SUMMARY: december

Posted on by michelle

Wow, how is the year almost over . . . in other news, December was a bit of a surprise to me, in that I managed to read 26 27 books! This was quite the feat considering that I’ve been in a slump for three straight months, and now I’m aiming to read 27 total books so that I can beat my reading challenge from last year. UPDATE: I’ve since finished another book, which put me at 27 this month!

Since this year has felt like an eternity, I honestly forgot how much work I’ve put into this blog over this past year. Keep reading for my highlights of the year!

Some highlights of the year:

Not much changed blog-wise this year, just because I was so busy with class and also lost my blogging motivation on and off over the course of the whole year.

I started my “pick an emoji and I’ll rec you a 202x release” book rec series this year! This was fun because I get to recommend books without a firm theme; instead, I just get to pick a random emoji. They also seem to be popular lists, so watch out for this in 2021.

In February, I also started my “favorite quotes” series of posts! It’s been a second since I wrote one of these posts (maybe watch out for more next year?), but I really liked doing them because I’ve always enjoyed sharing my favorite quotes from books.

In July, I hosted #thegildedwolvesreadathon with Mana where we read The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi in preparation for the sequel The Silvered Serpents in September. We had so much fun hosting this! I also made little art booklets for book one and book two, which was a nice distraction.

On a whim, I started writing masterlists of books with a certain trope. There’s one each for hate-to-love and fake dating.

After my first author interview last year (and then none for the next 12 months), I finally talked with some more authors! I talked with Katy Rose Pool, Mara Fitzgerald, and Chloe Gong.

I held the YA RELEASES BY AUTHORS OF COLOR AWARDS again! I really need to come up with a snappier name rip.

Writing this out now, I’m realizing how much I’ve put into blogging this year, even if it didn’t seem like that at the end. I’ve been in a bit of a reading / blogging rut for the past three or so months, and writing posts has become a bit of a pain. I think it’s also partially because I used to use writing posts and reading as an escape from schoolwork but now that I’m not constantly thinking of schoolwork (because my schedule has become more and more abstract with everything online), I don’t need the escape as much.

I also brought this up in a blog post or two, but I’ve been enthralled in a deep BTS obsession for the past three months. It hasn’t really been brought up in posts as the main point, but I’m not exaggerating when I say “obsession” lmao. This semester was a bit rougher on me; fall semesters usually are, but I suppose it didn’t help that I was more isolated than last semester with online classes. Falling down the BTS hole helped distract me from that, so I didn’t have as much time or desire to read. That being said, I’m starting to manage my time better and now that I’m on break, I hope to read a lot more!

EVERYTHING I’VE POSTED THIS YEAR (BY MONTH):

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

READ IN DECEMBER:

* = reread
💫 = read for a class I’m taking
bolded = favorite
underlined = ARC
ya unless otherwise noted

_________ I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai 💫
★★★½☆ Float Plan by Trish Doller (adult) (watch out for my review!)
★★★★☆ Fireheart Tiger by Aliette de Bodard (adult) (watch out for my review!)
★★★★½ How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black
★★★★★ The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski (read my review here) *
★★★★½ Lucky Caller by Emma Mills (read my review here) *
★★★★¼ 10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston *
★★★★★ The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
★★★½☆ How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams (adult)
★★★☆☆ It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne
★★★★★ The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner *
★★★★½ The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon (adult) (watch out for my review!)
★★★½☆ I Would Leave Me If I Could by Halsey
★★★★☆ A Taste for Love by Jennifer Yen (watch out for my review!)
★★★★★ The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner *
★★★★★ Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner *
★★★★★ A RomaJuliette Christmas Special by Chloe Gong
★★★★½ Want by Cindy Pon *
★★★☆☆ Love, Creekwood by Becky Albertalli
★★★¾☆ Ruse by Cindy Pon
★★★☆☆ The Iron Raven by Julie Kagawa (watch out for my review!)
★★★½☆ Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour
★★★¾☆ Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur (adult)
★★★★½ Royals by Rachel Hawkins (read my review here) *
★★★½☆ The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss (adult)
★★★½☆ The Lost Sisters by Holly Black *
★★★★½ How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black *

POSTED IN DECEMBER:

ANTICIPATED BOOKS IN JANUARY:

bolded = most anticipated
*** = have the ARC / read and will be reviewed
ya unless otherwise noted

  1. Lore by Alexandra Bracken
    • out: January 5
  2. Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
    • out: January 5
    • rep: ownvoices biracial (Black, white) protagonist
  3. You Have a Match by Emma Lord (read my review here) ***
    • out: January 5
    • rep: wlw main character, adopted Filipino-American love interest, wlw Filipina-American side character
  4. The Meet-Cute Project by Rhiannon Richardson
    • out: January 12
    • rep: ownvoices Black protagonist
  5. Winterkeep (Graceling Realm #4) by Kristina Cashore
    • out: January 19
  6. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
    • out: January 19
    • rep: ownvoices Chinese-American lesbian protagonist, lesbian love interest, Chinese and Chinese American side characters, lesbian side characters
  7. Shipped by Angie Hockman (adult) (read my review here) ***
    • out: January 19
    • rep: Korean-American side character, lesbian side characters, gay side character
    • cw: loss of a parent (mother), mentions of emotional abuse, emeto (seasickness)
  8. A Vow So Bold and Deadly (Cursebreakers #3) by Brigid Kemmerer
    • out: January 26
    • rep: gay side characters
  9. The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe
    • out: January 26
    • rep: ownvoices bisexual protagonist, wlw love interest
  10. The Ex Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon (adult) ***
    • out: January 26
    • rep: Korean-American love interest

2 thoughts on “SUMMARY: december”

  1. ahh michelle!! first off, congratulations on reading 27 books in december!! that is so amazing!! it’s also so cool yo got to interview some authors and ahhh BTS fills me up with serotonin, and i’m so happy they helped you distract yourself too!! i can’t believe i only JUST discovered your blog but it is so gorgeous, and better late than never, right!! 💖

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