and plot lines in one book. This was so drawn-out. I enjoyed the different plots, but not all the time. The characters were interesting and I'm curious about book two and plan to continue. I enjoyed this one, but I wanted so much more out of it.
You Can't Kill Me Twice (So Please Treat Me Right) by Charlyne Yi- 3.75 stars This poetry book felt very intimate. I felt at times like a rude house guest ease dropping on an argument in a kitchen while awkwardly sitting in the living room. I did enjoy it, but like most poetry collections I wasn't always a fun of it. Memorable in some places and forgettable in others. Check out my review here.
The Tempest by William Shakespeare- 3.25 stars This was my last Shakespeare of the year and it was nice to read his last play. I liked the story and found it to be one of his more enjoyable plays. It wasn't always entertaining and there were times when I was trying to finish the scenes to get to the next one, but I really liked the plot and concept.
Lumberjanes Volume 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson and a bunch of others- 4 stars This was so much fun! It was a cute graphic novel and I was always engaged with the adventures of this friends. The story is wacky and definitely weird, but it was something I really liked and definitely see myself continuing in the series.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien- 4 stars (reread) This was my second time reading this book and my enjoyment of it improved greatly upon the second reading. I really enjoyed the overall adventures of Bilbo and the dwarves, but there were times when this story feels really boring and inconsistent in the middle. All of the adventures are fun, but it does feel a little clogged. However, I did prefer Tolkien's writing this time. Whereas, last time I was incredibly unimpressed.
What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon- 4 stars The middle of this one was so boring. I could care less about the meandering events that took place in that section, but I was so interested in finding out about the politics of Ireland during this time. This one is easily comparable to Outlander, but the pacing of the novel towards the end really shines. It is not as good as Outlander, but it's good. I really liked the pull-over and magic of the lough. It was a beautiful story, but it got boring sometimes.
The Invited by Jennifer McMahon- 4.25 stars This premise is wild. A woman and her husband buy property and it happens to be next to a bog where a woman who was believed to a witch was hanged. Helen decides to piece together items of dead women and reconstruct a haunted house in hopes that the spirits of these dead women will help her uncover what is going on. I really liked the lineage mystery, but this one hit some snags in the middle and it felt like the novel was struggling to choose what direction it wanted to go in. Eventually, the novel finds its pacing and becomes confident in moving forward.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood- 5 stars I just really enjoyed this one. The storylines were entertaining and I loved the subterfuge of Canadians sending Nicole as a spy into Gilead with the Aunts was so good. I also loved following Offred's children (which isn't a spoiler because I felt like it was pretty obvious who they were from the beginning). I also liked knowing more about Aunt Lydia and all my prior beliefs about how she became an Aunt were pretty spot on. It's not nearly as good as The Handmaid's Tale, but this is a different book from different women in Gilead. So, I didn't expect it to be similar.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones- 2 stars Whew. Talk about a disappointing book. Everyone and their mama loves Howl's Moving Castle, but I was unimpressed with it. Maybe it was the audiobook that hindered my experience, but I found the story to be uninspiring and the characters to be dull. I didn't care too much for Sophie and Howl was a pretty boring character. I just felt pretty meh about the whole novel. I have not decided if I want to read the sequel or not yet.
And She Was Bad by Nadia Bulkin- 1 star This is an audio short story that I just absolutely hated. Wow. I did not think I would despise a short story the way that I despised this one. I was so over it. Check out my review here.
My Body, Herself by Carmen Maria Machado- 1.5 stars I liked this one more than the last audio short story, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. There was one really weird scene that I felt like it 1) made no sense to the overall ending and 2) just felt like the author wanted to write some weird poetic masturbation commentary. However, it didn't make any sense. This story didn't make much sense, but the writing was pretty decent. Check out my review here.
Black Bark by Brian Stevenson- 3 stars This is why I like horror stories, especially creepy ones that feel like a campfire story. This story is atmospheric and downright eerie. I really enjoyed my listening experience with this one. Also, sign me up for more cowboy horror. Check out my review here.
Animosity Volume 1: The Wake by Marguerite Bennett and others- 4 stars This graphic novel follows a world where animals wake up one day and are sentient creatures who start attacking humans. The world becomes forever changed. We follow Jessie and her dog, Sandor, as her dog tries to get her to safety out of New York. The images are bloody and the story is impressively violent, but it holds true to studying humanity in a brilliant way. I highly recommend this graphic novel! Check out my review here.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid- 4.5 stars I really enjoyed this one. I love old Hollywood. I love the scandals and the era of stars on top of the world. I love following Evelyn's life through her interview with Monique, but I could care less about Monique. That woman was a dry piece of toast and I wish she would've been completely eliminated from the story. I wanted a story only about Evelyn Hugo not some woman with a bizarre connection to her. The audiobook is also fantastic. I recommend listening to it as opposed to reading it.
