December Wrap-Up

Thanks to time off, the holidays, and a slow work week, I read a whopping 17 books in December!! I don't think I will ever read this much again in one month.

We Too: Essays on Sex Work and Survival edited by Natalie West - 4⭐- This compilation of essays by sex workers expands conversations on #metoo that are often limited to normative workplaces. Very insightful, and a perspective I’ve never read before!

Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult - 4⭐️- I prioritized this one after seeing it was an Advanced Listening Copy from Libro.fm, it was narrated by my all-time favourite narrator, Marin Ireland, and I kept hearing about how it's a bit unexpected. I really enjoyed it! It did feel weird to read about COVID-19 though, so if you're not ready for that yet I'd skip this one.

A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow - 3⭐️- A cool concept doing a modern re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. I will say this was the perfect length (at just under 200 pages), but I still felt like it could have been shorter. If you like retellings you should read this one.

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout - 4⭐️- The thing I love about Strout’s writing particularly with this series is that there isn’t a lot of dialogue - you’re in Lucy’s head. Her stream of consciousness is a bit all over the place, when she launches into a memory or story she gives you all the context you need then she brings you back.

The Mistletoe Motive by Chloe Liese - 4⭐️- A fun and festive enemies to lovers romcom! It was perfectly festive, perfectly bookish, and with a perfect lead. I really want to read Liese's widely known Bergman Brother series after reading how well she can write a love interest!

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer - 3.5⭐️- I enjoyed this Hannukah romance, despite not loving the love interests as much as I hoped!

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout - 5⭐️- I really, really liked Oh William! and I think it’s mainly because you kind of get a surface level understanding of Lucy and her family, friends, life in MNILB, and this one she has the space to delve deeper into her family without having to give the reader all the context.

The One by John Marrs - 4⭐️- A wild read about what happens when there is a dating program that requires you to submit your DNA and promises to find your one true love. I liked that there were mutliple storylines to follow because there were definitely sme more enjoyable than others,

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle - 3⭐- Was really hoping to love this one more than I did. The writing felt YA, and I LOVE a mother/daughter story and was hoping for more depth with this one. A good twist, and I love magical realism, but was hoping this one would do more for me.

Seek You by Kristen Radtke - 4⭐- A cool concept for a graphic novel: a journey through American loneliness. I loved how it was in a graphic novel format, and covered a lot of concepts I may not have initially thought tie back to loneliness. It was definitely informative but still fun and interesting.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss - 4⭐- A cute and enjoyable (even though it was predictable) romcom. I feel like the brits just do rom coms better! Loved the dry humour sprinkled throughout this book as Kate goes on 12 different dates set up through a dating agency promising those who sign up they'll find them someone for the holidays. It reminded me a bit of the Shopaholic series. This was definitely one of my favourite holiday reads of the season!

Winter by Ali Smith -4⭐- I enjoyed Winter far more than Autumn (the first in Smith's quartet) I think I’m more used to Smith’s unique prose and the storyline is really quirky and not what I expected for this book. I am glad I prioritized this one when we got our first true snowfall because it's very atmospheric.

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante - 5⭐- It wasn’t until I was about 40% through this book that something finally clicked for me with this story, and I just couldn't get enough. I can’t get enough of this series, this author, these characters. This setting, the history, the politics. The drama, the love, the friendship. So damn good! I’ve been doing this series mostly through audio and Hillary Huber is an incredible narrator.

Nick and Noel's Infinite Playlist by Codi Hall - 3⭐️- Cute and fun holiday read!! I wish this one had more of an 'un-putdownable' factor but it was an easy read in the busy lead-up to Christmas. I like how this one was a bit more PG then your typical Christmas books/movies!

Last Christmas in Paris by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb - 4⭐️- I don't often reach for historical fiction, but I really enjoyed this one and the reason it didn't get five stars was because it wasn't 'unputdownable' for me. The whole book is told through letters exchanged by a group of friends during WW1. It was just a lovely read, and I ended up loving and feeing so familiar with Evie and Thomas.

Stay Awake by Megan Goldin - 4⭐️- This was another well-plotted, compulsively readable book. I risked car sickness to get some chapters in!! I liked the dual POV between the amnesiac Liv Reese and the NYPD cops looking into her case. While the ending or twist didn't really surprise me, I liked how it all came together (I really don't love twists that come so far out of left field that they don't make sense).

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay - 5⭐️- Another favourite of mine from this series. Lenu and Lila are in the midst of adulthood, dealing with work, children, husbands, in-laws and everything in between. I think the part of this book I'll remember the most is Lila's curiosity and advocacy for unionization at her place of work. I also felt this was the first book that you really get to know Lenu and see how she lives independently of Lila; it's evident that Lila will always be a part of Lenu's life, but I liked reading about Lenu's life and then getting so excited when Lila popped up again.