December 2020 Wrap-Up
Happy New Year everyone ☀️!! I hope you all had a good time this holiday season despite the circumstances. I really hope that 2021 brings us health, happiness, and many good things ☺️ Gauging by the current state of things, I’m not sure how this year will go, but one important thing I think we all learned in 2020 was to live one day at a time. Although this isn’t the most inspiring way to live, it has helped us get through this tough time. So, take it easy and have hope 🌼 Make sure you do things that are good for you, but also keep others in mind. Let’s all try to do what is best for ourselves and the world 😉
I’m really excited for this new year! For me, 2020 was both a very bad year and, somewhat, a good one. I had two graduations, started a completely new phase of my life, my mental health is improving (slow but steady), and I started blogging! I am so so SOO proud of myself and I’m overjoyed that I made the decision to join this community 😆! It’s unbelievable that I’ve been doing this for six months now 😳 I’ve never been one to make resolutions, but this year I really want to make sure that I continue putting as much work and dedication to this part of my life, which I love so much. Please let me know some of your goals this year!
Anyways, today I bring you my wrap-up post for December 📚! I think it was a pretty good month considering that I was doing Blogmas and had finals, so I’m thrilled about how much I read and the amount of movies and shows I watched. If you don’t know yet, I’m a story junkie. I love books, movies, TV shows, plays, musicals, and basically anything that is considered creative media, which means that I consume a lot of these on a monthly basis and I talk a lot about them on this post. So, without further ado, I really hope you guys have fun with it 😄!
This month I read six wonderful books!! Most of these weren’t very long, but I did have a great time with all of them. December was a great reading month and I’m so happy that I got to wrap up the year with these stories. On this occasion I won’t be talking about all of them because I have already mentioned some of them several times on previous posts, but I’ll make sure to link them in case any of you are interested in knowing more about them ☺️
✨ The Christmas Pact by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5 stars — This was an amazing Christmas story. It was very short and very sweet. The plot wasn’t very elaborate, but it worked with the narrative. It’s kind of a rivals-to-lovers dynamic, but very short lived. There were also elements of the plot that I have seen several times in other novels, but it wasn’t too cliché or repetitive. Overall, it isn’t surprising and it isn’t mind-blowing, but a great, feel-good holiday romance. I do recommend it if you’re looking for a fresh read. [Goodreads]
✨ Brave by Jennifer L. Armentrout (A Wicked Trilogy #3) | ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5 stars — This is the last book in the A Wicked Trilogy and I actually had fun reading it. It wasn’t my favorite of the series, and I did expect more of the story, but the ending was kind of original. Unfortunately, it also was a little anticlimactic. I’m not sure if there are more books in this series (I think not), but it just left me a little high and dry. Things were over quickly, but at least we got a good ending. [Goodreads]
✨ Until Sadie by Sarah Curtis | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars — This was the first ARC I have received and read, and I had an amazing time with it. I will admit that I did not have high expectations going into it because I have read many novels set in this world, but I was surprised. It had a very nice plot with a lot more action and crime than I expected (nothing over the top though). The characters were great to read about as well. I liked that it was narrated from Dean’s POV, and I particularly enjoyed that he wasn’t too dominant (which happens very often in these kind of books). Overall, it was great, and if you like this type of books definitely give it a shot. If you want to know more about it, my review will be up on January 15, which is also the release date for it! [Goodreads]
✨ From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5 stars — Can someone please explain to me if Mariana Zapata is a witch or something? She writes books that are not the type of novels that I usually enjoy. They are long, very descriptive, and (so far) always include a painfully slow romance. I usually don’t like any of these things because I get bored and I just want to give up. However, I have devoured all of the three books of hers that I’ve read. I think I read this in a day and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I fell in love with Jasmine, I thought she was one of the best main character ever and her character development was over the roof. I’m not sure I enjoyed the romance aspect as much as I hoped, I wouldn’t even categorize it as one because it wasn’t until the very end that it actually happened. Instead, Ivan and Jasmine had a beautiful friendship that I loved reading about and, although I did ship them all of the time, it wasn’t as romantic as I thought it would be. [Goodreads]
Other books I read:
- Layla by Colleen Hoover | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 / 5 stars
- Faking Under the Mistletoe by Ashley Shepherd | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 / 5 stars
If you want to know more about these two check out my post on My Favorite Books of 2020!
