I got through a good bit of books in December. The only other month in 2017 that I read this many books (nine) was in January, so it looks like I started and ended the year pretty strong. Here's to a stronger 2018. Fingers crossed to read an average of at least five books a month.

But here are the nine I read in December.


Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - After going through a rough divorce, Liz Gilbert chose to spend a year abroad in the three countries she felt could best help her find herself and balance - Italy, India, and Indonesia. In Italy, she spent four months partaking in pleasure; four months in India practicing religion through meditation; in Indonesia, she found love through friendship. This book is her story. If nothing else, you'll love her candid style of writing. (full review) ★★★★☆



Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk - Written almost as a script for a movie, this novel is narrated by maid Hazie Coogan, and is a story of Miss Katherine Kenton - world-renowned movie star. It's your not so classic girl meets boy, boy plots to kill girl story, with your standard explicit name-dropping. If you're not up-to-date on your classic movie stars, you may not enjoy this book because you're unfamiliar with the names being dropped. (full review) ★★★☆☆



Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed  - After her mother's harrowing death and a upsetting divorce, Cheryl Strayed takes to the Pacific Crest Trail for a three-month hike in the wilderness. The people she meet along the way and the trials she encounters along the way teach her she is so much stronger than she ever could have imagined. Very similar to Eat, Pray, Love - you'll love how Strayed writes to you just like you're her best friend. (full review) ★★★★☆



The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood - Based on Homer's Odyssey, but from the viewpoint of his wife Penelope, this story tells the story from home while Odysseus is out slaying Cyclops and the like. There are also some chapters from the "chorus line" AKA the maids. This is a fun, perspective-switched novel that's much easier to read than the original epic. (full review) ★★★★☆



The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith - This is a 50-ish page fairy tale spoof, with not-so-classics like "The Princess and the Bowling Ball," "The Really Ugly Duckling," and more. Not to mention the oddly creepy pictures to go with each story. This was a favorite as a child and I am glad to say I enjoyed it just as much as an adult. ★★★★★



The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - When Starr's childhood friend is murdered right in front of her by a police officer, her world is turned upside down. It's already enough that Starr leads two lives - one at home in her own neighborhood, and another at her private school. As she learns more about being true to herself, she also has to figure out how to stand up for what is right and what she believes in. This one was the best book I've read in a long time. It's heartbreaking and beautiful and honest. (full review) ★★★★★



Boneshaker by Cherie Priest - It's the late 1800s and Seattle is not what you think. An unfortunate drilling event has wreaked havoc on the city and a toxic gas has turned many of the citizens into the undead. Zeke, the son of the man who created the drill, decides to enter into the city underground to find some kind of proof his dad wasn't all that bad - even if he did destroy the lives of hundreds. Then Zeke's mother, Briar, enters in to find him. This was my first steampunk novel and it was... different. There's a lot of creativity that went into the story. My biggest complaint is that there seemed to be too much happening at times and I would have to go back and read pages again to understand what had just happened. ★★★★☆



I Hate Everything by Matthew DiBenedetti - This one was just a short gag-type book about literally just hating everything. It was funny for what it was, but truly held no meaningful content. ★★★☆☆



Delicious Foods by James Hannaham - Narrated by Eddie, his addict mother, and crack (yes, like the drug) - this novel tells the story of love, addiction, and the way the two mix... or don't. When Eddie's young, his father is murdered. Soon after, his mother becomes addicted to crack and eventually goes missing. As a reader, you know she has gone to work on a farm called Delicious Foods. However, Eddie goes on a journey to find her. I wanted to love this book - it could have been beautiful. Unfortunately, I felt like there were too many stories within the story, and I would have loved to read some of those other stories as opposed to the main one being told. I felt like I wasn't given enough of the information I wanted, and was given too much information that seemed less relevant. I also hated that the book had literally no quotation marks, which has always been a weird format to me.  ★★★☆☆