December 2016
I don’t know about all of you penguins, but I had a pretty spectaculous December! As I mentioned before, I hung out with Keith’s son, Jasper, over the Christmas holidays. We also had Jasper’s half-brother Mitchie–and let me just tell you, they WORE me out so hardcore! It was a ton of fun, though, and I adored them both as much as they seemed to love me (I mean, I’m not trying to be arrogant here, but seriously…I was the chosen favorite for that weekend)
So we spent a large part of Christmas Eve “playing”…and by playing, I mean we became dragons, and our cave was underneath the dining room table, and we were hiding from the rest of everybody. (Everybody being Keith, his sister, and his parents) My back and tailbone hurt something fierce from sitting on hard wood floors at an awkward, slightly stooped angle…but the kiddos really enjoyed that I crawled around on the floor with them and hid beneath the table. We ended the night with story time, and Jasper trying very hard to convince me to let him sleep with me downstairs. It didn’t work out for him, but it was super adorable at the time–he’s got that quiet pouting, pulls at your heartstrings thing down pat.
I also spent a good amount of time talking with Keith’s mom, mostly in the early morning hours before Keith and the rest of the family woke up. Overall, I feel like they got a good sense of who I am, and I’m hoping they approve of me as much as they seem to.
So…Christmas holidays and the move? Definite LOVE. Why don’t we take a look at some of the other things I’ve been up to?
I managed to read 9 books in December, which isn’t all that bad considering everything that’s been going on. I’ll probably finish at least one more today (it’s currently the 30th, as I’m writing this) and maybe another tomorrow, so let’s just round up and say I read 11, okay? That sounds good.
The 9 so far were (click the titles to go to GOODREADS!):
Four Real, by Alyssa Turner
The Red Pearl, by C.K. Brooke
Smoke Sky (Dark Sky #0.5), by Amy Braun
The Last Valentine, by Felix Alexander
The Alchemists of Loom (Loom Saga #1), by Elise Kova
Full Tilt (Full Tilt #1), by Emma Scott
November Snow (Bad Bloods #2), by Shannon A. Thompson
The Neverland Wars (The Neverland Wars #1), by Audrey Greathouse
Pumpkintown Perils (Wild Wild Witch Mystery Bundle Book 1), by Aubrey Law
Because there are some GORGEOUS covers out there, I’m adding a new section to my loved/loathed posts! My favorite covers in December were:
(all titles will take you to my reviews!)
#RockMyTBR Challenge
I am going to TRY to read at least 5 books I already own each month. In December, I read:
The Neverland Wars (The Neverland Wars #1), by Audrey Greathouse
2016 Debut Author Challenge
I’m going to try to read at least 1 debut book/author every month (maybe more!) In December, I read:
NONE this month! What even did I do here?!?!
2016 Diverse Reads Challenge
I’m trying to read more diverse books. I don’t have a specific goal in mind for each month–I’m hoping for at least two, but we’ll see what happens! This also isn’t excluding any other books set for the month that also fit the challenge! In December, I read:
The Last Valentine, by Felix Alexander
Four Real, by Alyssa Turner
Unfortunately, I had NO 5 penguin reads this month! What the heckles is even UP with that, I mean seeeeeeriously, two months in a row?! Hopefully I’ll have at least one in January. Hopefully.
NONE this month–yay!
What awesome books did YOU read last month? How are you all doing on any yearly challenges you set for yourself? Feel free to comment, or link me to your monthly wrap-ups below!
Until next time, happy book-ing!
betwixt-the-pages 