Well, it’s that time of year again – list time! 2020 has been a real turd of a year but it was a banner reading year for me. I’ve read more than 260 books this year and I’m going to spend the next few days counting them down. I thought I’d start with the negative so that we can get it out there and move on. I hate to dislike a book. I am a rare DNF-er, I will push and push and try to find the lesson or the glimmer of love in a story but this year I’ve got 7 books that just were not for me. And believe me, this is more of a judgement on me than the books, I know that! Feel free to leave comments when you think I’m wrong… I’m happy to chat or reconsider.

#1 – Anxious People – Fredrik Backman

I had never heard of Backman before I joined Bookstagram, but he is a well adored legend over there so when I saw that his new release was coming up on Book of the Month, I decided to go for it. This book is about a group of hostages and they’re not interested in being hostages. It’s meant to be a clever, witty story with a heart at it’s center. Which, it was. It was just a story that was trying to hard to be witty and clever for my personal taste. Everyone else seems to love it but it just frustrated me. The very end gave me pause and redeemed my rating slightly but still this one hangs for me as one of my least favorites.

You can read my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3400968633?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

#2 – The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Sorry, I don’t have a photo of my own for this book because it didn’t last long in my house. It was a rare DNF for me at 150 pages. When I saw the gorgeous cover and the interesting description, I scooped this one right up and dove in. 150 pages in, there had yet to be one page that interested me. I just had no interest in Linus and the folks he met in the house just seemed too contrived for me. Maybe I’ll try it again someday but the 500 books on my TBR shelf would be quite cranky if I did.

There is no review on this one for you to check out because I don’t review books I don’t finish.

#3 – The Wives by Tarryn Fisher

Unreliable narrator. Harpy women. Backstabbing. It has lots of elements that make modern thrillers excellent. But this one was everything that holds women back in this world and I despised it!

You can read my full review here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3141939843?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

#4 – Saint X by Alexis Schatkin

Saint X was one of my most anticipated books of 2020, I was so intrigued by a fictionalization of the Natalee Halloway story. I expected it to be a twisty thriller with lots of interesting clues and suspects. But it was a much more psychological delve into moralities and ethics and while I did push through to finish it, there were big sections I found myself skimming. I’m not sure whether it was the angle of the story that didn’t do it for me or the writing style but this one was a disappointment for me.

You can read my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3127824395?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

#5 – The Dutch House by Ann Prachett

This one goes into a category with Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone for me, it’s a well written book and an interesting story but way too depressing for me. It’s a story about divorce and the impact on the children even as they grow. I know that my dislike of this one is all me but this one put me in a real book slump and it took quite a while for me to pull out of it.

You can read my full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3100681502?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

#6 – A Song Below Water by Bethany C Morrow

Another rare DNF for me, I was so excited for this story. It’s about sisters and has magical elements but the way it was written was so confusing for me that I really struggled. I gave it 100 pages and then bailed. Unlike The House in the Cerulean Sea I have kept it because I know in principle it should work for me so maybe I’ll pick it up again in the future and feel differently.

There is no review on this one for you to check out because I don’t review books I don’t finish.

#7 – The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry

I really branched out this year into trying some contemporary romance and rom coms and found that they are very hit or miss for me. The thing I hate most are books that make women look stupid and flighty and act as though that is cute. Well, this is one of those. I finished it as I was hoping for a conclusion that worked for me but alas, no. Roxy remained utterly a mess throughout.

You can read my full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3034142227?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

So, there it is your first countdown of the 2020 wrap-ups. Sorry to start with the negative but it’s a Monday so why not? I consider it pretty positive that I could only find 7 I disliked enough to talk about them out of more than 260!

What was your least favorite book of 2020? Do you think I’m wrong about any of the choices above? Which one should I reconsider?

~ Dana

Merry Christmas!! 🎄🎅🏼🎁

Hope Santa has treated everyone well! And to all those not celebrating… Happy Friday!

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“Above and behind them the Dipper turned on its great handle as if to pour night itself out onto the dreaming continent and each of its seven stars gleamed from between the fitful passing clouds.”

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News of the World was one of my favorite reads in 2016. It’s beautifully written story about a piece of history that I was completely unaware of. Captain Kidd travels from town to town to read the news so that folks who can’t read or afford a paper (which is most people), can understand the headlines of the time. His life changes when he is asked to transport a young orphan with a troubled past to her relatives.

It’s a fabulous book and I’m hoping the movie will be as well, I mean Tom Hanks can do no wrong in my eyes, so I’m sure it will be!

Anyone else excited for this movie release today?

~ Dana

“He said, ‘Without stories, we’re all just lonely islands.

