Hi, everyone! I hope that your first month of the new year was not absolutely horrible. I know as a whole January was rough for me for a number of reasons, but there were some good things thrown in there. I didn't read a ton of books in January, but I did get some reading done.
THE BOOKS I READ:
The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story by Thao Lam- 4 stars This is an interesting illustrated novel comparing being a refugee to ants. I really liked it, but the lack of dialogue and it being all pictures was not the best format for this story. ARC from Netgalley
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse- 5 stars WOWOW! I knew I would love this one, but I really loved this one. The characters were so amazing and the story was fascinating and I can't wait for the sequel. ARC from Netgalley (but I read a physical copy that I bought)
Hope, Grace, & Faith by Leah Messer- 4.5 stars Listen, I'm an old school hardcore Teen Mom 2 fan and the resurgence of my love for the show returned when it was posted onto Netflix. I'm now deep into the seasons on CBS All Access and Leah is one my favorite on the show. I loved how honest she was about her entire life. There is so much trauma in these pages, so if you are looking for a read this won't be it. I loved it and my love for her and her girls definitely is totally biased. I don't care. I loved it and read it in four hours. Bought copy
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam- 3.5 stars I love post-apocalyptic novels and this one has somethings I absolutely love. However, the writing was a huge distraction at the beginning and its oversexualization of scenes that had nothing to do with sex were an interesting choice on the writer's part. I was not a fan of this one for quite some time, but from the middle until the end was such a huge improvement for me. Bought copy from BOTM & Library Audiobook
The Last Halloween: Children by Abby Howard- 5 stars I loved this graphic novel and it was so much fun. It's definitely not for kids though. I was also squealing at the Courage the Cowardly Dog image. This was so much fun and creepy. ARC from Netgalley
Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1 by Ryosuke Takeuchi & Hikaru Miyoshi- 2.5 stars Color me unimpressed. I thought this would be a lot better than it was. The plot, Moriarty, becoming an executioner of aristocrats was fascinating, but the story itself is a little bland and lackluster for me. ARC from Netgalley
Mermaid Saga Collector's Edition Volume 1 by Rumiko Takahashi- 5 stars I AM BROKEN. Weeping. Beat up and in a ball of emotions still and I finished this in the middle of January. I loved this manga so much that I bought my own copy and preordered the collector's edition of volume 2. I can't wait to reread this one right before I read volume 2. It's about mermaids and the pain that comes with eating the flesh of one and living forever. LOVE IT. ARC from Netgalley
Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy- 2 stars I didn't care for this one at all. I hated it for the majority of the novel and there were times when I kind of liked it, but it has a shot for shot scene from Stephen King's Misery, but it lacks the intense fear and panic, so it was just a boring rip-off. Library Audiobook
What Lies Between Us by John Marrs- 4 stars Listen, I won't spoil anything. All you need to know is there are two women living in a house together and one is being held captive by the other. It was a messy book full of plot twists and drama, but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed how shocked I felt at times and found it to be an intense page turner. Bought copy
The Haunting of Beatrix Greene Volume 1 by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, Vicky Alvear Shecter- 2 stars This could've been fun. It's got the Victorian backdrop and pokes fun at the obsession with seances and the occult during that time, but it was boring. It was full of clichés and there were no surprises. I was bored. ARC from Netgalley
Delilah: Treacherous Beauty by Angela Hunt- 5 stars This was so good. I loved it and I appreciated the author not making Delilah just some woman who wanted money and sex. She had a story and she wasn't evil. I appreciated that because I've always felt confused by people's portrayals of her since it was obvious that Samson really loved her even if she was annoying and a betrayer. This was a great retelling and I can't wait to read more by Angela Hunt. Bought copy
Creepshow by Stephen King- 4 stars for the overall collection This was an interesting time and while I didn't absolutely love the stories, I thought the collection was filled with good jump scares and interesting conceptual storylines. I didn't absolutely love this one, but I had fun with it. Bought copy
