I have seen way too many selfies captioned 'December Mood' on my Instagram recommendations popping up uninvited in the middle of my regular dose of cat + dog photos. Let's ignore the fact that after being together for 7 long years, Instagram still doesn't understand me. Keep the influencers away, I do not want to feel festive in my pj's, thank you very much. Their pouts of December aren't much different when compared to their June pouts but they may have a point. What is this mysterious December Mood? One can't deny its existence. 
December is possibly the most indulgent month in a year. December is when when schools practically chalk out the entire month for activities and time off. You got through the annual cultural day, sports day (in India), numerous Christmas parties followed by a period of overconsumption of cake with a New Year's eve shindig as the crescendo. 
Every year, December's epicurean currents meet my performative seriousness with formidable force. I have an image of myself that I protect for no real reason. This entails reading serious things, watching serious things and steering clear from what is deemed lowbrow. December tosses that shit out of the window. I watch Christmas movies and rom coms aplenty. I have a yearly tradition of watching the Holiday in the winter. Netflix rather cruelly took the Holiday off and I was left with a gaping hole that needed meet-cutes to fill it. Since 2020 has been challenging all the beliefs I hold dear anyway, I'd might as well go a step further, read romance and be less of a snob. The last romance I read was a book called Less, which I touched only because it won a Pulitzer. I'm three novels down and somehow alive and well. I am happy to report that I quite enjoyed it.
I'm sending this month's newsletter earlier than usual and in time for Christmas to give you some time to look at some interesting content before the (socially distanced responsible) partying begins. I talk about books more than podcasts and articles this month.
Merry Christmas, everyone! 

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BOOKS [(Read in December) I read a LOT of books this month]
The not so warm ones -
My Sister, A Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite - I don't know what I would do if my sister was a serial killer. Would I clean the crime scene? Would I hand her over to the police? Korede's sister Ayoola is a serial killer who kills her boyfriends in cold blood and things are okay (ish) until she starts dating a man Korede loves. This book is very short and funny not because of the plot but because of how cooly Korede deals with the fact that her sister is a serial killer. The characters aren't explored in much depth. This is a quick read, a good palate cleanser between genres.

Ghachar Ghochar by Vivek Shanbhag - A short book about the inevitable changes to strike a family that gained success and wealth very quickly. There is no real plot here but rather a series of observations.

The warm-ish and warm ones -
One Day in December by Josie Silver - ⭐️ This was such a satisfying read. It was more than just boy meets girl who fall in love through a series of contrived circumstances. It was wholesome because you can see the characters grow as the years progress. This could definitely be a good movie if made well.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - ⭐️ This book makes me wonder how the author concocted the premise. Nora Seed is depressed and feels like she has failed in every way possible in her life. She thinks she's a black hole to the people around her and decides to commit suicide. But she doesn't die. She's in the grey area between life and death which takes her to the Midnight Library. Each book contains a permutation of her life had she made a different choice. The options are endless. 

The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol - This is a Ukrainian folktale that takes place in the small village of Dikanka. Vakula the blacksmith wants to win Oksana's heart and takes the devil's help to do so. It's a short delightful tale.

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton - Two people fall in love and get married. That's merely the first chapter in this book and in life. The Course of Love talks about the time spent in love. It is a philosophical observation of romanticism and love narrated alongside the story of Rabih and Kirsten's marriage.

Beach Read by Emily Henry - The premise of a jaded romance writer challenging a literary fiction writer to write romance is interesting. The fact that they have history makes it interesting too. HOWEVER, I am so tired of the trope of a dark and intense man who comes from a dysfunctional family who needs to be' saved' by the love of a relatively well settled kind woman who wants nothing more than to give him the love missing in his childhood. It gave me big Twilight vibes, which I did not like. It's quite enjoyable otherwise.

In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren - Romcom meets Groundhog’s Day. Since I haven't watched Groundhog’s Day but have watched Russian Doll, that is the connection I will make. Love + time travel - who wants more? This book is warm and Chirstmassy but not as good as One Day in December.

Currently reading -
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

⭐️ Here's the link to an older newsletter where I talked about how and why I read so much, getting out of a reading rut and building a habit of reading.