If you read my previous (and first) wrap up post, you probably know that I watch a lot of TV. It is my way to unwind after a long day, and whether that is with books or television, I don’t really mind. This month I watched 14 movies and 4 seasons across 4 TV shows 😄! This is incredibly similar to November, which is a little creepy, but I’ll just assume it is my monthly average 😅 Anyways, I obviously won’t be talking about all these because that would be both very tiresome and ridiculous, so I’ll just be highlighting those that I think deserve a mention (whether it be for good or bad 😉).
🌎 Boy Meets World — Season 1 🌎
Main Cast: Ben Savage, Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, William Daniels.
My Rating: ⭐️ 8 / 10 stars ⭐️
This is a beautiful show and I really recommend it if you haven’t watched it yet. It’s filled with life lessons and it’s perfect for the family. It doesn’t matter if you’re five or eighty years old, you will enjoy this and you will learn something. Cory, our main character, is hilarious and very endearing. I’m loving watching him learn and grow with everything that life throws at him. Please give it a chance even if TV shows aren’t your thing. This is truly amazing.
👩🏽🍳 MasterChef Celebrity: Colombia — Season 2 👩🏽🍳
Main Cast: Claudia Bahamón, Jorge Rausch, Nicolás de Zubiría, Christopher Carpentier.
My Rating: ⭐️ 8.5 / 10 stars ⭐️
I love watching MasterChef, particularly Latin American editions. In Colombia, the production that goes into this is off the charts–they have mastered the structure of this reality show. I even like it more than my own country’s version (which I’m currently watching too). The most interesting part of it (if you aren’t familiar with it) is that the competitors are actually Colombian celebrities of all kinds: singers, actors, influencers, athletes… A little bit of everything. I had previously seen the first season but I do think this one was way better. The dynamic and relationships between all of the people participating (and the judges) was hilarious and very entertaining.
🎅🏼 The Christmas Chronicles 🎅🏼
Main Cast: Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, Judah Lewis.
My Rating: ⭐️ 6.5 / 10 stars ⭐️
This, unfortunately, is probably what I enjoyed watching the LEAST this month. I did not have high hopes for this because it did not appeal to me. I watched it after many people recommended it, but it is not that good of a Christmas film. The concept and the portrayal of Santa Clause was great, and I think Kurt Russell did a fantastic job with the character. I also really liked the character growth of the older brother. However, both the elves and the little sister were soooo ANNOYING. They destroyed the film for me. I did not like them. I’m sorry if you did, and I do understand the appeal, but I cannot agree with you. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will be watching the second part of this story–I’ll never say never, but I highly doubt it. If you are a fan of Christmas films, I don’t want to discourage you because it’s not bad. It’s very well produced, has a lot of adventure and drama, and a beautiful message about Christmas. It just wasn’t my favorite.
🦸🏻♀️ Wonder Woman: 1984 🦸🏻♀️
Main Cast: Gal Gadot, Christ Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal.
My Rating: ⭐️ 7.5 / 10 stars ⭐️
Who else is a superhero fan? I definitely am. Although I do prefer Marvel movies, I have nothing against DC comics and I actually think many people are overly critical towards it. I really liked most of the movies and Wonder Woman is one of my favorite superhero movies EVER. So, I was obviously very excited for the second installment. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. This is a great movie–great actors and characters, had much more comedy in it, and I even cried twice–, but I prefer the first one. I think that the villains were a little underwhelming (though they did make a huge mess), the pacing was slower, the message at the end wasn’t my favorite, and some of the action scenes were a little weird. I do recommend it, specially if you liked the first one, but it’s not one that will blow your mind.
Everything else that I watched:
- Locas Por el Cambio
- Austin and Ally — Season 1 (rewatch)
- Wizards of Waverly Place — Season 1 (rewatch)
- La La Land (rewatch)
- Home Alone 1 & 2 (rewatch)
- Tini: The New Life of Violetta (rewatch)
- Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas (rewatch)
- Night at the Museum 2: Battle at the Smithsonian (rewatch)
- Avengers (rewatch)
- Avengers: Infinity War (rewatch)
- Avengers: Endgame (rewatch)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (rewatch)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (rewatch)
If you want to know more about any of these let me know and I’ll answer any questions you might have!
