December 2024 Wrap-Up
Happy end to 2024, bookworms!
This year has passed by in a blur. I’m so excited to see what the new year holds in store for everyone. I can’t wait to have a reset and sort out my goals for the upcoming year. What was your highlight of 2024 and what’s one thing you’re looking forward to in 2025? In terms of reading, I almost managed to reach my Goodreads goal of 75 books. I ended up reading 73, so I was super close! I also read 5 books this month. I’m going to try and make reading a part of my everyday routine in 2025 so I can get back to reading as many books as I was in previous years.
In terms of editing, I’ve had a great year of growth and I’m so proud of everything I’ve accomplished. I’ve been getting a steadier stream of work and doubled the number of edits I completed compared to last year. I attended 3 conferences and actually managed to watch the additional sessions I missed before they expired. In 2025, I’m going to work on actually trying to market my business and read more technical books so I don’t stop learning new things. I’m also currently booked until March, so I’ll be improving my time-management skills in order to grow and do all those things while working on projects and working at my day job. Wish me luck 😄
My Library
Medusa by Jessie Burton
Review:
This was a total cover read. I love the cover of this book and I love Greek retellings, so I thought I would enjoy this story. However, this almost ended up being a DNF. I was enjoying the story but then there was some anachronistic language that threw me off—I think the author used boyfriend?—and then things started going downhill from there. I thought the premise of the story was great because I love reading about Medusa, but the story was very slow-paced and I didn’t feel very engaged. Since it was such a short story, I decided to finish it anyway, and while the story did pick up a little for the final third, I wasn’t a fan of how it ended because I expected it to end the same way as the myth. I can see why it ended that way, but I just wasn’t a fan. One thing I loved was that there were so many great quotes from the story about being a woman, beauty, and finding someone who loves you for you. While this book may not have been my cup of tea, I do still recommend it because there will definitely be people who enjoy the writing style and how the story ended.
3/5⭐
Denison Avenue by Christina Wong
Review:
I saw this book on @steepedinstories’s profile and thought it would be an interesting read. I honestly can’t do this book justice with my review, but it was very good and I highly recommend it! It starts off very emotional with the death of the main character’s husband. I cried. The feels taper off a little bit as the story progresses, but then hit you again near the end. The story covers themes like coping with grief, being an immigrant in Canada, and the gentrification of the Toronto neighborhood along Denison Avenue. The dialogue in the story is written in Cantonese and English which was neat! I liked how there were bits where there were two narratives going at the same time so you could see the contrast between the two perspectives or time periods. The illustrations at the end were beautiful, and it was so jarring to see the contrast between the before and after of the neighborhood. It’s sad to see all the mom-and-pop stores closing in favor of big-box franchises. Overall, this is a very poignant read and I highly recommend it!
4/5⭐
Netgalley eARCs
Home Office Romance by Kintetsu Yamada
Review:
I read this as a buddy read with @sushisrainbow and I absolutely LOVED it! I wish it was a series, or at least a duology, because I want more of that couple. I thought the progression of their romance was very realistic, and everything was just so wholesome. The scene where Nokoru freaks out about a certain package and Natsu ends up going to the convenience store was hilarious and felt so relatable. Everything was just so lighthearted at a time when the world was falling apart. I seriously need more. For some reason, I also didn’t realize that this author also created Sweat and Soap, so I’ll be checking out that series next!
5/5⭐
The Kiss Bet Vol. 1 by Ingrid Ochoa
Review:
This was such a fun read albeit hella childish. The personalities of some of the characters and their antics seemed a bit more middle school. Sara Lin was a very clueless character, in my opinion. I was a huge fan of Lulu and Subway Boy, and thought they were hilarious. Patrick’s jokester personality was quite fun too. I was low-key hoping Tammy would come out of the sidelines to date Patrick just for fun. The story was super easy to follow, and I did enjoy reading it overall, so I’ll probably end up checking out the next volume.
3.5/5⭐
Kawaii Cafe Ramen by Amy Kimoto-Kahn
Review:
This was such a cute cookbook! I’m obsessed with ramen, so I was super excited to check this out. The broth seems like the most complicated thing to make, so I’d definitely make that in a big batch when I have a spurt of productivity, and then freeze the portions for when I’m too tired to cook. Most of the recipes seem really straightforward and all use similar ingredients that you can get from your local Asian grocery stores. There’s such a variety of toppings, and I appreciate the section for side dishes as well. I can’t wait to try these recipes out! I really need to buy some mirin and dashi first 😅
4.5/5⭐
Other (e)ARCs
I’m currently still procrastinating on reading The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst because it’s too good and I don’t want it to end. It’s high on my list of January reads, so I’ll probably cave and finish it by the end of the month.
Audiobooks
I’ve been listening to Le Fay by Sophie Keetch and Booked for the Holidays by Liz Maverick. I’m enjoying both stories, but I’ve been taking them very slowly. I was hoping to finish listening to one by the end of the year, but I’ve been listening to too much Christmas music instead 😂
That’s a wrap! Let me know what your favorite read was from 2024 in the comments.
Happy reading in 2025!
