I slowed down on my reading in the fall but made up for it in the final month of 2020. I read (and listened to) 50 books this year!
The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni • ⭐️⭐️⭐️
There’s nothing I like better than this setup: A normal woman living her life finds out that she’s the heir to some great fortune or manor home or legacy. I am a sucker for this! Which I why I picked up The Ancestor.
It was not your standard gothic tale or ghost story, and that was kind of refreshing. Parts were a little silly to me, but I was definitely along for the ride here.
The Alibi Girl by C.J. Skuse • ⭐️⭐️
A disappointing read. I found the protagonist to be weird, whiny and too childlike (even though she was supposed to be relatively naive). It was just blah.
The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones • ⭐️⭐️
I started this book mid-October thinking it would be a nice read for the spookiest time of year. It took me until nearly the end of November to finish. I just could not get into it. I felt like I didn’t know the key characters very well, I was confused constantly and just couldn’t settle into the plot.
After Me Comes the Flood by Sarah Perry • ⭐️⭐️
I bought this audiobook on a lark because a) it was on sale and b) it was described as “gothic.”
The idea here was really intriguing. A man has car trouble, goes up to a home for help and is greeted like the people were expecting him. And he stays. What an unsettling start!
But this book didn’t go anywhere. At the end, I was asking myself, so what was the point?
The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Jenny Bayliss • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
OK, I loved this book. I downloaded this audiobook to listen to while cross-stitching some Christmas gifts and it was absolute perfection.
Did I know who would end up with who within the first ten minutes? Sure. But the ride there was really enjoyable and festive and not even that corny.
I won’t give a stitch of this one away because I want you to really enjoy it while you snuggle up with a blanket, a craft and a cup of hot chocolate.
Christmas in London by Anita Hughes • ⭐️⭐️
Inspired by The Twelve Dates of Christmas, I downloaded this audiobook. Readers, let me tell you: This one was downright implausible.
A random baker is plucked from obscurity based off one pan of cinnamon rolls, gets flown to London to star in a Christmas cooking special all without any TV experience? Oh, and she’s also the worst? As in “Oh I thought instead of going to that important rehearsal, I’d go sightseeing! I’ve never been to London! I’m adorable!” NO.
Also… as someone that works in food media, I can tell you that being a good baker does not make you a good on-camera personality. Also, all those Christmas shows are filmed in the summer—not on Christmas Day. COME ON.
One Day in December by Josie Silver • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
OK, after one good cozy holiday read and one awful one, I hit my stride again. It took me a while to acclimate to this book (it was a little cheesy at first), but once I did, I really liked it.
It was a nice read to coast into the holiday season. Add it to your list for next year! That’s what I did—I downloaded the book in January 2019 and just held onto it for a good while.
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb • ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was my last read of 2020—my 50th book! I’m a big fan of Wendy Webb. Her books are all set on the Great Lakes and are all spooky and cozy.
This wasn’t my favorite of hers (those would be her first four books), but it was still a nice read to curl up with as it snowed. Plus, the setting in this novel is based on Bayfield, Wisconsin, one of my favorite places. It was nice to take a trip there in this book.
As always, you can keep up with what I’m working on over on Goodreads!
Leave a Reply