All the Light We Cannot See was my book club's choice read for the month. I didn't think I would like it, but I ended up really enjoying it, but everyone else in my book club seemed to dislike it. Most didn't even finish it, which really surprised me!

My favorite reads were A Man Called Ove and Uprooted. Both have been on my TBR for a while and they did not disappoint. Ove was a heartwarming story about a grumpy old man set in his ways, and Uprooted is a great fantasy with a strong female lead. It's not part of a series, so if you're looking for an engaging read that you won't get sucked into for years, it's a great choice.

I think I only stitched 2-3 days this month, but I made a little progress on my raven.

March is bringing big things! We're going on a huge vacation (#1 on my bucket list) and let's just say it involves two 10.5+ hour flights, Harry Potter, going "across the pond" and I CANNOT WAIT! I hope to tell you so much more about it in my next recap!

How was your February? Do you have big plans for March? 

I read a total of 10 books in December! Which then led me to completing my Ultimate 2016 Goodreads Reading Challenge of reading 120 books on Thursday, December 22, when I finished Three Dark Crowns. I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to make it, but then I did - and with time to spare! I could have squeezed in a few more books but I didn't want to feel like I was rushing, and I dedicated the rest of the year to my cross stitching.

I also managed to listen to a total of 62 audiobooks in 2016, surpassing my challenge of 50 for the 2016 Audiobook Challenge hosted by The Book Nympho.

The Penryn & the End of Days series had been on my tbr list for a long while and since it was available with my Kindle Unlimited subscription via audio, I thought I'd take advantage of the chance. The Vanishing Girl series is also one I found through my Kindle Unlimited series.

I'm still sad The Queen of the Tearling series is over :( but I'm so happy to have the final installment with The Fate of the Tearling. It hasn't been getting much love from readers and I'm not sure why. I though Johansen did a great job wrapping up and putting the characters to rest. I'd say my most interesting read was Three Dark Crowns. It had been getting a lot of hype over the interwebs and I was very excited to read it. It took a little but to pick up for me but once it did, I was very pleasantly surprised! It had an ending that I felt like I should have seen coming but it totally took me by surprise and I love that! Going and thinking back on it, all the clues were there I just didn't pick up on it. I'd say it's worth the read and forming your own opinion. I'd love to know what you think!

I was lucky enough to receive some amazing and thoughtful gifts from my husband, family and friends, including the Niffler Funko pictured below and a Barnes & Noble gift card I used to buy most of the books stacked below.  

November was a whirlwind! I'm not sure where it went but man did it fly by.  I feel that's been the way of things for the last few months and I'm not sure things are slowing down any time soon. Am I alone in this? With the holidays and days being shorter in general, I feel there's just less time to get things done! 

At first I thought audiobooks would carry me through November because it seemed I just wouldn't have time to sit and read, but turned out I was about half and half. 

I adored This Adventure Ends. I definitely recommend this read to anyone looking for a contemporary YA novel. It's not your typical story with the same old tropes and I loved it. I was happy to finally cross the classic Sense and Sensibility off my list. The Snow Child was a book club read - not something I would have typically picked out but it was pretty good. Once of the great things about being in a book club is being forced to read something outside your normal spectrum. 

The Burning Page is the third installment in the Invisible Library series I was really looking forward to and I certainly hope there's another one! With that ending, oof. 

Sorry I've fallen behind on the blogging this month! I need to be better about writing more posts, and I will! More are to come. Did you see my review of Empire of Storms or Vassa in the Night?

Not much to report here. I didn't get much time to stitch this month and I made little progress on either my crest or my Link projects :(

My mom and I made our annual trip to The Great Dickens Christmas Fair in San Francisco on Black Friday; always a good time. This was our fourth year attending and it still holds its magic for us. We walk the streets of Victorian London (in the Cow Palace in SF), exploring everything the vendors, shows, and characters have to offer.  

They have booths with Harry Potter themed soaps, great period foods, and so many people who dress up or are in character. If you have the opportunity to go some time, it's well worth it!

We also put up our Christmas tree. I don't think you can tell, but the bottom two feet have no ornaments due to our many cats, so we jam pack the top. Also, note the Cubs helmet topper courtesy of my husband :)

How was your November? Did you have a great Thanksgiving? I know I intentionally did not talk about some major events that took place in November because I didn't want my post to be about politics. I wanted it to focus on the positives things that took place. I'm looking forward to a crazy December filled with warm peppermint mochas, weddings, several books, cross stitching, family, parties, and craziness. How about you?