What I’m Reading – December 2018

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Happy Wednesday!! I can’t believe I am just now getting my December book post out to y’all. I am a little embarrassed it has taken me so long to write this…Oops! If you remember December was a weird month for me. I got sick about mid-December with allergies, Strep, and then a full blown sinus infection. It was awful!! On the plus side, that meant a lot of days either laid up on the couch or laid up in bed and so I got a LOT of reading done.

My goal for 2018 was to read 100 books and as of November I hit my goal at 107 books. In the month of December I read a whopping 13 books and so I finished 2018 at 120 books! That just sounds so crazy to me!! I guess being sick really had it’s perks?? HA!

Since I always get asked HOW I read so much I feel like I need to say that I usually listen to most of my books on an app from my local library. I can check out audiobooks, download them to the app and listen to them anytime, anywhere. I listen to books while I am getting ready for work, while I am cleaning my house and while I am driving. I also don’t watch a ton of tv and I think that helps. Anyway, if you think you don’t have time to read you should try audiobooks!

Now let’s see what I read in December…

ONE. Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris. I got on a little bit of a BA Paris kick in November and started my month by finishing this book. It’s a psychological thriller that proves you really have no idea what people are going through behind closed doors.

“A hair-raising debut, both unsettling and addictive…A chilling thriller that will keep you reading long into the night.” – Mary Kubica, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Good Girl

TWO. Crazy House by James Patterson. Y’all know I love me some JP and Crazy House is his latest young adult series based on twins who are as different as night and day. Becca is the rebel while Cassie is the rule follower and when Becca is taken in the middle of the night it’s up to Cassie to break some rules to not only save her sister but herself in the process. The second book in this series comes out in April!

Two twins face a world of Death Row and dystopia in James Patterson’s gripping thriller-perfect for fans of The Hunger Games.

THREE. Say You’re Sorry by Melinda Leigh. I discovered this series as a part of my Kindle Unlimited subscription, this book is the first in the Morgan Dane series and I plan on reading more in the future! This series is based in Scarlett Falls and is all about Morgan Dane who is a (former) prosecuting attorney. She helps investigate a crime that hits close to home and her community is not happy about it. I loved this book and can’t wait to read more in this series!

Leigh masters every aspect of a thriller, and with every book sets the crime fiction bar higher.”  – USA Today

FOUR. Montauk by Nicola Harrison. This book doesn’t come out until June 2019 however I got an advanced copy to read for review purposes. Montauk is a debut novel by Nicola Harrison and is set in the 1930’s before Montauk became the sought-after vacation spot that it is today. This book is about Bea, a Pennsylvania farm girl who marries into New York society and spends the summer vacationing on Montauk while her husband works in the city and comes to the island for weekends. She tries to make friends with the other society wives while also making friends with the help and that causes all sorts of problems for Bea. Overall I enjoyed this book and learning a little bit about the history of Montauk.

“Glittering galas, lavish living, and the spoils of hedonism crash against the lush, wild, primitive beauty of an Atlantic Coastal fishing village, creating a perfect storm. Caught between the two worlds, one woman must discover who she truly is, even if it means losing everything in the process. Montauk is a stunning debut by a gifted storyteller.” – Erika Robuck, national bestselling author of Hemingway’s Girl

FIVE. A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult. My love for Jodi Picoult runs deep!! If you know anything about her books then you know she picks controversial topics and hits them hard. A Spark of Light is all about abortion. It covers abortion laws, women trying to get pregnant, women having affairs, women trying to get birth control, women trying to abort illegally, women trying to get legal abortions, abortion doctor and nurses, abortion protestors, young girls having sex, and the list goes on. It hits on so many different topics surrounding women’s health and abortion laws and I think JP knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s both very informative and it tells some pretty amazing stories. If you have a uterus you should definitely read this book (or listen to it as an audiobook! LOL!)

“Told backward and hour by hour, Jodi Picoult’s compelling narrative deftly explores controversial social issues.” – Us Weekly

SIX. My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan. I was recommended this book by a fellow book loving blogger and pretty much if it has to do with England I will read it. Especially people going abroad to study. HA! This book is about a young woman who wins an Oxford scholarship and is spending her Oxford Year studying English Literature. This book is all about her year abroad…the things she learned in and out of the classroom and the amazing people she met along they way.

