Hello, friends! Long time, no see! My last wrap-up was in May of last year and I fell of the blogging wagon. I published a recommendation list in October, but I haven't been around much. I am currently working on a blog post of books I bought last year in June- December as well as a wrap-up of all the books I read in the end of the year. Since January is officially over, I thought it would be a good idea to pop in and finally get back in the swing of reading wrap-ups. January was rough because I got COVID and it really triggered my asthma and I was miserable for two weeks. With being so sick, I could do nothing, but lie in bed and read ebooks or listen to audiobooks. A lot of reading got done this month.
THE BOOKS I READ:
Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant: 4.5 stars This is a super short and quick novella with killer mermaids. I love Into the Drowning Deep and I actually read it several years ago and finished it in the early month of January. Funny I should pick up its novella around the same time. This is a fun and intense horror novella, but the beginning takes a while to get its footing. OWN Ebook
Some Things I Still Can't Tell You by Misha Collins: 3.5 stars There are some good poems in this collection. I definitely enjoyed some of them, but a good portion of them made me feel jilted and like I was thrown into someone's life perspective. OWN Paperback
The New Year's Party by R.L. Stine: 4 stars (originally 2 stars) I love a good Fear Street novel and the Super Chiller's slap harder than the original reads. I mainly read this to ring in the New Year. This has a fun thriller with paranormal elements. The ending was rushed and I wish it was a tad longer to wrap it up more concisely. OWN Paperback
Mayhem by Estelle Laure: 3 stars You can tell this one is inspired by The Lost Boys and I love that movie. It is a little to on the nose at times with the comic book shop brothers and the saxophone man, but the overall arc of Mayhem and her family is interesting. I just didn't connect with the story. It should have been everything I love from a murder mystery, to family ties, to magical family, to serial killers, but I am unimpressed overall. I liked it well enough, but I will probably forget about it in the long run. Netgalley eARC & Library Audiobook
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow: 4.5 stars This is a really high 4.5 stars The only thing keeping it from being 5 stars was there is a huge lag in the story in the early-middle section. I love a good Sleeping Beauty retelling and this one openly critiques the fairy tale for its obsession with rape and consent. I also highly recommend the audiobook. Library Audiobook
The Art of Goosebumps by Sarah Rodriguez and Tim Jacobus: 5 stars The Goosebumps covers are iconic and Jacobus is such a talented illustrator and artist. The process of the covers is so cool and I am not super familiar with the Goosebumps 2000 series, so that was fun to see. OWN Hardcover
Unashamed: Rahab by Francine Rivers- 5 stars (reread) I listened to this one on audio and had a ton of fun revisiting this story, but I found that reading it physically is what I preferred. Still a favorite. Library Audiobook
Happiness Volume 1 by Shuzo Oshimi-3.5 stars I enjoyed this first volume in the series, but it didn't blow me away. I struggled to connect the main protagonist and was more interested in the side characters. Kindle Unlimited
Happiness Volume 2 by Shuzo Oshimi- 4 stars I enjoyed this one much more and the struggle of grappling with vampirism as a teenager is more profound. Kindle Unlimited
Happiness Volume 3 by Shuzo Oshimi- 4 stars This series is getting dark quick. I loved how it becomes obvious that some people who already struggle with mental health or aggression or violence make for more volatile vampires. Kindle Unlimited
Happiness Volume 4 by Shuzo Oshimi- 5 stars WOW. This is where I fell in love with the series. I was enjoying it, but this volume is where I knew it was a favorite. Kindle Unlimited
Happiness Volume 5 by Shuzo Oshimi- 5 stars This story is a beautiful follow-up to the previous volume and there is a ten year time jump which I find that I enjoy in horror manga. Kindle Unlimited
Happiness Volume 6 by Shuzo Oshimi- 5 stars This is my favorite volume in the series. It's all about Gosho and what occurs in this is a simple process of waning revenge as well as coping with trauma and suffering. Kindle Unlimited
Happiness Volume 7 by Shuzo Oshimi- 5 stars Let me sale this series to you if you aren't convinced. VAMPIRE WORSHIPPING CULT. If that doesn't make you want to invest into this story then I don't know what will. Kindle Unlimited
Happiness Volume 8 by Shuzo Oshimi- 5 stars This one gets pretty graphic in terms of torture. It is quite a lot to view at times. Kindle Unlimited
Happiness Volume 9 by Shuzo Oshimi- 5 stars Everything starts to tie together and characters who haven't been around come back into the foreground. OWN Ebook
Happiness Volume 10 by Shuzo Oshimi- The conclusion was so good. It was everything I wanted and had some more to it. OWN Ebook
The Haunted Forest Tour by James A. Moore & Jeff Strand- 3.5 stars This novel is way too long, but it is a lot of fun. It is like a creature-feature Jurassic Park style. I had some issues iwth the mysogny and the villain, but I am glad I gave it a shot. Kindle Unlimited
Lemons on Friday: Trusting God Through My Greatest Heartbreak by Mattie Jackson Selecman- 5 stars I listened to this on one of my COVID days and it was an incredibly insightful look into grief and suffering. It's a book I will definitely return to. Library Audiobook & Netgalley eARCThrough Flickering Lights, a Silhouette by Gage Greenwood- 4 stars This is a short story with a lot of introspective and creepy little monster moment. Kindle Unlimited
