December Wrap Up

December was a pretty good reading month, especially with audiobooks.  I completed the Popsugar reading challenge.  I always get a little slumpy as the end of the challenge approaches.  Last year I was reading a book I really didn't like and it took me forever to finish.  This year I was reading something I actually liked, but it still dragged on a bit because there was a bit of pressure to finish up.  I also have a few ARCs and reviews looming for January, so it starts to feel like work not fun.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• I'm so glad I finally read this.  I really enjoyed it and can't wait to see what happens in Crooked Kingdom.  There are so many twists and turns.  This finished up my challenge for a book with an animal in the title.  
• Vicious by V.E. Schwab
• I've been meaning to read this forever.  It started off slow for me for a couple of reasons.  It was one of my last reading prompts (anti-hero/villain) and I think I overhyped it so I had really high expectations.  Once I settled in I really began to enjoy it.  Looking forward to the next book.
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by by John Tiffany (Adaptation), Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling 
• This was my final challenge book (turned into a screenplay/play).  Since it is a play script I went with it.  I actually really enjoyed it.  Not much to say about Harry Potter, but I liked that this takes place later on, and is focused on his son.  We see Harry in a different light and as a parent with realistic parent struggles that have nothing to do with magic. As a mom I totally relate.

Audiobooks

• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
• I really loved this.  I think I will finish the series in book format.  I feel like I kept missing things in audio, which is a problem I have with fantasy sometimes.  The narration was great, but I would have liked to go back a page and reread things I was confused about.  This is an awesome book and deserves all the hype it gets.  It is so unique and the author keeps things interesting.
• The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
• This completed challenge prompt book for a book involving a bookstore or a library.  It involves both.  My mom gave me her paperback a while back, but I opted for the audio.  This is a really cute book, but the main character, Nina I found to be infuriating at times.  She was a bit too clueless and weak for my taste.  I just wanted to shake her and yell at her for most of the book.  She eventually got it together, so it all kind of worked out.  
• Don't Put Me in Coach by Mark Titus
• As I anticipated this book was a challenge for me to complete.  The writing was actually pretty good, but the author's sense of humor just isn't to my taste.  I listened to about half of the audiobook then switched to the e-book to finish up which I found a little easier to handle.  It was fairly short.  I enjoyed hearing about the basketball, but the immaturity and vulgarity was a bit too much for my liking.  This did knock out a challenge prompt for me or else I would have DNFed based on my personal taste.
• Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness
• I really loved the Discovery of Witches Series, and when I heard there was a new book out I requested it from the library right away.  I really loved seeing Diana and Matthew and their children, as well as the rest of the family and get to know Marcus and Phoebe more.  This was kind of all over the place as it jumps timelines and switches character POVs.  There isn't really a plot, it is more character driven story telling.  I liked learning about the characters, but there wasn't really a plot to keep the story focused as with the original trilogy..
• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
• This is a strange little story about a girl who finds out that she isn't who she thought she was.  The bad luck that has followed her and her mother around is actually part of a strange fairy tale world that she is connected to.  Its an OK read, not good not bad.  The fairy tales are pretty dark.  I expected to like it more than I did.
• Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
• I really loved this.  The audio is told in case files, but it is done with a full cast.  It is very well done.  This team of scientists and military/government personnel are tasked with unearthing and discovering the origins and functions of this artifact.  I really liked the premise of the story.  The book is fast paced, not terribly long.
• Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
• I really love this series.  It is a lot of fun.  I love the full cast and the fast pace.  I was able to start this directly after Sleeping Giants.  I'm a sucker for aliens, robots, and science fiction.  I'm on the waiting list for the 3rd book and can't wait to finish the series.

December TBR

Most of these are for my reading challenge prompts, so I'll be reading those by the end of the year.  Most of these were on my TBR for November and I just didn't get to them.  I also have a couple of ARCs for books that come out in January, but I'm not sure if I'll get to them in December.  Most of these are fairly long, so we'll see how it goes.

Books/Ebooks/ARCs

• Vicious by Victoria Schwab
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by by John Tiffany (Adaptation), Jack Thorne, J.K. Rowling 
• I'm reading this for a challenge for a book turned into a screenplay or play.  Perfect fit I think.
• White Stag by Kara Barberi
• This is the first book in a new YA Fantasy series.  This is supposed to be brutal, and have monsters.  Sounds like a fun read.
• Firestarter by Tara Sim
• This is is a January release and the 3rd book in the Timekeeper series.  I've really enjoyed the series and I'm looking forward to finding out how our Clock Spirit and Clock Mechanic fair in this installment.
• Freefall by Jessica Barry
• This is a mystery/thriller out in January.  There's a plane crash, and a mother/daughter that are separated and determined to find one another.

Audiobooks

• The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
• Everyone keeps talking about this series.  So I thought I'd give it a try.  It sounds like something I'd like.  I've already started this and while it started out slowly I'm really enjoying it.
• The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
• This is a challenge prompt book for a book involving a bookstore or a library.  It involves both.  I've started this one as well and its cute, though the main character is infuriating at times because she so ridiculously afraid of everything.
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi
• This is a repeat from last month.  I own it so I'll get to it when there is a break in my library holds.
• Don't Put Me in Coach by Mark Titus
• This is a challenge book to for a book involving a sport.  I listened to the intro, and I can tell that this is going to be a difficult listen for me because the writer is a self titled clown.  He doesn't take anything seriously, so we'll see how it goes.  I want to give it a chance.