It’s the end of the year already! Where did 2021 go? I hope everyone has had a great month, enjoyed your holidays, and had some time to relax and recharge before the year ends. Thought I would do a quick monthly wrap up and then next week I’ll post my top ten reads of the 2021 to kick off the new year!

December Reads

For me, this was the month of the short story – I ended up reading four throughout the month. I was pretty busy most of the month, and the short stories were just right to find a few quiet minutes to enjoy a quick read.

• The Maid by Nita Prose. 5 Stairs. The locked-room mystery is engaging, but the best part is Molly the Maid’s journey – she quickly found her way into my heart and I rooted for her from start to finish.
• State of Terror by Hillary Rodham Clinton & Louise Penny. 4 Stairs. A fast moving political thriller. Loved the nods to Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series.
• The Clue of the Velvet Mask by Carolyn Keene. 4 Stairs. It was fun to re-read this Nancy Drew book (the original 25 chapter text) to fulfill prompts in a few book challenges. Nancy is the same as I remember.
• The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie. 4 Stairs. A great whodunit by the Queen of Crime, with a setting perfect for winter reading.
• Last Call by Elon Green. 3.5 Stairs. This true crime book focuses on the victims of the Last Call Killer while also focusing on gay night life and the AIDS epidemic in New York City.
• Green River, Running Red by Ann Rule. 3 Stairs. Ann Rule is a great author, and this is a good book, focusing on each victim of the Green River Killer. However – not to the fault of the author – it’s difficult to read about so many women that were killed.
• Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner. 3 Stairs. The audiobook was a great production, but I found the story itself to be a bit rambling.

Short Stories

• Knock, Knock, You’re Dead! by M.C. Beaton. 4 Stairs. A very, very short story/mystery. If you’re a Hamish Macbeth fan already (as I am), you’ll enjoy this quick visit. If you’ve never read the series, I suggest picking up a full book to get to know Lochdubh and Hamish first.
• The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie. 4 Stairs. A short story that was a fun read right before Christmas.
• Enola Holmes and the Boy in Buttons by Nancy Springer. 4 Stairs. Enola Holmes is a great character, and this is a fun little mystery.
• The Princess Game by Roman Chainani. 3 Stairs. Liked the twist that turned fairy tales on their head and into a hunt for a serial killer.

Started in December

Instagram Fun

Are you following me on Instagram? If not, here’s what you missed:

Final Thoughts

It’s hard to believe we’ve hit the end of the line for 2021. This was another strange year as we continue to battle COVID-19 and navigate through this strange new normal. I hope you stayed safe, stayed healthy, and you found a few good books to give you joy throughout the year. Here’s to 2022. Happy New Year!