Happy New Year, friends! Welcome to December’s Wrap Up post and thank you for sticking around with us to read our monthly compilations. Another year is past us now and this is usually the time when people set up goals for next year.
Kriti’s Selection
Do you plan your TBR in advance? I do and I have found that some books, especially the big ones, need to be visible to me on my TBR for a few months before I actually read it.
I am specifically talking about The Count of Monte Cristo which I started reading in January 2021 (you might remember three discussion posts for it – parts I, II and III) early in the year. I stopped midway through and by September, I hadn’t made any progress. So I put it on my December TBR and every time I looked at my spreadsheet (I open it at least once a day, I am a bit obsessed with it lol), I adjusted to the idea of reading it in December. I prepared to read my average number of books in the hopes to finish this 1200 page tomb.
And I was successful. 🙂
Total books read this month: 8
Number of personal picks: 6
Review copies: 2
Buddy Reads/ Book Club: 1
Indie Books: 2
Books:
- I started the month with The Living Waters by Dan Fitzgerald. If you have been following the blog, Dan has been a presence this month and it has been lovely to contribute to his series and chat with him. You can check out my collaborative post with Dan on hardcovers and physical books, my review of The Living Waters and my interview with Dan.
- I read Marie benedict’s The Mystery of Mrs Christie back in October (review) and I dove into her latest, Her Hidden Genius for The Nerd Daily in December. My review will be out on publication week on January 26th. The story of a brilliant scientist who fell in love with science and wanted to move it forward, whether she be seen or not, Her Hidden Genius is a beautiful book that reminds us of the presence of extraordinary people that history has forgotten. Learn more on Goodreads.
- The Amber Crane by Malve von Hassell was a time-travel historical fiction. While I wasn’t a fan of it (you can find my review on Goodreads), there were some intriguing parts of the story that got me to finish it.
- The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino was my Horror pick for this month! Find it on Goodreads and see my review here.
- Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May was recommended by a friend and I thoroughly enjoyed this non-fiction book! I will be writing about it in the coming week but to give you a quick gist: Wintering is not just about the season of winter but also the personal winters we go through. It gave me a lot to reflect on and it is a book that a lot of people would find helpful. I actually came away with it thinking of hobbies and living so I have a bunch to share. 🙂 Find it on Goodreads.
- I have read a few books about Indian culture and The Arctic Curry Club by Dani Redd (Goodreads) is one of my favorites! I was reading this one while reading Wintering so the importance of food in our lives was on my mind. I learned about many Indian cuisines and am excited to tell you more in the coming week.
- Dangerous Women by Hope Adams (Goodreads) has been a presence on social media for a while with its breathtaking covers. I picked up this one with Stephen and though it did not turn out to be a mind-blowing story, it was a thoughtful read in some aspects. I haven’t decided if I will post about it yet.
- Ending the year with the book I started with – The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (Goodreads). This 1200+ page tomb is a force to be reckoned with. The writing is immersive and I had no issue picking it back up after leaving it for half the year. More on this one in the future.
Total TBR: 197 (Dec 1) -> 205 (Jan 1)
I added 7 review copies and 9 personal books to my TBR in December. It was such an exciting month for discovering new books. Here are a few noteworthy ones:
Commitment
- Joe Ettle’s debut novel, The Crusade for Vengeance combines artifact recovery and crime together, making it sound like the perfect cozy read for winter. Learn more on Goodreads.
- I have drawn to stories based in the north and winter in the last few months. Algonquin Books is coming out with the paperback Legends of the North Cascades by Jonathan Evison this month and I am on the tour! From the synopsis this is “a story of a father and daughter attempting to cope with a breathtaking but harsh environment”. Check it out on Goodreads.
Personal
- Timekeeper by Tara Sim (Goodreads) is my buddy read with Ariel for this month! In our quest to find a good time travel romance, we found a time travel novel that intrigued us both.
- Speaking of time travel, Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald (Goodreads) is my pick for a time travel romance. I am looking forward to being at the Grand Central Station for this one!
- The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin (Goodreads) was recommended by a friend! Translated from Chinese, I am keeping it for when I am feeling like a translated book. You know I have those moods. 😀
- I am surprised I had not added The Riviera House by Natasha Lester (Goodreads) to my TBR yet. A historical fiction about artworks stolen during the second world war!
Goals for 2022:
I don’t set a target number to work towards anymore because I can read 6-8 books a month without much pressure and I like to keep it that way. I mentioned in last month’s wrap up that I have opened up my review requests and have been accepting books that catch my fascination. I hope that every three months, I read at least 10% of the requests I have accepted from the last 3 months (so 2 books in Jan-Mar) and one book from my older review requests. These are the bare minimums and anything more than that would be a bonus. I have had a lot of time to reflect on reviewing, blogging and reading and I am trying to be as flexible as possible to my own reading moods while at the same time, reading books I have promised authors to read. I look forward to bringing them to you!
I will also be doing a romance challenge with Ariel and that will be fun. 🙂
Ariel’s Selection for December 2021
Notes and Summary:
This year was a very busy year for me, full of transition and change. I am very thankful for the journey and the books that I read along the way that helped me rest and recharge through the worst of it all. This month I didn’t rush through any books, but rather took my time through them all. My last book of the year was a Netgalley arc I picked up, All the White Spaces, and it turned out to be even better than I expected it would be! I started the year off with an Artic horror for the Horror-A-Month challenge, and ending it with an Antarctic horror feels fitting.
Number of Books on Last Month’s TBR: 146
Number of Books on TBR Now: 133
Books read: 10
Library Books: 7/10
ARCS: 3/10
Bookish Highlights of the Month:
Five Star of the Month: Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Notable Netgalley: All the White Spaces
Goals for 2022:
I am excited to explore another genre I don’t read very much in our Storygraph Romance Throughout the Year challenge, and continuing to lower my TBR by reading books that have been on my TBR the longest. I found it very fulfilling not to worry about the number of books I read in the year but rather focusing on the quality instead. Looking forward to a new year of good reading!
What was your favorite read for December? Do you have any 2022 reading goals?
Happy New Year once again! We will be back tomorrow with our annual buddy reading update 🙂
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