This was another surprisingly quiet month as far as new books go. As it turns out, I didn’t receive any gift cards for books for Christmas this year. It’s fine, I still really appreciate all that I did receive, though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little sad that I won’t be going on a small book-buying binge. I hope everybody else has enjoyed their holidays too and continues to enjoy them with New Year’s Eve tomorrow

Enough about the holidays, on to the books!

New Books

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero was my only physical purchase for the month. It’s a book I’ve had my eyes on for a while, so I guess it’s just one of those I was waiting for an excuse to pick up. While my s/o was at a doctor’s appointment, I found myself browsing a local bookstore I’ve been aware of for years but have never actually gone into. Since it’s a local establishment, I decided I’d be leaving with something when I walked in. After much browsing, this is what I decided on. I haven’t heard too much about the plot, except that it’s a horror novel playing with the idea of the characters from Scooby-Doo (without actually using them) being all grown up and haunted by their experiences. Should be a good time.

The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird is a graphic novel I’ve also been thinking of picking up for a while now. I had been quite tempted to pick up a physical edition, but I’m much more open to buying comics digitally than regular books, and this book was recently on sale for $10 digitally, so that sealed the deal. I enjoyed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a lot as a kid, though I haven’t read much of the comics. I’m looking forward to this, as it’s more of a “what if?” story that takes place in the future where they’re not teenagers anymore and also it’s just turtle, singular.

Novel Discoveries

The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti is a book I tracked down after I became more curious about the subject that the title is referring to. I’d seen a few videos talking about how there are only 36 stories, and I was really curious about looking into them. As should have been expected, it seems it is more one person’s extensive take than something rock-solid and definitive, but I am still very interested in giving it a look.

The Women of Troy by Pat Barker is a book I scanned to my Goodreads shelf last time I was at the bookstore. I abstained from buying any new books because I still have to settle Christmas expenses, but her books on Greek mythology have caught my eye before and this was no exception. Though I’m only going off of the title, it promises a perspective on the Trojan War that has me interested.

Closing Thoughts

This really has been a markedly different year for me, as professional circumstances have reading as a hobby significantly diminished. I’m a little sad about it, but even after a year I still struggle to balance it with my other interests. I still have a book I’m wanting to finish, though I don’t have a lot of time left to do so. Hopefully I can do it, but I can already feel my attention being divided.

I hope everybody has a safe and happy New Year. Did you receive any new books over the holidays? I’d love to hear about them.

Until next time, thank you for reading.