DECEMBER 2020 PLAYLIST + WRAP UP

Firmly putting 2020 behind us as we welcome the new year. But first, let recap…

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DECEMBER AND THE YEAR THAT WAS

December was an easy-going month for me. Very much taking advantage of my paid leaves by lazing about as promised.

And speaking of staying at home, for me, one of the upside of the lockdowns is that office Christmas parties were done in Zoom. Which means less peopling activities for social butterflies (NOT!) like me. I even won 500 kachinkas worth of gift certificate in the raffle. Nothing big, about as much as the price of a paperback. But it’s my first time winning any raffles so I’m taking that as a good sign for the coming year.

As everyone have noted, 2020 was a dumpster fire. I spent my 2020 keeping myself sane in a bubble of books, music and blogging. With long commutes out of the way, I had more time to work on my blog, making this my most productive blogging year so far.

There were a couple of changes to the blog. I started doing the monthly wrap-ups and playlists at the latter half of the year. I also made changes to my blogging schedule. They’re working out well so far.

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SONGS OF DECEMBER

Awesome selection of songs this month from some of my favorite artists. We have Des Rocs, The Irrepressibles, IAMX, Jeff Buckley and Perfume Genius. New discoveries include Daunt, Sunstained, The Bonnevilles and singer-songwriters Joshua Hyslop and James Blake. Rounding out the list are 80s megabands Alphaville and INXS and the age-less Gwen Stefani singing a catchy Christmas song about Santa.

I also posted a Christmas playlist inspired by the Grinch. All in all, a great month for music.

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DECEMBER READS

• Screwed – K.M. Neuhold (4 stars) contemporary romance, construction worker, fake husband, woke up married, humor
• Unhallowed – Jordan L. Hawk (4 stars) paranormal, mystery, Widdershins, librarian, magic, curse, tentacles, books
• Headlines – Ella Frank (3 stars) contemporary romance, brother’s bestfriend, established couple, new anchor, police detective, opposites attract
• My Whole World – Davidson King (3.5 stars) contemporary romance, interracial, night club, age-gap, crime, mystery, size difference, Haven Hart
• Handled – Romilly King (5 stars) dark, crime, serial killers, suspense, procedural, law enforcement, partners to lovers, BDSM, mystery, pain kink
• The Prince and His Captivating Carpenter – Charlie Cochet (3.5 stars) paranormal, royalty, shifter, bear, coyote, quest, size difference, grief, healing, magic
• The King and His Vigilant Valet – Charlie Cochet (5 stars) paranormal, shifter, royalty, mythical creature, disability, magic, slow burn, friends to lovers
• Secret Santa – Jay Northcote (3.5 stars) contemporary romance, fluff, Christmas, single dad, online dating, miscommunication
• Shot In The Dark – Riley Long (3.4 stars) contemporary, paranormal, urban fantasy, vampire, rock star, fake husband, gay for you
• Cleansed – Romilly King (5 stars) dark, crime, serial killers, mystery, suspense, procedural, law enforcement, established couple, BDSM, pain kink
• Polished – Romilly King (4.5 stars) dark, crime, serial killers, mystery, suspense, procedural, law enforcement, established couple, BDSM, pain kink

December was dominated by the delectably dark romance series, Handled. It went all the way to the #1 spot in MY TOP 10 READS OF 2020.

Another 5-star book is the sweet Paranormal Prince finale, The King and His Vigilant Valet. It was a fabulously epic happy ending to a love story thousands of years in the making.

My holiday read for this year is Secret Santa, a sweet, low-angst, online dating romance. Although big on miscommunication, it makes up for it with amazing chemistry.

Headlines was the biggest letdown this month. The Prime Time series started strong but the rest of the books weren’t that impressive. This finale had more or less the same issues with the second book, that is lack of substantial plot.

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MANGA

• Perfect Appearance – 阿闷aman
• Falling In Love With The God Hotei Before I Die – Hinagi
• Don’t Stay Gold – Yoneda Kou
• Ameiro Curriculum – Sakazaki Haru
• The Light Of Summer – Clove
• Kimi To Wa Gokai Kara Hajimarimashita Ga – Mishima Kazuhiko
• Keppeki Danshi Kouryakuhou – Pipipi
• Doukyuusei Seikatsu – Kinoshita Keiko
• Kitsune no Natsu – Nacolat

Stand outs for this month are the flufftastic fairy tale, Perfect Appearance, the equally squishy Kimi To Wa Gokai Kara Hajimarimashita Ga and the slightly raunchy Falling In Love With The God Hotei Before I Die.

Find out which ones made it to MY TOP BL MANGA OF 2020.

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ON THE BLOG THIS BLOG

Short Films:

• In Einem Moment (In A Moment)
• Wetstone
• Dominant Chord
• Magico

Misc:

• FAVORITE COVERS: November 2020
• FIRST LINES FRIDAY 56: Out
• 2020 END OF THE YEAR BOOK TAG
• SONGS OF 2020: January to June
• BAH HUMBUG CHRISTMAS TAG
• MINI MOVIE REVIEWS: Charming Hometown Holiday Treats and an Epic Love Affair At The End Of The World
• SONGS OF 2020: July to December
• MY YEAR IN BOOKS: 2020 Yearly Book Wrap-up
• MY TOP 10 READS OF 2020
• MY TOP BL MANGA OF 2020

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Thanks for reading!