The Adventure Log is my monthly wrap-up post!
Welcome to 2022, friends! I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season. My December was a whirlwind: both hectic and relaxing, depending on when in the month we’re talking about. But my reading and blogging mojo finally returned from the war, and goodness am I feeling good!
The pandemic and its revolving doors of variants won’t end/become manageable until the world’s population is vaccinated.
Please sign these petitions calling for vaccine equity for developing countries, especially in the global south.
Vote in the Jazzies’ final round!
The 2021 Bookish Jazz Award Season is coming to a close, friends! The finalists were announced on January 5th and you can cast your vote one final time to crown the best books of 2021. The 2021 winners will be announced on January 13, 2022!
Don’t simply be mad about the Goodreads Choice Awards Winners… get even and ensure your faves get the recognition they deserve! Cast your votes before January 13, 2022!
Reading in December
Friends, I read a total of nine books (9!!!) in December – I felt like myself again! Of course now it is ten days into January and I haven’t finished a book… so, the ups and downs continue.
Want to keep track of your reading and get charts? Check out my post All About the Bookly App!
Books I Read
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles
✨ re-read to refresh my memory before reading the duology’s finale.
I was instantly drawn into the magical world Angeles wove in her debut YA fantasy and devoured the book quickly. Pitched as Moulin Rouge meets Phantom of the Opera with a hint of The Night Circus – that’s a good description, but this is a story all its own unlike one I’ve read before. Enjoyable the second time!
When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles
There’s this moment in the book where Kallia asks “What the fuck is going on?” and that’s basically how I felt most of this book.
Okay so listen: I didn’t enjoy this as much as WDD and I can’t put my finger on it. The world and writing is still solid, but the twists and developments felt overly complicated for my poor goldfish brain. I haven’t written a full review yet and sadly my notes are all “wtf?” so that doesn’t help me a month later.
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware
This book was somehow both what I expected and not at all what I thought it would be. I’ve heard a lot of fantastic things about Ruth Ware and being a fan of Agatha Christie I figured this book would be a fun one. Not saying that it wasn’t, but I think my own impressions and expectations of what this book would be hampered my reading experience a bit.
What this book isn’t: a locked room mystery or who-dun-it
What this book is: a mysterious past and family history uncovered piece by piece, with a tiny bit of thriller elements near the end
The Red Palace by June Hur
This book is my whole personality now & I’m not sorry.
Reading this book was truly magical and I loved every moment of it; I found myself savoring every sentence and taking my time to read because I just didn’t want it to be over. These characters, this setting, this mystery have my whole heart.
King of Fools by Amanda Foody
✨ re-read to refresh my memory before reading the trilogy’s finale.
It took me almost 2 years to get over King of Fools enough so I could prepare for the trilogy’s end. There is a lot going on in this sequel and there is never a dull moment, but the narrative is easy to follow and infectious. Guard your hearts because if you were emotionally destroyed during Ace of Shades… uh… yea.
Queen of Volts by Amanda Foody
It took me a long time to get over the events of King of Fools so I could read this, and while it is a satisfying end to the Shadow Game trilogy, I wonder if I am a different person now. Would Ace of Spades take over my personality today? Was it my mood? Who knows.
I don’t know why I struggled, likely my own expectations at this point, but I think the additional POVs definitely played a part. There are five POVs. Five. I love how pieces laid in book 1 came together in the finale, tying together loose ends I’d long since forgotten. It’s expertly plotted but let me tell you: Enne annoyed the heck out of me.
The Bennet Women by Eden Appiah-Kubi
I still don’t know where this eBook came from but I love it so much!
This Pride and Prejudice retelling is a magical. The book keeps to the broad beats and strokes of the source text but completely makes it its own on this modern day and feminist retelling. The cast of characters is effortlessly diverse, showcasing a beautiful group of friends in their final year of college and all the uncertainty that brings with it.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
It took me six months to read this book that my patrons forced upon me…. and it wasn’t that bad? The long awaited Unfiltered Adventures reading vlog is now here in all of its glory for all Reader Voracious patrons.
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Originally published in 2016 and since out of print, Tor Nightfire brought this neo-noir back to the market. I love the lore and way that Moreno-Garcia plays with the various versions of vampires; the way that this book is as much about gentrification and white settlers in Mexico as it is about vampires.
Book Haul
- [ARC] The Quarter Storm by Veronica Henry
- Sistersong by Lucy Holland
- The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
Posts Around the Blogosphere I Loved
I want to read some of YOUR favorite posts that I’ve missed! Leave a comment with a link so I can check them out, and be sure to check out these posts I read and loved in December.
- May @ Forever & Everly talked about how Reading & Mindset Changed in 2021
- Katja’s back with another celebrity compatibility reading post: Pedro Pascal and I might be!
- Rachel talked about 2021 in Reading as divided by Bookish Phases
- Sumedha @ The Wordy Habitat has a great list of 10 reading challenge ideas if you’re still setting some for 2022
- Marie wrote an amazing post highlighting why having a book blog still matters
- Speaking of book bloggers, Pages Unbound is hosting a Support Book Bloggers Challenge for 2022!
