December 2021 Reading Wrap Up

And just like that, the year is over! But before I warp up the entirety of 2021, I first have to wrap up the month of December! This was a truly great reading month, as I managed to somehow read 9 books, with the majority being 4 or 5 star reads! I have lots of things to say about all the books I read, so instead of making this intro excessively long, why don’t I just tell you all about them!

Books Read:

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

In typical Malka fashion, my favorite book of the month was a graphic novel. This one was just an adorable story about friendship and being unique with a dash of superpowers and mysterious beasts thrown in for good measure. It’s definitely one I would recommend if you’re in the mood of something really cute and wholesome!

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⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I got The Last Chance Library after watching an Instagram Live with the author, where the premise of the book intrigued me. And I’m so glad I picked it up because it was sweet and wholesome and exactly what I needed when I read it!

As for The Fastest Way to Fall, I had it pre-ordered I was so excited, and while it disappointed me slightly, it was still a pretty cute romance that I’m glad I read.

And lastly, we have Bet On It, which is actually releasing in July 2022. For whatever reason my brain decided that I needed to read it RIGHT NOW and it was really an adorable look at two very different people, bonding over their mental health struggles and finding love. I have my review already written, and it’s quite positive! But I don’t want to say too much now, since it releases in 7 months!

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My next three 4 star reads were all graphic works that I adored! The first one is Forever Home about a girl who has constantly moved around, and was told that this would be her forever home, but some possessive ghosts want the place to themselves!

Then we have Cat’s Café which is just an adorable collection of comics that put a big smile on my face.

And lastly we have The Art of Sushi. This is a fantastic non-fiction book following the author as he learns all about the different kinds of sushi and how it’s made, going in depth about each ingredient and style. I’ve written a full review, but I haven’t posted it since I know it’s not my usual thing. So please let me know if you’d be interested in reading my full review of this amazing work!

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⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

I’m sad that both of my 3 star reads were review copies I was excited for, but since I have full reviews for both The Love Con and The Bad Boy Experiment, I won’t give more detail in this wrap up!

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Books Acquired:

Purchased:

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If you’ve read about my Book Buying Habits, you’ll know that about 5 new books a month is my average, and that stayed true for December as well. I bought The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, Dava Shastri’s Last Day, and The Reading List to try to increase the number of literary fiction books I get to in 2022. These are all ones I’ve heard great things about and I’m excited for, so let’s hope I actually read and enjoy them! Then I just had to pick up Window Shopping since I’m always in the mood of a smutty romance, and I’ve heard that this fits the bill perfectly! And then I semi-impulsively got myself a copy of Less from PangoBooks, since it was recommended to me earlier this year and I was able to get it for very cheap. It won a Pulitzer, so it should be a good read! Also, it’s short, which is always a nice plus!

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NetGalley:

I added three new NetGalley books to my growing list in December, but thankfully these titles shouldn’t be on my TBR for too long. In fact, I already did a combined review and discussion post for The Bad Boy Experiment in December, that I think is lots of fun! (It involves bookish experiments I hope to run in 2022! Many of which I’d love your input for!)

Then I have Rancher’s Forgotten Rival, which has a premise that sounded too good to ignore! And lastly I have Lease on Love, which comes out in February, but I’ve already started because of how excited I am for it. So all in all, not a bad bunch!

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Things I Did:

Despite my December being filled with unpleasant activities such as taking finals, handing in papers, and giving presentations, followed by 10 days of being sick in bed, I genuinely look bad at this month fondly. I certainly can’t explain it, but this just felt like a good month. Maybe it’s because I held a little pizza party for some friends that were in a group project with me before I got sick, maybe it’s just because I now only have one semester left before I graduate, but whatever it is, I’m happy to have ended off 2021 on a high note!

How was the end of your 2021? Did you manage to reach your reading goal? Did you read any last minute favorites?