As much as I love the holidays, I’m never ready for the whirlwind that always seems to follow. I’m ready to go back to the beach!

Thanksgiving dinner couldn’t have gone any better – the turkey was absolutely delicious and the company even better. The rest of the weekend we spent decorating for Christmas and walking the beaches in Galveston, complete with dolphin sightings! I’m so thankful my parents were able to spend the holiday with us, and I’m looking forward to our next family trip for New Years!

This week, though, I’m looking forward to reading some looooong awaited library holds including The Hike by Drew Magary and Scythe by Neil Shusterman. It must be a holiday miracle!

The Reads:

The Diabolic by S.J. Kinkaid

As a diabolic, Nemesis was crafted for combat, specifically designed to serve as protector to the elite. But when her charge, a galactic senator’s daughter named Sidonia, is threatened by the Emperor, the only way to protect her will be to become her. While Sidonia remains safely hidden at home, Nemesis is sent to the heart of the galactic empire, requiring her to hide her vary nature, or perhaps exposing an inner humanity lain dormant for so long. Her entire life she’s been told she’s unequal, she’s a creature, a thing without feeling, but when her loyalties are put to the test, she’ll discover the true meaning of compassion, and of love.

“Some might call us a monstrous pair, and they would be right. Tyrus and I were both scorpions in our way, dangerous creatures crossing the most treacherous of rivers together. Together we might sting – but we also would float.”

**Spoilers Ahead**

A study on human nature vs. creation, it took some time to grasp the world in which Nemesis lives. Human kind has conquered the universe and taken to a new religion in which the stars are divine, but along their journey, scientific knowledge has been lost. Not only lost, but misunderstood, feared, and ultimately banned. Meanwhile, Nemesis is created – a process I’m not quite sure of. The descriptions of the diabolics allude to their being human but genetically crafted for a larger muscle mass, quicker movements, resistance to poisons… basically a genetically engineered super human, but still human. Nemesis tries her best to hide her emotions, choking her screams and not so slyly masking her blushes, all the while falling love. From his absurd entrance at the forums, I quickly suspected Tyrus as a love interest for Nemesis, as well as his ultimate similarity to Rhysand. He cares deeply for his people and will do anything to protect them, even by taking on a vicious persona in order to do so. Their story is truly heartbreaking to read, particularly the scene in which his dome is blown up, forcing them to share an oxygen mask until Nemesis knocks him unconscious and gives up the remaining oxygen. She tries so hard to fit in, but as soon as she makes it, she loses all hope and derails, truly believing she’s incapable of love. That is until her one-on-one with his grandmother, a scene oddly similar to that between Elizabeth Bennett and Lady Catherine, leading to a string of court intrigues and countless plot twists. While the Diabolic world is fascinating, much of the novel focuses on the romance between Nemesis and Tyrus, taking away from the novel’s ultimate message.

Rating: 4 stars      Goodreads

Bridget Jones’s Baby by Helen Fielding

From Goodreads: “Before motherhood, before marriage, Bridget with biological clock ticking very, very loudly, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant at the eleventh hour: a joyful pregnancy which is dominated, however, by a crucial but terribly awkward question who is the father? Mark Darcy: honourable, decent, notable human rights lawyer? Or Daniel Cleaver: charming, witty, notable fuckwit?”

Picking up several years after Edge of Reason, Bridget Jones’s Baby is the ultimate celebration of all things Bridget, hilariously highlighting all of her most famed flaws and fuck ups, from drunken Christmas cards to the fireman’s pole. While I loved revisiting classic scenes from the first novel, much of the plot in Fielding’s latest reads more like fan fiction than a next step in the series. Bridget and Mark break up, Daniel makes it worse, they get back together, they break up again, Daniel begs for her, Mark realizes he’s been a fool, they get back together… the story is nothing new, apart from Bridget’s pregnancy. With her fair share of ups and downs, Bridget is always able to find the ray of sunshine in a dark cloud, by far my favorite part about her. She might have a knack for causing embarrassment or unsightly mishaps, but no matter the damage, she’s always able to pick up her step and keep on walking. And this time is no different. Though most other characters in the novel stick to their pre established tropes, Bridget defies her usual role by embracing motherhood with grace.

Rating: 3 Stars      Goodreads

What have you read lately?