December 2024 Wrap Up

Hey, guys! I’m so glad to be back. This is the first post I’ve written since I had my little girl and while maternity leave has been great it feels nice to write again. Currently, I have my little partner in crime in my lap while I’m writing and life could not be better. My reading, however, could be. Let me tell you postpartum brain is a real thing and I have not been able to focus on anything. So let’s get to my scrawny December 2024 wrap up.

A Christmas Carol

Synopsis:

A Christmas Carol became an instant classic. Scrooge’s transformation from grumpy miser to charitable figure carries a heart-warming message for the Christmas season – a time of peace and goodwill to all men.

My Rating: 5/5

My Thoughts: A Christmas Carol just gets better every time I read it. Usually, I listen to it on audiobook but this year I physically read it and enjoyed it even more. It really scratched the itch I had to read a Victorian Christmas classic.

The Chimes

Synopsis:

The Chimes is a novella by Charles Dickens about a poor, elderly man who loses faith in humanity and is visited by spirits on New Year’s Eve.

My Rating: 2/5

My Thoughts: The Chimes didn’t work quite as well as The Christmas Carol in my opinion. Honestly, it felt like the discounted depressing version of The Christmas Carol. Ultimately, it felt a little formulaic considering it followed the same structure but just lacked the charm of it’s predecessor.

Markheim

Synopsis: “Markheim” appeared in Stevenson’s 1887 short story collection, The Merry Men and Other Tales and Fables. The story concerns strange, vaguely supernatural happenings at an antique shop on Christmas Day that may involve the Devil himself.

My Rating: 2/5

My Thoughts: I’m not completely sure what I read. I couldn’t focus to be honest. It was too short to develop much depth at all so it just felt lacking. I get the concept but the execution wasn’t great.

So that was my December 2024 wrap up. What did you read this month?