- Nicole is here with the December allyship check-in
- This is a post from November that I initially missed, but Fadwa wrote this list of 7 tips to write content on a busy schedule
Personal Update
December was a wild month – both super busy with work and year-end projects and also full of downtime alone on holiday. The end of 2021 kind of feels like a fever dream but I got my blogging and reading mojo back! I took advantage of the Mojo’s Return by scheduling content and making plans. Which is good because once I returned to work come January the mojo went away again.
My in-depth personal updates can be found on Patreon: December in Review
As always there’s no pressure to join but if more behind-the-scenes blog content, reading vlogs, and extra essays are something you’d be interested in – for as little as $2 a month you can support me & my content, along with some cool features that are in the pipeline.
Let’s Chat!
It feels super good to be back, friends! I missed the community so much during my hiatus and am full of energy to dive back in.
💬 How was your December? Did you do anything fun?
💬 What books did you read and enjoy?
💬 Share a link to one of your recent posts for me to check out!
Let’s go on another adventure together!
Your “wtf?” notes are so relatable haha, that’s me with a lot of books. I’m totally eyeing The Red Palace because you’ve been talking about it on twt and now that it’s your personality 👀 im intrigued. hope you have a good reading month & year!
Honestly sometimes all I can think of is WTF hahahaa. Glad I’m not the only one! Oh gosh Sumedha, please chat at me when you pick The Red Palace up. Have a wonderful January & 2022 as well, sweets!
Wishing you a good new year, Kal! 💗 So happy to see that you had a great reading month! I still haven’t read King of Fools, but it will happen this year! 🙏🏻 Though I’m still very nervous about the emotional impact of these books 🥺
Happy New Yea to you as well, Caro! King of Fools is PAIN, okay? Just know that going in ahahahahaa.
9 books seems like such a good number of books to me!! I’m sad to hear you haven’t really had that same reading mojo in January yet, but it comes and goes in waves, eh?
I kind of love that your patreons made you read Twilight haha I remember being the prime age when I first learned about it, which was like 14 and I just devoured the books. Then I did my semester abroad at 15 years old in a rainy town in Oregon right after the release of the first movie, where the cast hadn’t filmed too far away from. Let me tell you, I lived my best vampire girl life during that semester and just had the soundtrack on loop.
Thank you so much for sharing my Pedro Pascal post <3 you're definitely more compatible than me and him, I think haha
I honestly think 9 books was the most I read in a month all of 2021 lol. My reading mojo most definitely comes in waves though and I hate it! Can we just not hyperfixate? That’d be great lol
Glad someone appreciates that my patreon is full of mean trolls lmao. I am jealous of you though! I was like… in my 20s when the first book came out, so it was really never ever for me. OMG talk about a great time abroad though living best vampire girl life. Honestly, Oregon is so damn pretty.
Looks like you read some good books there.
I love that you read Twilight! I read it way back when it first came out, way before the haters started hating on it. And I loved it😁
It was such a wild ride to re-read Twilight in my Adult Life after I’d shed all of my Edgy Book Snobbery. It isn’t as bad as I remember it being, and tbh I still don’t know how I feel about it!
I definitely never read 9 books in one month in 2021, so I tip my hat to you!
And I couldn’t agree more on Oregon. I got really lucky with my placement, since I had zero say in it. I went back there after graduating high school and I just loved doing road trips with friends. Everything was so nice!
*this was meant to be sent as a reply to you, Kal … ugh, my internet dipped out on me right when it posted.
It looks like you had an amazing reading month. And I’m happy your mojo is back! My reading was not great in December. The month definitely flew by for me. I think it’s hilarious that your patrons forced you to read Twilight. I’m a diehard fan here so I can assure you they each one gets better as the series goes. 😉 Happy reading in January!
Thank you so much for your kind comment Dedra, and I definitely feel like I spoke too soon on my mojo being back ahahahahaah. I FEEL LIKE A BROKEN RECORD. I hope you’ve been doing well and reading great things.
Thank you so much for sharing my post, Kal!! 🖤 And gosh, I cannot remember the last time I read nine books in a month. Manifesting we both have that energy (at least sometimes) this year!
Of course, it was a great post! And honestly if reading nine books in one month means I embark on a total slump for months after… no thanks ahaa. I hope you’re doing well, Nicole!
“Guard your hearts because if you were emotionally destroyed during Ace of Shades… uh… yea.” – excuse me what do you mean?! *screeches pitifully* I feel like rereading Ace of Shades for the fun of it so I can fully enjoy the other two books but also…I don’t know if I’m ready for it haha.
I also can’t wait to eventually get round to reading Certain Dark Things, the cover is gorgeous and it’s about vampires. I’m intrigued. Sending you much love 💜
Cloclo, there is so much PAIN in your future but I encourage you to endure it so I have someone to talk to about the Ace of Shades suffering. Just do it! Rip the bandaid off!
xoxo
YAY! I’m happy you’re feeling better and got your mojo back… kind of? Either way, I’m proud of you, and you’re trying your best.
“wtf” is honestly a whole mood and probably sums up some of the books I’ve been reading, only it’s really me just going “…” more often than not.
I’m sorry to hear the sequel to Where Dreams Descend was a disappointment! I was looking forward to that one and uh… embarrassing enough, I’ve had that one on hold since September? I keep pushing it back and I should just stop abusing that button, but here we are… 6 months later.
I WAS A LITTLE TOO OPTIMISTIC lol. And yes I am bummed Where Night Breaks didn’t quite work for me but I hope you like it more than I did when you finally stop pushing it back