Community Highlights
🌺 Sofi over at A Book. A Thought. had the amazing idea of creating a book blogger list as a way support the community and help everyone discover new blogs! It doesn’t matter the number of followers that you have, you just need to let her know you want to be a part of it ☺️ Make sure to check out some of the other blogs on the list as well.
🌺 Do you guys need some inspiration on what to read next? Well, good news! Alicia @ A Colorful Bibliophile created her own Book Bingo with all kinds of prompts on different kinds of books you can read, and each month this year will have its own set of prompts 😆 Definitely make sure to check it out and it doesn’t matter if you can’t complete each of them, just try your best and definitely go support her!
🌺 Not one, not two, not three, but FOUR amazing bloggers decided to come together and create a collaboration blog!! I mean… There’s not much that trumps that, amiright 😉? Definitely go check out That Weird Club created by Riddhi @ Whispering Stories, Tiction @ Fictionally Crazy, Nehal @ Books and Words, and Aanya @ Potterhead Aanya!
Some of my Favorite Posts from Other Blogs
🌼 Jess @ Comfort Books wondered what it would be like if she had to have a limited amount of books and made a list with the 20 books she would keep.
🌼 Have you ever been confused about some of the terms used in the bookish community? Fret no more! T. K. @ Genie in a Novel made an instructional post on how to speak book nerd!
🌼 I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a serial re-reader. I can never part from my favorite books and I always end up going back to them. Because of that, I loved reading Rachel’s discussion post on re-reading books over at her blog A Bookworm’s Paradise.
🌼 During Blogmas, I had the joy of discovering many new blogs. Jen @ Book, Brew, Blanket had amazing posts through December and definitely deserves a highlight. I particularly enjoyed her post on some of her five favorite Christmas movies, books, sweets, and more!
🌼 The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is one of my favorite romance novels. So, I was over the moon when I found out that Ashmita over at The Fictional Journal listened to the audiobook! I loved reading her thoughts on it and she has definitely made me want to give audiobooks a try now.
Your heart is broken, but not permanently shattered.
We have all lived through moments that test our resilience and push us to our limits. If you haven’t gone through something like this before, this year you probably did or in the future you will. At times like this it can be hard to remember that things will get better. I’m confirming it to you now that things do get better. And if you’re feeling sad, scared, or angry, just remember that your feelings are justified and there’s no way to overcome them without confronting them.
We’re living in a time in which most people are ruled by fear and we need to make sure that we’re taking care of ourselves. Please make sure that you talk to someone or vent in some way. I’ve never been the best at expressing my feelings, and I still am not. I hardly speak to anyone about what goes on in my life. That’s not very good, but at least I’m working to be better, and I have found things that help me cope and help me process my feelings. Make sure to find ways to let off steam and relax because that will definitely help you feel more like yourself as well.
What are some of the movies and books you loved in December? What are some of your new year resolutions?
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Fantastic wrap up Pilar!! So glad to see so many highly rated books… and I’m eyeing all the Avengers movies you rewatched, I’m a huge fan too! Happy 2021! 🙌
Thanks Cherelle!! Happy New Year! ☺️
I also rewatched both Home Alone movies! 😀
They’re both too good!! The ultimate Christmas classics 😄
Thank you so much for the love on my post! 🤗
I’m excited to take a look at the other ones you mentioned! 😁
I really hope you like them!! ☺️
OMG!! I LOVE this post so much! 😍 your voice is so special and the honesty with which you speak really touched my heart. 🥺🥺✨✨ I wish you only the best for this 2021, I hope it is full of positive moments and blessings ❤️ & thank you SO much for mentioning my project, it makes me happy that you liked the idea 😊
Thank you so much Sofii!! I’m really glad you liked the post ☺️ Happy new year to you too! I hope it brings you endless joy and blessings 🤗
It seems like you accomplished quite a lot in 2020, Pilar! And I am beyond impressed that you managed to participate in blogmas and still read and watch this much! 😂
It’s really interesting that you didn’t like The Christmas Chronicles as much as those other movies – that’s actually the only Christmas movie I’ve ever watched that I really didn’t like at all 😅 But I think Santa annoyed me even more than the little girl – that scene in jail was just sooo cringy 🙈
And as for 2021: my biggest goal is probably to finish my master’s thesis! And I also want to improve my Russian and get it to at least a B1+ level. And read some more non-British classics. So I guess we’ll see how well I do 😅
Ohhh, that jail scene hurt to watch!! I do get why Santa might’ve annoyed you, but I think that because I like Kurt Russell so much as an actor, I was already a little biased 😅
I really hope you achieve your goals for 2021 Naemi!! I’m sure you’ll complete all of them with no problems 😎😉 Seriously, I know you’ll smash all of them! 😄
Aww, thanks for having so much faith in me ❤ I’m sure you’ll do amazing on your goals, too!
