ALL THE HOLIDAY BOOKS & MORE: December 2021 Wrap Up

December was a mix of hectic times and relaxing times. My New Year’s Eve plans with friends have unfortunately been cancelled again this year, but I am actually looking forward to staying in with my family, watching some movies, and maybe finishing another book before midnight. I did my most amount of reading in December since the summer, as of right now having read 13 books and 1 novella. Over the past week or so, it’s been super nice to unplug from work and the screen and just dive into reading & relaxing. I’ve included some of my thoughts on the books I read this month – so many must reads!

I read a few holiday books this month, like Jenny Bayliss’ A Season for Second Chances (very cozy & cute) and Kara McDowell’s One Way or Another – this one is in my classroom library, and one of my students recently loved it, so I wanted to give it a read to). My favorite holiday read of the month was definitely Jean Meltzer’s Hanukkah inspired romance, The Matzah Ball. I remembered the day after Christmas that Rainbow Rowell’s e-novella following Reagan from Fangirl is available for free. The novella is also Christmas-themed, set in 2020 and 2021. There was a lot of covid/pandemic talk involved, but I loved being in the Fangirl world and loved Reagan’s banter & personality . I also read Elin Hildebrand’s entire Winter Street series in December, her holiday/Christmas series set on Nantucket. I wouldn’t necessarily say that they’re my favorite Elin Hilderbrand books, but they all had such a binge-worthy & cozy quality.

I also finally read the first book in the Bridgerton series. I found myself rewatching season 1 this month, and I think I’m going to continue on with the book series closer to season 2’s March 25th release on Netflix!I also found myself reading some adult fiction picks and was heavily addicted to them, specifically Lisa Patton’s Rush (following a fictional sorority at Ole Miss) and Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West (following a high school English and a stay-at-home mom caught in school scandals).

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer | 4.5/5 Stars

The Winter Street series by Elin Hilderbrand: Winter Street, Winter Stroll, Winter Storms, & Winter Solstice | Overall Series Rating: 4/5 Stars

Spilt Milk by Courtney Zoffness

The Duke & I (Bridgerton #1) by Julia Quinn | 4/5

A Season for Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss | 4/5

One Way or Another by Kara McDowell | 4/5

Well Matched (Well Met #3) by Jen DeLuca | 4.5/5

If The Fates Allow by Rainbow Rowell (e-novella) | 4/5

Rush by Lisa Patton | 4.5/5

Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens | 4/5

Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes by Kathleen West 5/5

Spider-Man: No Way Home – I ventured out to the movie theaters for the second time throughout the pandemic to see the third Tom Holland Spider-Man movie, No Way Home. Spider-Man is my favorite Marvel/superhero series and I loved how this third one combined everything we know from previous Spider-Mans and the new Marvel universe.

And Just Like That (HBO Max) – I was SO excited for the spin-off to one of my all-time favorite TV shows, Sex and the City, with And Just Like That, but like most viewers I’m disappointed in it….but still find myself having to watch each Thursday. At the time of writing this wrap-up, I’m four episodes in so far. Girls Gotta Eat did a really nice summary of their disappointments in the show so far in their last episode for 2021, and I completely agree that they’ve made the characters seem older than they actually are. The show also acts way more of a drama than a comedy like the original – the spin-off acts more like the movies, but I have hope that it may start looking like the originals series as Carrie did end the fourth episode with some narration.

Emily in Paris S2 (Netflix) – I re-watched the first season of Emily in Paris and then dove right into season 2, which I finished in a handful of days. There’s something just so binge-worthy about this show. I wouldn’t say it’s the BEST show I’ve ever watched but I thought the plot lines were stronger in season 2 (some of the outfits on the other hand…

Only Murders in the Building S1 (Hulu) – I’m slowly diving into Hulu and the best show I’ve watched so far is Only Murders in the Building with Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steven Martin. Each episode got better and better and I’m so looking forward to the second season.