WRAP-UP | December 2017

I had such a blast reading Christmas-y books this month! I also got to a few other great things too. Overall, it was a wonderful reading month to close out the year!

 

 

“Finally, thank you to the starlings of the West Pier, the adders of the Minsmere, the foxes of Kensal Rise, the painted ladies of Belle Vue, the pelicans of Lancelin, the hedgehogs of the top Dene, the dolphins of Curio Bay, the lizards of the Perenthian Islands, the saltys of Kakadu, the camels of the outback, the hares of Old Charlie’s, the humpback whales of Hervey Bay, the sparrows of Queen Street, the jellyfish of Seaton Carew, the bullfinches on our feeder, the emus of Coral Bay, the ravens of the Mynd, the jays of Hove, the lapwings of the A49, and the goldfinches of home.”

 

 

I enjoyed this so very much! Split into three sections—land, air, and water—this lovely novelty book explores some of the more unusual collective nouns of the animal kingdom. Sewell does a wonderful job of exploring the history behind each of them, and his dedication at the end was breathtaking. That’s the quote I’ve included.

 

 

“The Winter is come, the cold winds blow;

I shall feel the frost and the drifting snow;

But the sun can shine in December too,

And this is the time of my gift to you.

See here, see here,

My flowers appear!”

 

 

As a continuation of my reread of the Flower Fairies books throughout their seasons, I read Flower Fairies of the Winter this month. As usual, I was struck by its absolute charm, and the illustrations are gorgeous. I read it on the winter solstice, which was a wonderful experience.

 

 

 

“‘You’re not scared. You’re just grieving. No one tells you humans that your sorrow feels like fear.'”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Backman strikes the feels again! I did a buddy read of this with The Royal Polar Bear Reads, who is an awesome Bookstagram friend! We had such a fun time reading and discussing this, but it definitely tugged at our heartstrings! Backman really is so skilled at that. I do also want to mention that this deals with cancer, both in an adult and child, so I think there should be a trigger warning for anyone who might find that particularly difficult/upsetting to read.

 

“We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and

Nonbelievers,

Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.

Peace. We look at our world and speak the

word aloud.

Peace. We look at each other, then into

ourselves,

And we say without shyness or apology or hestiation:

Peace, My Brother.

Peace, My Sister.

Peace, My Soul.”

 

I read this on Christmas Day, and my goodness was it ever beautiful. Towards the end, Angelou talks of the peace for which we all long, regardless of our religions or worldviews. It’s an incredible few pages of inspiration and comfort, and it was perfect for this day.

 

 

“Now that the forest had given way to open spaces again, Dirk could better understand the height of the terrain from which he had descended. Though disappeared from view, the mountains rose in his mind like flat friezes of snow and rock. They hinted nothing of the lives lived within their crags and crevices. All the silent fish and unheard birds. The renegade wolf, the rogue king stag, the parliament of bears.”

 

 

 

I had high hopes for this one, because I adore The Nutcracker, and I was not disappointed! In the beginning, I worried that I might be, but as the story progressed I found myself just as enchanted as I was when reading the original. Maguire incorporates mythology and a whole new angle into this retelling, and it is beautiful! If you love the story of the nutcracker or Maguire’s writing, I would definitely recommend picking this up. I have also already posted a full review on this, if you’re interested!

 

 

 

“For a while I could not remember some word

I was in need of,

and I was bereaved and said: where are you,

beloved friend?”

 

 

Oh this beautiful book! December is my birthday month, so I knew I needed to have some Mary Oliver in my life during it. My love for this poet is unending. She’s just magnificent. I don’t know that there’s anything more than that to say.

 

 

“Winter in the mountains was a time for the basics. Heat, food, work. There were times when Pandora wanted only the basics. There were times in New York she’d argue for hours over unions, politics, civil rights because the fact was, she loved an argument. She wanted the stimulation of an opposing view over broad issues or niggling ones. She wanted the challenge, the heat and the exercise for her brain. But…

There were times she wanted nothing more than a quiet sunrise over frost-crisped ground and the promise of a warm drink by a hot fire.”

 

 

First Snow is a collection of two short stories: “A Will and a Way” and “Local Hero”. While the collection was published this year, the two stories were originally released in the 80s. The first of the two was highly enjoyable for me! I loved the characters, found the plot and setting interesting, and was living for the romance. The second of the two stories, however, was less of a hit! I still liked it more than I would have expected, but this one was slightly problematic. In general, I had fun reading both of the stories though, which makes me laugh! I always used to say I disliked Nora Roberts, but as I get older I find myself craving the cheesy romance. Isn’t it funny how things like that happen?

 

 

“At the click of her approaching heels, Thomas looked up. He gave her outfit a once-over. ‘Looking positively witchy.’

Sigrid wore huge sunglasses and a ratty tweed overcoat purchased at the estate sale of a rich, eccentric crone. ‘Cadaverous was how one man on the street described it.’

His smile was luminescent. ‘Yes. That’s it exactly.'”

 

 

 

This one was difficult for me to get through, if I’m being honest. I really wanted to read it because I watch a lot of Booktube and found the concept—authors partnering with Booktubers to retell villain stories and explore the nature of a villain—quite exciting! However, only some of these stories were a hit for me, and trudging through the misses made this a very slow read. I started it back in October, and whenever I would get to a story I didn’t love, I’d put it down, sometimes for weeks! Oy vey! But now I’ve finished, and I am glad that I read it, as it was an interesting concept and all of the stories fascinated me in some way, even if I wasn’t totally engaged by them. This quote is from one of the ones I particularly enjoyed, “The Blessing of Little Wants” by Sarah Enni.

 

 

If you would be interested in reading a full review on any of these reads, please let me know in the comments below!