what i read in... december!
apologies for the absence
hi! remember me? i can’t begin to come up with a reason for my lack of reading updates over the last few weeks other than december often feels like trying to squeeze 60% of your year’s socialising into one month (while also managing surviving retail at Christmas). it was a v busy but v wonderful month and although i didn’t get around to my usual weekly updates, i did do some reading and i thought this would be a nice chance to do some speed reviews before my regular updates return, and hopefully more writing from me!
if you would like to buy me a coffee to support my book reviewing you can do so here :)
as always, you can find me at ReadsByRoss on Instagram and TikTok for even more book recommendations!
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
The nostalgia was so real, and as a huge and very avid Hunger Games lover in my teenage years, I’ve no idea why this took me so long to get around to. I was absolutely distraught by the end. I cannot wait for the film!
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
I’m predicting this to be one of THE books of 2026, and while I found some of it enjoyable, I fear I expected much more from this story. I found it to be quite predictable and repetitive and the sex writing just not very good.
The Blood Miracles by Lisa McInerney
One of my eleventh hour discoveries of last year was Lisa McInerney’s fantastic and hilarious trilogy set in gangland West Cork. This was the second in it and just utterly captivating. Very good stuff!
The Employees by Olga Ravn
I wish I liked this more than I did because having met Olga in real life, I know how absurdly wonderful she is. I know this is loved by a lot so I think this was just a case of me not being clever enough for it…
Glyph by Ali Smith
Ali Smith will never do any wrong!! The second in her Gliff duology, this is about stories, ghosts, and how that blurry line between what is real and what is made up can impact us our whole lives. Whimsical and urgent in the way Ali Smith always is.
The Rules of Revelation by Lisa McInerney
An epic, kaleidoscopic finale to a fantastic trilogy, these books are so slept on and I’m here to say first and foremost they need more love!! Will guarantee a laugh from every page, maybe even every line.
Attention by Anne Enright
Someone whose mind I love spending time in is Anne Enright’s, so I was thrilled to get around to her first collection of essays, collected over 30 years, about her literary inspirations, about women’s voices in contemporary society, and how memory and her past have shaped her life. Simply excellent!
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
A classic for a reason. Utterly extraordinary. There’s simply not words to describe this book’s beauty in full.
Carol by Patricia Highsmith
Finally got around to this and loved it! An intense romance that read like a thriller, which makes sense knowing Highsmith is the mind behind the Talented Mr Ripley.
So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell
I didn’t love this as much as I thought I would! The writing was excellent and evocative but the story didn’t move me.
Human Acts by Han Kang
Similar to above, this had some truly sensational writing in the way you can expect from a Han Kang novel but I think this suffered from a story that had just too many perspectives. Not her best in my opinion but also not her worst.
Thank you for reading! See you next Monday when my weekly updates return!
Disappointed to hear this about Jeanette’s book 😩