A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman- 5 stars I remember Kayla talked about this book years ago and when it popped up on Netgalley because of being rereleased, I pounded that request button. I was super excited to read this and read it in a day. It's a creepy story about two teens who start dating and find a house at the bottom of a lake. This gave me such underwater anxiety, but I loved the ending and how final everything felt. It's a great bridge between young first love and letting that go to move towards adulthood. Lovely. ARC from Netgalley
Survive the Night by Danielle Vega- 4.5 stars This is YA horror at its finest for me. You have a cast of characters who are at a party underground in the tunnels of New York being chased by a monster and can't escape. A Lovecraftian coming of age story that is 100% a fun time. Bought copy
Devolutin: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre by Max Brooks- 3 stars I am sad. This should've been amazing for me. It's about a massacre of a group of people by a bunch of Sasquatch. The middle portion of this book was the best for me with the discussion of the chimps eating people and evolution. It felt like The Troop, but besides that this was pretty boring and didn't do anything for me. Library Audiobook
Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne- 3 stars Generally, YA poetry contemporary novels are my jam, but this one kind of fell flat for me. I loved the discussions of being Black, playing basketball as a female, and friendship ending as well as the ending, but I won't say because of spoilers. However, the chronologically telling of this story wasn't linear and while that has worked for me in free verse before this one left me confused and feeling disconnected. Disappointed, but still one I would recommend. ARC from Netgalley
In Love & Pajamas: A Collection of Comics About Being Yourself by Catana Chetwynd- 3.25 stars I'm disappointed. I loved Snug, but this one wasn't super fun for me. It's still cute and a fun one if you are a fan of the comics, but this one didn't have the same spirit for me that Snug had in giving me the feels. ARC from Netgalley
shine your icy crown by amanda lovelace- 3.5 stars This poetry book can be broken into three parts for me. First part- great, fantastic, wonderful, second part- this feels like a completely different poetry book and I didn't care for it, and the third part- so short that it could've been scrapped. ARC from Netgalley
The Elementals by Michael McDowell- 5 stars I loved this Southern Gothic horror set on a beach with three houses and third one being empty and filled with spirits. I'm happy that I finally picked up a McDowell book because I love his writing and can't wait to read more of his books. Bought copy
Overall Thoughts: I read a total of 19 books in January which wasn't as much as my normal rate towards the end of 2020, but I'm still pretty content with that amount.
STATS:
Netgalley ARCs: 10
Books I Own: 9
Library: 3
Genres:
Contemporary- 1
Fantasy- 2
Graphic Novel: 3
Historical-2
Horror- 6
Nonfiction- 1
Poetry- 1
Scifi- 1
Thriller- 2
16 Adult Books
1 Middle Grade
2 Young Adult
Diverse Authors by Race:
Asian- 4
Black- 1
Indigenous- 1
White-13
LGBTQIA+ Authors: Rumaan Alam, amanda lovelace, Michael McDowell (if any of the authors I read are identify as part of this community and aren't listed, please let me know!)
My 5 star reads:
6. A House at the Bottom of a Lake
5. The Last Halloween
4. Delilah
3. Mermaid Saga
2. The Elementals
1. Black Sun
Challenge Tracker for 2021
52 Books I Want to Read in 2021:
*Black Sun
*Delilah: Treacherous Beauty
*The Elementals
*Survive the Night
*What Lies Between Us
*Leave the World Behind
6/52
Read 20 Books That I Buy in 2021:
*Hope, Grace, & Faith
*Mermaid Saga Collection Volume 1
*Creepshow
3/20
Read 10 Old ARCs:
*The Paper Boat
*Black Sun
*The Last Halloween
*Moriarty the Patriot Volume 1
*The Haunting of Beatrix Greene
5/10
Read 5 Physical ARCs or Books Sent to Me for Review:
None
Read 15 sequels:
*shine your icy crown
*Read 5 Stephen King books:
*Creepshow
Currently Reading/Hoping to Finish in February:
Finished Already: An Enchantment of Ravens, The Route of Ice & Salt, The Grief We're Given
Netgalley eARC: The Route of Ice & Salt, The Grief We're Given, What Big Teeth, The Initial Insult, A Great Cloud of Witnesses, In Darkness Shadows Breathe, Why She Wrote, The Borden Murders, Until the Mountains Fall, The Hidden Girl and Other Stories, Jesus of the East, Women in a Patriarchal World, 7 Feasts, Love to Eat, Hate to Eat
Publisher: Prevail, For All Who Wander
Library Audiobooks: The Turn of the Key, The Guest List, Always and Forever, Lara Jean, Know My Name
Owned Books: An Enchantment of Ravens, Less Than Perfect, Simply Spirit-Filled, Katie, The Space Between Worlds, Highway of Tears, The Stranger Beside Me, Samson, His Hideous Heart, Essential Tales and Poems, The Elijah Task, Raising the Rigor
Ebook: Bind, Torture, Kill
ARCs Top Priority:
Audiobooks:
Ebook:
Books I Own:
There are so many books I want to get to in February, but February is a short month! That's the dilemma.
What did you read in January? What was your favorite book or some of your 5 star reads? Let me know down below in the comments.
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