December 2021 Monthly Reading Wrap Up

[Jessica]

It’s the final Wrap Up for 2021! Wow, this year flew by. I finished the year having read 53 books, surpassing my goal of 40. How did you do on your reading challenge this year? Hope you all had a Happy Holiday Season! Now onto the Wrap Up

This month I read…

The Party Crasher by Sophie Kinsella- I really enjoyed just diving into the silliness of Effie’s antics in this one. It was fun, light hearted, and very enjoyable as a quick read. I think I’ll have to read some more Sophie Kinsella books as well.

Gilded by Marissa Meyer- I’m a sucker for a good fairytale retelling (My favorite of all time is also written by this author) and for Rumpelstiltskin (thank you Once Upon A Time), so this immediately went to the top of my TBR. I loved the world Meyer created and this book lived up to the high expectations I had for it, other than the cliffhanger and having to wait a whole year to see what happens next.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan- This was a super cute read. I loved the premise of them passing the notebook back and forth with dares when they hadn’t met each other. Recommended for light and fun holiday reading.

Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand- I listened to this one on audio. It was ok. There wasn’t anything in particular that stood out as good or bad, other than Ava being a little annoying. It was nice to have to listen to while I traveled for the Holidays.

One Day in December by Josie Silver- Loved the premise of this one and had heard lots of good things about this, but it was a big fat nope from me. If Jack wouldn’t have been a Grade A Jerk through the whole thing, then maybe I would have liked it better but his character being awful just clouded everything in this book for me.

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens- A fun read that was much needed after the disappointment that was One Day in December. Another adorable premise and it left me wanting more as well, specifically about the two moms in the story, well and about what happens next too.

What did you read this month? Be sure to share down below!

Happy Reading!

[Erin]

Hey there. So I got closer to my goal of 60 ... only 100 books this year (yes, I'm trying to read less), but I did a huge slush read for a publisher in February which didn't count toward that so likely hit my 120 average.

I nearly looked up Gilded until you mentioned a cliffhanger. Ugh.

The Diviners by Libba Bray - While a great period piece, the author felt the need to shoehorn in all her research bloating this YA to about double the size it needed to be. I finished about half the book before giving up because the action didn't pop buried under the purple prose.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - Great book. I love music-based genre fiction and the commentary about violins was great. Also the aliens running a donut shop. And also in the mix was contemporary issues about genre identity. A mashup genre book about beauty, memories, soul, food, and music.

[Taylor]

I finished with 34 books for 2021 which was more than double the number of books that I read during 2020. My overall goal is to read more often so I am trying to focus on that rather than the number of books (especially since books vary in length).

During December, I read:

Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life - While this book was not what I had expected, I appreciated the information as it made me think about finance from a different aspect.

Unsaid by Neil Abramson - This felt like an emotional read. It is told from the perspective of someone who has already passed away. I appreciated the ending though.

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson - I enjoyed this one and already started the second book of the series. I've enjoyed how the characters are portrayed and the occasional humor depicted. It has been a page-turner so far as mysteries are uncovered.

[Jessica]

Erin wrote: "Hey there. So I got closer to my goal of 60 ... only 100 books this year (yes, I'm trying to read less), but I did a huge slush read for a publisher in February which didn't count toward that so li..."

I still recommend Gilded, but if you want to wait until the end of this year when the next one comes out I wouldn't blame you. haha.

My interest is peaked by Light from Uncommon Stars. I decided to do the pop sugar reading challenge this year and one of the prompts is to read a book about gender identity, so I'll keep it mind for that prompt. =)

[Jessica]

Taylor wrote: "I finished with 34 books for 2021 which was more than double the number of books that I read during 2020. My overall goal is to read more often so I am trying to focus on that rather than the numbe..."

Simply reading more is a great goal! Sounds like you did well with it this year!

I've become interested in personal finance lately so I might have to take a look at Die with Zero. It does sound interesting.