What I Read in December 2020.
This was a great reading month! I managed to JUST hit my reading goal for 2020 of 75 books. While I didn’t read any knockouts this month, I really liked most of what I read.
Now that I’ve shared that I’m pregnant, I can share that it’s the reason I was able to hit my goal! When I was pregnant with Emilia, reading was one of the only things I could do to distract myself from the nausea. Same went for this time too. I also have had major pregnancy insomnia, so I’ve read a ton at night. There have been many nights where I’ve been awake from 12-5 or 3-7, so I just read! Almost a blessing in disguise because I don’t know if I would have hit my 2020 reading goal during these busy months.
While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time.
You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here.
You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!
What I Read in December 2020
Christmas At The Island Hotel – 3 stars
I downloaded this on a whim when I was dying for more Christmas books. The story follows a family who is getting their new hotel ready for the holiday season. I LOVED the setting here – on an island between Scotland and Norway. Wish I could be there right now! I did like a lot of the characters at the hotel but ultimately I just couldn’t get into this one. It was a pretty quick read for me but I never felt HOOKED, you know? I wasn’t very invested in this story which was a bummer.
Leave The World Behind – 4 stars
Oh my gosh, I don’t even know how to explain this book. Given my hope to read only holidayish happy things this month, I REALLY wanted to read this one – but perhaps it could have waited until January or February. I think this book is considered a psychological thriller, but it also deals with racism and how people act and respond during a tragedy. The story follows a family who rents a vacation home, but shortly after “something” happens. The frustrating thing is that we are never told WHAT happens – is it some sort of terrorism or chemical warfare or something? Very weird things start happening (honestly it was freaky) and what made me crazy is that we get NO solution at the end! However, the book is still good and the writing is amazing. Def recommend, maybe just not at the holidays, haha.
This Close To Okay – 4.5 stars
Ooooh I loved this one! FYI this is an early release that I got through Book of the Month – it doesn’t come out until February. The story follows two strangers who meet under… interesting (!) and possibly devastating circumstances. There are some truths held back and a twist and this is just such a great story. The book jacket mentions the magic of human connection and I have no other words to describe it – that is the perfect description. Loved the ending of this so much. Definitely grab it when it comes out!
Jingle Wars – 2.5 stars
Oh man I wish I had better things to say about this, I hate giving a not-so-favoroable review. This story was cute – it was just a little too harlequin romance-ish for me. I love a romance novel but lean more towards women’s fiction over true gritty romance. For instance, the word “boning” is used more than once and I just couldn’t get past a lot of the language. Haha that makes me feel so old but I don’t know how else to describe it. I do love a steamy novel (hello, Idea of You!) but I just couldn’t do it with this one, it was a bit too raunchy.
This Time Next Year – 4 stars
Really enjoyed this one!! It was super cute. The story follows two people who were born at the same time and continue to run into each other with many coincidences. I really loved this story AND I loved the characters! It kind of had a bit of One Day In December vibe, but I may have even liked it more than that. I loved the storylines of both main characters and it was such a cute, feel good read that I needed in December.
Faking Under The Mistletoe – 4 stars
See how into Christmas reads I am? This was another super cute one. I have a hard time giving anything 5 stars because I hold Elin Hilderbrand’s Winter Street series in such high regard. But this was adorable! It follows Olivia who is obsessed with Christmas (so naturally I was obsessed with her) and gets entangled with her boss. I loved the story, it was super Christmasy and another light, feel-good read.
11 Comments on “What I Read in December 2020.”
Read The White Christmas Inn by Colleen Wright. I actually listened on Audible and it was perfectly wonderful.
I read so much, but Transcendent Kingdom was my favorite. Just finished the Inheritance Games, which was a great YA read – super fun – reminiscent of Knives Out.
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Leave the world behind was AWFUL, I thought! It was too vague, the class comparisons weren’t convincing, and the lack of an ending was a cop out.
I also read Leave the World Behind. I really liked it! They’re making it into a movie with Denzel Washington and Julia Roberts. My other December books were News of the World and As Bright as Heaven.
Thanks so much for the recommendation to read 12 Dates of Christmas. Such a wonderful Christmas read. I too read Christmas stories all month. I have followed your blog since your first baby and so happy and excited you are expecting your third baby! Happy New Year! Thanks for the great recipes too!!!!
I couldn’t stop thinking about Leave the World Behind, and I loved that the author didn’t ever tell us what happened. It was so much scarier not knowing and I loved being able to focus on how we try to hold onto normal even when faced with an objectively abnormal situation. It was creepy but in the best way.
I’m honestly so mad I missed “This Close to Okay” on BOTM – I really need to pay better attention to the picks. But thanks to you, I added “This Time Next Year” to my January box!!
Also thanks to your review and one of the comments, I won’t be picking up “Leaving the World Behind.” I HATE unresolved endings – as Sally said, they always feel like cop-outs!
*Leave. I hate myself for not checking the title!
Sara, yes! Especially when there are SO MANY better books out there. This time next year was super cute and engaging!
Don’t give up on Jenny Colgan books. Christmas at the Island Hotel is the 4th book in her Mure series. The first 3 books will give you background on the characters and get you hooked! I’ve read all 4 books and I want to go visit this fictional town and characters!
Okay, this is NOT super light and beach-y but I had a hard time putting my Kindle down at night while reading it: Ta-Nahesi Coates’ “The Water Dancer.” His writing is really just transcendental. I’m also nodding and laughing my way through Phoebe Robinson’s “Everything’s Trash, But It’s Okay.” And somehow I had missed that there was a fourth Hunger Games book until this month?? I blitzed through that when it came off the wait list at the library.
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