December 2017 Wrap-Up | 20 books… Say whaaaaat?

Hullo! I posted my classics/comics wrap-up just this morning, but I wanted to make sure to put up my regular wrap-up close behind. If you’re interested in classics, short stories, or comics (web or traditional), definitely check out that wrap-up! Thanks to the winter break (which is absurdly long this year- not that I’m complaining), I managed to read TWENTY books this month! I’m sure neither of us would like to be here all night, so let’s consider this a… speed round. GO!

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The Disappearances- This book is SO strange. But it’s a magical realism that’s kind of also historical fiction and I just… Adore… Magical realism… SO much. Way too weird in a GOOD way. ★★★★

Perfect Scoundrels- I love all of Ally Carter’s books. She’s one of my favorite authors. This definitely did not disappoint. But I’m rather devastated that I’ve finished what’s published so far with these characters. ★★★★★

Ruin and Rising- I FINALLY finished the trilogy! Go me!!! (I am way too proud of this) I definitely enjoyed this trilogy, but I’m glad it’s over with. Hey, now I can finally pick up Six of Crows! Eek! ★★★★

The Grift of the Magi- This is a 100 page (ish?) novella set after Perfect Scoundrels. And it’s Christmassy. It was fabulous, because… Ally Carter. Hale. ‘nough said. ★★★★★

Switched- I can’t believe how long this sat on my TBR. I mean REALLY. I don’t know that it was really worth the wait, but I had to give it a shot anyway. It was cute, but I probably won’t continue with the series. ★★★

Gideon’s Gift- This is also a 100 page (ish?) Christmas novella. The girl has cancer, the man’s family died, there are red gloves, it’s heartwarming and tears were shed my eyes weirdly started sweating a lot. ★★★★

The Inconceivable Life of Quinn- What a weirdo book. It’s an old ARC that I requested and never got around to… And I was pleasantly surprised! It was so strange and random that I just loved it. #MoanaVibes ★★★★

Alex, Approximately- I was really expecting to love this one? So many people seem to have read and recommend it. Sure, I enjoyed it, but the “plot twist” was so blatantly obvious that it was almost annoying. It made me want to hit myself in the head sometimes. ★★★

Ruby Red- Not terribly fabulous, not terrible. Cute, fun, light-hearted time travel. What’s not to like? ★★★★

Alice and the Fly- I didn’t have high expectations for this AT ALL, but in the beginning portion I totally adored it. However, about halfway through the Perks of Being a Wallflower vibe kicked up a notch and the plot… ended. He’s a creepy stalker, the ending was stupid, it’s a Perks rip-off, okay I could rant about this for days. ★★

Sleeping Giants- I listened to this on audiobook because I had heard so many great things about it (the audio, that is), but I didn’t really know what to expect. Essentially, it’s an Illuminae-style adult science fiction for fans of The Martian times 20. I really enjoyed the narration (it’s a full cast) and the concept of the sci-fi stuff, but I got a tad bored after a while and I felt like the romance was super unnecessary? Without it, I think I would have enjoyed it quite a bit more. ★★★

We Were Liars- I (awesomely!!) got a Kindle for Christmas, and as soon as we finished opening presents, I downloaded this from my online library. I can’t believe I hadn’t read it! I was definitely genuinely shocked by the plot twist and I enjoyed how quick of a read it was. I’ll definitely have to check out her newest book. ★★★★★

My True Love Gave to Me- I loved this Christmas anthology! I read one a day in the twelve days leading up to Christmas and I had so much fun doing it. I definitely had a few favorites in this one, whose authors I’ll have to check out more from. ★★★★

Feed- I also listened to this as an audiobook. If you’re going to consume this book in any fashion, I would definitely recommend the audiobook, but I just wasn’t a fan of the story itself. ★★

This Savage Song- Eek, this was fantastic! I read it so quickly! My poor August baby. Schwab had better not let anything happen to him in Our Dark Duet. ★★★★★

No Ordinary Star- This is also supposed to be a Christmas read. However, it’s broken up into three installments, just like Never Never, which was… really unnecessary. I have no idea why she would do that with this particular story. The entire first “book” is just exposition and setting-up for the rest of the story. ★★★

Little House in the Big Woods- Ah, my mom read these books to me twice when I was little! I had so much fun rereading this (as I’d virtually forgotten the story) and reminiscing. She’s such a fascinating person/writer! ★★★★★

It Started With Goodbye- This is a Cinderella retelling that was, in my opinion, done quite well! I loved that the main focus of the story was not on the romance, but rather on her relationships with friends and family. Sure, the romance existed, but it definitely wasn’t the main plot point. I really enjoyed this one for all its fluffy cuteness! ★★★★

Teeth- OMG MY HEART AND SOUL HAVE DIED HOW DID THIS HAPPEN. My feels took a huge punch to the gut with this book. There’s a gay magical fish and… *sobs* no one understands… READ THE BOOK GUYS. I honestly think Hannah Moskowitz is one of my new favorite authors and I’ve only read one of her books. Don’t be scared by the ugly title and cover. The inside is beautiful and devastating my eyes are sweating again and you should all read it and TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS. ★★★★★

Never Never Part 3- I can’t believe I finally got around to this! I had to look up spoilers for the first two parts, as I had completely forgotten them. I thought the conclusion was okay, but the explanation for the amnesia seemed like a too-easy cop-out and I wasn’t impressed. It was just okay. ★★★

Landscape With Invisible Hand- I had been told that although Feed wasn’t that great, his latest book (this one) was quite a bit better. And I would definitely agree! This book was still weird and not my favorite thing ever… but I liked it quite a bit more! It’s super short (150 pages and half of the time only half of the page has words on it), so I definitely flew through it. Some of it was a bit too far-fetched or strange for me though… And why did the main character have diarrhea? What?? I didn’t find that necessary. ★★★

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Eek, I made it to the end (and maybe you did too)! I believe I read ten of these from Christmas onward, so… I’m weird. But I had a pretty fabulous reading month, which I’m very pleased with, especially since I had finals as well! Definitely let me know in the comments if you’ve read or plan to read any of these books, and if so, what your thoughts are on them! If not (or even if so), tell me what you read last month! Anything good? Exciting? Absolutely horrible? I hope you all had a fantastic holiday and a happy new year!

With love,

               Amy Lou ❤

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