What I Read in December

Decembers are busy months, filled with parties and lists and shopping trips. They’re not often filled with books. I wrote this year about how I was not excited for Christmas, and I think part of the reason is that I hadn’t been reading. My heart gets a little grumpy when I haven’t been reading often enough.

This year, my December was also filled with a semi-secret new project I am working on with a friend. While it’s been super fun and energizing, it has also been time- and emotion-consuming. It won’t launch until February, so I really can’t talk about it (yet!), so instead I’ll talk about the books I did manage to squeeze into the month of much.

Here’s what I read in December:

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K Rowling

This short book is a fabulous companion to the Harry Potter series, and you’re absolutely going to need to read it before the movie comes out in November 2016.

Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas by John Blase

This collection of readings for Advent was a settling place for my soul this year, and inspired reflection on Christmas Eve.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

This book was a well-woven mystery. You don’t see the end coming until the very, very moment that it happens. Moriarty is just vague enough throughout the whole book that you know something is about to happen and when it does – WHAM! – you are shocked and thrilled. And the ending is very satisfying, so that’s a plus, too. If you like a little mystery, layered characters and a spider web of a plot, read this.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

On the exact opposite end of the spectrum from Big Little Lies, Jojo Moyes Me Before You is a love story through-and-through. It’s not very apparent at the start, but you can soon see what is coming and how you think it will end – and then it ends completely differently than you expect and you are left crying in the backseat of the car while your husband drives and your dad navigates on the way home from Christmas at Grandma’s four states away. True story.

Quidditch Through the Ages by J.K. Rowling

I added this to my Amazon cart in December after needing just $4 more to get free shipping. It sounds silly, but I’ll pay $3 extra for a book but I’m not willing to pay $5 for shipping. #BookAddictProblems.

Just as with Fantastic Beasts, this short novel was vintage Rowling. Short, punchy, and full of tiny little details that capture the imagination and tie the magical world and muggle world together. If you like Harry Potter, read this, of course.

What did you read in December to wrap up the year? I hope it was something great!