Tomie by Junji Ito- 5 stars This is a brutal manga story about a girl who was brutalized by her classmates and regenerates. It is creepy and haunting. It is also pretty dang long, but I flew through it. I was blown away by it. OWN Hardcover
Mars Volume 1 by Fuyumi Soryo- 3.5 stars (reread) This wasn't as good as I remember. I loved the first volume when I was younger and never continued reading it because I was lucky to find an old volume at a used bookstore, but I thought it would be fun to read the whole series. Kindle Unlimited
Mars Volume 2 by Fuyumi Soryo- 3.75 stars I liked this volume much more than the first and found the plotting and characters to be stronger. Kindle Unlimited
Mars Volume 3 by Fuyumi Soryo- 3.25 stars I do not care about reading over 100 pages of motorcycle racing. SNOOZEFEST Romance was cute though. Kindle Unlimited
Man, Fuck This House by Brian Asman- 4 stars This one is highly recommended on Books of Horror and it was a ton of fun. It's not your typical haunted house story and is super bizarre and weird. Definitely recommend. Kindle Unlimited
Mars Volume 4 by Fuyumi Soryo- 2 stars I hated most of this volume and almost quit the series, but the ending kept me wanting to know what would happen next. Kindle Unlimited
All Systems Red by Martha Wells- 4 stars This is a pretty well-known sci-fi series and I have been meaning to read it for a long time. It was a nice time and I liked Murderbot, but it was not a favorite. I will be planning to finish it. Library Audiobook and OWN Paperback
Inside Black Mirror by Charlie Brooker & Annabel Jones- 4.5 stars I love Black Mirror. It is one of my favorite shows. Everything they put out is subversive and reflective upon our society and its reliance on technology. It's a good viewing time even if the content can make you uncomfortable or angry. I just had to buy this collection of author interviews and I learned so much about how each episode for the first four seasons was made. OWN Hardcover
Mars Volumes 5-14 by Fuyumi Soryo- 3 stars I read a large chunk of these volumes back to back in the span of a couple of hours. They all blended together. They are hard to differentiate, but I am glad I read the series. Kindle Unlimited
Mars Volume 15 by Fuyumi Soryo- 4 stars This was the shining star in the series. It made reading these books worth it. Was it always perfect? No, but the drama while ridiculous was often times fun. Kindle Unlimited
Attack on Titan Volume 2 by Hajime Isayama- DNF @ page 30 I may come back to this series, but I just wasn't in the mood or feeling it. I am allowing myself to not finish things this year and mark them that way. Kindle Unlimited
Revenge Body by Rachel Wiley- 4 stars This is a solid poetry collection. I enjoyed the intensity and emotional turmoil that is tackled. Netgalley ARC provided by Button Poetry
Mestiza Blood by V. Castro- 4 stars (overall) I loved some of these stories so much. V. Castro has one of my favorite pieces of work I have read all year "Night of the Living Chola". I am so obsessed with that story. I can't recommend this collection enough. One of the best short story collections I have read in years. Netgalley ARC provided by Flame Tree Press
Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells- DNF @4% I did not care for the writing style at all. I have allowed myself to stop reading books if they don't work for me. This is one of those books that I know is not for me. So, bye bye. Nergalley ARC provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Left to You by Daniel J. Volpe- 5 stars This was a very profound book about demons, concentration camps and survival, and saving a dying loved one. This is not a popular novel, but it is well-loved and raved about in Books of Horror and it deserves it. It's amazing! One of the best horror novels I have read in a long time. OWN Paperback
The Store by Bentley Little- 2 stars This was a hot mess. I hated the sexual aspects Little focused on and the ending was not good. I liked the beginning and the buildup and Little sets up a good sense of suspense. OWN Paperback
I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is Going to be the Next School Shooter: 6 Patient Files That Will Keep You Up at Night by Dr. Harper- 2.5 stars I love Reddit No Sleep stories, but this collection was not super strong. Some were better than others and some were a HOT MESS. Kindle Unlimited
I'm a Therapist, and My Patient is in Love with a Pedophile: 6 Patient Files From Prison by Dr. Harper- 2 stars Here is where I started to dislike the direction of the trilogy. I liked the random files that seemed unconnected in the first book and then came together. I can't stand the random congruent storyline where there aren't any patient files just chapters about Dr. Harper. BORING! Kindle Unlimited
YAY! I read 47 books in the month of January. It sucked having COVID, but at least I got a ton of reading done. Here are my 4.5 & 5 star reads!
10. Inside Black Mirror
9. Rolling in the Deep
8. A Spindle Splintered
7. The Art of Goosebumps
6. Lemons on Friday
5. Unashamed: Rahab
4. Tomie
3. Happiness Volumes 4-10
2. Left to You
1. Mestiza Blood (mainly because it has some of my favorite stories I have read this year)
What books did you read in January? Has your reading year kicked off to a good start, so far? Let me know down below in the comments!
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