Looking Back in December 2014 — American Authors and Graduating (!!!)

Hi everyone! It took me some time to gather most of the things I did in December, but here it is :)

Amulet, Books 2-6 by Kazu Kibuishi • This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki • Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins • Boomerang by Noelle August • Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

My favorite read of the month has to be Boomerang — this book made me laugh so much! It was tough to choose because I LOVE Amulet, so get into that if you haven't read it yet!

• A local radio station hosted a holiday mixer and Stephanie invited me to go with her! Like I mentioned in my Goodbye, 2014 post, Andy Grammer, Matt Nathanson and American Authors performed and I loved every bit. They are all great live!
• I watched Elf the Musical! I am a HUGE fan of Elf, so my boyfriend took my youngest brother and me to watch. The person who played Buddy was a bit different than movie Buddy (personality-wise), but I liked it. I didn't mind the way they changed the storyline to be more "musical-esque", but the movie will always be my favorite.
• I GRADUATED FROM UNIVERSITY! Which means I am no longer in school! So far I am jobless, but I don't mind taking a short break to relax and job search (with as little stress as possible!)

• The Fellowship of the Ring — I rarely watch movies because I always choose to watch TV instead (episodes are way shorter), but I did it. I watched a three hour movie. I have been meaning to properly sit down and watch The Lord of the Rings because 1) I know I'd enjoy it if I actually pay attention and 2) it's just something you have to do. Even though running away from orks and other random fantastical creatures got a bit repetitive, I LIKED IT. (I don't think I like it enough to read the books though ...)
• The Theory of Everything — Okay, so I didn't end up finishing this movie because it was a bit dull. Don't get me wrong though, Eddie Redmayne is an INCREDIBLE actor. There just wasn't enough drama to keep me interested.

• I read and finished Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins, so I spilled my thoughts in a book review and they couldn't be more different than what everyone else is saying.
• I participated in Top Ten Tuesday twice by listing books I wouldn't mind Santa bringing this year and some reading goals for 2015.
• I mentioned The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord as my "Waiting on Wednesday" pick. (At this very moment, I have access to an advanced copy. THANK YOU NETGALLEY, I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL!)
• Jamie from The Perpetual Page-Turner created the 2014 End of Year Book Survey and I joined in on the fun.
• I said goodbye to 2014 with tons of pictures :)

• Luck by American Authors — This song was my jam in December. I listened to it every single day after that concert and I STILL love it.
• Silent by Tori Kelly — Another reason to read The Giver and watch the movie. I've loved Tori Kelly for quite some time now, so I'm happy to see her reach bigger audiences.
• How You Get the Girl by Taylor Swift — This song is just so much fun to sing and dance along to.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but ... I wasn't too into Christmas music this year. I loved Pentatonix's new album, but nothing else stood out to me :/

I hope you had a swell time at the end of your year. Out of all the things you did in December, what was most memorable? What was your top favorite read?