The Weekly Wrap: December 21st to December 27th

Weekly Review

1. What I’ve Read This Week
2. My Reading Progress
3. Want to Read Updates

Upcoming

4. TBR for the Upcoming Week
5. Looking Forward

Get the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇺🇸

I hope everyone had a good week or Holiday if they have holidays this time of year! This week was hectic, but I loved how I read so many holiday romances. Even though Christmas celebrations were a bit different, it still felt festive, which was nice.

My favourite holiday romance was a book I decided to read on a whim: Mistletoe and Mr. Right by Sarah Morgenthaler. Considering how much I loved it (check out my review here), I’m shocked so many of the reviews are floating around 3-stars! I think it’s a reflection of how few genuinely nice guys are Heroes in contemporary romances nowadays.

Last week’s review is a continuation of the theme of standalone fantasy novels. I’m continuing the theme this week since I obviously overestimated my ability to post two reviews this past week with Christmas. Last week I reviewed Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross. I loved the deep and loving sisterly bond between the two Heroines. The setting of Ancient Greece and alternative mythology was creative and well-done. However, I didn’t appreciate how there was no character development–despite what each character suffered and sacrificed, they all seemed to end up where they started. You can read my full review here.

Get the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸

Up Next Shelf Progress

A reminder: my Up Next Shelf is comprised of all the unread books I want to read and have purchased.

I’m changing up my progress from a simple percentage complete to a line graph (see left) because a percentage doesn’t acknowledge how both the number of books read and the total books on the shelf fluctuate.

Net Progress = Books Added – Books Read or Removed

The total number of books on my Up Next Shelf has decreased from 95 to 93 books because I’m currently reading one from that list and I removed another book from it. I read zero books from my Up Next shelf last week.

My Net Progress increased to 11 books because I’m currently reading one book from the list and removed another book. As a result, I’m making more of a dent in my Up Next list than I’m adding to it.

Get the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇺🇸

You will like Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed The Movement by Kimberlé Crenshaw et al. if you appreciate:
✨ Social justice nonfiction
✨ “new paradigms for understanding racial justice”
✨ Unpacking intersections between race, gender, sexual orientation and class
✨ Emphasis on the relationship between race and law

Get the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸

You will like Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko if you appreciate:
✨ Young adult fantasy
✨ LGBTQIA+ representation
✨ Found-family themes and significance of friendship
✨ Influence of West African myth and legends
✨ Friends to lovers romance

Get the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸

You will like Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells Edited by Alfreda M. Duster if you appreciate:
✨ Biography nonfiction
✨ Tells the story of “one of the foremost crusaders against black oppression.”
✨ Civil rights movement
✨ One of the most extraordinary women in US history

Get the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸

What books do I want to read before 2021? Because that’s what this upcoming to-be-read list is… the last books I’ll be reading before the new year. So far, the list includes the following titles from my past Weekly Wraps:

• Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
• For the Love of Men by Liz Plank
• When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
• Feminism Is For Everybody by bell hooks

I’ve been looking back at my Up Next shelf to determine which book is a must-read before 2021, and I’ve decided the answer can only be: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.

Pre-order the book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸

This upcoming week is so busy. Since I couldn’t post my last review under the theme standalone fantasy novels, I’m posting a book review this week as well as my 2020 Wrap Up and December Wrap Up. I’m still unsure how exactly I’m going to wrap up 2020… if there are any statistics you’d like me to feature or unpack, please leave a comment!

I’ve also added two new books to my Upcoming Releases page: The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He (another book that heavily features a sisterly bond), releasing in May and My Saving Grace by Melanie Moreland (an employee-boss romance), releasing in February.