Recap: December to January

Once the quarter ended (seriously, college is such a reading killer), I did my best to read my ass off and try to get my initial reading goal of 100 books achieved. (After always being behind a dozen or so books I lowered it, but as I started catching up and saw a higher number as achievable, I gradually raised it.) AND I DID IT! I finished the year having read 101 books, including graphic novels and an audio or two and some picture books and school books and novellas. For the past couple years I've made 100 books my reading goal and never got near it, so I'm thrilled to have finally done so. Let's take our noses out of our books for a second and raise a book to 2016!

Go the Fuck to Sleep by Adam Mansbach

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom

Saga, Volume 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

In the Wilderness by Kim Barnes

The Copyeditor's Handbook by Amy Einsohn

Saga, Volume 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Saga, Volume 3 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Saga, Volume 4 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

First & Then by Emma Mills

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Mosquitoland by David Arnold

Three Day Summer by Sarvenaz Tash

Alex + Ada, Volume 1 by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

The Last Time We Say Goodbye by Cynthia Hand

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Alex + Ada, Volume 2 by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

Alex + Ada, Volume 3 by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn

Clearly I was on drugs and/or gained superpowers in December, and also, the quarter ended.

Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom: I liked it, but it needed to slow down and take a breather.

Damage Done by Amanda Panitch: All kinds of messed up but also very, very well written.

This Raging Light by Estelle Laure: Mostly meh and a little headache inducing.

I read a lot of books in December, and a lot were good--and I read so many and so many contemporaries that I need time to process all of them and really get an opinion on each one--but I think I'll go with Everything, Everything. I have very few criticisms for this book, and they're really just ways in which I wish the plot went differently. But I loved the format and the writing and the story and how engaging it was--plus, That Cover--so voila!

Book Outlet + Christmas = More Books Than Shelf Space (as if I already had any).

I shared the ten debut novels I'm anticipating most in the new year, my favorite authors I read for the first time this year, the ten most underrated novels of the year, my wishlist for Santa, and the fifteen novels I'm most excited for in 2016.

I interviewed Heidi Heilig on her debut and highly anticipated novel The Girl from Everywhere!

I went to book club, where we discussed Banana Yoshimoto's The Lake and did a fun Secret Santa (but the picture never got posted on our Facebook group)!

School will be starting up again, which means I probably won't have as much reading--or blogging--time. But I'm thinking of making a bullet journal (or something of the sort) to help me keep track of everything and stay not a schedule, per se, but like on a certain path that balances reading and blogging and school and all that fun stuff. I also don't want to stress about any of it.

The three books releasing in December that I'm anticipating most are...

January 5, 2016: I do believe a lot of this takes place on a boat and that is super interesting.

January 26, 2016: It's by Michael Grant, what else is there to know?

January 26, 2016: I'm a big fan of The Selection series (though I still need to read The Heir and Happily Ever After), and it'll be interesting to read something new from Kiera Cass.

Did you get a lot of reading done in December? Do you have any reading or blogging goals for 2016? Happy New Year!