“I laughed, I definitely cried, and I learned about literature and poetry in a way that made me feel a bit smarter today.” –Heather Cocks, author of The Royal We

SEVEN. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. And then I got a little bit of a Colleen Hoover kick and started by reading It Ends With Us. This book is about a woman who grew up in what seemed to be an idyllic home, she graduated from college and moved to Boston, her “city of dreams”. In Boston she started her own business and even met the perfect guy but she can’t get her first love out of her head. This book is full of twists and turns and is about a woman who stands up for herself and decides to not let her past define her future. I loved this book!!

“It Ends with Us isn’t an ordinary love story. It will break your heart while filling you with hope, and by the end of this gripping, pulse-pounding novel, you’ll be smiling through your tears.” – Sarah Pekkanen, International bestselling author of Perfect Neighbors

EIGHT. Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover. Friendship, first loves, betrayal, music, heartbreak, starting over, reconciliation, this book has it ALL. I absolutely loved this Colleen Hoover book and it will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time you are reading it!

“Maybe Someday couldn’t have been any more agonizing , beautiful, and INSPIRING! It was pure perfection. Every time I read a book by Colleen, her words and characters steal a little piece of my heart. But with Maybe Someday, I think a part of my soul was taken as well.” – Bookworm Betties

NINE. November 9 by Colleen Hoover. This book is about a writer and his muse and their adventures in love and friendship when they meet on the same day every year for five years. This book is filled with so many emotions, trials, tribulations and obstacles that I honestly didn’t see the ending coming at all. This may just be my favorite Colleen Hoover book yet!

“November 9 is yet another breathtaking novel by Colleen Hoover that’s full of blushing, gushing, and heartache. I loved every page and breathed in every beautiful word.” – Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author

TEN. The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. And then I started reading Debbie Macomber’s Blossom Street series and haven’t stopped a month later! HA! The first Blossom Street book is about a yarn shop called “A Good Yarn” based in Seattle and it’s owner Lydia. Lydia is rebuilding her life with the help of her yarn shop and the women she meets in her first knitting class. I loved getting to know these characters and this was a fantastic first book in the Blossom Street series!

“Debbie Macomber tells women’s stories in a way no one else does.” – BookPage

ELEVEN. A Good Yarn by Debbie Macomber. The second book in the Blossom Street series, A Good Yarn follows the stories of Lydia and her friends as well as introduces a few new characters who take Lydia’s second knitting class. Again, I love how intertwined all of the character’s lives are and I loved getting to know the new characters as well.

“An unbreakable bond is formed among the knitters in this poignant story of real women with real problems becoming real friends.”  – Booklist

TWELVE. Suzannah’s Garden by Debbie Macomber. Book three in the Blossom Street series, Susannah’s Garden takes us off of Blossom Street and to Colville Washington to Susannah Nelson’s home town. While dealing with the decision of having to put her mother in a nursing home Susannah decides to look up her old friends and an old love. What starts out innocently enough leads us on a wild ride across state lines and involves everyone Susannah cares about. Don’t worry, eventually you get back to Blossom Street and see how Susannah fits in to the story!

THIRTEEN. Cottage by the Sea by Debbie Macomber. I took a mini Blossom Street break to listen to Cottage by the Sea and this book hit so close to home for me. This book is about a real life tragedy that leaves the main character of the book, Annie, in a place where she has to completely reinvent herself and the only place she knows where to do that is in Oceanside, a tiny beach community in the Pacific Northwest that was her family’s vacation destination when she was a kid. LOVE THIS BOOK.

“Macomber’s story of tragedy and triumph is emotionally engaging from the outset and ends with a satisfying conclusion. Readers will be most taken by the characters, particularly Annie, a heartwarming lead who bolsters the novel.” – Publishers Weekly

And that, my friends, is what I’m reading in the month of December. If you want to catch up on my previous month’s book posts here are January,February, March, April,May, June,July, August, September, October, and November!

What have you been reading lately??