december wrap up – Thoughts to Pages

Since I got a little long winded in my last post, I decided to split up my wrap up. This post contains the last 4 books I read in December.

Daisy Jones & The Six

After I listened to The Night Circus, I picked this one up. I wasn’t planning to read this, but I guess I forgot that I put it on hold through my library. I got an email saying it was available. I very much enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, so I was expecting to enjoy this.

The audiobook was fantastic. I loved the full cast and I can honestly say this is one of my favorite audiobooks I have ever listened to. The story was okay. I use to enjoy watching “Behind the Music” on VH1 and this reminded me of that. I did not think it was as good as Evelyn Hugo. I think it got a lot of hype, which I am not saying it doesn’t deserve, but I think there are better books out there.

Daisy Jones & The Six follows two separate artists and there lives as separate musicians and then how they came together and then their journey as one band. I enjoyed listening to this, but it didn’t get me excited like Evelyn Hugo did. I will however read more from this author.

3 Stars

Every Heart a Doorway and Down Among the Sticks and Bones – – Seanan McGuire

In anticipation of Come Tumbling Down, the fifth book in the Wayward Children series, I decided to reread the series. The first 3 books are on Hoopla as audiobooks, so that’s how decided to read them this go around.

If you are unfamiliar with this series, it is a portal fantasy series. All the books are novella length, clocking in under 220 pages each book. It involves children who find doors that take them to a world that would better suit them.

In Every Heart a Doorway, we get introduced to a lot of the kids that we will follow in preceding books. We also get introduced to the school these kids go to when they come back from their portal world.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones is my absolute favorite in the series so far. We follow Jack and Jill, twin sisters we first met in Every Heart a Doorway. In the second in the series we get a glimpse into the girls life before they found their door and then after, while they are living in the moors. I love the atmosphere of this, the darkness of it. Not every doorway leads to color and candy, and I love that about this series.

The first time I read these, I wasn’t sure I was going to like the series. I thought I was not a big fantasy reader, but it turns out, I just need to read the right fantasy. I thought this series was enough “pretend” and enough “real world” to not confuse me. And the writing is just great. I have read reviews that say they are too short. But I think they are just enough. The purpose it not a full on story, but just to have a glimpse. And I like that as the series goes on, we are revisiting some of the past characters.

4 and 5 stars respectfully

Dreamland – – Nancy Bilyeau

In December, I was able to read the one ARC I have for January. I am not going to go into full detail, as I will have a full review go up on release day, but I will say that I enjoyed this. It was not what I thought it was going to be, but I was pleasantly surprised.

We have finally reached the end of my December wrap up. Thanks for reading!

I am going to be honest. I did not expect to get much reading done in December. I was feeling a little slumpy and burnt out. On top of that, December is my busiest month at work and I was working 10-11 hour days as well as extra days a week. I was planning to take this month off of reading to get ready for the new year; to feel refreshed and renewed. Now, I didn’t take a complete break from reading, but imagine my surprise when I checked my Goodreads and saw that I finished 8 books this month. 8! Some of these books I absolutely remember reading, but I really thought I read them in November. That’s how much November and December blend together for me. Either way, I read more than I ever thought I would this month. Let’s wrap this up.

Tampa – – Alissa Nutting

This was my first read of the month. I have been wanting to get to this for years, after hearing about it on one of the Book Riot podcasts. I have had it saved in my favorites on Hoopla ever since then. I was just a little hesitant and couldn’t decide if I wanted to listen to it via audiobook or read it physically, given the tough subject matter. I finally just decided to take the plunge and listen to it. And I am so glad I did. Do not get me wrong, this is not an easy read, but it is so well done. Nutting does not hold back and commits to this completely.

If you are not familiar with this book, it follows a twenty-something year old woman who finds her self sexually attracted to adolescent boys. To add to it, she is a an 8th grade teacher. This is a book on her acting on those feelings.

I have a full review, which you can find HERE. I could not put this book down. I found it so well done, but be warned. It is not an easy read.

4 Stars

The Invited – – Jennifer McMahon

I decided to read The Invited next, considering I have had it on hold with the library for what seems like forever. I was seeing it a little more on Booktube and thought it was about time.

This book follows a couple who decide to move to Vermont, buy a plot of land and build their dream house with the money the wife’s late father left them. What they do not know, but later find out, the land is haunted by a woman who lived there decades before. Helen, who is history teacher, becomes obsessed with this and purposely seeks out material that will guarantee the house be haunted.

What I have encountered quite often, especially in the thriller/horror/mystery genre, the beginning is strong. As the story progresses, it starts to lose its intrigue. That’s what started to happen here. At first, I was really into this. It started to shape up as a great ghost story. I was wanting that. I haven’t read a really good ghost story in a while. But towards the middle it started to lose me. By the end, I determined it was a good book, but not a great one that I was expecting.

Where it started to lose me was when fantasy elements started to come into play. I wanted just a paranormal story. That’s it. I didn’t get it. Another thing I am learning that I don’t like in books, (and will come into play later with another book I read) is when people who have no business playing detective and solving a crime or a mystery, become a detective and end up masterfully solving a crime or a mystery. It just isn’t realistic to me. Not that a ghost story is realistic, depending on how you see things. But in certain stories, that detective aspect doesn’t belong. And that didn’t belong here.

With that said, I did like this book. I enjoyed where the author was going with this, even if some parts of it were just meh. I liked the writing enough to want to read more from her. I have already saved a few on my Libby app and I think I am going to read Winter People next

3.5 Stars

The Twisted Ones – – T. Kingfisher

Keeping on trend, I decided to read another horror book. I originally heard about this one on “All the Books” a weekly Book Riot podcast that highlights that weeks new releases.

This story follows Mouse, who is asked by her father if she could go clean out her deceased grandmother’s house. What she finds is a hoarding situation. What she also finds is a journal, belonging to her late step-grandfather. He describes some terrifying things, which she thinks is nonsensical. Until she starts experiencing those things.

I can’t lie. There were parts of this that genuinely terrified me. Actually, most of this terrified me. The author created this atmosphere that just made me feel uncomfortable and I started thinking, well what if I was in this situation. And I got more uncomfortable.

Where it lost me was when we hit what was suppose to be the turning point, the action part of the story. We were introduced to a character that, in my opinion, did not fit the vibe of the story. All this creepiness that we were getting was completely destroyed when this character came into play. What was suppose to be the height of the scare, was a big let down. From there on out, I was taken out of the story and no longer had that uncomfortable feeling that comes with great storytelling.

This was on track to be a 4/4.5 star read, but sadly, I could not get back into it after that big let down.

3 stars

The Night Circus – – Erin Morgenstern

It has been a few years since I last visited The Night Circus. I was dues for a reread. I decided to pick this one up, and I could not be any more delighted. The audiobook was wonderful. This book was as magical and beautiful as I remember it being the first time I read it.

I am admittedly not a big romance fan, but this romance could have not been done any better. And the circus! I am a sucker for anything set in a circus. Throw in the historical aspect and I am 100% on board.

If you have not read this yet, I can’t recommend it enough. When I read it the first time, I had no idea what it was about and I have to say I bought it based off the cover. I was so surprised how much I loved this. I still love this years later. It gives me so many feels, and I am ready to reread it a third time.

Not surprisingly,

5 Stars.

To save you from review overload, I think I am going to end this here and have the rest of my wrap up for you in another post. It looks like me secret goal of better reviews is happening!

There you have part 1 of my December wrap up. Have you read any of these? Have you added any of them to your ever growing TBR? Let’s chat in the comments!

Coming tomorrow, part 2 of the wrap up.