December 2020 reading stats:
Total Books Read: 5 books
In progress: 1 book at 148 pages in
Did not finish: 1 book at 90 pages in.
Total Pages: 2506
Five books in one month is a personal best for me!
I’m quite proud of this stack since earlier this year, I was in a reading slump and only read eight books in nine months. Thankfully I pulled myself out of that slump and you can read my post on 9 Tips To Read More Books in 2021 to see how I managed to read more this month. Hopefully, it helps you too!
Let’s get to the wrap-up!
Dune by Frank Herbert
If you’ve read my full review of Dune, you will know how much I loved this book. Sci-fi and fantasy are my favorite genres, and Dune has elements of both.
Dune is quite dense, but it’s well worth sticking it out until the end. This book is a masterpiece, impeccably written, amazing world-building, and should be on everyone’s read list.
Dune will be a movie in October 2021 so add it to your TBR now! You can grab a copy of Dune on Amazon here, which is the version I have with additional definitions, and resources in the back.
I can’t recommend Dune enough! 100% you need to read now!
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K Rowling
Please don’t come after me with pitchforks. While I enjoyed The Philosopher’s Stone (which I rated 4 stars), the Chamber of Secrets wasn’t my cup of tea. I fell asleep while reading it two times. Perhaps I might revisit this one in the future, but so far, it’s my least favorite Harry Potter book. I am 32% through the Prisoner of Azkaban and am enjoying it much more!
I picked up the Harry Potter Box Set: The Complete Collection on Amazon this year and plan to read them all through with hubby!
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
You can read my full review of Ninth House here. I got it in a subscription box for dark fiction, and as a lover of all things witchy and Halloween, I enjoyed this read! Magic, hauntings, possessions. Drugs, unlike those in the mortal world, alchemy, mind control, demons, murder mystery, secret societies–Ninth House has it all!
Beware of the trigger warnings: Rape, gore, and more. You can grab a copy of Ninth House on Amazon here (P.S. the cover is beautiful).
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
I picked up the Six of Crows Duology on Amazon and had such high hopes for this one after Ninth House, but Six of Crows fell a bit flat for me. You can read my full review of Six of Crows here. The short version is that this is a character-driven book, and I didn’t jive with the characters. I did like two of the six charters, so I gave this one a three-star rating since it was enjoyable.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Dark Matter is ending my year with a big bang (pun intended). You can read my full review of Dark Matter here. In summary, to me, Dark Matter is a story about trying to find your way back to the now, this very second in time and space of your being as you observe it. It will make you wonder who you could have been, who you might be, but ground you in the present day with the very essence of you are. I cannot recommend this book enough! Grab a copy of Dark Matter on Amazon now, and thank me later!
Did Not Finish:
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
I was so excited about this Romeo and Juliet retelling, but this was not the one I was hoping for. DNF at 90 pages in (19%). I gave it a fair shot, but I promised myself I would not force myself to read books that I’m not enjoying.
So what didn’t work for me? I read Dune, and it’s dense, but These Violent Delights is needlessly dense. Paragraphs of history between each reply in a conversation made five sentences of dialogue span almost two full pages. By the time I read a response, I had forgotten what the previous person had said. I found myself skimming the pages to read the conversation, then going back to read all the filler that wasn’t pertinent to the scene or story in that particular moment.
Jumping back and forth between present-day and past events was a bit disorienting and just overall confusing for me personally.
The monster murder mystery was just not my thing.
This wasn’t for me, and that’s okay. I hope you all will find enjoyment in These Violent Delights; I know lots have and will enjoy this one. If you read it and loved it, please let me know! I’d love to hear what you thought about it. Perhaps one day, I might revisit it, but now is just not my time.
In progress:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Daniel and I are reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban together, and we’re 32% into it. I’m enjoying it much more than the Chamber of Secrets, and I think it’ll be a close tie to The Philosopher’s Stone for my Favorite HP book so far. I can’t wait to get through this series.
Book Blogging Stats:
Full Book Reviews:
Dune by Frank Herbert
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Bookish Posts:
October OwlCrate Unboxed
9 Tips to Read More Books in 2021
December OwlCrate Unboxed
What was your favorite book of December? or this year? Let me know in the comments!
