I realized that after I wrote my favorite books of 2017 post I never ended up doing a recap of the books I read in December.

Between the holidays and a couple bitterly cold weekends that left me hunkered down under lots of blankets, December was a good month of reading for me. I finished seven books and most of them were pretty good too!



Better late than never, here are my December book reviews.

The Rooster Bar by John Grishman
Based on the description of this book, I thought the story was going to be a lot different. This book is about students at a for-profit law school that realize they are drowning in student loan debt and have no job prospects since they attended a diploma mill. They set out to get back at the school. I didn't like the way the book went or the outcome for any of the students. It was a good, fast read, I just think didn't like so much of what happened.

Firefly Lane by Hannah Kristen
Kristen Hannah tells an amazing story and though this book was nearly 500 pages, I couldn't put it down and by the end I was sobbing. Firefly Lane tells the story of two best friends from when they meet in the 70s as middle schoolers and follows them through their lives through into the early 2000s. Each section of the book is broken down by decade and both characters just felt so rich and real.

Emma: A Modern Retelling by Alexander McCall Smith
I picked up this book since I really enjoyed Curtis Sittenfeld's modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice, "Eligible." I think I expected this book to be something like that, but it wasn't. It was the general story of Emma, but with text messaging and Emma's budding interior design business thrown in. It didn't feel overly modern. It wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't what I had been expecting.

Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison
This was a light and fast read about two friends who were ripped apart by rumors in high school and reunite at their 20th high school reunion. Neither is where they thought they'd be in life, but when circumstances at the reunion throw them back together, they realize it's time to stop living in the past. This is a good book for when you just want a fun story to take your mind off real life.

The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
This was a light and fun holiday read about a group of passengers traveling across the country by train for the holidays. It was the first non-suspense Baldacci book I've read, but there was still a touch of mystery mixed in to the story.

The Pink Suit by Nicole Mary Kelby
I was intrigued by the premise of this book -- the story of the seamstress -- Kate-- who replicated the Chanel design that would become Jackie Kennedy's famous pink suit. I think the book told a good story, but it lacked a bit in character development, and some of the divergent plot lines were a bit distracting.

Artemis by Andy Weir
After loving the Martian so much, I was eagerly looking forward to Andy Weir's second novel. Artemis brought back all my favorite things about Weir's writing -- a sassy narrator who pauses for asides to make sure the reader is clued in to what is actually happening or as is often the case to make sure the reader understands her sarcasm, a fast-moving plot, and all the twists and turns of action taking place in almost-zero gravity. If you liked the Martian, you'll like this follow-up novel that takes place on the surface of the moon.