December 2019 Wrap Up
Wow. I barely remember December. What a whirlwind. Let's see what I read:
10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston - This was a cute little Christmasy read. Sophie breaks up with her boyfriend right at the beginning of Winter Break from school. Her grandmother comes up with the brilliant plan to set her up on a blind date every day from then until New Years. Everyone in the family gets a day to plan a date. It's a romance, but it's also about family and making sure you are doing your part in a relationship.
Christmas at Thompson Hall by Anthony Trollope - This is a lovely set of Victorian stories set at Christmas. They all are sort of a comedy of manners. Very sweet and comforting.
Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz - I apparently felt like reading all the Christmas stories in the first couple weeks of December. Darcy is a high powered investment broker who gets called home from Manhattan when her mother has a heart attack. She hasn't been home for 8 years because she chose not to marry the guy her parents picked for her and her dad is still mad about it. She happens to be home for Christmas and twice gets a little tipsy and kisses the man next door. Various bizarre things ensue, and the plot kind of follows Pride and Prejudice as told from Mr. Darcy's point of view. I enjoyed it. It's not great literature, but it was fun.
Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich - Finally! I waited for this for sooooo looooong! And I read it in an evening. This is why I won't buy these books. I read them so fast that it doesn't make sense in minutes of entertainment/dollars spent terms. Anyway, I enjoyed this one just as much. It was fun as usual. Stepanie Plum is a terrible bounty hunter, but is actually getting better at it. Her grandma is a complete nutcase who knows how to have fun. Her boyfriend is a cop. Her side kick best friend is a former sex worker, who still dresses like one.
A Christmas Blizzard by Garrison Keillor - This was the book club book for December, but we ended up not having the meeting. So this is also the book club book for January. The main character is a hugely wealthy man who wants to go to Hawaii for Christmas, but he can't convince his wife. Then he finds out his favorite uncle is dying in his hometown, so he takes his private plane to North Dakota to visit before heading to Hawaii. He gets snowed in by a blizzard and spends a few days in a fishing cottage on the lake outside town. Some really weird stuff happens, and he finds himself and who he really is while he's stuck there. It's cute.
The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner - This is a middle grade graphic novel about a girl who only has one friend and is bullied at school a lot. Then she finds out her mother is a witch and has lived in the town for centuries. The founders of the town blamed the witches for the death of the mayor's son and the witch hunt has never really ended.
Horimiya by Hero - This is a sweet, slow-burn, manga romance series. I've read the first 3 volumes and I'm waiting for volume 4 to come in from the library. Hori is a popular, pretty girl who never goes out with friends after school. She prefers going home to take care of the house. Miyamura is a quiet, loner at school that brings home Hori's little brother one day when he falls and hurts himself. Lo and behold, Miyamura is pierced, tattooed, and actually really hot. They make friends and she brings him into her social circle, but they keep their afternoons together a secret. They're not dating, but they sure don't want to share each other with other people. It's super sweet, and fun.
9 books in December. Not too shabby. I wanted to read more, but nonetheless. Here we are. What did you read in December?