Soooo, I thought I'd update you all on what I've been up to lately! I'll be honest, I haven't read very much at all these past few weeks. I had finals week and I'm recovering from being sick these past few days. You could say it hasn't been the most fun of weeks, but I got through it! I needed something fun and light-hearted to pick up in order to de-stress a little. I thought this would be the perfect pick! I can just pick it up and read a quick little story without having to get too invested.
Right now, I'm about 140 or so pages in, and I've read four or five stories. I definitely liked some better than others, but none of them have been terrible so far. I thought I'd discuss some of my thoughts so far on what I've read from this book. Hope you enjoy!
Alrighty, I've read the stories by Rainbow Rowell, Kelly Link, Matt De La Pena, Jenny Han, and Stephanie Perkins. I would have to say that Midnights by Rainbow Rowell has been my favorite so far, but Stephanie Perkins' It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown is definitely a close second. Midnights was cute and entertaining, with Rowell's signature charming writing. The storyline wasn't anything too complex or complicated, but I loved it none the less. It follows two best friends every New Year's Eve. It was lovely. Rainbow Rowell is great at creating unique characters that jump off the page. I never have any trouble picturing anything she writes about. I honestly don't have any major complaints of her contribution in this collection. Perfect fluffily holiday read.
Another story jumped out at me for a different reason. Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Pena was sort of a struggle for me to get through. It tells the story of a guy who is cat sitting for his boss while he is out of town. Of course, he meets a girl there, and things go from there. The writing was average, but the storyline was just predictable and boring to me. I hate to be so critical, but I just wasn't a fan of this one. It felt like one of those cheesy made-for-TV movies, and not in a good way. Maybe it just wasn't my cup of tea, but I didn't like it.
Stephanie Perkins' story in this book was so wonderful! I'm not going to go too much into it, but it was everything I've come to expect from her writings. I love her three books, Anna, Lola, and Isla. Real characters that draw me in. Loved this story, and I think she did a great job at editing all of these stories together.
One last story I want to talk about really quick is The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link. This one was definitely unique. It came directly after Rainbow Rowell's story, so it was definitely a change in pace. I'm not so sure the placement in this collection was perfectly right, but I guess it would be difficult to place this story anywhere. The writing style of this story takes a while to get used to. I will admit, I really did not like this story at first, but I warmed up to it. I feel like you with either love or hate this story. It contains so magical elements, but is mainly a romance story. Not quite sure what to think of this one.
I won't get too much more into any of the other stories yet, but maybe later. The main thing that I absolutely love about this book is the artwork. It is so gorgeous! And cute! The perfect combination. The cover drew me in, but even the inside illustrations are perfect. I'm a sucker for the little doodles at the start of each story.
Let me know which story is your favorite! I find it really interesting how everyone's tastes can vary so widely. Happy Holidays!