This December, I read nine books. I didn’t get to everything on my TBR; I’m currently in the middle of two books I carried over from December. I knew my TBR was a bit ambitious for December, so it’s not too much of a surprise that I didn’t finish it. So what does my January TBR look like? Even more books than I had for December! Yaaay! 🙃
December was a bit of a weird month for me because I spent so much time working, so I didn’t dedicate as much time to bookish activities as I normally would have. Regardless, I did find some books this month that I really enjoyed.
Anyway, here’s everything I read this month, and my thoughts on each of them!
Ava’s Man by Rick Bragg
Ava’s Man is a personal recollection of Rick Bragg’s family’s history in the Deep South. It primarily follows his family’s personal account of his grandfather, Charlie Bundrum, and how his family members would celebrate his life for many years after his passing.
This book was a gift from my boss. It’s interesting to have this close-up perspective on the family and Charles in particular. I do have some hesitations on some of the stories, however.
Persephone Station by Stina Leicht
Persephone Station is a planet that’s been largely ignored by the United Republic of Worlds – that is, until the Serrao-Orlov Corporation finds that it’s hiding secrets that it wants to exploit. Rosie is an owner of Monk’s Bar, which is often frequented by an exclusive criminal class and those who seek to employ them. Angel has a job to do for Rosie, and a job that will ultimately impact Persephone and put Angel and her group against the Serrao-Orlov Corporation’s army.
I thought this was a pretty interesting space opera, but I did want more out of it overall – I wish it was a series and not a standalone! It set the stage and developed the characters well, but at the same time I would have loved more in terms of things like the backstory.
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Cemetery Boys follows Yadriel, whose traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender. In order to prove himself a real brujo, he enlists the help of his friend and cousin to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. Instead, he finds the ghost of Julian, the school’s bad boy, who requests help from Yadriel before he passes over. But the more time Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants him to leave.
This was really good! It’s probably one of the first books in a while where I adored the characters from the first chapter, and fleshed out characters are a must for me. The story in general was so detailed and layered, and I found myself immersed the whole time.
The Ravens by Kass Morgan and Danielle Paige
The Ravens follows the girls of the Kappa Rho Nu sorrority, who are notorious at their campus. But the sorrority hides the secret of being a coven of witches. Vivi is a pledge for the sorrority, while Scarlett, a current sorrority sister and candidate for thhe organization’s President, has some skeletons hiding in her closet. When Scarlett and Vivi are paired as big and little, they find themselves lost in the world of blood oaths and betrayals.
This was a fun read, and I liked the contrast of sorority witches in a southern college setting. There were some elements of the plot that I didn’t like, but this was still an enjoyable read overall.
Dubliners by James Joyce
This collection of 15 stories highlights life in Ireland at the turn of the century. Each story of the citizens’ realities come together to show Ireland as a nation.
This was a partial re-read for me as I’ve read a couple of the stories in this collection. Some of them definitely stood out to me more than others, but I liked the focus on both the characters and life in early 1900’s Dublin as a whole. Araby is still my favorite of them.
Bear Town by Frederik Backman
Beartown follows a very tiny community whose central feature is its ice rink built by the town’s founders years ago. The townspeople have little hope for their home’s future, but when the junior hockey team qualifies for the national semi-finals, the spirit of the town begins to change – and all of their hopes and dreams begin to rest on the shoulders of the team’s players.
This book went from slower-paced to read-in-one-sitting at the halfway point, but I really liked the amount of detail that got put into the characters and the town in the first half. I also wasn’t expecting this book to cover such serious topics, but I thought they were handled so well. Eventually I’d like to read the other books that take place after this one!
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Kindred follows Dana, a 26-year-old African American woman living in California in 1976. She is suddenly transported to antebellum Maryland where, after saving a young boy’s life, has her own life threatened before returning to the present. After being transported to the same young boy multiple times, she realizes the challenge she’s been given.
This was the Feminist Book Club pick for December. This book carries so much symbolic meaning in every little detail, and I feel like it’s been such a long time since I’ve read a book with this much thought put into the story and it’s true meanings. The past timeline was so vivid and harrowing, and it really shows how we remain tied to this history. I’m looking forward to the discussion for this one, because I think there’s so much to dissect with this book.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevski
Crime and Punishment follows Raskolnikov, a former student who commits a random murder in St. Petersburg without regret. This changes when he begins to be pursued by a suspicious police investigator and finds the voice of his own conscience growing on him. There is only one person who can offer Raskolnikov redemption.
After what felt like so many shorter classics I read recently, I was happy to sit down with a longer one for a while. This book was very much about the journey more than anything, and I liked all of the discussions and discourse around crime and morality that took place throughout the book.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
This story begins when ten guests are invited to stay on a small private island by a millionaire. These strangers have nothing in common except for their wicked pasts – and once they arrive, they find that their invitee is nowhere to be found. One by one, the guests are turning up dead as told by the rhymes that are hung on the walls. Will any survive to find the murderer and tell the tale?
I’m glad to have finally read my first Agatha Christie book! It’s been a while since I’ve read a mystery book, and I really enjoyed the journey this one took me on. I really liked the ending in particular, and how it addressed not only the questions I had throughout reading it, but also what would come in the future for those who were unaware of what was going on on the island.
How did your reading month go this December? Did you come across any new favorites? Let me know! I’d love to know if you’ve read any of these as well and what your thoughts were!
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Looks like a great reading month! I’m now really interested in reading Kindred 😍 Cemetery Boys is also high on my list!
Ooh, I hope you enjoy both of them! They were both amazing books 😊
I really enjoyed Cemetery Boys, Beartown and And Then There Were None too! Looks like you had a great reading month. xx
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed them too 😊
and then there were none is SUCH A GOOD BOOK!
Yes! I can’t wait to read more Agatha Christie <3
I am doing the reading women challenge this year and have Kindred lined up under the A Book by a Neurodivergent author – so excited as I have been wanting to read this book for ages 🙂
Ooh, yes! I hope you enjoy it! It was on my radar for a while too and I’m looking forward to reading her other books now, too!