What a lovely post! Seems like you had a great reading month. You watch a LOT of movies! Isntbthere a tv show called “girl meets World”. Is it like related?
I am so glad that you have decided to give audiobooks a try!!! Let me know how you like it? 😊
Thank you Ashmita!! I know 😅 I watch a little too much TV 😬 And yes!! Girl Meets World is a spin-off of Boy Meets World!
I’ll definitely venture into the audiobook journey with The Hating Game. I mean, is there a better way to start than with a book I know I like? And you’ve already confirmed that the audiobook is great so I can’t wait!! ☺️
Oh thankx for the info😊 yes! U should definitely start the audiobook thing. I can’t wait to know ur thoughts.
Ps. If you don’t like it don’t tell me. I don’t wanna hate u. 😂😂 Just kidding btw.
😂😂
I haven’t read any of those books but they look interesting! Also I’m so jealous you’ve seen Wonder Woman!! I’m dying to see it ahah
I’m so glad I was able to watch it so soon! I really hope you have the chance too!!
This is such an amazing post love!! I really need to get to watching Boy meets world too, haha! I read a lot of books and watched I am not okay with this! It was such a good show but it ended on a cliffhanger aaah!!
Ugh, I hate cliffhangers 😣 I avoid them as much as I can!!
I’m so glad you liked the post Alissa! And I hope you like Boy Meets World if you do decide to watch it 😄
Loved your post, and I will definitely be checking out those TV series you watched!
And I am really happy that you enjoyed reading my discussion post. Thanks for mentioning it😊
I’m so glad you liked it Rachel!! And props to you for writing such a great post!! I can’t believe it was your first discussion 😄 It was wonderful!
Aw, thanks a lot!
Aye, u had a nice month 🤩.
I never make any goals and resolutions coz they feel like formality to me when I.know I won’t be able to accomplish them 😆😂😅.
Also, thank u so so so much Pilar for mentioning our blog 😍🤗😍.
Ur the besst.
Btw, can u just change my sitw name from Nehal Says to Books and Words…?
I completely agree with the resolutions 😅 I just try to set myself attainable goals throughout the year when I’m feeling in the mood to actually try to do them.
I’m so sorry for the confusion!! I’ll change it right away ☺️ Thanks for letting me know!
Haha
No problem! Thanks
Awesome post!!!
Thanks for mentioning our blog!!
I hope you are having a nice day!!
Thank you!! And the blog is amazing 😄 I can’t wait to see all the wonderful things you guys will come up with!!
😀
Books- Pour Your Heart Into It, I Was Anastasia, and Howl’s Moving Castle
Movies (those were typically the ones I watch over the Holidays)- Elf, The first 2 Home Alone, all 3 Santa Claus- those were rewatches. One of them was new- Jingle Jangle.
Well, don’t know if I can do everything that’s the best for me- only can do part of that
All those movies are great! I couldn’t watch Elf this year, but it’s amazing too 😄
There are some movies that are tradition to watch- that does include Elf
Ah! Thank you for the shout out!! Oh, Wow, I haven’t watched Boy Meets World in forever, definitely need to rewatch that now! <3
It’s a great show!! And I can’t wait to try some of the prompts from the bingo, you did a great job with it Alicia!! ☺️
Thank You so much!! <3 <3
Hi, first of all, thanks for giving our blog a shout out!
Second off, where did you watch Boy meets World? And is it like Cory from Girl Meets World? because I love Girl Meets World!
The blog looks wonderful and super fun, so props to all of you guys!! 😄
And yes! Girl Meets World is a spin-off of Boy Meets World, which is Cory’s story (aka Riley’s dad 😉 but you already knew that). The shows are very similar regarding all the lessons and endearing moments. Obviously keep in mind that BMW is much older, but I think almost everything they talk about holds up to what we’re going through nowadays ☺️
Thanks Pilar!
Ohkay!
Oh, I forgot to say that I’m watching it on Disney plus. I think it’s also available for rent or purchase on other platforms, but I’m not sure which ones.
Ohh okay thanks!