
December 2021 wrap up
Hello bookworms!! It’s time for the December 2021 wrap up.
It is finally 2022!! I mean, it’s been 2022 for like a week now, but YAY!! This is (the first of my many) final wrap ups of 2021. THANK GOODNESS. I mean, I’m not convinced that 2022 will be any better than 2021, but I can still be hopeful for a bit. But I am convinced that 2021 being over can only be a good thing.
And with that in mind, let’s look at what I did in December!!
December 2021 wrap up
I read 8 books in December, which I think was super reasonable given I barely read for two weeks… ๐ Every year I think the Christmas period will be when I can catch up and read more. And every year… I am wrong.
SYMBOLS
Symbol |
Key |
Symbol |
Key |
Symbol |
Key |
โ๏ธ | fantasy | โฑ | contemporary | ๐ | sci-fi |
๐ฐ | historical fiction | โค๏ธ | romance | ๐ | crime / mystery |
๐คก | thriller | ๐ | classic | ๐ | dark academia |
๐บ | paranormal | ๐ | urban fantasy | ๐ | smut |
๐ชด | non-fiction | ๐ฅธ | humour | ๐ | biography / memoir |
๐ค | BIPOC author | ๐ฃ | own voices | ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ | queer rep |
๐ง | mental health rep | โฟ๏ธ | disability rep | ๐ | body positivity |
๐ | dark themes | ๐ฎ | nerd references | ๐ | sports references |
๐งธ | middle grade | ๐งโโ๏ธ | young adult | ๐ฉโ๐ฆณ | new adult / adult |
๐ | hardcover | ๐ | paperback | ๐ฑ | ebook |
๐ฅ | graphic novel | ๐ง | audiobook | ๐ | gift |
๐ | backlist title | โฐ | ARC / review copy | ๐จ | Aussie author / #loveozya |
๐ | signed / personalised copy | ๐ช | multiple copy | โ | read |
๐ฏโโ๏ธ | buddy read | ๐ | reread | ๐ซ | DNF |
Emoji table for reference
the books
Book |
Author |
Series |
Year of publication / Symbols |
Rating |
Cover |
Aurora’s End | Amie Kaufman / Jay Kristoff | The Aurora Cycle #3 |
2021 ๐ ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ ๐ง โฟ๏ธ |
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ | ![]() |
The Ex Hex | Erin Sterling | ย |
2021 โฑ โค๏ธ ๐ ๐ |
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ | ![]() |
Queenie | Candice Carty-Williams | ย |
2020 โฑ ๐ค ๐ฃ ๐ง ๐ |
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ | ![]() |
A Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility | Anyta Sunday | Love, Austen #6 |
2021 โฑ โค๏ธ ๐ ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ ๐ |
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ | ![]() |
The Geek Who Saved Christmas | Annabeth Albert | ย |
2021 โฑ โค๏ธ ๐ ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ |
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ | ![]() |
Only One Bed | Keira Andrews | ย |
2021 โฑ โค๏ธ ๐ ๐ณ๏ธโ๐ |
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ | ![]() |
Window Shopping | Tessa Bailey | ย |
2021 โฑ โค๏ธ ๐ ๐ |
โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ โญ๏ธ | ![]() |
The Scorpio Races | Maggie Stiefvater | ย |
2011 โฑ ๐ ๐ |
๐๐๐๐๐ | ![]() |
the faves
The fave for December was always going to be The Scorpio Races… but it’s a reread (and my favourite book ever), so not really a shock.
I did really enjoy the dark side of Window Shopping by Tessa Bailey though. That book had hidden depths and I was not expecting it.
I was actually planning to spend the last week of December in rest mode… But I worked up til (and including) Christmas Eve. Then we went to mum’s for Christmas, and I was helping her organise and cook for the day. Then we did the rounds visiting some family and friends, and we didn’t get home again until 27 December. After that I had a day out shopping with my cousin and her daughter. Then it was a or so of washing laundry and cleaning our house. Then a whole day of resting and doing nothing!! After that it was New Year’s Eve and we had people coming so it was more cleaning and cooking and making beds etc. And then December was over!!
gaming
In December I spent a LOT of time playing Spritfarer on the Switch in December. Partly because it was so easy to take away with us. But mostly because I am ADDICTED to this beautiful and sad story. I’m at 93% completion right now, and I’ll likely finish it this month. But I’m going to be VERY sad when I do. ๐ญ
tv and movies
There was SO MUCH MCU content for December, and I was such a happy Meeghan!! We watched:
- Hawkeye
- Spider-Man: No Way Home (SO MUCH CRYING, yes, in the cinema)
But before both of these, my friends and I continued our MCU (+ other Marvel based movies) rewatch. Which means that in December we watched:
- The Amazing Spider-Man
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2
- Into the Spider-verse
Other things I watched:
- New Amsterdam season 4
- The Last Duel
- A Discovery of Witches season 1 & 2
- Gordon Ramseyโs Kitchen Nightmares (UK) season 2
- Jojo Rabbit
- Encanto
I did not think I was going to like Encanto as much as I did. Don’t get me wrong, I thought I would love it. But I like REALLY LOVED IT. Like, it’s not far below Moana. And that’s really saying something.
