Wrap Up: December 2016

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!

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How did you do on your Goodreads challenge?