As the year wraps up, I wanted to tell you about some cool stuff I found that made me happy. If you're looking for something to read, I hope you like these as much as I did.

Choosing a single favorite book proved to be a tough task. You might recall my fondness for fantasy and sci-fi. Well, this year, I not only met but exceeded my reading challenge of 50 books — I managed to devour 104!

While some were a hit-or-miss, there were a handful of absolute gems.

One standout for me is "The Will of The Many" by James Islington. It's the first part of a trilogy and came out this year.

What is it about? At Catenan Academy, a young man discovers lots of secrets and mysteries. I kept me on the edge of my seat and I can't wait for the next book.

If you're interested, you can find more about The Will of the Many (Hierarchy, #1)

Another book I enjoyed is a mystery novel. All the books by Robert Galbraith (who is actually J.K. Rowling) are great.

In "The Running Grave," my favorite detectives, Strike and Robin, deal with a cult called the Universal Humanitarian Church.

If you don't know these characters and the books seem a bit much, you could try watching the "C.B. Strike" mini-series to see if you like it.

Curious about "The Running Grave"? Find more details (and reviews) on Goodreads.

Happy reading, and here's to finding more cool stuff next year!

Cheers,

Tania.

PS:

In my next message, I'll tell you about some movies and TV shows I liked this year.

Challenging vocabulary from this email:

• wrap up: reach the end (of the year)
• devour: to read or consume something eagerly and quickly
• standout: something that is particularly impressive or notable
• gems: excellent books (in this context)
• hit-or-miss: this phrase means that some of the books I read were enjoyable and satisfying (hits), while others may have been disappointing or not as enjoyable (misses)