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December Books: 5 Reads for the End of the Year
Some cozy and uplifting reads to add to your "to-be-read" pile.
I've been enjoying reading and narratives in general so much more this year! Since we're coming up on the end of the year and the holiday season, I wanted to find some good books to enjoy. Some are cozy, some exciting and whimsical, and others are messy. A good mix to choose from!
The Midnight Library
By Matt Haig
I discovered Matt Haig on Instagram when I saw influencers talking about how people often feel saved by his books. The little mental health updates he wrote on his Instagram stories every now and then were enough to make me fall in love with his writing. His inspiring personality shines through every word.
The Midnight Library is a story about a girl named Nora who has many regrets. When she tries to take her own life, she ends up in a magical in-between, the Midnight Library, where she can explore every "what if?"
Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction
Edited by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Zelda Knight, and Sheree Renée Thomas
I found this read while on my (neverending) search for black fantasy and mythology. Africa Risen is an anthology of thirty-two stories that come in every shade of fantasy, folklore, and sci-fi. This body of work celebrates the African diaspora and of course, asserts that we deserve fantasy too.
I wanted to add a book to my TBR pile that was exciting and fresh. I've never read an anthology of stories before but I have a strong feeling I'm going to love this body of work.
Children of Virtue and Vengence
By Tomi Adeyemi
This one has been on my TBR for a while as I read the first book in this duology, Children of Blood and Bone, way back in 2020. At twenty years old, it was the first time I had read a book where all the characters were black!
In Children of Virtue and Vengeance, the main character, Zelie, continues her fight to destroy systems of oppression in Orisha after the cliffhanger of the last novel (iykyk).
The Island of Forgetting
By Jasmine Sealy
Set in Barbados and influenced by greek mythology, this is right up my street! I will in fact, be in Barbados this Christmas, so I'm imagining myself reading this on the beach with a tropical drink and I can't wait!
This story follows one family through multiple generations and scandals. From 1964 to 2019, we follow along as this family's vices continue to trickle down.
The Obstacle is the Way
By Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday is an author and enthusiast of stoic philosophy who I've learned so much from. I highly recommend his newsletter The Daily Stoic, and his Instagram content. If you like philosophy as I do, I highly recommend his stuff and I encourage you to check out some of my philosophy posts below!
The Obstacle is the Way is a book about how to turn tragedy into triumph. It draws upon stoic philosophy and has thousands of positive reviews on amazon as well as a GoodReads award!
I hope you found this helpful! If you liked this post, check out some of my other posts below and fell free to find me on insta @ariels_view.
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