In this video I’m updating my reading journal with everything I read in December, and I’m honestly so excited because it’s the last month in my 2025 journal—which means we’re also doing Book of the Year picks and my full-year reading stats. For December’s cover spread, I went for a cozy, slightly vintage Christmas vibe (but like… not screaming Christmas). I used warm muted colors, some gorgeous stickers from Runa Maruti’s Patreon, beige grid paper with gold details, and I even built a little “scene” with a window and a super old transparent gold constellation washi tape that I still love. Then I walk you through my December reads and mini reviews: God of Ruin (4⭐️), God of Fury (4.5⭐️), Krampus Crook (4⭐️), and Captivate Me (3.5⭐️), plus a stack of manga/manhua I squeezed in (including during my Prague trip). God of Fury was such a highlight—Nikolai being a golden retriever behind all the tattoos was everything—but I also talk about content warnings and why some books worked better for me than others. To wrap it up, I pick my Book of the Year using two methods (a bracket and a book matrix), and yes… Pen Pal takes the crown. I also share my 2025 StoryGraph stats: 40 books, 13,673 pages, my top moods/genres, and how I want to be a little more critical with ratings going into 2026.