What I Read in December
a slow month for books in a busy season
December started as the teacher strike in our school district ended, and the vibe was STRESS. I couldn’t seem to get into anything I picked up. A fun romance helped. The rest of the month proved to be busy (holiday things) and stressful (got laid off from my job) so a fun mystery and a little fantasy were just what I needed. Here’s everything I read:
In The Weeds, B.K. Borison [Bookshop | Amazon]
This is the second book in the Lovelight Farms series, but they’re all stand alones that take place in the same place, so you don’t need to read that one first. This book follows Evie, a social media influencer who spent a steamy weekend with Beckett and then disappeared, thinking she’d never see him again. When she ends up at Lovelight Farms for a social media contest, she’s shocked to find Beckett working there.
Months later, finding herself disillusioned with her social media work, she runs back to the last place she felt happy - Lovelight Farms, with Beckett.
This was a solid romance. These books feel like comfort reads to me. There’s a cozy small town, quirky characters, a happily ever after. I plan on finishing the series this year and I’m excited to pick up her new book coming out, too.
Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver [Bookshop | Amazon]
A modern retelling of David Copperfield set in Appalachia. Demon Copperhead is born to an addict mother and a dead father in rural Virginia. The book follows his life from abusive stepfathers, friends who feel like family, foster care, being a high school sports hero, first love, and his own battle with addiction.
This is, obviously, not a light read. It took me awhile to get through this one because, much like David Copperfield, it isn’t exactly a page turner and it’s lacking Dickens’s touches of humor. However, Kingsolver’s writing is exquisite and this book really opened my eyes to life in the rural parts of the country and the opioid epidemic. It is truly deserving of the Pulitzer and should be required reading. Kick David off the syllabus and put Demon on there instead.
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, Ally Carter [Bookshop | Amazon]
After Demon Copperhead I wanted something quick and fun and this absolutely fit the bill.
Ethan and Maggie are publishing rivals who are invited to spend Christmas at reclusive mystery writer Eleanor Ashley’s secluded estate in the English countryside. There’s a blizzard, the phone lines are down, the bridge is out, and Eleanor disappears from a locked room. Is this a test from Eleanor, or is something more nefarious at play? Is Ethan Maggie’s competition, or the only one she can trust?
While this takes place over Christmas, it isn’t a Christmas book. It’s more a winter book than anything, so still perfect to pick up over the next few months and enjoy with a big mug of hot cocoa.
The Thirteenth Child, Erin A. Craig [Bookshop | Amazon]
Craig is known for her retellings of somewhat obscure fairytales and this book is a retelling of Grimm’s Godfather Death.
Hazel is the thirteenth child in her family, and she has been promised to one of the gods. The god that claims her is Merrick, the god of death. On her thirteenth birthday he whisks her away from her family and tells her she is to become a great healer, gifted with the ability to see the cure for any ailment. But she’s also cursed with the ability to see when someone is beyond her help and marked for death, making her responsible for ending their lives rather than saving them.
When Hazel is called to the castle to cure the ailing king, she has to make difficult decisions that could alter the course of her life forever - and may anger the gods.
If you enjoyed the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue I think you’d enjoy this one, too.
I’m finding I still need some serious escapism heading into January, so I’m sticking with fantasy books to kick off the New Year. Follow me on Instagram (@katrinagrillo) if you want to see what I’m reading in real time!