Books for December
Came SO close to making my goal this year!!
The Spellshop - Sarah Beth Durst, 4.5/5, 374 pages
I picked this up on a whim while in Edinburgh because I simply could not resist the cover! I don't usually go for hardcovers, but I'm glad I did here, because the book is just gorgeous ... and fortunately the contents delivered. Cozy fantasy when it's best, and I ended up almost book hungover after finishing it. I really want to visit Caltrey now - swim with the merhorses, try Bryn's pastries, and of course talk to Caz at the jam shop :-D
I loved how Kiela and Caz figured out how to use their "remedies" and my one complaint about this book would be that we didn't get to see nearly enough of the spells in action. Unfortunately, it's not really a book that lends itself to a sequel (and I almost think it would be a shame if one was written), so I will have to be satisfied with the few that I did see.
Really charming book. I'm glad I saved it for the Christmas vacation.
Beach House Summer - Sarah Morgan, 3/5, 367 pages
I mostly liked it, but it was too sad in the beginning and too twee in the end for me to love it. Sarah Morgan is a bit hit and miss for me - when she's good, she's really, really good, so I keep coming back to her, but some of her books are just too sad to really be considered comfort reads, and this was definitely the case with this one.
I loved seeing Joanna interact with Nessa, Ashley and Rosa, but didn't really buy her relationship with neither Mel nor Nate, which kinda put a spanner in things. She seemed closer to Glen somehow.
I liked seeing Ashley and Eden together :-) That really worked for me, and their teenage angsting and bonding both rang true.
Oh, and Jo's stepmum can go jump in a lake! She seemed needlessly cruel, although I guess it did serve a purpose in explaining why Joanna acted the way she did.
The House Sitter - Mira V. Shah, 3/5, 276 pages
I almost gave up on this within the first 30 pages, because I couldn't get used to the writing style, but promised myself to give it until page 50 ... and on page 47 I had not only gotten used to it, but the book took a turn that made me drop any ideas of giving up on it!
The book is split up into three acts, and the first one is definitely just to set the scene - the book gets a lot more interesting in the second two, with the last one almost reminding me of "Murder on the Orient Express" or "Knives Out" in the way it goes through all the suspects, all the possibilities, and all the new secrets that are revealed on almost every page. By that time it had definitely turned into a page turner, and I had to know what happened next.
In the end, it mostly delivered. Most of the ends were tired up, and most of my questions were answered (with one glaring omission, where I'm wondering if I just accidentally skip past it), and the motive kinda made sense.
So a good book, but not a great one.
... but seriously - can anybody tell me who actually invited Aahnaya to house sit, and why she looked so much like Marina???
Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea - Cressida McLaughlin, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
Despite apparently being the 5th book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone novel - I certainly didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, so I think it's more a case of them being companion novels than an actual series.
It ended up being a very enjoyable Christmas romance - and for once pretty 50/50 on the "Christmas" and the "romance" part. The romance was believable, and the conflict not as much of a nuisance as it could have been. Meredith and Finn actually communicated most of the time, which made for a refreshing change!
How to Lose a Guy Before Christmas - A.J. Pine, 3/5, Audiobook ~5hrs
Pros:
* Cute couple.
* Loved Tinsel!
* Realistic resolution of the 3rd act breakup.
Cons:
* Not enough Christmas by a long shot!
* Tinsel was completely unrealistic! (Yes, I know I loved it - those two facts aren't mutually exclusive).
* Heartbreaking 3rd act breakup.
Booked for the Holidays - Liz Maverick, 4/5, Audiobook ~5hrs
A Hanukkah novel for once. Surprisingly sweet, kinda bookish and without a third act breakup / conflict!! That made for a VERY refreshing change. I greatly enjoyed it, and could easily see myself returning to it on a fairly regular basis.
The Best Worst Christmas - Kate Foster, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~6hrs
Parts of it were kinda depressing, but there was no 3rd act breakup, and I loved the way they actually got things resolved.
As usual - heavier on the romance than the Christmas, but I liked the twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Of course I could see the ending a mile away, but that's normal for Christmas stories :D
Books Read: 119
Pages Read: 15.848
Hours Listened to: 536
Book of the Month: "The Spellshop" - cozy fantasy at its best.
Biggest Disappointment: One that didn't make it to this list, as I DNF'ed it - but waaaaay too late, so it wasted a good part of my reading time this month.
