Well we are well into the new month and I am a tad behind. Does anyone else start to mentally check out when a vacation is just around the corner? I tend to start already thinking myself on vacation about two days before it starts and everything else that needs to be done starts to slide a little. Ha! It is almost as if my mind is prematurely saying, “Bye Ya’ll, see you when I get back!”
This is the final month to get your Reading Challenge done for the 2022 year! I am 20 books from my 120 book goal. Yikes! I see some rereading of my favorites coming up in the next few weeks! Also a ton more audiobooks. This year was certainly the most challenging number to try and reach for me. But I am really enjoying the challenge of it. I think I’ll be sticking to a 100 for the next year. Give myself a year break before trying to more comfortably reach the 120 level again. What about your reading challenges for the year? How close are you to reaching it or how far have you surpassed it?
I hope each and everyone of your December Holidays are fantastic this year! And from my family to yours, Merry Christmas!
My Reading List for December 2022:
The Library: A Fragile History By Andrew Pettegree & Arthur Der Weduwen
The dramatic and contested history of the library, from the ancient world to the digital age
Famed across the known world, jealously guarded by private collectors, built up over centuries, destroyed in a single day, ornamented with gold leaf and frescoes, or filled with bean bags and children’s drawings—the history of the library is rich, varied, and stuffed full of incident. In The Library, historians Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen introduce us to the antiquarians and philanthropists who shaped the world’s great collections, trace the rise and fall of literary tastes, and reveal the high crimes and misdemeanors committed in pursuit of rare manuscripts. In doing so, they reveal that while collections themselves are fragile, often falling into ruin within a few decades, the idea of the library has been remarkably resilient as each generation makes—and remakes—the institution anew.
Beautifully written and deeply researched, The Library is essential reading for booklovers, collectors, and anyone who has ever gotten blissfully lost in the stacks.
A Light in The Flame By Jennifer L. Armentrout
Book 2 in the Flesh and Fire Series
The only one who can save Sera now is the one she spent her life planning to kill.
The truth about Sera’s plan is out, shattering the fragile trust forged between her and Nyktos. Surrounded by those distrustful of her, all Sera has is her duty. She will do anything to end Kolis, the false King of Gods, and his tyrannical rule of Iliseeum, thus stopping the threat he poses to the mortal realm.
Nyktos has a plan, though, and as they work together, the last thing they need is the undeniable, scorching passion that continues to ignite between them. Sera cannot afford to fall for the tortured Primal, not when a life no longer bound to a destiny she never wanted is more attainable than ever. But memories of their shared pleasure and unrivaled desire are a siren’s call impossible to resist.
And as Sera begins to realize that she wants to be more than a Consort in name only, the danger surrounding them intensifies. The attacks on the Shadowlands are increasing, and when Kolis summons them to Court, a whole new risk becomes apparent. The Primal power of Life is growing inside her, pushing her closer to the end of her Culling. And without Nyktos’s love—an emotion he’s incapable of feeling—she won’t survive her Ascension. That is if she even makes it to her Ascension and Kolis doesn’t get to her first. Because time is running out. For both her and the realms.
Christmas Hellhound By Zoe Chant
All Caine wants for Christmas is to get rid of his hellhound.
Twelve months ago, Caine Guinness was attacked by a pack of hellhound shifters and became one of them. All he wants is to be human again. His search for a cure brings him to snowy Pine Valley, home of magical dragon shifters, Christmas cheer… and Meaghan Markham.
All Meaghan wants for Christmas – is a merry Christmas. Just one.
Meaghan has never felt at home anywhere. She’s always too big, too loud – and never enough. Until now. Caine is everything she never let herself dream of. Kind. Caring. And hot as hell.
But all isn’t well in Pine Valley. Mysterious creatures are attacking the town, and Caine is the only one who can stop them. If he can learn to trust his hellhound. And even if he can…
Can a hellhound really save Christmas?
Cruel Candy By Mildred Abbott
Estes Park, Colorado: picturesque mountains, charming shops, delightful bakeries, a cozy bookstore… and murder.
Winifred Page and her corgi, Watson, move to Estes Park to hit the Reset button on life. Fred is about to open her dream bookshop, and the only challenges she anticipates are adjusting to small-town life, tourists, and living close to her loveable mother, Phyllis, and hippy stepfather, Barry.
When Fred steps into her soon-to-be-bookshop for the first time, she expects dust bunnies and spiders… not the dead body in the upstairs kitchen. The local police have an easy suspect — Barry.
Determined to prove quirky Barry innocent of murder, Fred puts on her detective hat, and with Watson by her side, she explores her new town and gets acquainted with her fellow shopkeepers. Could one of her friendly neighbors be the real culprit? And what would be the motive for killing the owner of the Sinful Bites candy store? The secrets Fred discover put her at odds with the local police sergeant and threaten her cozy future in Estes.
With snow falling outside, all Fred wants to do is curl up by the fire with a good book and Watson snuggled at her feet. But before she can begin her new life and put her plans for her bookshop into action, Fred and Watson have a mystery to solve…
Through A Darkening Glass By R.S. Maxwell
A mesmerizing World War II mystery about a Londoner who flees the city to write a novel and finds a truth stranger than fiction.
England, 1940. Literature student Ruth Gladstone evacuates Cambridge University for Martynsborough, a tiny English village with a shadowy history. For Ruth, retreating to a forgotten corner of the country is more than a safety maneuver; it’s an opportunity to end an undesirable engagement and begin writing her first novel.
But upon her arrival, Ruth learns of a ghostly wraith haunting the villagers after decades of silence. Although Ruth is enthralled by the legend, the locals are less charmed by the wraith’s return. They blame the evacuees—and among them, Ruth—for stirring up restless spirits.
Undeterred, Ruth joins forces with Malcolm, an injured soldier, to unravel the mystery of the wraith. As Ruth and Malcolm draw closer to the truth, they’ll unearth long-buried secrets that could threaten them both…even as they craft a forbidden love story of their own.
