🎄 December Reviews 🎁
December 1st-31st
Ended the year with 23 reads and many new favorites.
By F. A. Ray
Read November 30th- December 1st
Pages: 191
Release Year: 2024
*Thank you to the author for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
Book 134: I Shall Never Fall in Love
By Hari Conner
Read December 2nd
Pages: 288
Release Year: 2024
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
By Rachel Smythe
Read December 4th
Pages: 416
Release Year: 2024
By Veronica Cossanteli
Read December 5th
Pages: 307
Release Year: 2022
By Kiki Clark, Nora Phoenix, EM Lindsey, Nicole Dykes,
Crea Reitan, A.M. Johnson, Dianna Roman, Cora Rose,
Kelly Fox, and Lark Taylor
Read December 6th-7th
Pages: 514
Release Year: 2024
By Flynn Woods
Read December 7th-8th
Pages:186
Release Year: 2024
By Calvin Kasulke
Read November 18th- December 9th
Pages: 256
Release Year: 2021
By N. R. Walker
Read December 12th-13th
Pages: 342
Release Year: 2023
Holiday Heart Strings might just be my favorite of the series so far and that’s saying something because I adore these books. N. R. Walker has created a little town that is great visiting every year. I loved Colson and Braithe’s story. They were a sweet couple and I adored watching them fall in love.
There were a lot of emotions in this, especially Colson dealing with coming out. He’s grappling with that along with falling for a man who is only supposed to be in town for a month. Braithe is such a lovely character, who is so supportive in everything Colson is going through. I could feel their chemistry instantly and loved watching their romance grow.
It was great to get more of the previous couples from the other books. Hamish will always be an absolute joy to read about in these stories and I’m glad he is featured so much in this book. I will always love the running joke of Gay Cupid and Santa working together to get these men to fall for each other every year in Hartbridge. Their friend group is such a great example of found family. Beautiful!
I’m looking forward to reading the next book very soon, especially after meeting one of the love interests in this. Great intro to Soren.
By Jean Shepherd
Read December 15th
Pages: 144
Release Year: 1983
📚📚📚📚
A humorous collection of autobiographical short stories based on Jean Shepherd’s life, from the fictional perspective of Ralph Parker. It is told through vignettes of various events during Ralphie’s childhood, from the perspective of his older self thinking back to the time. Through Ralphie’s stories, Jean shows the magic of Christmas (along with some other times) from the viewpoint of a child.
They are not told in sequential order as you would think going into to this from the movie. That didn’t bother me in the slightest but it may for those who do not know. It makes sense in the case of this book because it is meant to be memories that the older Ralphie is reminiscing about. This made me nostalgic, especially for Christmas past. It had me laughing but also made me miss my own dad.
Edited by J. M. Snyder
Read December 14th-15th
Pages: 377
Release Year: 2021
~ I read this story about five years ago, but didn’t remember it at all. This was probably my least favorite from the collection. I did enjoy the ending of it though.
Jude and Cal- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ I like that this collection wasn’t just contemporary romance stories. Jude and Cal’s story was a science fiction romance that I enjoyed.
Kit and Harry-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ This is a great historical fiction story with paranormal aspects. Loved the world building and the budding relationship with Kit and Harry. Only reason it wasn’t five stars is because it was too short. Would have loved more of their story.
Sam and Lincoln- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ Another story I liked but didn’t love. I do like the friends-to-lovers aspects of this though.
Jonah and Cooper- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ The best story from this anthology. I absolutely loved Johan and Cooper’s story. Their dynamic was my favorite out of this collection and I adored reading about them.
Shawn and Logan- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~ A cute story, with the daughter, dog, and hamster helping get these two together.
By Barbara Robinson
Read December
Pages: 81
Release Year: 1972
By Adam Rex
Read December 16th
Pages: 140
Release Year: 2023
*Thank you to Edelweiss for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
By Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Read December 19th
Pages: 275
Release Year: 1969
I believe he is showing through Billy's story, how he (Vonnegut) was never able to move on from what occurred in Dresden. It's why he spends over 20 years trying to write this book and why it was so important to him.
A month ago today, my father passed away and I couldn't stop thinking of him while reading this book. He was a big history buff and I wish I could have discussed it with him. This is an antiwar book, but there is so much more to the story. I loved the discussions Billy has, especially with the aliens. Yes, my father is no longer here physically but his memory lives on with all who loved and knew him. All those memories still exist and just like Billy, it feels almost like I'm there with Dad. Such a beautiful sentiment.
This book is absolutely brilliant and I know I will be thinking about it for a long time. It has made me want to pick up more of Vonnegut's works.
Expanded by Gideon Kendall, Josh O'Neill, and Shannon Wheeler
Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Read December 21st
Pages: 136
Release Year: 2024
I had a great time reading through this graphic novel adaptation of the story. The illustrations were stunning and fit very well with Scrooge’s adventure. It keeps with the story beats for the most part and also has many of the famous original lines. My favorite graphic novel adaptations are ones like this which are able to keep the story intact but make it fit for the medium. This does a great job.
A beautiful rendition which I highly recommend. I know this will be a book I will pick up again in Christmases yet to come.
*Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*
By James Norbury
Read December 27th
Pages: 176
Release Year: 2024
By Brian Bilston
Read December 28th
Pages: 83
Release Year: 2023
By Charles Dickens
Read December 4th- 29th
Pages: 160
Release Year: 1843
December 23rd, 2022 reread-
December 15th, 2021 reread-
December 7th, 2017 reread-
You have probably heard of this story before, but for those that have not, I'll give a quick synopsis. We follow Ebenezer Scrooge and his encounters with four ghosts on Christmas Eve. Scrooge has lived a good part of his life mean-spirited. He is an arrogant, insensitive, and quite a cold miser, who spends every day miserable at the world around him. His old friend Jacob Marley (who has been dead for seven years) comes as a ghost that night to give Scrooge a chance to change his ways, so he doesn't end up like Marley. Marley has been doomed to wander the earth as a spirit, to carry the burden of his sins in the chains on his back forever.
The other three ghosts that Scrooge encounters are Christmases past, present, and future. They each help him see the errors in his actions and help show the overall message of this story. A Christmas Carol is known for its story and Scrooge's redemption. We want him to succeed; at least, I know that I do. Yes, he is a curmudgeon, but that does not mean there is no room for change. Like I have said before, I grew up with Mickey's Christmas Carol. One of my favorite characters from Disney cartoons was Scrooge McDuck. It was great getting introduced to this famous literary character through him, especially since Scrooge McDuck is based on Ebenezer.
As we follow Scrooge through his journey through his past, present, and a possible future, we learn a good amount about him. He is never really as cold-hearted as he seems. There are many glimpses of a softer side to Scrooge that shows that he really could change. Our other characters, such as Bob Cratchett and his family, are also a joy to read about. This is a family that has hardly any money, but they can still see the joy of Christmas. Spending time with their family is the most important thing to them. The ghosts are also each distinct from each other and bring about some quite interesting scenes.
This novel just brings a warm feeling to my heart every time I read it. This story is a favorite of mine that I know will never change. It's a classic for a very good reason. If you have not taken the time to enjoy this before now, please pick it up in some fashion. I believe that you will enjoy the overall message and get something out of it.
By Terry Pratchett
Read December 29th
Pages: 357
Release Year: 1996
December 22nd-23rd, 2022 review-
Now, after reading every one of Terry Pratchett's books, I can say with great certainty that this book is my favorite from the series. It is one of the books that I could read over and over again. And I still never get tired of it. Terry has written what has become one of the quintessential books I feel like I have to reread every year around Christmas. I love how into Hogswatch Death gets and how he wants to make it better for everyone. The references are wonderful and always a joy to read. This is just a perfect book for me in every single way.
December 23rd, 2020 review-
This is the second time I have read this book, and I can confidently say this is still my favorite book in the series. The humor, discussions on life, humanity, belief, and countless references make this book perfect. Terry had such a way with words that was just amazing. Everything fits perfectly.
His discussions on belief throughout the series are some of the best sections of his writing. Whether that be about Gods or in this case the amphomorphic figures such as the Hogfather (the "Santa Claus" of the Discworld). Death especially has a lot of great lines about the importance of belief to humanity. He gets a lot wrong when he is trying to understand humans in general, but he understands them in a way that a lot never will. I always find the Death series books so interesting from his perspective. His enjoyment of the holiday and his journey with Albert are some really great parts of this book. He wants to make Hogswatch better for those that need it. I loved seeing him get excited about gift-giving, especially in the store. His determination to get his Ho Ho Hos right was just so sweet.
Susan is such a great character too. It's enjoyable following her as she tried to solve what was going on with the Hogfather and her grandfather. I loved reading about her going after the monsters that are scaring the children. She is a strong character that I believe is one of the best in the series. Her perspective is just another great part of this book. Also, seeing her use her abilities, which she somehow inherited through her adoptive grandfather, just makes her scenes even better. She does not like getting in touch with these aspects. She would much rather be normal even though she is nothing close to normal.
The scenes in this book with the wizards at the Unseen University are just some of the best. I found it absolutely hilarious that they kept conjuring fairies and gods out of thin air by just talking about these ideas. Especially the Cheerful Fairy. I don't think I have laughed so hard in a long time.
One final aspect I would like to touch on is the references to other Christmas properties throughout the book. I love Terry's use of pop culture throughout the entire series, and this definitely did not disappoint. We get references to "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus", "The Little Match Girl", A Christmas Carol, so many songs, and many other properties. Some were comical, and others were just so touching, especially "The Little Match Girl". There are many writers that use pop culture in their books, and it just doesn't work. That doesn't happen with Terry's.
One of the best quotes from the entire series (let alone this book)
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
"So we can believe the big ones?"
YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.
"They're not the same at all!"
YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.
"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"
MY POINT EXACTLY.”
By Maria Zoccola
Read December 26th-30th
Pages: 96
Release Year: 2025
This works so well as a story in itself but those that know the myths will definitely get more out of it. Maria does explain Helen's story (from Greek Mythology) in her afterward for those that need more context. Along with that, her notes section lists some of her poems and the myths they are derived from.
I highly recommend this collection to Greek myth and poetry fans in general. I will pick up anything Maria writes after this. What a great debut.
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.*
Book 155: The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for
By Brandon Sanderson
Read December 31st
Pages: 399
Release Year: 2023
This had me thinking somewhat of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, especially with the parts of the guidebook throughout the entire story. I love when an author gives interesting pieces of world-building similar to this. We learn so much from the guide’s inserts. Also, I love how Brandon used aspects from our own world (Norse Mythology and so on) to build this other dimension, changing parts of it along the way. It was so clever.
I highly recommend picking up the hardcover copy of this book from the Dragonsteel website if you can. It is such a wonderful edition with the design and illustrations.
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