What I've Been Reading - December - and Some 2016 Favorites

I thought I would start the new year with a post about reading. I posted some of the holiday books I enjoyed last month already, and most of what I read in December were holiday books (and most of those read curled up with hot cocoa near the Christmas tree, which must come down soon—sob), but I read a few things that weren't and some holiday stories after the last post. That's what I'm giving you here. I've also tried to compile a favorites list for you, but I'm horrible at those because I can't limit myself to a reasonable number of anything. But first, here are some (more) books I read and enjoyed in December:

Winter Oranges by Marie Sexton - This isn't really a holiday story, though it does partly take place over the holidays. It's a warm and lovely romance between a former child star/B-list actor trying to escape Hollywood and a man from the Civil War era trapped outside time.

Hearts Alight by Elliot Cooper - A short Hanukkah romance that's very sweet and has an interesting paranormal elemant. My only complaint is that I would have liked just a bit more.

Disarming Donner by Charlie Cochet - The latest in the author's North Pole series is just as enjoyable as earlier stories in the series. These are such fun holiday stories in a fantasy world I enjoy revisiting. I assume we'll get Dasher's story next year and I'm looking forward to it.

Ibiza on Ice by Gillian St. Kevern - I was slow to warm up to Aston (who is the ex of the main character in The Ugliest Sweater which I also read in December), but the story ended up being a fun and funny holiday romance. Aston grows a lot, and I was cheering for him and Niklas to work it out. 

Island of Glass by Nora Roberts - This is the final book in her latest paranormal trilogy, which takes to Ireland where the six guardians must complete their quest, and I enjoyed it (and the previous two books) very much.

A Midnight Clear by Emma Barry and Genevieve Turner - This also isn't really a holiday romance, though part of it does take place over Christmas. I found this to be a delightful story with a charming hero and a very sweet romance. Set in 1948, it's a prequel novella to the authors' Fly Me to the Moon series, which I will absolutely be reading.

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood - I decided to read this because I'm a huge fan of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, and I wanted to try the books that the show is based on. The premise of both is a lady detective in Melbourne, Australia in the 1920s, solving crimes and wearing fabulous clothes. Phryne Fisher is a wonderful character, and I found the novella as enjoyable, though a bit different than the show.

So that's December's reads. As for favorites for the year, they were difficult to decide on. I read 163 books this year and I enjoyed so many of them that it was difficult to choose just a few as favorites and I'm sure I've missed something wonderful that I'll remember and wish I'd included as soon as I post this. But, in random order, here are some favorites from 2016:

---

Overexposed by Megan Erickson

The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr

Death by Silver and Death at the Dionysus Club by Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold

Hexbreaker and Hexmaker by Jordan L. Hawk

Power Play and Empty Net by Avon Gale

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Fallow by Jordan L. Hawk

His Royal Secret and His Royal Favorite by Lilah Pace

Wriggle and Sparkle by Megan Derr

Strong Signal and Fast Connection by Megan Erickson and Santino Hassell 

Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall

The Obsession by Nora Roberts

A Seditious Affair and A Gentleman's Position by KJ Charles

​Dirty Heart by Rhys Ford

Rag and Bone by KJ Charles

I could absolutely keep going, but I'll stop there. I hope you've found something new for your tbr, though. If you want to check out 2016's reading recap posts (in which I talk about each of these books and many others I enjoyed), you can find them here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

What have you been reading lately? And what are you looking forward to reading in 2017? Whatever it is, I hope you read many wonderful books this year.