It’s time for a look at my December reading life!

It’s time for another wrap-up/haul post — and some fun stats!

I can’t believe it’s time to write my final 2023 monthly recap, but here we are. I think I’m going to change up my recaps a little for January’s, but I decided it made sense to leave it alone for December to keep it matching the other 2023 recaps!

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The month at a glance: books read: 20 books DNFed: 1 average rating: 4.6 best book: toss-up between Radiance and Where the Dead Things Go to Die worst book: Fluids

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What I read:

(each title link will direct you to my review for more thoughts!)

emoji key:
✨ review copy → 💞 buddy/group read → 🔁 re-read → 🎧 audiobook → 🍰 graphic novel/manga
🤷‍♀️ TBR jar → 🗓️ 2023 TBR → 🌻 seasonal TBR

• Intercepts // T.J. Payne 💞
• Kingdom of the Feared // Kerri Maniscalco 💞🎧
• This Vicious Grace // Emily Thiede 💞🎧
• How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories // Holly Black 💞
• Nettle & Bone // T. Kingfisher 💞🎧🌻
• Radiance // Grace Draven 💞🗓️
• A Court of Wings and Ruin & A Court of Frost and Starlight // Sarah J. Maas (re-reads) 💞🔁🎧
• Where the Dead Go to Die // Aaron Dries & Mark Allan Gunnells
• NOS4A2 // Joe Hill (re-read) 💞🔁🎧
• Hark! the Herald Angels Scream // Christopher Golden (re-read) 💞🔁🎧
• Marla // Jonathan Janz 🗓️
• Craven Manor // Darcy Coates 🎧

• Pet Sematary // Stephen King 🎧
• A Crack in the Foundation // C.M. Guidroz 💞
• Christmas at Wheeldale Inn // Gemma Amor ✨
• Linghun // Ai Jiang 🌻

• One in a Millennial: On Friendship, Feelings, Fangirls, and Fitting In // Kate Kennedy ✨🎧
• Finger Bang Fang Fuck // Seamus Belial 💞

• Collected Christmas Horror Shorts III // Kevin J. Kennedy ✨

• nothing this month!

• Fluids // May Leitz 💞

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And now, for some of my favorite recent hauls:

I got some great Christmas gifts, so we have a “gifts” section this month! Thank you so much to everyone 🥰

• The Narrow // Kate Alice Marshall (from Malli)
• The Complete Chi’s Sweet Home, Part 1 // Kanata Konami (from Terry & Isaac)
• Blood & Honey // Shelby Mahurin (from Terry)
• Where the Dead Go to Die // Aaron Dries & Mark Allan Gunnells (from Terry)
• Rhapsodic // Laura Thalassa (from Terry)
• The Hurricane Wars // Thea Guanzon (from Terry)
• Scarewaves // Trever Henderson (from Terry)
• Seven Faceless Saints // M.K. Lobb (from Terry)
• To Kill a Shadow // Katherine Quinn (from Terry)
• Ice Nine Kills: Inked in Blood // Ice Nine Kills (from Terry)
• In An Absent Dream // Seanan McGuire (from Cathy)
• Demon in the Wood // Leigh Bardugo (from Cathy)

I bought almost nothing in December! My book ban started off pretty strong because the books I did buy were either from book boxes or were like $3 or less. I did get a TON of freebies from Stuff Your Kindle day, but I didn’t feel like making this post a million miles long to include all of those. 😂 I think I downloaded about 40 freebies and almost every single one was a romantasy title.

• A God in the Shed // J.F. Dubeau (Audible sale)
• The Laws of the Skies // Gegoire Courtois (Audible sale)
• Faebound // Saara El-Arifi (Fairyloot)
• Playground // Aron Beauregard (kindle purchase)
• Christmas Eve Carnage // John Lynch (kindle purchase)

I also didn’t haul a ton of review copies this month, since I’m trying really hard to stop taking on so many review commitments, but I did get some very exciting ones!

• A Botanical Daughter // Noah Medlock (print ARC)
• Where the Dead Wait // Ally Wilkes (eARC)
• How to Make a Horror Movie and Survive // Craig DiLouie (eARC)
• Funny Story // Emily Henry (eARC)
• A Feather So Black // Lyra Selene (eARC)

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How was your month? What was your favorite book you read or hauled, or what was something nice that happened in your life?

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— destiny ♥

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