Overall Thoughts:
December was a decent reading month. I only had one 5- star book, but that's okay. It was a month to finish up the year and I wish I had more time to read more at the end, but I'm happy with what I read and at least I ended with Hugo and not a book I hated. Here are my 5-star reads:
1. The Testaments
2019 TBR:None!
Total Read: 15
I did not do a good with following the TBR I set for myself in 2019. How disappointing. At least, I did read 15 books from the list! I wont' beat myself up too badly seeing as this was due to reading 45 books in the last four months for university classes. My goals took a back-burner.
Currently Reading / Hoping to Finish in January:
Netgalley ARCs: Stop Calling Me Beautiful, DEV1AT3, A Darker Shade of Magic, Selected Poems of Edith Wharton
Sent By Publisher: Vulnerable, Letters to My Students, The Harp of Kings
E-book from Library: Bunny
Audiobooks: Gone with the Wind, The Good Nurse, Good Omens
Books I Bought/Gifted: Needful Things, Gone with the Wind, The Celebration of Discipline, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, The Purple Book, East of Eden, Moments of Grace, The Harp of Kings
On Hold: The Celebration of Discipline, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, The Purple Book, East of Eden, Moments of Grace
ARCs That Come Out in January:
Long Bright River: Sounds like an intense and important mystery thriller with drugs at the center of a small town around a murder mystery.
The Tenant: Sounds like an intense thriller about a writer who writes a book and a woman dies in the same way.
Fire & Wind: Sounds like a great Charismatic novel that focuses on the importance of the Holy Spirit. (AKA My kind of book!)
The Will and the Wilds: Sounds like a haunting and atmospheric novel that will be my kind of fantasy.
Blood Countess: Sounds like a bloody historical YA horror that will have me on the edge of my seat.
Dreamland: Sounds like a sweet YA historical novel with a beautiful and unique setting.
Wolf Gone Wild: Supernatural paranormal romance. Sounds old school and definitely fun!
Creatures: Sounds like a lyric and haunting historical novel.
Audiobooks:
American Predator- True Crime about an Alaskan Serial Killer
Children of Virtue and Vengeance- Sequel to Children of Blood & Bone (Fantasy)
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers- Biography about the beloved TV host Fred Rogers (so far, so good)
Once Upon a River- fairy tale stories play an important aspect in this one (not sure if it's Historical Fiction or Fantasy or both)
Dare Me- cheerleader thriller
The Family Upstairs- thriller about family secrets and coming back to a house where someone has been murdered 20 years prior
The Fountains of Silence- historical fiction by one of my favorite YA authors
Imaginary Friend- horror by the guy who wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower about a boy who has an imaginary friend with deadly intentions
If We Were Villains- Mystery that involves Shakespearean actors
Ninth House- urban fantasy about magical societies
Books I Own:
Binti: Home- Sci-fi sequel to Binti and a small novella
A Lineage of Grace- a collection of five novellas surrounding the women who are apart of the lineage of Jesus
Parable of the Talents- sci-fi sequel to Parable of the Sower
Have you read any of these books? What was your December reading like? Let me know down below in the comments!
What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon- 4 stars The middle of this one was so boring. I could care less about the meandering events that took place in that section, but I was so interested in finding out about the politics of Ireland during this time. This one is easily comparable to Outlander, but the pacing of the novel towards the end really shines. It is not as good as Outlander, but it's good. I really liked the pull-over and magic of the lough. It was a beautiful story, but it got boring sometimes.
The Invited by Jennifer McMahon- 4.25 stars This premise is wild. A woman and her husband buy property and it happens to be next to a bog where a woman who was believed to a witch was hanged. Helen decides to piece together items of dead women and reconstruct a haunted house in hopes that the spirits of these dead women will help her uncover what is going on. I really liked the lineage mystery, but this one hit some snags in the middle and it felt like the novel was struggling to choose what direction it wanted to go in. Eventually, the novel finds its pacing and becomes confident in moving forward.
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood- 5 stars I just really enjoyed this one. The storylines were entertaining and I loved the subterfuge of Canadians sending Nicole as a spy into Gilead with the Aunts was so good. I also loved following Offred's children (which isn't a spoiler because I felt like it was pretty obvious who they were from the beginning). I also liked knowing more about Aunt Lydia and all my prior beliefs about how she became an Aunt were pretty spot on. It's not nearly as good as The Handmaid's Tale, but this is a different book from different women in Gilead. So, I didn't expect it to be similar.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones- 2 stars Whew. Talk about a disappointing book. Everyone and their mama loves Howl's Moving Castle, but I was unimpressed with it. Maybe it was the audiobook that hindered my experience, but I found the story to be uninspiring and the characters to be dull. I didn't care too much for Sophie and Howl was a pretty boring character. I just felt pretty meh about the whole novel. I have not decided if I want to read the sequel or not yet.