I also totally binged on A Discovery of Witches (on Binge… haha). My plan is to start reading the books this year, but the show is *chefs kiss*. I love it, and I don’t usually love anything with Theresa Palmer.
BUT, top movie of the month goes to Spider-Man: No Way Home. Every time I think Marvel gets to a new height and that they won’t top anything, they get me. I mean, No Way Home wasn’t Endgame, by any means. But it was so much more than what I was expecting. I want to watch it again, but I think it might even be rivalling Into the Spider-verse for my fave Spidey movie of all time.
December was… interesting. I started off the month pretty strong. I had a plan โ I was doing #blogmas. Nothing was going to stop me. Until it all fell very flat and I didn’t post for like 2 weeks. HAHAHAHAHA๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ
I kind of almost turned it around at the end, but it didn’t really work out as I had planned. But that’s ok. We live and learn, and I forgive myself for trying to do things that don’t always pan out.
Topics for December’s Top 5 Tuesday were mostly wrap-up related. They were top 5:
- books on my (holiday) wishlist
- covers of 2021
- new (to me) authors of 2021
- books of 2021, and
- because I am a glutton for punishment, I also did a Top 5 Tuesday wrap up post where I check off (or don’t check off, as the case normally is) all the things I said I was going to do in 2021.
Apart from this, the normal haul and wrap-up posts and a couple of tags, December was a pretty quiet standard month!!
Was I catching up on blog-hopping today before I published this?? ๐
Here are some of my fave posts of yours!!
๐ Christmas recommendation lists and reviews ๐:
Look, it’s never too early to bookmark this for next year!
- Bron @ Bookish Bron gave us some Aussie Christmas romances
- Michaela @ Journey Into Books also shared some Christmas reads that she enjoyed
- Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm reviewed The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox
Other recommendation lists
- Sabrina and Vera @ Wordy and Whimsical shared their favourite books of 2021
- Charvi @ It’s Not Just Fiction made a list of 2022 releases on her radar
- Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane books recommended 10 fast-paced YA books to get you out of a reading slump
- CG @ Paperfury listed her fave books of 2021
Discussion posts:
- Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane books talks about Blogging vs Social Media, and it’s a really interesting read
- Isabelle @ Nine Tale Vixen wrote about using the phrase ‘reads like fanfiction’
- Malka @ Paper Procrastinators discussed unhauling books (and why it’s good for you)
- Kal @ Reader Voracious talked about why book blogs are relevant marketing tools
Reviews:
- CG @ Paperfury reviewed The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
- Tracy @ Truffles Literary Wonders reviewed Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Sutanto
- DB @ DB’s Guide to the Galaxy reviewed Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco
- Meaghan @ Hail and Well Read reviewed The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters
There’s two more posts that I really wanted to share, but I wasn’t sure where to put them. I guess they’re more of an announcement than anything else.
- CG @ Paperfury announced that she has written sequels to The Boy Who Steals Houses (still one of my fave contemporary books ever). She is putting them on Patreon to read โ and honestly I am dying about this.
- Kal @ Reader Voracious released her 2022 book blogger / reading tracker spreadsheet. And it is a thing of WONDER AND BEAUTY!! In case you aren’t aware, Kal updates this spreadsheet every year, and every year it amazes me.
How was your December?


9 Comments
Davida Chazan
After having hoped that 2021 would be better than 2020, I’m no longer going to get my hopes up for 2022! Hope it is better for all of us! Happy New Year!
meeghan
Happy New Year to you as well!! Fingers crossed that itโฆ doesnโt get worse?! ๐๐ ๐
Davida Chazan
I think that’s the best we can hope for – 2022 not being worse than 2021 or 2020!
dbsguidetothegalaxy
I thought I commented! Apparently not ๐ thanks for adding my review to the post! I really want to get to The Ex Hex soon. Glad you got some rest in December ๐ฅฐ
meeghan
Thank my love!! Anytime โ your review made me so happy when I read it ๐
dbsguidetothegalaxy
๐ฅบ๐ฅบ thank you! My From Blood and Ash one will hopefully go up this week ๐คฃ๐คฃ
meeghan
Now THAT I canโt wait for!! ๐
Caro @ bookcheshirecat
Glad to see that you liked Window Shopping, I kept seeing much love for it & I hope to read it next Christmas ๐ I really want to watch Encanto after hearing everyone talk about it! ๐ฅฐ
meeghan
You should totally watch Encanto!! It was so good!! And yeah, I have a mini review for Window Shopping coming later, but it was much deeper (and darker) than I was expecting. I hope you like it when you get to it though!!