December 2019 Wrap-Up

Hey hi hello friends, and happy new year!

Damn. New year, new decade, dare I say a new era in the world? There are so many things that I hope to happen in the 20s. I've got literally everything crossed that it's better than the past decade. Yeesh.

So, December was a bit of a rough spot for me. I had my finals (ouch) and my registration for next semester (double ouch) before I could get to any of the good stuff. And then Christmas was kind of a sore spot for my family due to some medical problems that were occurring. We tried our best to invoke the holiday cheer, but it was a pretty mellow affair, unfortunately.

And to top it all off, I read a grand total of five books. Five. And three of them were manga.

That is the worst reading month I think I've ever had. And I'm talking, like, in my life.

To be more specific, I read: one poetry collection, three manga, one novel, and I finished the end of another novel. I am ashamed.

I mean to be fair I loved them all (except an extra book that I DNF'd), but still. 

Let's just get this over with.

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1. Honeybee by Trista Mateer - No rating (ONE DAY READ)

Page count - 160 pages

Read - Dec. 3

Notes - I don't like to rate books like poetry, especially collections like this, when they are so clearly an emotional attachment to the author. I will say that I got deeply emotional while reading this, however, so there's that. If you plan on reading this, be sure to look at the trigger warnings in the front of the collection.

2. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter - 4 stars

Page count - 544 pages

Read - Nov. 10 to Dec. 10

Notes - That was????? Phenomenal????????

Evan Winter has created a strong and harsh world built on the backs of the fallen warriors who claimed it, and his equally strong and harsh characters bring their struggle to life. The fact that this is a debut is mind-blowing to me. There’s so much I’m going to need to unpack in my review.

BUT THE ENDING THOUGH

I’m honestly so mad. Like, I get the reasoning as to why that happened, but COME ON. I’m freaking angry. But hooooooooo boy did that ending set up for a fantastic sequel. I can’t wait for book two to come out next year.

3. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 1-3 by Koyoharu Gotouge - No rating (ONE DAY READ)

Page count (total) - 576 pages

Read - Dec. 22

Notes - I picked this manga up because I have been seeing the anime everywhere and I wanted to have some grasp on the story first. The art style is beautiful, I love the use of the shading and especially the harsh lines. It's definitely not for everybody but I prefer this kind of illustration than, say, soft-lines like shoujo manga. 

Also this series is emotional as heck and you can't get attached to anyone. Not as bad as Attack on Titan, but I'd say it's closer to Tokyo Ghoul in the emotions department. Use that as reference, if you can.

4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - 4 stars

Page count - 487 pages

Read - Dec. 6 to Dec. 25

Notes - This is a literary masterpiece. I felt as though I was in 1940s Barcelona as I was reading this. And, because of this book, I discovered I have a well and true love for historical fiction, a genre I before thought was slow and plain. I've been clowning myself these past years, not reading historical fiction. Can I get that gif again?

The shame. 

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Total pages read in Dec. - 1,767 pages (...oof)

Favorite book of Dec. - The Shadow of the Wind

No least favorite book this month

DNF'd books in Dec. - The Magic Circle by Jenny Davidson (sweet Jesus this was bad)

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Okay, that's all folks! My last post for 2019, it's been one hell of a year!

Until next time!