‘Stories let us see and hear and feel what someone else does,’ she explained. ‘They build bridges to the other islands. That’s why stories are so important. They create true empathy.'”

First off, let me start by saying that I love a Christmas Carol. This modern YA retelling is everything I wanted it to be. Holly Chase is a Scrooge and when the ghosts try to save her, they fail. The penalty for her unchanged ways is death and an assignment as one of the ghosts. There she needs to work each year to help other Scrooge’s see the error of their ways. She and the other ghosts analyze the potential Scrooge’s life for characters that mimic the ones from the original story (Marley, Fezziwig, Cratchit etc).

I thought the idea was a really ingenious way to bring a classic story into current relevance. Holly was a rich, selfish millennial who began to see the error of her ways as she starts to analyze another Scrooge’s behavior. When she falls for this Scrooge, she wants to save him more than herself and thus we have a story within a story.

I thought this was really well done and was exactly what I was hoping for when I chose my Christmas week reads.

What character from the Christmas Carol do you identify with the most?

~ Dana

Meh, not a bad story just not one for me. It’s well written and I’m sure it works for lots of people, but the storyline in this one was super frustrating to me.

First, two folks fall in love when seeing each other for a quick second in public. Now as someone who met her husband on the subway, and does believe in the principle of love at first site, you’d think this would speak to me. But my husband and I had a spark but not all encompassing love at first glance. These two imagined a whole soul sucking relationship and threw everything they had into the idea of it. When they meet again, he is dating her best friend and they both just pretend they’ve never met. If they just had a normal conversation at this point, story over.

Basically these are young kids choosing to fake happiness and ignore their actual feelings. This ideation is what leads to divorce and mid-life crises. I get that it’s a story and that this is what people actually do, but I can’t look at this as a story to uphold with hearts and butterflies for people to aspire to.

This is not me intending to trash an author or their work, it’s simply a difference of opinion on whether this kind of story is good for mass consumption. This is why I’m selective on romance picks, I have very particular views and these are the type of people I judge for their decisions and the harm they cause others with their selfishness in the name of valor.

I feel like I’ve been fair with my rating, because while my opinion of the story and characters has dropped it slightly, I am acknowledging the writing and the author’s work.

How do you rate a book you don’t quite love?

~ Dana

Ok, finally a holiday rom com-y type book that I enjoyed. I am a sucker for a Pride & Prejudice retelling or in this case, tribute. The characters in this (despite the fact that they were uber rich) were quite real and easy to get to know and relate to.

At its heart the story was about love, loyalty and following your gut towards happiness. Darcy had a great character arc, she went from strong, arrogant and completely closed off to her emotions to quite a sweet, openhearted person.

I also liked that the story actually had winter and holiday elements rather than a quick allusion to it being Christmas time. It was just the positive, festive easy to read story I was looking for to get me in the holiday spirit.

Have you ever had a kiss under the mistletoe?

~ Dana

Well, I’ll admit I’m not one who rushes for holiday reads but I decided this year to make a stab at finding some yuletide reads to get me in the spirit. In Carols and Chaos I was expecting a light, frivolous Christmas romp but what I got was much more intrigue than I expected. Think of one those Downton Abbey episodes with a scandalous mystery at it’s heart.

Matt and Kate make no bones about it that they like each other, a real smack in the face to the normal romcom tropes that abound these days. They are both in the employ of two great families whose son and daughter are courting. They know they must operate under the rules of propriety while the two families are together for the holidays but find themselves quickly embroiled in a mystery after one of the footman goes missing. The two sleuth about the town, using her connections and knowledge of the area and his guile and brawn. They get in quite a few scrapes trying to find the footman and bring him home.

Giving this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 as it surprised me with a little meat behind the holiday romance.

What’s your favorite Christmas carol?

~ Dana

First let me start by saying I am a huge Charlie Holmberg fan! She was this knack for creating strong but relatable female characters and fantastical magical worlds that are unique, creative and yet easy to immerse yourself in.

When I read Spellbreaker, I immediately fell in love with Elsie and was dying for the conclusion of her story. The villain in this duology is great in that their motives aren’t malevolent but the actions they take to achieve their goal are. I love a story with a moral gray area that makes you think.

The growth of the relationship between Elsie and Bacchus was fun to follow. They grow from cautious circumstantial allies into a loyal, fiercely protective duo. It’s a slow burn relationship that was a much more comfortable read for me than some of the YA insta-love, overwhelming passion in 2 seconds relationships that seem to fly off the shelves.

This is a great, fun conclusion to the series that you won’t be able to put down. I wouldn’t hate another story in this world! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ These would make a great gift for the magic lover in your life. Spellmaker will release in March.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

What are you reading this fine Saturday?

~ Dana