I had a massive month of reading in December. At the start of December, I was 22 books away from finishing my Goodreads challenge… so I decided to challenge myself and read 22 books. And I’m happy to say that I managed to get across the finish line. Except now I’m really sick of reading and don’t think I could ever read another book again haha.
1. Breathing Under Water – Sophie Hardcastle
This is an Aussie YA release that features that themes of grief and friendship. I wasn’t a big fan of the plot of the book but I appreciated what the author was trying to do with this novel.
2. Tapping the Billionaire – Max Monroe
I’ve seen reviews of this adult romance series on various blogs and thought I’d give the book a go. To be honest, after reading 22 books this month, my impressions of this book and even what it was about has completely flown out of my mind.
3. Once Was a Time – Leila Sales
This is a middle grade novel that involves time travel. I really loved the story of this book and how much it featured friendship. I thought it was a lovely story about a girl from 1940s London who time travels to modern day USA.
4. Children of Eden – Joey Graceffa & Laura L. Sullivan
This dystopian novel had a very interesting premise and I thought it was a good debut attempt. The book had great worldbuilding but that was about it. The plot was a little bit predictable and not that original and I had problems with the main character.
5. To Have and To Hold – Lauren Layne
This is the first book in a companion adult romance series. I thought it was a delightful book about a wedding planner who falls in love with the brother of one of her brides. It was a really cute story and I’m keen to read more from this series.
6. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Screenplay – J. K. Rowling
The film was amazing and reading this screenplay took me back to all the wonderful moments in the movie. I loved it.
7. Frogkisser! – Garth Nix
Frogkisser! is an upcoming release from Garth Nix. It’s a really fun and light-hearted adventure story about a princess who goes on a journey to save her kingdom. It was exciting and action-packed and I really enjoyed all the fairytale reimaginings.
8. Mistletoe and Mr Right – Lyla Payne
This is a bindup of two Christmas novellas and I read them because I was feeling festive. I didn’t really enjoy the first novella, Mistletoe and Mr Right, but I really liked the second novella, Sleigh Bells and Second Chances.
9. This Adventure Ends – Emma Mills
I loved this contemporary novel sooooo much! It was a lovely book about friendship and there wasn’t very much that I didn’t like about it. Emma Mills’ writing is getting better and better and I’m keen to see what she writes next.
10. The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily – Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
This is the sequel to Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares and I enjoyed it just as much as the first one. It was again very festive and I loved revisiting Dash and Lily and seeing where they are now.
11. Showa: A History of Japan 1926-1939 – Shigeru Mizuki
This is a graphic novel and I believe it’s the first volume out of three. It’s about the history of the Showa period in Japan and goes into lots and lots of detail, as well as including little vignettes from Shigeru Mizuki’s life. I particularly liked that I learnt a lot about Chinese history through here, as I do have a Chinese background.
12. Graffiti Moon – Cath Crowley
This is another Aussie YA release and I’d heard countless amazing things about it. It definitely didn’t disappoint and I loved the romance in this book. It was a second chance story and was absolutely captivating.
13. Starflight – Melissa Landers
Aila @ One Way or an Author has been recommending this book to me for a whole year and I finally picked it up this month. And I was definitely disappointed in myself for not picking it up earlier. It was action-packed and exciting and I loved the romance in the book as well.
14. The Nest – Kenneth Oppel
This is a middle grade novel that was a little bit confusing and hard to understand. It’s a beautifully written story with a lovely message but it takes a little while to get into it and understand the complete picture. I ended up really enjoying it though.
15. We Come Apart – Sarah Crossan & Brian Conaghan
This is an upcoming release that explores some important themes. It’s a novel written in free verse about racism, immigrants and bullying. I connected with the story immensely and found it to be really emotional. I will have a full review up in late February, closer to release date!
16. An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld – Cassandra Clare
This was probably my favourite read of the month because I’m a massive fan of the Shadowhunter Chronicles. It included lots of stunning illustrations of major and side characters in all of the Shadowhunter series. There was also interesting facts about each of the characters.
17. Summer Days and Summer Nights – Stephanie Perkins
This is an anthology of short stories and I really enjoyed them. I gave the majority of the stories 4-5 stars but there were a few that I wasn’t really a fan of. Overall, I thought it was a summery and romantic collection of stories by some pretty well-known authors.
18. Open Road Summer – Emery Lord
This is probably my favourite Emery Lord novel. It was summery and fun, and had a good balance of friendship, family and romance elements. If you’re looking for a quick contemporary read, I highly recommend this one.
