Let us welcome the new year with the first post of 2024! I always like to start the new month by recapping my readings. That’s why today the topic is December book recap: with ratings and reviews.
I had already reached my reading goal of 30 books read in 2023 so I was quite chill. However, I did start the month with 35 books read and thought to myself “What if I can still reach 40 books this year?”. Spoiler alert: I couldn’t reach it and I’m still quite sad about it. As my mother said, it was 40 books less seventy pages – we weren’t far.
Considering I’m an emigrant, December also means coming home for the holidays. It was also the month I decided to invest my time in this blogging adventure.
In the end: it is okay, I still reached my yearly goal and, even if I hadn’t, it was because I was focused on other things that also matter to me.
Without further ado, let’s dive into this December book recap!
Similarly to November (check November’s reading recap), there were only 3 readings:
- “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” (The Hunger Games, #0), by Suzanne Collins,
- “The Housemaid” (The Housemaid Series, #1), by Freida McFadden,
- “Mr Salary”, by Sally Rooney.
The last one on the list was a desperate attempt to reach the 40-book goal – your girly was given her max here.
Out of these 3 books, there was a total of 1.116 pages for the month (around 36 pages a day and 372 pages per book). Ready for December 2023 reading stats?
Someone decided to close the year on a tense and mysterious note (bear in mind I almost finished “The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson this month also).
But let’s deep dive into December’s readings ratings and reviews!
This time, I’ll give you the spoiler alert!!!! If you haven’t read any of these books and wish to, don’t continue to scroll.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”, by Suzanne Collins
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
As a huge fan of The Hunger Games saga growing up, I couldn’t miss this one. I have no idea how I only heard about it three years later (yes… this one was released in 2020…); perhaps it was the movie’s hype but I’m glad I read it.
For the ones who aren’t familiar with The Hunger Games saga, first: what are you doing with your lives? Second, it is a fantasy young adult collection in a dystopian world, the nation of Panem.
This nation is divided into twelve districts that live in extreme poverty and, each year the Capitol, where the richest people in the nation live and govern it, hold the Hunger Games. One boy and one girl per district (also known as tributes), between twelve and eighteen years old, are chosen to fight until death in an arena. And only one victor can come out alive. The games are held to remind the districts of the rebellion against the Capitol a few years back and how history shouldn’t repeat itself.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a prequel to the saga and takes us back to a few years after the big war. We follow the young Coriolanus Snow, who would end up President of the nation of Panem. It starts when the tributes are being drawn in each district and Snow is about to mentor the girl of the 12th district.
With the despair falling in the house of Snow, whose name once held big status in the Capitol, Coriolanus sees this as the last chance of glory for his family. Starting to understand the rules of the arena, inside and out, Snow realizes every choice he makes can lead to favour or failure, triumph, or ruin.
I’m so glad Suzanne Collins decided to give us this prequel instead of moving forward in time or developing other characters in the same timeline. I was so happy going back to The Hunger Games scene, it must be one of my all-time favourite sagas that got me into reading and being able to have this “novelty” coming unexpectedly, felt like an anticipated Christmas gift.
There were a lot of moments when I was taken back to my teenage years and couldn’t put it down. Resulting in having one eye more open than the other several times at 2 in the morning.
I can only imagine how challenging it must have been to take such an important hated character and focus entirely on them. Writing from the villain’s perspective at such a young age would make you expect to see the craziness and the villainess arise.
It is without any surprise that Coriolanus is an absolute narcissist from the first second. He makes his obsession with his name, his family, his power, and his honour so clear from the beginning that, with the number of adventures his path crosses, you would expect the slightest hint of mercy, repentance, or sorrow. I’ll surprise you and say there is none. I did find some parts too extended and unnecessary to the story, still worth a 4 out of 5 stars rating.
“The Housemaid”, by Freida McFadden
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
Millie is an ex-convict who’s facing trouble: she just got fired from the diner restaurant she was working at, is living in her car and, if her parole officer finds out, she will lose her right to probation and will be incarcerated again.
She has one last hope at a fresh start when she goes to an interview with Nina Winchester at their beautiful house. The position is to be an interim maid, taking care of the house, groceries, and Cecelia Winchester (Nina’s daughter).
Everything seems as if it is too good to be true. And, with time, Millie starts realizing that things might not be as perfect as they seem.
Beginning with her attic room’s door that appears to be locked at times, to the warnings from the non-English speaking gardener…
I thought I wasn’t a thriller person myself. I was wrong. I loved this book and all its plot twists. It wouldn’t stop to amaze me how the turn of events would always go against my predictions.
Yes, I’m the type of person who goes full detective mode when reading a book, especially this genre. Instead of enjoying the ride, I’m constantly trying to guess where the author will take me.
In “The Housemaid” case, I can tell you I could never guess it and that’s one of the reasons leading to a 4 out of 5 stars rating.
Now, am I the only one scared of reading the second volume? When it comes to sagas, I’m constantly fearing being disappointed by the exploitation of a storyline that is perfect by itself. I guess I’ll leave this one hanging in doubt for the year 2024.
“Mr Salary”, by Sally Rooney
(Goodreads | Storygraph)
“Mr Salary” by Sally Rooney was my desperate attempt at the 40 books goal, considering it is around 30 pages.
I know, it might be cheating considering it classifies best as a short story rather than a book but, one does what one has got to do to hit that Goodreads goal (I was even considering reading it twice, just kidding).
“Mr Salary” is about Sukie, a girl who is forced to go live with a distant relative, Nathan, after her mother’s death.
Considering the troubled relationship with her father, it is with Nathan, a man fifteen years older than her, that she finds herself with. A man who, throughout the years, has always spoiled her and been there for her, ending up developing a platonic relationship.
What I find most impressive in this short story is how Sally Rooney proves that it doesn’t take many words and pages to write a good story.
In a fast-paced narrative, Sally delivers a powerful dynamic between the two, building characters and tension the Sally Rooney way.
As readers, we find ourselves questioning whether this relationship is right or if the two characters shouldn’t just stay away from each other.
Another December read that is worth the 4 out of 5 stars rating.
Finishing this post, it doesn’t seem at all fair that the three books end up with the same rating.
Note to self: in 2024, let’s use more StoryGraph and stop rating books only from 1-5 (the decimals make a difference!).
Don’t forget to add me on Goodreads or Storygraph to follow my readings in real-time.
Have you read any of these books before? What was your experience?