Monthly Recap | December 2019

READING

I read 11 books in December to finish off the year with 130 books read. When I read 134 books in 2018, I didn’t think I’d ever get close to that number again and here we are! I set my Goodreads goal for 2020 at 135 books because I figured I might as well give myself an outrageous goal to shoot for. I am 100% not going to stress out about meeting this goal – I just made it for funsies. It’ll be fun to see my progress throughout the year, I think. 🙂 Here are my top three books for December:

• Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan, a fascinating yet horrifying memoir about a woman who had a psychotic break that put her in the hospital for weeks
• Runaway Groom by Lauren Layne, a super fun contemporary romance that took place on a Bachelor-type reality TV show
• Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner, a novel about two sisters over the course of their lives

WATCHING

• Mad Men, season 6 – I started season 6 of Mad Men in December and have watched the first handful of episodes. I’m happy to be back in Don Draper and Peggy Olson’s worlds again – they’re such great characters.
• Brooklyn 99, season 1 – I was a devoted fan of Brooklyn 99 until I got rid of cable and stopped watching the show. I recently decided to rewatch it from the beginning and it might have been one of the best decisions I made at the end of 2019. 😉 It’s such a funny show.
• Knives Out – I saw this with some coworkers in mid-December and loved it! It was such a great movie with an all-star cast and an ending I didn’t see coming.
• Little Women – My mom and I went to see this the weekend after Christmas and I loved it! I’ll admit that my expectations were low because I’m not a fan of the book (just couldn’t get past the cheesy language), but the movie was everything I could have wanted. Saoirse Ronan was the perfect Jo and the movie was so beautifully directed that it made me have lots of feeeelings.

LISTENING TO

• Code Switch – I’m currently going through the archives of this podcast (which dates back all the way to 2016 so I have lots of episodes to occupy me) and it’s as great as everyone says. The podcast is about the topics, people, and events that shape race and identity, and every episode leaves me with things to ponder. Also, can we talk about Gene Demby’s oh-so-sexy-perfect-for-radio voice? I could listen to him read the phone book. Ah!
• In the Dark – Lisa has recommended this podcast to me multiple times and I finally listened to season one in December! It was really, really good, following the disappearance of Jacob Wetterling in 1989. It’s shocking how much the police bungled their investigation! I know processes were different 30+ years ago, but damn.

BUYING GETTING

Instead of my typical “buying” section here, let’s talk about some of the fun Christmas gifts I got this year!

• A new slow cooker – I’m so happy that my brother bought me this! It was the thing I wanted most. I haven’t yet made a meal in my new slow cooker but I think I’m going to give it a whirl next week!
• A book scarf – I showed off my new book scarf on Instagram on Monday and got lots of compliments. 🙂 It’s so soft and cozy, and I love that it shows off my favorite hobby.
• A cordless hand vacuum – Yay! The other thing I really, really wanted this Christmas. Y’all, this vacuum is life-changing. It took me, like, 30 seconds to vacuum my couch when it usually takes me 10 minutes, a lot of sweat, and a twinge of backache.

THE HIGHS

• A birthday cruise – It was so lovely to go on a cruise again! This was my 10th cruise and while breaking my ankle on day two really put a damper on the vacation, it was still a special time.
• A baking class – I chose a baking class at Sur La Table for my friend A’s “gift of time.” It was my first baking class and I had a great time, even though I felt like such a beginner. I mean, it was my first time using a stand mixer and everything!
• Meeting my friend’s baby – It was WONDERFUL to finally meet my friend’s baby and soak up all the perfect newborn snuggles. She’s a delight with the best baby mohawk and I love her immensely.

THE LOWS

• Breaking my ankle – Well, yeah. This was a major low for December. I had a pretty terrible experience in the medical center on the ship as they decided to splint my leg and seemed to believe I would need to spend the rest of the trip in my cabin. I understand they have a very specific protocol to follow, considering I got hurt on the ship, but damn, it would have been nice to be listened to by the medical team. I definitely felt like my needs were secondary. Anyway, I got through it and spent December recovering from my injury.
• A weird Christmas – Ah, Christmas is always a little less magical when you’re a grown-up without kids, isn’t it? Christmas felt a little strange this year, waking up alone (well, I had my girls but they were pretty ambivalent about the holiday, heh) and having a quiet morning by myself. It was nice, but also strange.