19. A Quiet Kind of Thunder – Sara Barnard
This is another upcoming release and features a girl with selective mutism and a boy who is deaf. I thought the book showcased these two conditions and the daily difficulties associated with them really well. I’m a part of the blog tour for A Quiet Kind of Thunder, so keep an eye out for that on January 8!
20. Confess – Colleen Hoover
I’m probably not going to bother reading any more Colleen Hoover books. While I gave this one 3.5 stars, I wasn’t really that impressed with it. I liked the art elements of the book but I started to hate the plot more and more as I progressed. I’m not a fan of the tropes that she uses and I’m definitely quitting her books.
21. It Looks Like This – Rafi Mittlefehldt
I’d heard some mixed things about this novel but I ended up really, really enjoying it and it made me ugly cry. I thought it was a beautiful LGBTQ+ book and a great debut novel. I will have a full review on Happy Indulgence later this week.
22. The One Hundred Nights of Hero – Isabel Greenberg
I absolutely loved Isabel Greenberg’s The Encyclopedia of Early Earth and this one was just as, if not more, enjoyable. It’s a graphic novel and I really loved the art style. The novel focuses on strong females who won’t take any bullshit from people who look down on them!
How did you do on your Goodreads challenge?
WOAH, 22 books in one month?!?! That’s so impressive!! You definitely deserve a break haha 🙂
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I’ve been taking some time off reading and it’s been such a relaxing few days. I think I’m just going to not take myself too seriously this year because as awesome as it is to read 200 books a year… it’s not worth the stress.
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Wow, this is impressive, but… I don’t know if I am really too impressed knowing you, you have super reading powers haha 🙂 Happy new year Jenna, hope you’ll read tons of books you love this year again…well, after a well-deserved break haha 🙂
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Haha I’m highly enjoying my break right now! It’s also tennis season here in Australia so I’ve been camped out in front of the TV for the past few days. Happy new year, Marie!
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How on earth did you manage to read 22 books!? Seriously I am baffled and impressed at your dedication to your goodreads challenge haha. I’m sad to report that December was a flop of a reading month. I managed 2 overall and one of them was a novella. Hopefully I can get my reading mojo back soon. Hope you had a happy holiday that 2017 is kind to you. 😀
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Omg I am in such a reading slump right now. I’ve only read 5 books so far this month (which isn’t too bad but considering how much I usually read, it’s a bit of a failure). I definitely burned myself out trying to finish my reading challenge in December. I hope we both get our mojo back!
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5 books is still better than the nothing I’ve read. I’ve turned to blaming Yuri for it now haha.
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Congrats on finishing the 22 books! I would totally feel burned out from reading too if I read so much. Haha.
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Haha yes, I am totally burned out right now. I’ve only read a handful of books so far this month… but I’m also kind of enjoying the break 😀
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I haven’t been reading as much this month too. I even cut my Goodreads challenge in half, so I can just have a easy year with reading.
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So many books!!! And do many good ones. Thanks for the post.
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Thanks Angel! I’m exhausted from reading but a lot of them were great books.
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22 books is so much! That’s some dedication right there haha. So glad that you had such a successful reading month. Hope your January proves to be just as successful! 😀
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Haha my January is failing a little but I’m happy to be taking a break after going all out in December. It’s nice to be able to take a break and do something other than reading!
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This is truly impressive Jenna, I can definitely see why you would be burnt out on reading books! Definitely take a well deserved break after all of that haha.
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Help, I’ve only read 5 books so far this month.
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Whoa, great reading month Jenna! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed FBAWTFT! I want to read The One Hundred Nights of Hero soooo badly. I’ve been hearing about it a lot lately and I adore graphic novels and this one sounds so beautiful!
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I definitely recommend The One Hundred Nights of Hero! It’s quite an empowering book, which I think all of us women need after the inauguration!
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I felt the exact same way about Breathing Under Water! I just didn’t enjoy it.
I still need to read the screenplay for FBAWTFT, I’m glad you enjoyed it
– Yasmin
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Yes, I’m glad that I found someone who agrees with me about Breathing Under Water. I just wasn’t a fan of the plot at all and the main character was not my cup of tea.
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I know, so many people really loved this book and I just don’t understand why
– Yasmin
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Woah, congrats on reading so much in December!
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
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Thanks! I was determined to finish my reading challenge for the year haha.
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You read 200 books? THAT’S AMAZING! I read 121 last year, but I’m increasing my Goodreads goal as I go this year. Currently it’s set to 25 books but I’ll change it when I hit that mark! I like moving the goal posts, it takes some pressure off. 🙂
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