Happy New Year!
I finished 2017 off pretty strong when it comes to reading. I managed to read 8 books in the month of December (my second best month, I just couldn’t beat the 13 books I read in July) and in this post up I will tell you what I thought about them. So if that sounds interesting to you then keep reading.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The first book I read in December was a reread. I first read The Perks of Being a Wallflower five years ago, around Christmas time. So apart from being a great book on its own, it also gave me major nostalgic vibes. The first time I read this I did not like it that much at all, but this time around I adored it! I could very much relate to the main character. And I understood the side characters a lot more. I think this was a classic case of right book, right time.
If you want to know more of my thoughts on this book, you can read my full review over on my other blog.
the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace
I LOVED THIS BOOK! In the past year I have been getting into poetry a lot more, especially modern poetry. And this is by far my favourite collection I have read. And that may of may not have something to do with the influence Harry Potter had on some of the poems. I cannot wait to reread this book in 2018, maybe even multiple times.
How To Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by Matthew Inman
I’m not gonna lie. This book was definitely an attempt at catching up to my Goodreads Challenge. I am very much a cat person and I thought I would really enjoy this graphic novel, but it kind of disappointed. Sure, there were some funny parts in there, but overall it didn’t hook me. I had to force myself to pick it up and I probably would’ve been better off reading an exciting 400 page novel to catch up to my reading challenge.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Boy, oh boy, this was some book! I picked it up on a whim at the station’s bookshop while waiting for my train. And I am so glad that I did! Everyone’s been talking about this book and the series based on the novel, for ages. And I was very intrueged by the premise. Basically, it’s about three women who’s children just started the local primary school. You follow these women through their day-to-day lives leading up to a murder. You know someone gets killed, however you don’t know who dies, who does the killing or why it happened in the first place. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time and it made me want to read a lot more of these type of books. So if you have any recommendations based on Big Little Lies, please let me know down in the comments!
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
This was yet another failed attempt at quickly catching up to my reading goal. My edition of this book counts exactly 133 pages so I assumed I would be able to fly through it. This was not the case, however. I found this classic to be quite tough to get through for some reason. I liked the message it sent, about giving to the less fortunate and not being caught up with money. But the writing style didn’t really do it for me. I also found that the story dragged a bit. Even the 133 pages felt like a bit of a stretch for me and I thought it could’ve been told in less.
The Witches by Roald Dahl
Now, this read I enjoyed tremendously! I, again, picked this up on a whim. I was looking through the English books at my local bookstore and nothing really sparked my interest. Until my eye fell on the children’s section. Instantly, I felt like reading some of my childhood favourites and since I didn’t own a physical copy of The Witches, I decided that this was the book I would purchase. I read it in a couple of hours and had blast. I noticed that I had forgotten a lot of the things that happen in this novel so it was such fun to rediscover my love for Roald Dahl’s writing. I really want to reread all my childhood favourites now!
Hey, Let’s Make a Band! by 5 Seconds of Summer
I would say I was immensely disappointed by this book, but to be really honest I wasn’t expecting a lot of it to begin with. One third of the book is just the band thanking their fans (which, like, okay fair enough) but for a book meant for their #1 fans there was absolutely no new information. I was a huge fan of the boys for YEARS and even though I haven’t kept up with them for the past year and a half or so, I already knew their story. And so did all the other fans that read this. Like I said before, it’s nothing new at all. If you watched interviews with them, there is no need to read this book. Besides, all the stories of the boys felt very much the same. Which meant that you’re reading the same story 4 times in a row. Most of the information was redundant. Maybe I would’ve liked it more back in my hardcore fangirl days. But as a 21-year-old girl who hasn’t been invested in the band for a while, it was boring as fuck.
The Life and Works of Escher by Miranda Fellows
This was my last read of the year. M.C. Escher is one of my favourite artists, his works are very unique and interesting. I enjoyed reading about his life and the details behind his art.
My favourite book of the month was Big Little Lies. What was your favourite book of December?
Lots of Love,
Lotte