December Reads

 

Photo from hymnsandverses.com 

It's here! my last monthly reads post of 2020! I wanted to get this posted before the holidays and then work on my top reads of 2020 post. How will I ever pick a favorite???

I read 3 books this month: 2 were great, 1 was not. Here we go! 

1. This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens: This book was adorable. It was my November Book of the Month pick. This is classic chick lit....there's a love story, quirky friends, a big city background, and a main character who owns a cute little pie shop. The protagonist, Minnie Cooper, keeps running into her "birthday twin," the other baby born first in 1990 London. They are polar opposites but somehow they really connect... And sparks fly. I really enjoyed the back and forth timeline, almost always on or near New Years Eve of each year. The love story in this is both charming but also not formulaic. This was one of the best chick lit books I've read in a long time. If you're looking for sweet, light, romantic, pick this one up. 

2. The Secret Place by Tana French: I am going to go ahead and say this book is the reason I didn't get more reading done this month. This book would. not. end. even when I wanted it to! This is about a murder investigation duo in Dublin. They get called to a boarding school where rival girl cliques try to lead them astray as they attempt to solve who killed a fellow student at a nearby school. It seems like something I could really get on board with. But then it got supernatural. And my eyes couldn't roll enough. And the portrayal of the young girls is the worst (evil temptresses with no ethics). I just did not like this book. From start to finish. This was one of those books that at various points I contemplated putting down but just held out hope it would get better. It didn't.

3. Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld:  I'm finally getting around to reading this! I was on the waitlist for months and then it arrived in November, but I didn't have time to read it then so I had to return it, put myself back on the waitlist, and it finally came into my local library last week! This book was brilliant. Now, here's a disclaimer---it doesn't matter how you feel about Hillary, this book is excellent completely on its own. I am a huge fan of Sittenfeld's novels and this one follows a similar format to "American Wife," in that it's a fictionalized account based loosely on real life (that book, which I loved, is apparently based very loosely on Laura Bush's life). Here's what Sittenfeld does: She reimagines Hillary's life (the book is told from her perspective) as if she had never married Bill. It follows her childhood to her in her 70's and even though it's not real life, characters we are all familiar with show up and are portrayed pretty darn accurately (in my opinion). We meet Bill Clinton, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and a whole other slew of political heavy hitters. The idea of taking people we know and shaking up the storyline is so clever and made for such an entertaining read. I loved how this book wrapped up and how it gave voice (although fictional) to historical events and modern moments. I would LOVE to know Hillary and Bill's perspective. I'm guessing she'd love it and he'd hate it. If you like long sweeping novels following characters for decades (and bonus if you are familiar with the modern political climate), I think you'll enjoy this book. I hope Sittendeld continues her "novelization" of real people! 

Happy Holiday reading, friends! Tis the season for a fluffy blanket, a mug of something steamy and sweet, and a good book! 

Savor Your Sparkle,

Leslie 

PS) If you're interested in joining Book of the Month (I love it so much!), my referral link is HERE

Here are my 2020 reads (stars by my faves!) 

1. The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg

2. The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

3. *Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

4. Over the Top by Jonathan VanNess

5. *Teach Like Finland by Timothy D. Walker

6. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

7. *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

8. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

9. *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

10. Finding Chika by Mitch Albom

11. The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James

12. *Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

13. The Dead Girls Club by Damien Angelica Walters

14. *Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

15. *True Crime Addict by James Renner

16. The Ingredients of Us by Jennifer Gold

17. You Are Not Alone by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

18. Rushing Woman's Syndrome by Libby Weaver 

19. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

20. The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver

21. *On the Bright Side by Melanie Shankle

22. *One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

23. The First Time by Colton Underwood

24. Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston 

25. *Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

26. *The Paris Hours by Alex George

27. The St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets by Annie England Noblin

28. *The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup

29. Girl Logic by Iliza Schlsinger

30. *Harry Potter and the Half Bloos Prince by JK Rowling

31. *Look Alive Out There by Sloane Crossley

32. *Happy and You Know It by Laura Hankin

33. The Honey Don't List by Christina Lauren

34. Ghoster by Jason Arnopp

35. All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

36. *One to Watch by Kate Stoyman-London

37. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by JK Rowling

38. One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus

39. *Stand All The Way Up by Sophie Hudson

40. *The Lies That Bind by Emily Giffin

41. Here for It by R. Eric Thomas

42. *A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler

43. The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton

44. Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman 

45. *The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine

46. *An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

47. Open Book by Jessica Simpson

48. That's My Son by Rick Johnson

49. Hungry Heart by Jennidfer Weiner

50. *The Night Swim by Megan Goldin 

51. Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

52. *27 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

53. *The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi

54. Beach Read by Emily Henry 

55. The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult

56. *Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

57. The United States of Anxiety by Jen Lancaster

58. *Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

59. *Always the Last to Know by Kristen Higgins

60. The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

61. Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump

62. The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

63. *Leave The World Behind by Rumaan Alam 

64. *This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens

65. The Secret Place by Tana French

66. *Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld