I read SEVEN books in December. That’s pretty awesome, in my opinion. I was trying really hard to get to my goal of 50 books for the year. I was a few short, but I think I did well overall. So, what did I read?
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
I’ve considered reading this series for a long time, but I’d never gotten around to it til now. I saw the movie trailer for the newest movie coming out and decided it was finally time to give the books a shot. (I can’t watch a movie unless I’ve read the book first. It’s just against the rules.) So, I read the first two books in November and I couldn’t put them down. The writing style is a little different from what I’m used to (the whole describing every single detail of what the characters do thing) but it worked well in these books. The characters were so great that you kind of just WANTED to know every little detail of their days.
The Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz
Not gonna lie, I was a little thrown off when I saw the change in author when downloading the next book. I had no idea what happened to Larsson and wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy the books as much with a new author continuing the series. He did it well though, so bravo to him. This book had a very nice pace to it and I read during every spare moment that I had. I was dying to get to the end to get the resolution to the story. The characters remained just as real and entertaining to me even with the change in writing style.
The Girl who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz
Now this one was great. So much conspiracy and drama going on. We learned even more about Lisbeth’s past and I loved it. There were several twists I didn’t see coming and the ending caught me off guard. Just when you thought you knew exactly how Lisbeth was going to act, she flipped the script on you.
I heard about this book on the DIY MFA podcast recently. Gabriella interviewed Kim and they discussed the book and the sequel. Even though I don’t read much YA anymore, I felt intrigued when they were discussing the details. The creepy cult stuff really drew me in. There was some cheesy teen romance stuff, but that’s pretty much to be expected in these kinds of books so I didn’t let it bring me down. It was a quick read (literally read it in one day) and it was a nice break from the more mature books I read. Sometimes it’s nice to step back and read something simple.
Obviously, I had to read the sequel too. This one was more of a mystery and less cheesy romance. I enjoyed the plot twists and character development. Another easy read, but plenty entertaining.
The Devil’s Dance by Kristen Lamb
This one was forgotten about on my Amazon wish list (shame on me) ever since I started following Kristen’s blog and reading her nonfiction. But I’m so happy I came across it last week. I definitely had trouble putting this down to do anything else. I love the way Kristen writes. There was so much wit and sarcasm even in the face of danger and tragedy. Her characters were amazing and I was sad when it ended. Even though the drama was concluded, I still found myself wanting to know what happened next.
Cause of Death: A Writer’s Guide to Death, Murder, and Forensic Medicine by Keith D. Wilson
I also aim to read one book a month that will help my writing career in some way. This book (even though it was published around the year I was born) was full of useful information. Having it handy, I will feel confident writing scenes with gunshot wounds and emergency room procedures. It also gave me a bunch of ideas on things to write about in general. I felt like it opened up some great plot opportunities.
I’m still pretty impressed with myself for getting through with seven books in a month. My normal average is four. But that just shows what a driving plot can do to your reading schedule 😊