For what I lacked in the last few months in reading ability and time, I more than made up for it in December. While we again took a pause on our empty-nester life with our two adult children home for the month (which was awesome!), I had a great deal of time to read as we limited leaving our house to the bare minimum. I read several books that I thought were terrific and a couple I started that were not for me. There were also quite a few somewhere in between.
I also decided to give some holiday books a try, which is something I have not read much of in the past. It was my attempt to get further into the “Christmas spirit.” I am not sure if it helped with my overall mood as some of them were actually depressing, but I enjoyed a few of them. I also had a bit of an oops and forgot to push out a pause date on a pretty big group of library holds I had made after reviewing NPR’s Best Books of the Year list. Instead of cancelling them and re-holding I decided to pick them up and tore through quite a few that were not originally in the plan for the month. But if there is one thing I learned in 2020, just go with it.
Here’s what I read in December. I finished 17 books 😷 and had 2 DNFs.
The Wife Upstairs – Rachel Hawkins
I was all about entertainment this year and this one did it for me. I was sucked in from the first chapter and enjoyed all of the twists, turns and differing points of view. Jane is down on her luck, has a troubled past and meets newly-widowed Eddie when she is a dog walker in an affluent, gossipy neighborhood. Things are definitely not as they seem. There weren’t really any likeable characters, but that’s ok sometimes. Jane did have some spunk though, and quite the potty mouth/inner stream of thoughts – that is for sure. She also was kind of funny in a messed up way. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. The Wife Upstairs is out on January 5, 2021.
🍷🍷🍷🍷
Confessions on the 7:45 – Lisa Unger
Came close to a 5🍷 but had such a slow start and so many characters and points of view that it became overly confusing. I almost considered taking notes at one point to keep everyone straight. It is a good thriller read if you can make it through the first half. Selena knows her husband is sleeping with the nanny, she’s caught him on the nanny-cam twice. Upon taking the train home, she meets Martha who confides her own problems. Before Selena even realizes it, she has spilled the beans on her own troubles as well. And then the fun/twisted/messed up story begins. This was also the last book I completed in 2020, right down to the wire. I finished just before the changing of the annual guard, which felt very appropriate.
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The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
Once again, Matt Haig did not fail me. He has easily become a favorite author, probably in my top ten list. A bit melancholy of a story, but uplifting in his strange and eerie way. You’ll need to suspend reality, something I now expect of Mr. Haig and something I am not always willing or able to do. But it is worth it, HE is worth is as he is an incredible story teller. Nora Seed is a very depressed woman and decides to take her life. Upon the attempt she enters The Midnight Library.
“Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”
I fell in love with Nora. Her pain is real. Her regrets, realistic. Her choices, understandable. But what if you could make the tiniest change and alter your path? Would you?
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A Promised Land – Barack Obama
I read A Promised Land on audible, and throughly enjoyed listening to President Obama’s narration. I really though going into it that this would be a 5🍷er for me. But I am going with 4. It was lovely to hear of his early days, his presidential campaign and his first 4 years, his mistakes and regrets, and most importantly, his integrity. How refreshing to be reminded how someone can behave in a presidential manner. But it was TWENTY-NINE HOURS. 29 hours! It was just too long for me and a couple of the chapters were a snooze fest. But overall I loved it and learned a ton!
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Pretty Things – Janelle Brown
I picked this book for one of my local book clubs. I think we were all feeling we needed something not too heavy. When I threw it out there as an idea, I added in that it would be a future Netflix show that Nicole Kidman is behind. I found it to be the perfect gritty suspense/drama/kinda-thriller/kinda-mystery that I have come across in a while. I can easily see why this will make it to the screen. We’ve got Nina, a grifter/con and Vanessa, the Insta-famous influencer/heiress. Add in Lachlan, Nina’s hot Irish boyfriend and Lily, Nina’s mom (who I would guess is the part Kidman plays in the movie) and we have a plot. Nina has to find a way to pay for Lily’s cancer treatment and she hatches a plan that fills that need as well as the need for revenge. The one thing that kept this from a 5🍷 book for me is the length. It was long! But I still can’t wait to see who the full cast will be for this one.
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Shit Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema – Lindy West
A tongue in cheek review book of many of the movies you’ve loved or love to hate, written by a columnist (The Guardian & GQ) during the pandemic. Apparently she really hates Love, Actually and she LOVES The Fugitive – the movie by which all else is measured. The review on Top Gun was my favorite. I laughed and laughed and laughed. The rest were just ok for me. A pretty fun and funny romp but nothing totally fantastic – 2.5 overall but round up to 3 due to Top Gun and a few other killer paragraphs elsewhere.
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Why Fish Don’t Exist – A Story of Loss, Love and the Hidden Order of Life – Lulu Miller
This was a bit of an odd one but I loved it. I found it to be strangely comforting at a time in my life where I feel so much uncertainty. I found it from the NPR list along with a few others this month.
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The Decameron Project – 29 Stories From The Pandemic
A collection of 29 short stories from the pandemic from notable authors. I enjoyed some very much, others not so much.
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How to Wash the Dishes – Peter Miller
I am not sure what I was expecting but this is a quick book literally about how to wash dishes. However when you read between the lines it is a book about being present and intention.
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The Wedding Date – Jasmine Guilty
A steamier pick than I normally read. Quick & mostly light and would have rated higher but Drew was so unlikeable and immature. His character made everything else completely unbelievable. Now to decide if I continue the series or not. If the other men in her books are similar to Drew, I would rather skip getting to know them.
🍷🍷1/2
Holiday Cozy Reads
I already mentioned that I snuggled in with some holiday themed books to read some lighter stories and get myself in the holiday spirit. Instead of reviewing them each, as honestly, most of them were kind of the same or very similar story, I have listed them in order of preference and have written a sentence on the two I enjoyed the most.
Stuck On You – Portia MacIntosh – 🍷🍷🍷🍷
A 4 🍷 rating may be just a bit generous but I’m tearing through the sappy holiday books and this is the best one I’ve read so far. Also, as I write this, if you have Amazon Prime, this is a selection of a free borrow on Prime Reading. I have no idea how long it will be an option there.
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories – 🍷🍷🍷1/2
A mixed bag. Short story holiday romances from YA authors. There were a few 4/5’s but the rest were 3/2’s.
The Christmas Room – Catherine Anderson – 🍷🍷🍷1/2
Twelve Days of Christmas – Debbie Macomber – 🍷🍷🍷
Alaskan Holiday – Debbie Macomber – 🍷🍷🍷
Winter Street – Elin Hildebrand – 🍷🍷🍷
Seven Days of Us – Francesca Hornak – 🍷🍷1/2
And that’s all I read. 🙂 A good lot this month! Did you read anything great in December? What are you reading now?
DNF: The Girl in the Mirror – Carly Rose & Christmas Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
Book(s) of the Month:
The Midnight Library – Matt Haig
The Wife Upstairs – Rachel Hawkins
