Happy New Year to everyone out there! It’s weird to think we’re now in 2021. It’s the beginning of the month and that means that it’s time for us to talk about the books we added to our collections in December. With Christmas it’s always a surprise how many it will be. If you want to know what books we got in December, keep on reading for our December bookhaul!

Candyce

I knew when I made my wishlists a couple of months ago that this bookhaul was going to be nuts. I was right… I love books and I was really spoiled by my mother and boyfriend. I’m very grateful for them though, because I’m looking forward to all of these. In December I added a total of 23 books to my shelves (I bought 3, 2 were from Illumicrate, one physical ARC from a publisher and there were 17 under the Christmas tree).

Seance Tea Party – Reimena Yee

I’ve seen this graphic novel quite a bit lately online and it looks like it’s so good! A few friends of mine read and loved it, so I couldn’t resist ordering it myself. These are perfect when I want a fast read and I do want to read more graphic novels.

Check Please! Vol. 1 & 2 – Ngozi Ukazu

I’ve seen these a lot the past couple of years, but just haven’t gotten around to getting them to read. When I read there would be a group read for these two in the TBR and Beyond Facebook group I knew it was just time for me to finally pick these up. I can’t wait to read these in January!

The Once and Future Witches – Alix E. Harrow

This was the Illumicrate book in November and it’s stunning! I still have an e-arc of this one and I want to read this one early 2021! I can say that the picture doesn’t do this book justice.

Legendborn – Tracy Deonn

Legendborn is a book I accidentally received twice in December. I didn’t know that Illumicrate was going to add this as an extra surprise in the November box and I also added it to my Elfster list for a gift exchange with the mods and admins of TBR and Beyond. Thankfully Isabelle doesn’t have this one yet and wants to read it as well. Perfect way to start a buddyread.

This Will Be Funny Someday – Katie Henry

This Will Be Funny Someday is my first physical ARC!! I saw sign ups in November and thought I’d give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this in my mailbox. I loved Katie Henry’s previous books and will be reviewing this one near its release date in January.

Crave & Crush – Tracy Wolff

Crave is a book that was all over the place in this bookish community right before it released and after. I haven’t heard as much about Crush, but I do see it here and there. A friend of mine read the first book and didn’t like it at all. This seems to be a series you either love or hate. They weren’t that expensive and I’m curious after all the hype.

Chilling Effect – Valerie Valdes

I’ve only seen this book around a few times in the bookish community, but the reviews I’ve read have been pretty positive. It seems like Chilling Effect is going to be a hidden gem. If I’m honest it caught my attention because of the cats on the cover and the line about psychic cats, haha.

The Hand on the Wall – Maureen Johnson

Truly Devious is a book I really enjoyed. I received the sequel, The Vanishing Stair, last year and still need to read it. A lot of readers did say that they wanted the third book really badly when finishing the sequel, so I wanted to make sure I have it if that’s the case.

The Archive of the Forgotten – A.J. Hackwith

The Library of the Unwritten is another book that got a lot of hype this year. So many of my friends and people online really enjoyed it. That being the case, I know I’m going to love it as well. That’s why I needed to put the sequel on my wishlist. It’s going to be one I want.

Wicked Fox & Vicious Spirits – Kat Cho

These two books are definitely partially cover buys (well gifts) for me. I love these covers and I do think the story sounds interesting. I also love books that take place somewhere outside of North America or Europe. A lot of my Goodreads friends enjoyed the first book, so I’m excited to give it a go!

Always Never Yours & If I’m Being Honest – Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka

Always Never Yours and If I’m Being Honest are standalones, but seeing how they’re written by the same authors and what I have to say is the same for both books I listed them together. I’ve been wanting these for quite awhile and I’m curious, because they’re both Shakespeare retellings.

Raybearer – Jordan Ifueko

I actually gave Raybearer to Isabelle when we gave each other boxes for our blog birthday. The book sounds so good and I loved the cover so much that I had to put it on my wishlist.

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire – Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash is one of my favorite books this year and I’ve been wanting to read the sequel since it released. I did order it when it came out, but my package was damaged and I just never got around to ordering a replacement. I’m so glad this was under the tree and  I can catch up before the third book releases in a few months.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Mayhem – Manda Collins

The title of this book caught my eye and I love the cover! I love rom-coms and have been wanting more historical fiction and this book is a combination of those two things. It’s one I really want to read soon.

Majesty – Katharine McGee

I still need to read American Royals, but I just couldn’t resist putting this one on my wishlist. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have sprayed edges like the first book. That being said I still love these covers and it’s another series I really want to catch up on in 2021.

The Brightest Night – Jennifer L. Armentrout

Last month I did a re-read of The Darkest Star and while typing this I’m reading The Burning Shadow and I’m so happy I can read the third book right after I’m finished with that one. It is weird reading like a flu like diseases with everything going on, but the story is good so far. Actually having this be a signed copy was a pleasant surprise!

Crazy Stupid Bromance – Lyssa Kay Adams

Again, I’ve only read the first book in the series, but The Bromance Book Club was so much fun!! So I really need to make Undercover Bromance and Crazy Stupid Bromance a priority now that I got this one under the tree. Also, it has a cat on the cover.

The Devil and the Dark Water – Stuart Turton

I read The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle in December and that book took me by surprise. It was unlike anything I’ve read in quite some time. During the whole book I tried figuring out what was going on multiple times and still didn’t guess right. I hope that The Devil and the Dark Water is the same way.

Instant Karma – Marissa Meyer

I’ve only read The Lunar Chronicles and Heartless by this author, but want to read her other books as well. Instant Karma is her first contemporary and it sounds like a lot of fun. The cover is so cute and I hope the story is just as fun!

Isabelle

This month I’m the complete opposite of Candyce haha! I didn’t put a lot of books on my Christmas wishlist, I have so many unread books and I still haven’t read all the books I got the previous two Christmases. This year I really want to make a dent in that TBR and I figured not getting books was a good start. Now I did cheat a little, because Candyce and I haven’t gotten each other our Christmas gifts yet and you can bet those are all books ;). There was only one book under the Christmas tree for me this year so let’s take a look.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse – Charlie Mackesy

I got the Dutch version of this book. It’s full of beautiful quotes with simple yet wonderful drawings and I can really use this in my private practice with my psychology clients. I follow Charlie Mackesy on Instagram and shares these quotes there as well. Down below I’ve added one of his quotes and drawings, so if you like this I would highly recommend following him on instagram. I just really hope we get a new book by him soon!

So these are the books we’ve added to our collections in December. If you’ve read any, we’d love to hear what you thought of those stories. Also, did you add any books to your shelves? Let us know in the comments!