Merry Christmas! I couldn’t let the holiday pass by without doing one of my favorite Christmas tags. It was created by Lizzie Loves Books. I did my best to avoid repetition, but many of these could be used for multiple answers. Without further ado, here are the questions!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: A partridge in a pear tree.

The partridge stood alone in the pear tree. What is your favorite stand alone this year?

There were so many good standalones this year, but Ymir really surprised me. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did, and its sci fi take on Beowulf was gritty and fascinating.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Two turtle doves.

Love is in the air! Who is your one true pairing this year?

I have so many favorite couples this year. I decided to pick one pairing that I want to see so much: Callum and Tristan from The Atlas Paradox. It is such a toxic pairing, but I love it so much and would give almost anything to see it happen in the final book of the trilogy.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Three french hens.

In the spirit of threes, what is the best trilogy you have read this year?

I read a few trilogies this year, but The Scholomance stands out as one that was a lot of fun to read. I loved the setting so much and enjoyed the acerbic wit of the main character.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Four calling birds.

Since series usually consist of four or more books, what is your favorite series this year?

The answer to this has to be The High Republic. This year’s releases contain some of my favorite Star Wars books ever, and I’m looking forward to even more books coming out next year.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Five golden rings.

One ring to rule them all! Who is your favorite Villain/Antagonist this year?

I liked the villains in all of the Adam Binder novels. The use of Death as an antagonist was very fascinating, and I thought the druid was absolutely menacing and super creepy.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Six geese a laying.

Creation is a beautiful thing. What is your favorite world/world-building this year?

I’ve enjoyed the world-building of so many books this year, but one really stood out above all the rest, The Spear Cuts Through Water. There was just so much I loved about this world, and the writing brought it all to life in such a phenomenal way.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Seven swans a swimming.

Who needs seven swans when all it takes is one good animal sidekick? Who’s your favorite animal sidekick this year?

How could I not choose Mogget for this one? I guess he’s technically not an animal, but he often takes the shape of one. So, it fits in my book.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Eight maids a milking.

Milk is so 18th century. Which book or series takes beverages/food to a whole new level?

I never expected to think of food as important to this book until I finally read it. The description of donuts all throughout the story made me so freaking hungry. You’ll definitely want to head to your nearest donut shop by the time you finish Light From Uncommon Stars.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Nine ladies dancing.

Dancing is just one skill of a Lady! Who is your favorite kickass female lead this year?

The Oleander Sword follows three kickass female characters. I loved all of them and cannot wait to see how their story ends.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Ten lords a leaping.

How about your favorite leading lad this year?

I don’t really have a favorite leading lad because there were so many great ones this year, but I adored Arek from So This Is Ever After. He was hilarious and hopelessly clueless, and I loved following his romantic misadventures.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: Eleven pipes piping.

What is your favorite book or bookish thing with musical influence? (It can be about music, reference music a lot etc.)

This was such a cute queer love story centered around country music of all things. I don’t usually think ‘gay’ when I think of country music, but A Little Bit Country blended queer and country really well.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me: twelve drummers drumming.

Drum roll please…what is your favorite read of this year?

This year I think it is actually going to be a tie, but I’m only going to share one of them here. I loved Babel so much. It explored some powerful themes and was a realistic portrayal of life in academia. It reminded me of my time with my PhD cohort, and I loved the characters so much. The focus on linguistics was also a delight, and I just enjoyed pretty much everything about this one.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and are staying warm. If you think the tag looks like fun, do it! I tag anyone who wants to participate.