The Spellshop - Sarah Beth Durst, 4.5/5, 374 pages
I picked this up on a whim while in Edinburgh because I simply could not resist the cover! I don't usually go for hardcovers, but I'm glad I did here, because the book is just gorgeous ... and fortunately the contents delivered. Cozy fantasy when it's best, and I ended up almost book hungover after finishing it. I really want to visit Caltrey now - swim with the merhorses, try Bryn's pastries, and of course talk to Caz at the jam shop :-D
I loved how Kiela and Caz figured out how to use their "remedies" and my one complaint about this book would be that we didn't get to see nearly enough of the spells in action. Unfortunately, it's not really a book that lends itself to a sequel (and I almost think it would be a shame if one was written), so I will have to be satisfied with the few that I did see.
Really charming book. I'm glad I saved it for the Christmas vacation.
Beach House Summer - Sarah Morgan, 3/5, 367 pages
I mostly liked it, but it was too sad in the beginning and too twee in the end for me to love it. Sarah Morgan is a bit hit and miss for me - when she's good, she's really, really good, so I keep coming back to her, but some of her books are just too sad to really be considered comfort reads, and this was definitely the case with this one.
I loved seeing Joanna interact with Nessa, Ashley and Rosa, but didn't really buy her relationship with neither Mel nor Nate, which kinda put a spanner in things. She seemed closer to Glen somehow.
I liked seeing Ashley and Eden together :-) That really worked for me, and their teenage angsting and bonding both rang true.
Oh, and Jo's stepmum can go jump in a lake! She seemed needlessly cruel, although I guess it did serve a purpose in explaining why Joanna acted the way she did.
The House Sitter - Mira V. Shah, 3/5, 276 pages
I almost gave up on this within the first 30 pages, because I couldn't get used to the writing style, but promised myself to give it until page 50 ... and on page 47 I had not only gotten used to it, but the book took a turn that made me drop any ideas of giving up on it!
The book is split up into three acts, and the first one is definitely just to set the scene - the book gets a lot more interesting in the second two, with the last one almost reminding me of "Murder on the Orient Express" or "Knives Out" in the way it goes through all the suspects, all the possibilities, and all the new secrets that are revealed on almost every page. By that time it had definitely turned into a page turner, and I had to know what happened next.
In the end, it mostly delivered. Most of the ends were tired up, and most of my questions were answered (with one glaring omission, where I'm wondering if I just accidentally skip past it), and the motive kinda made sense.
So a good book, but not a great one.
... but seriously - can anybody tell me who actually invited Aahnaya to house sit, and why she looked so much like Marina???
Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea - Cressida McLaughlin, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
Despite apparently being the 5th book in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone novel - I certainly didn't feel like I was missing out on anything, so I think it's more a case of them being companion novels than an actual series.
It ended up being a very enjoyable Christmas romance - and for once pretty 50/50 on the "Christmas" and the "romance" part. The romance was believable, and the conflict not as much of a nuisance as it could have been. Meredith and Finn actually communicated most of the time, which made for a refreshing change!
How to Lose a Guy Before Christmas - A.J. Pine, 3/5, Audiobook ~5hrs
Pros:
* Cute couple.
* Loved Tinsel!
* Realistic resolution of the 3rd act breakup.
Cons:
* Not enough Christmas by a long shot!
* Tinsel was completely unrealistic! (Yes, I know I loved it - those two facts aren't mutually exclusive).
* Heartbreaking 3rd act breakup.
Booked for the Holidays - Liz Maverick, 4/5, Audiobook ~5hrs
A Hanukkah novel for once. Surprisingly sweet, kinda bookish and without a third act breakup / conflict!! That made for a VERY refreshing change. I greatly enjoyed it, and could easily see myself returning to it on a fairly regular basis.
The Best Worst Christmas - Kate Foster, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~6hrs
Parts of it were kinda depressing, but there was no 3rd act breakup, and I loved the way they actually got things resolved.
As usual - heavier on the romance than the Christmas, but I liked the twist on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Of course I could see the ending a mile away, but that's normal for Christmas stories :D
Books Read: 119
Pages Read: 15.848
Hours Listened to: 536
Book of the Month: "The Spellshop" - cozy fantasy at its best.
Biggest Disappointment: One that didn't make it to this list, as I DNF'ed it - but waaaaay too late, so it wasted a good part of my reading time this month.