And She Was Bad by Nadia Bulkin- 1 star This is an audio short story that I just absolutely hated. Wow. I did not think I would despise a short story the way that I despised this one. I was so over it. Check out my review here.
My Body, Herself by Carmen Maria Machado- 1.5 stars I liked this one more than the last audio short story, but I wasn't a huge fan of it. There was one really weird scene that I felt like it 1) made no sense to the overall ending and 2) just felt like the author wanted to write some weird poetic masturbation commentary. However, it didn't make any sense. This story didn't make much sense, but the writing was pretty decent. Check out my review here.
Black Bark by Brian Stevenson- 3 stars This is why I like horror stories, especially creepy ones that feel like a campfire story. This story is atmospheric and downright eerie. I really enjoyed my listening experience with this one. Also, sign me up for more cowboy horror. Check out my review here.
Animosity Volume 1: The Wake by Marguerite Bennett and others- 4 stars This graphic novel follows a world where animals wake up one day and are sentient creatures who start attacking humans. The world becomes forever changed. We follow Jessie and her dog, Sandor, as her dog tries to get her to safety out of New York. The images are bloody and the story is impressively violent, but it holds true to studying humanity in a brilliant way. I highly recommend this graphic novel! Check out my review here.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid- 4.5 stars I really enjoyed this one. I love old Hollywood. I love the scandals and the era of stars on top of the world. I love following Evelyn's life through her interview with Monique, but I could care less about Monique. That woman was a dry piece of toast and I wish she would've been completely eliminated from the story. I wanted a story only about Evelyn Hugo not some woman with a bizarre connection to her. The audiobook is also fantastic. I recommend listening to it as opposed to reading it.
Overall Thoughts:
December was a decent reading month. I only had one 5- star book, but that's okay. It was a month to finish up the year and I wish I had more time to read more at the end, but I'm happy with what I read and at least I ended with Hugo and not a book I hated. Here are my 5-star reads:
1. The Testaments
2019 TBR:None!
Total Read: 15
I did not do a good with following the TBR I set for myself in 2019. How disappointing. At least, I did read 15 books from the list! I wont' beat myself up too badly seeing as this was due to reading 45 books in the last four months for university classes. My goals took a back-burner.
Currently Reading / Hoping to Finish in January:
Netgalley ARCs: Stop Calling Me Beautiful, DEV1AT3, A Darker Shade of Magic, Selected Poems of Edith Wharton
Sent By Publisher: Vulnerable, Letters to My Students, The Harp of Kings
E-book from Library: Bunny
Audiobooks: Gone with the Wind, The Good Nurse, Good Omens
Books I Bought/Gifted: Needful Things, Gone with the Wind, The Celebration of Discipline, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, The Purple Book, East of Eden, Moments of Grace, The Harp of Kings
On Hold: The Celebration of Discipline, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, The Purple Book, East of Eden, Moments of Grace
ARCs That Come Out in January:
Long Bright River: Sounds like an intense and important mystery thriller with drugs at the center of a small town around a murder mystery.
The Tenant: Sounds like an intense thriller about a writer who writes a book and a woman dies in the same way.
Fire & Wind: Sounds like a great Charismatic novel that focuses on the importance of the Holy Spirit. (AKA My kind of book!)
The Will and the Wilds: Sounds like a haunting and atmospheric novel that will be my kind of fantasy.
Blood Countess: Sounds like a bloody historical YA horror that will have me on the edge of my seat.
Dreamland: Sounds like a sweet YA historical novel with a beautiful and unique setting.
Wolf Gone Wild: Supernatural paranormal romance. Sounds old school and definitely fun!
Creatures: Sounds like a lyric and haunting historical novel.
Audiobooks:
American Predator- True Crime about an Alaskan Serial Killer
Children of Virtue and Vengeance- Sequel to Children of Blood & Bone (Fantasy)
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers- Biography about the beloved TV host Fred Rogers (so far, so good)
Once Upon a River- fairy tale stories play an important aspect in this one (not sure if it's Historical Fiction or Fantasy or both)
Dare Me- cheerleader thriller
The Family Upstairs- thriller about family secrets and coming back to a house where someone has been murdered 20 years prior
The Fountains of Silence- historical fiction by one of my favorite YA authors
Imaginary Friend- horror by the guy who wrote The Perks of Being a Wallflower about a boy who has an imaginary friend with deadly intentions
If We Were Villains- Mystery that involves Shakespearean actors
Ninth House- urban fantasy about magical societies
Books I Own:
Binti: Home- Sci-fi sequel to Binti and a small novella
A Lineage of Grace- a collection of five novellas surrounding the women who are apart of the lineage of Jesus
Parable of the Talents- sci-fi sequel to Parable of the Sower
Have you read any of these books? What was your December reading like? Let me know down below in the comments!
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