December Wrap-up: 2021 is Finally Over?!

Well technically it’s still 2021 as I write this and you read it. But yeah, this year is finally over. I don’t even know what to feel anymore because I was looking forward to the new year but seems like it’s visiting us with the Omicron variant. Sigh. New year, same story.

Anyway, I actually had a great month what with the semester ending and the holiday season 🙂

Books I Read

Okay, you would think the holidays meant I would be reading more and while that was kind of true I was also travelling quite a bit so I didn’t get to as many books as I wanted and had to lower my Goodreads reading goal. As I write this I’m also reading The Bone Spindle and Maybe You Should Talk to Someone so hopefully I’ll finish at least one of those.

TO BE A CAT

This was such a cute read with a good, interesting plot that I hadn’t expected. I listened to it in audiobook format and while I wasn’t surprised by most of the plot twists I really enjoyed listening to the story and you could say I was hooked as Barney became a cat and tried to get back to his old body. 4.5/5 stars

THE IVORY KEY

AHHHHH one of my most anticipated 2022 releases and I was so happy with how this panned out! The book was jam-packed with action and a plot that kept you on the edge of your seat with the fast-paced writing. I think my favourite part of this book has to be the cast of siblings and their dynamics. Everything was so complex and well-written and the banter between them was quite natural and fun to read. I’ll be posting a full review on my blog soon so keep an eye out for that! 4/5 stars

THE RECKLESS AFTERLIFE OF HARRIET STOKER

I had great expectations from this book but I felt the first half was kind of a letdown. The pacing was a bit slow and there was a lot of set-up. I didn’t connect with the mc and while I get that was kind of the point it did affect my reading experience. But the second half almost made up for it and I was absolutely glued to the book! And the side characters??? YOUR HONOUR I’LL DIE FOR THEM.

CRUSHING

This is such a beautiful graphic novel about being lonely and giving amongst crowds in a big city and how draining the whole experience can be. I don’t want to spoil it much but what I can say is that the colour palette is beautiful. The amount of emotion and story the artist is able to convey through the select two-three colours is just amazing. I read an e-arc for this and will be writing a full review soon. 4/5 stars

FOX 8

This was such an interesting story where you see our world from a fox’s point of view. It was sweet and short and while the language threw me off in the beginning, I gradually got used to it. I won’t spoil anything but this is what, 21 pages? So go read it, especially if you need to get to your Goodreads goal, lol. 3.5 stars

A WORK OF ART

Not my cup of tea at all. It was quite predictable and I didn’t get the point of this really? Yes, the writing was good but there wasn’t much of a plot and I expected more from this. 3/5 stars

THE LUMP OF COAL

A cut and short story. Again, this wasn’t much of a plot story but I liked reading it. I guess I need to have different expectations from some of these short stories. 3.5/5 stars

HEATWAVE

I didn’t like this book at all. The premise was very promising and the blurb made it seem like it was a sort of a mystery but really it was more of an exploratory coming of age thing and I wasn’t into it. 2/5 stars

Books I Hauled

QUIET: THE POWER OF INTROVERTS IN A WORLD THAT CAN’T STOP TALKING

I’ve been looking to read this one for so long and I finally came across a very cheap copy and immediately bought it. I’ve heard nothing but good things about it and hello have you read that title??

THE GREATEST BENGALI STORIES EVER TOLD

I came across this book and the translator is my professor so I immediately picked it up. I’ve also been meaning to read more anthologies and short stories so this was honestly the perfect buy.

Everything I Binge-Watched

MOVIES

FINDING FANNY

This was such a fun and comedic watch! I mean the cast had my expectations pretty high and while the plot isn’t quite the best I enjoyed the antics of the characters very much.

MISSION KASHMIR

I was working on a presentation regarding Kashmir and media so I watched this one as a part of it. I mean… critically speaking this movie is all propaganda. Not a fan of Sanjay Dutt but I guess Hritik Roshan did a good job.

FANNA

Despite this movie also being nationalist propaganda and kind of creepy in some ways I really did enjoy it. The acting was great and ooof the soundtrack is just chef’s kiss. Maybe it’s mostly my nostalgia but I would say it’s worth a watch just for the soundtrack.

FREE GUY

Oh my god, this movie was a blast! I loved the concept and really enjoyed the way it was executed. And omg nobody told me it would have Steve from Stranger Things?? Would highly recommend it, especially if you’re into video games or gaming streams and such.

THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 1 & 2

I’m just gonna be grouping the Spiderman movies that I watched as I prepared to watch No Way Home. I’ve never finished watching The Amazing Spiderman series cause I think I got kinda bored halfway but godamn, Andrew Garfield makes an incredible Spiderman and I thoroughly enjoyed watching both movies.

SPIDERMAN 1 & 2

I wanted to watch the third one as well but I was really short on time. Spiderman 1 and 2 are a lot of what I remember and loved. Of course, since it’s so old some parts are strange and MJ doesn’t have a huge role but I still enjoyed the movies. They carry the original nostalgia and Toby McGuire just kills it although some of his acting choices are so strange, lol.

SPIDERMAN HOMECOMING

This has always been my favourite Spiderman movie ever but now that I’ve rewatched it what 5 times? I think that the Andrew Garfield movies and this one are at the same level. Wow, watch me grow. I mean these movies have such different vibes with Homecoming leaning towards a more humorous vibe. I also find Tom Holland to be the most relatable Spiderman so I’m a bit biased that way.

SPIDERMAN NO WAY HOME

IT WAS TOTALLY WORTH BINGE-WATCHING ALL THOSE OTHER SPIDERMAN MOVIES. I FUCKING LOVED THIS SO MUCH. Like no spoilers but wow. There’s no topping this movie. I’ve been so disappointed with most of what Marvel has been coming out with lately but they blew it out of the world with this one. I just can’t wait to rewatch it and fangirl over all the parallels and moments that made me scream.

HAPPIEST SEASON

Oh my god this is the trashiest movie I’ve watched in so long. I was terribly let down. To start with, this movie is SO slow. I literally was skipping so many parts. Every part of it is so predictable. I think Dan Levy was the only good thing in this movie and even his character wasn’t giving the best advice. I literally saw almost no expressions from Kristen Stewart and her love interest was such a terrible character who got forgiven for everything she did with no repercussions or thinking. Just a big gesture was enough. I’m just so mad that no nuances were really explored in this movie, it was such a flop for me and my friends.

TV SHOWS

THE CIRCLE S3

Umm, I was really sick for a good two days so I just decided to binge-watch a trashy show and put this one. It was kinda meh, most of the people were so un-memorable and ultimately I just let it play in the background. A good trashy watch if I may but nothing more than that.

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

Quickly adding this because I just binge-watched this show in a single sitting. Love the mystery-comedy vibe! Quite a bit of stuff was predictable but it was still interesting and fun to follow. Can’t wait for the next season 🙂

Life Updates

A lot happened this past month!

It started with a bang as I got to attend my first virtual author event with Akshaya Raman for The Ivory Key. It was such a fun experience! Unfortunately I immediately caught a bad stomach bug and I’ve actually had such little appetite since then. Anyway, December meant finals and the end of the monsoon semester which was stressful but it’s always great to get to the end of a semester. I had so much fun on campus with my friends. We were all looking forward to coming back for offline classes next semester but unfortunately Omicron has decided to drop by and so it looks like we’ll be reverting back to staying at home. It honestly sucks and I don’t think I’ve fully processed it since it’s only been a couple of days since I got the news. I’m trying not to think too much about it and focus on the fact that I was able to plan a trip with my friends before covid spiked up again.

I had such great fun on my little trip! I had gone to Bombay with a couple of my friends where we spent about a week staying at another friend’s place. It was just so good to see them all together, go to different places and eat all sorts of food. And oh my god you all that city has an insane number of stray cats and they’re the friendliest creatures ever! The covid cases did start spiking even while I was there and I’m just glad I came back on time. I didn’t really celebrate Christmas, just went out for dinner with friends and did a secret santa exchange. It was still the best Christmas I’ve ever had 🙂

So yes, I would say December has been quite good to me. I’m not holding any expectations for the next year, especially January. It’s very likely we’re going to be seeing a third wave of covid in India and I’m honestly exhausted of talking about it. I’m just going to do my best to stay safe and make it through whatever the new year is going to bring.

I hope you all have had a good December and that 2022 is kinder to you. Happy New Year!

How was your December?

Have you read any of the books or watched any of the movies I mentioned?

What are you looking forward to the most in 2022?