December Reading Wrap Up

December turned out to be a surprisingly good reading month for me. Considering I had so much going on, I was amazed to finish five books. Admittedly, three of them are tiny but that's not the point!

THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO
My copy has gone AWOL so it's not pictured here but I read Karl Marx's The Communist Manifesto on the train to London. Perhaps it was because I was feeling pretty poorly at the time or maybe it's the text but I couldn't really get to grips with it. I found I was reading but not taking anything in. Now, two weeks later, I've pretty much completely forgotten everything I've read. A shame as I was looking forward to learning more about such a key part of recent history.
My rating 43%
Buy The Communist Manifesto here
IT WAS SNOWING BUTTERFLIES
When I went to Hamburg, I slipped this book into my case since I figured I wouldn't get much time for reading and it wasn't going to take up much space in my case. Over the two nights, I managed to finish it off which surprised me as I didn't think I'd find the time to read at all! It Was Snowing Butterflies is an account of Charles Darwin's adventures across the globe in the 1830s. Although I didn't find the book particularly compelling, it's undeniably beautifully written with stunning descriptions of the creatures and civilisations that Darwin experienced on his voyage.
My rating 50%
Buy It Was Snowing Butterflies here
OLALLA
I'm not sure what I was expecting when I picked up Robert Louis Stevenson's Olalla for another train journey but it certainly wasn't a gothic vampire story. I loved the vivid setting and the way a creepy atmosphere was expertly crafted, and it kept me guessing throughout. Towards the end, the pace slowed down a bit but for the most part I was really engrossed in the supernatural Spanish world.
My rating 61%
Buy Olalla here
MILK AND HONEY
I put this book on my Amazon wishlist after seeing Noor and Areeba praise it so much and then Rich bought it for me for Christmas. I dived in straight away and absolutely loved it. Rui Kaur's poems are personal and intimate, separated into four themes- hurting, loving, breaking and healing. Illustrated with crude but poignant sketches, each poem is deeply moving and have the power to speak to anyone. I didn't last long before I was crying.
My rating 74%
Buy Milk and Honey here
THE LITTLE STRANGER
Oh man, this book. This. Book. I recently re-read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters and loved it, so when I saw The Little Stranger in a charity shop, I figured I'd give it a whirl. I had no idea what I was letting myself in for. It was absolutely freaking terrifying. Scary enough that I wouldn't let Rich leave the bedroom while I was reading it because I was too spooked. Despite the absolute terror, it was a really amazing book. So engaging and such a great story that left me guessing even after I finished. It's probably the best book I read in the whole of 2016. You must try it- but maybe don't read it at night!
My rating 77%
Buy The Little Stranger here
You'll probably have noticed that I've rated my books with a percentage. This is something I've been doing for the past 7 months and it's helped me focus my opinion of each book I read. In a couple of weeks, I'll have a post about how I reach my percentage rating so keep an eye out for that. 
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