Why do I always think that December is going to be chill? Most of my December weekends were fully booked by mid-November. Not to mention that at work, this is the busiest time to of the year. But here I was, at the end of November, going “Man, I can’t wait to chill in December.” There was no “chilling”. In fact, I got so stressed out (do you know where this is going?) that I got SUPER sick for a full week (yup) and then the following week was filled with almost non-stop coughing. I guess at least I got an ab workout. My body has this way of forcing me to take care of myself. When I’m running on fumes (which I am most of the time – what is this “vacation” you speak of?), my body gives me several signals before just… shutting down on me. So, despite all the things I had to do, my body reminded me that I had to do nothing but die on the couch for a few days. I obliged but I needed MURDER to keep me company (oh yeah, and Dreamlight Valley).
There was lotsa murders happening in my books this month and I ate it up. Don’t worry, I don’t think I could get away with murder (*wink wink*) but I could probably maybe not get murdered. Maybe. Or I could totally solve a murder. Probably not. Maybe. Who knows. Anyway, I’m rambling now. We ordered food and I’m writing this while watching the order status, waiting for it to be done so we can pick it up and I can feast on too much Chinese food while trying to chill out for the last day or two of 2022.
WOMAN IN RED BY EILEEN GOUDGE
I LOVED this one. I have officially decided to take back my statement of not liking a book from several perspectives. This book finally won me over in that debate. This book opens on a trial where we find out that a little boy was killed by a driver which is a hell of a way to open a book. We find out that the mother has become obsessed with getting the driver (whom she claims was drunk) put behind bars. When that doesn’t happen… She runs him down with his car. This is when the real story starts. Alice is let out of prison after 9 years and returns home to her very small town (exactly my cup of tea) where everyone hates her. Like a lot. Her remaining son won’t talk to her and her husband divorced her in prison. She really only has her sister (oh yeah and her BIL is a COP). The man she ran down with her car lived and he’s the mayor (Mayor Douche, as I started to call him) and tries to make her life more miserable than it already is but Alice trudges on. Turns out, the small island has a huge secret (of course it does) and everything really starts to unravel. There is A LOT going on in this book. There’s time jumping, dozens of different characters (many related to one another), lots of different plots pushing along. But the author is not only able to keep everything pretty together, she’s also able to tie things up. No plot holes here. Somethings are a little TOO convenient but I’ll take it.
TALKING AS FAST AS I CAN: FROM GILMORE GIRLS TO GILMORE GIRLS BY LAUREN GRAHAM
After Gilmore Girls finished, I binged it. I had seen a few episodes here and there but I rarely got to a TV during the times any shows were on. Ah, the good old days, before streaming services. We didn’t have those TV show recording services either so if you missed something, you missed it. Most of the time, I just waited for the show to come out and I’d rent it (or in this case, illegally download it). One of my best friends was re-watching Gilmore Girls and I realized I never watched it after that initial viewing. So I figured it was time to re-watch. As I write this, I’m finally in “Year in the Life” and it’s such a fantastic show. If you haven’t watched it, I highly reccomend it.
If you have watched it, this book might be for you. I am not sure a non-Gilmore Girl lover would like this book because that was such a huge part of Graham’s life so that’s a big chunk of the book (plus, she kept a diary during Day in the Life and shares it here). I was pretty disappointed though, not going to lie. The chapters about her actual life were good chapters. But there were so many random chapters (like her chapter about diets?) that it spoiled what was good. One rotten apple and all that, am I right? She talks just like Lorelai in this book. There’s a lot of chapters that are just babbling un-finished thoughts cascading out of her head but without the luxury of having a team of writers actually writing it. I know I just talked a lot of crap about this book but I did actually enjoy reading it because I’m a GG fan.
DAISY JONES & THE SIX BY TAYLOR JENKINS REID
The way this was written was wild. When I first started it, I didn’t think I would be able to keep up. The book is written in the style of an interview. The premise is that Daisy Jones & The Six was a band in the 70s and someone is writing a book so they’re being interviewed. It was a very unique way to read a whole novel and I found myself enjoying it. It was interesting to see one exact situation from different perspectives. It makes you really understand that one situation can have many truths because different people are experiencing it differently. This really helps you to understand the characters better because you’re not stuck in their brains – you’re seeing everyone else from different people’s perspectives. I enjoyed the book but didn’t LOVE it. However, I am super excited to see the mini series that’s coming out in 2023. I think that they should have an easy time making this (hopefully).
LITTLE THREATS BY EMILY SCHULTZ
This was one of the books that I picked up at Powell’s books during our RV Road Trip. I didn’t know anything about it but it was a staff pick and seemed intriguing. Clearly I was into thrillers for December. Nothing makes you feel ready to face the holidays like murder, am I right? This book took place 2008 and in the 90s – when the murder happened. A young girl was murdered and her best friend (also a young girl) was blamed for it. She was tried and sent to a facility. In 2008, she gets out and tries to put her life back together. She was on drugs that night – what if she did kill her best friend? I gotta tell you – I did not see that twisty twist coming. The characters weren’t super well fleshed out and they were all pretty annoying, but all in all, I enjoyed it.
YOUR GUIDE TO NOT GETTING MURDERED IN A QUAINT ENGLISH VILLAGE BY MAUREEN JOHNSON
I just want you to know that I walked around my empty house, reading this (out loud) with a very bad British accent. That being said, this is a grown up picture book. It took me maybe 30 minutes to read (again, out loud, in a British accent) and it was incredibly entertaining. I’m sure my husband is bummed he missed this. It’s comedic and definitely for any true crime fans to take break from the horrific stuff we consume normally.
MY SISTER’S GRAVE (TRACY CROSSWHITE #1) BY ROBERT DUGONI
Last Christmas, Jacob and I started to celebrate Jólabókaflóðið. Essentially, this is the Icelandic tradition of gifting a book, opening it on Christmas Eve, and reading into the night. Last year, Jacob was baking cookies so I read to him. This year, we read this book to one another and I guess that’s just going to be our tradition. Jacob couldn’t decide which book to get me… so he got me two (you’ll have to wait for January 2023 to get that one). This was a great book to read out loud to one another.
I’m telling you. This month was the month of thrillers. Gotta keep that blood going in the colder months, I guess. This is also book 1 of 10 and I don’t actually think I’ll forgive him for getting me into another series because there is no way I’m not reading the rest. This book follows a 20 year old missing person’s case… Which becomes a homicide case because her body is finally found. Tracy Crosswhite is a detective in Seattle who comes home to her small town because her younger sisters’ body was finally found. The crazy part is that even without a body, someone was tried and convicted for her murder. Tracy has spent the better part of 20 years investigating this case and doesn’t believe that Edmund got a fair trial. So she does everything she can to get him a fair trial to prove that he didn’t do this. That there’s a secret in this small town (again, isn’t there always?) and a conspiracy surrounding Sarah’s disappearance. This was a wild ride! I didn’t know what to think when the ending just smacked me square in the face 🙂
What books did you read this month? Did any of these strike your fancy? Have you read any? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts below!
Writes with Wolves 