A detailed look at December’s reading habits: 37 books read, two DNFs, five books knocked off my Up Next shelf, 12 new books at the top of my want to read list–two of which I’ve already purchased–and four new book reviews all under the shared theme of standalone fantasy novels.
Overview
| December Blog Updates | December Bookish Posts |
|---|---|
| 📖 Weekly Wrap: November 30th to December 6th 📖 Weekly Wrap: December 7th to December 13th 📖 Weekly Wrap: December 14th to December 20th 📖 Weekly Wrap: December 21st to December 27th | 📚 December Book Haul |
Outline
December Reflection and Into 2021
Despite how long 2020 felt, the end of December snuck up on me. It doesn’t help that ringing in the New Year felt remarkably anti-climatic considering how over 2020 everyone is.
I am happy to report that my books read in December was back to pre-COVID numbers. I finally found a balance between work, reading, Netflix and my blog. It helped that all of my blog’s reviews were under the same theme of standalone fantasy novels. Going into every year, I make goals to be more productive. December reaffirmed how helpful it is to have my content planned out; I will certainly be making an effort to be a lot more proactive and organized in the New Year!
I realized early in December that my December Hopefuls list wasn’t congruent with my reading moods. I am currently reading Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks, but it seems the only books I want to read are historical romance (thanks to the Bridgerton TV series) or young adult romance. I discuss my revised December Hopefuls list in my Yearly Wrap (see here) – I’m prioritizing four books in January as a must-read. I’ve also learned for next year’s Yearly Wrap that sorting through all the data takes quite a bit of time, so I’m planning on posting the Yearly Wrap: 2021 in mid-January instead to give myself some leeway.
Books I Read This Month
Key: 🔁 re-read | 🤓 reviewed on this blog | 📜 Up Next Shelf
• Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska, #2) by Sarah Morgenthaler
• Unpredictable (Love in LA, #3) by Jenna Hartley
• Lilac by B.B. Reid
• Floored (Ward Sisters, #3) by Karla Sorensen
• Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad 📜
• Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall 📜
• Home for the Holidays by Lucy Darling
• Reckoning (Insta-Spark, #2) by Melanie Moreland
• Christmas Sugar (The Elemental Paladins, #7) by Montana Ash 🔁
• When Dimple Met Rishi (Dimple and Rishi, #1) by Sandhya Menon 📜
• As Kismet Would Have It (Dimple and Rishi, #1.5) by Sandhya Menon
• Pretty Painful (The Fallen Gods, #1) by K.A. Knight
• Unwritten (The Salvation Society) by Jenna Hartley
• Beach Read by Emily Henry
• Christmas Chemistry by Ella Goode
• Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross 📜 🤓
• Perspective (Love in LA, #0.5) by Jenna Hartley
• A Deal with the Elf King (Marred to Magic, #1) by Elise Kova 📜 🤓
• The Pitcher’s Assistant by Jessa Kane
• Keep You (Love on the Clock, #3) by Nichole Rose
• Reaper Unexpected (Deadside Reapers, #1) by Debbie Cassidy
• His Curvy Bride (His Bride, #4) by Nichole Rose
• His Blushing Bride (His Bride, #6) by Nichole Rose
• Finding Their Heart (Men of Eagler Peak, #1) by Mira Stanley
• A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday
• Adrian (Love Under the Lights, #3) by Ella Fox and Rochelle Paige
• King Sized by Jessa Kane
• Rejected (Shadow Beast Shifters, #1) by Jaymin Eve
• Reaper Uninvited (Deadside Reaper, #2) by Debbie Cassidy
• Marked by Power (Marked, #1) by Cece Rose and G. Bailey 🔁
• His Human Assistant (Monsters Love Curvy Girls, #3) by Michele Mills
• Billionaire’s Unexpected Bride (Slade Brothers, #1) by Alexis Winter
• Furious (Anger Management, #2) by R.L. Mathewson
• Jingle Wars by R. Holmes and Veronica Eden @ 18%
Book Types: Most books were from Kindle Unlimited.
Rating Distribution: Most December reads were 3-stars.
December Breakdown
Want to Read from this month
*These buttons (🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇺🇸) and the Kindle Embeds contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.
Mediocre x Iljeoma Oluo
★
Get the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸
Verdict: Buy hardcopy; ebooks over $20 aren’t worth the price.
Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joy of Books x Cathy Rentzenbrink
★
Get the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧
Verdict: Buy hardcopy; I prefer books about books in hardcopy.
Most Favourite and Least Favourite*
*Can’t be a re-read
Most Favourite: Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler. See why here.
Least Favourite: Rejected by Jaymin Eve. See why here.
If you’ve seen my Yearly Wrap Up I mentioned that my favourite read for December was actually Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall. When I was looking at my ratings, I didn’t properly read the rating I gave Hood Feminism (4.5-stars), which resulted in the mistake of not including Mistletoe and Mr Right.
I’m not going to correct my Yearly Wrap Up, Hood Feminism is a very good book. However, in terms of what book I enjoyed the most in December, Mistletoe and Mr Right received a 5-star rating, so it will be documented in my December Wrap as my favourite for the month.
Longest and Shortest Books
Longest Book: Hate by K.A. Knight ~ 446 pages
Shortest Book: The Pitcher’s Assistant by Jessa Kane ~ 50 pages
Statistics
Most Read Genre: HEA Erotica
Origin Breakdown: Most of the books I read were “instant” reads (meaning I purchased and immediately read them).
Most Read Author: It was a tie between Nichole Rose and Jenna Hartley.
*Person of Colour includes non-white human characters in fantasy novels
Best Performing Bookstagram Posts
December Book Reviews
Theme of Weeks 1 to 4: Standalone Fantasy Novels
A Deal with the Elf King
by Elise Kova
Quick Take: A standalone epic fantasy loosely based on the mythology of Hades and Persephone, and while an enemies-to-lovers romance that has its sweet parts, the lack of world-building, endearing characterizations and number of plot holes made the novel quite anti-climatic.
Sisters of Sword and Song
by Rebecca Ross
Quick Take: A beautifully rich high fantasy that incorporates all the best parts of mythology–magic, the ancestry of gods, and a save-the-world quest–made all the more gripping by its earnest exploration of two sisters who would go through hell for each other. However, the plot’s climax revealed my apathy towards the quest’s fulfillment–saving the Queen didn’t feel like much of a success, given everyone I connected to had to suffer for it–making the novel not as enjoyable.
Sorcery of Thorns
by Margaret Rogerson
Quick Take: An entrancing standalone epic fantasy that brings the magic of books to life through the Heroine’s journey to discover who is attempting to sabotage the Great Libraries through its libraries, made all the more enjoyable by its adorable enemies to friends to lovers romances and themes of friendship.
Seven Ways to Kill A King
by Melissa Wright
Quick Take: A standalone epic fantasy that has all the makings for a great revenge-filled novel with its good pacing and complex assassinations; however, it falls short in its comparison to The Witcher and Game of Thrones as there’s more moral introspection than badass name-taking and its uninspiring characterizations.
My January Hopefuls
I’ve already discussed in my 2020 Wrap Up the books I’m prioritizing (see here for the details); I’ve listed them below:
- Feminism is for Everybody by bell hooks
- Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
- For the Love of Men by Liz Plank
- The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
I also realized that I need to be more contentious about looking at all the unread books sitting on my (metaphorical and literal) bookshelves waiting to be read. If I’m going to give an update on my Up Next Shelf progress every week in my Weekly Wraps, I need to start prioritizing those books. So, that’s another goal I’m starting in 2021. I’ve already read two long-time residents of my Up Next Shelf this week; you can see the details on Monday.
Anticipated January Releases
White Feminism: From Suffragettes to Influencers and Who They Leave Behind by Koa Beck
Releasing January 5, 2021
Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
Releasing January 5, 2021
Both these books released this week on January 5th! To find out the details of why they are an anticipated release, check out my Weekly Wrap (here).
See my Upcoming Release page for more of the books I’m looking forward to in January and the rest of 2021!
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