December Book Report! Just a month late! Since I took the last couple weeks of December off from blogging, my intention was to post my December book report at the beginning of January. But then other things took priority. So this Friday I’m posting my December books and next Friday I’ll post my January books.

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren – this was a cute and light Christmas-themed read. It was a bit like Groudhog’s Day for the Christmas season! A young woman finds herself stuck in a bit of a time loop as she tries to figure out what she truly wants in life. Very heartwarming if a little too neatly wrapped up in a bow by the end. But overall an enjoyable read that gives all the warm fuzzy feels of the season!

Untamed by Glennon Doyle – I had heard a huge variety of reactions to this book, so I decided to read it myself. At the end, I felt like I had a huge variety of reactions within my own feelings. There were some chapters that I completely resonated with and others that had me almost rolling my eyes. Glennon works very hard to inspire women to choose their own paths throughout her stories, just some of them fell a little flat for me in terms of feeling relatable to what I face day-to-day. But overall, a great testament to finding your truth and living it out loud.

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Channing Brown – Beautifully written book that gives transparent insight into the life of a Black woman in America. Of all the books I’ve read since last summer on the experiences of BIPOC and systemic racism, this one spoke to me in a different way. I think it was due to the similarities I could see in certain environments she described – her high school, her workplaces. The familiarities in situations brought the disparity of experiences into sharp contrast for me in a way I hadn’t fully understood before. I saw myself in some of the interactions she described with white people and it was eye-opening for me in a new way. I would highly recommend this book!

Honeymoon and Second Honeymoon by James Patterson – I read these books because I was working through James Patterson’s MasterClass course on fiction writing and he uses Honeymoon as an example for a couple of topics. When I was younger I was very much into Mary Higgins Clark and Nelson DeMille books. James Patterson’s books are in the same vein – murder, FBI, suspense, etc… I wouldn’t necessarily recommend these books, but they weren’t bad!

The Obelisk Gate and The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin – These are the remaining two books in the Broken Earth series that I started in November (The Fifth Season). Again, these go very deep into continuing to build this fantasy world, each book getting deeper into the history and political structures of this particular culture. Themes include the different ways people act when society breaks down, difficult family dynamics, exploitation of different groups of people, etc… I would highly recommend if you are someone who loves fantasy and world building and, again, are okay with things not being fully explained up front…or at all. Personally, I loved the full series!