I’m not going to rehash how I rediscovered my love of reading over the last 2 years, and I don’t want to consider what will happen when I eventually return to work full time and if I’ll still be able to read as voraciously. Regardless, as with last year I’ve challenged myself to read 52 books this year (but am secretly hoping to beat the 71 I finished last year).
I thought I’d do a monthly recap of my reads including my arbitrary star rating and a brief review.
Here’s January.
1. The Cloisters by Katy Hays
This was a 4 star read for me – set in modern day New York , Ann Stilwell is assigned to work in the Cloisters at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Cloisters, per the blurb, is “the Met’s Gothic museum and garden renown for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art”.
She is then drawn down a rabbit hole of black market trading in tarot, secrets, (un)friendships and poison. It’s a tale of a small town girl trying to make use of her less than useful qualification in the big city.
Admittedly, it was the cover that drew me in, but I read this over 2 days and thoroughly enjoyed it.
2. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
I won’t leave you wondering, this was another 4 star read for me. But only because I found it a little slow to get started, and to find myself comfortable with the plot and the characters.
Based in the UK, this story follows the character of Devon Fairweather, a rare, female book eater whose sole purpose is to breed with the other book eater families (carefully chosen as there are only 6 families left). When her second child is born a mind eater rather than a book eater (you can take these terms quite literally), Devon is determined to save him at all costs.
What ensues is a fantasy world set amongst the human world tale of survival, friendship and love. Who to trust? Which way to turn? Can her son be saved?
3. The Housemate by Sarah Bailey
You guessed it, another 4 star read from me. Again, I struggled to keep up with some of the plot development and the number of characters but I think that speaks more to my state of mind than the writing itself.
Olive Groves is a journalist in Melbourne (I love love love finding an Aussie book) who is assigned to a case as a junior reporter, a home with three housemates. One accused of murder, one missing and one deceased. It’s an open and shut case. Or is it.
A decade down the track as print news is dying and digital is in, Olive is paired with the relatively young Cooper Ng. Cooper has been in touch with the accused housemate who is ready to tell all. What ensues is a tale of mystery and intrigue, highly recommend.
The Near Daphne Experience by Alison Reynolds
My first 5 star read and I’m not sure I can entirely tell you why.
It’s a rom-com written entirely through letters, emails and texts. Yet I didn’t miss a beat. There are all kinds of unexpected twists and turns. And my favourite part? You never actually hear from Daphne herself. The story is all, entirely, from the perspectives of those around her.
Loving Lizzie March by Susannah Hardy
A 3 star fairly standard romance novel.
I wanted to love this, but the the tropes were rife, Lizzie is (as expected), unlucky in love. Falls for all the wrong guys. Gets caught up in all the wrong situations and (spoiler alert) the perfect guy was in front of her all along.
In saying that, I didn’t mind Hardy’s writing style and it wasn’t enough to put me off picking up more of her work if she continues to write (Lizzie March is her first novel).
Snowflake by Louise Nealon
What an absolute 4 star, fucking delight. (I was going apologise for swearing but also, I’m a grown woman and I can do as I please).
This is an absolutely stunning coming of age story. Debbie is a small town, dairy farmer in county Ireland. She gains a coveted position at Trinity College in Dublin and we follow her through her first year, juggling the commute, a not entirely stable home life and figuring out exactly who she is.
The only reason this isn’t a 5 star read for me is because it took me a little while to get into it. But then I couldn’t put it down.
Siracusa by Delia Ephron
3 star.
I don’t know what I expected here. It was chosen by my random number generator because I couldn’t decide what to read next. And this book came in a Book Grocer random box, otherwise I probably never would have picked it up.
It tells the tale of two couples who travel together to Italy one summer. Except, behind the scenes Husband 1 and Wife 2 have history. Husband 2 is having an affair. And Wife 1 is trying to hold everything perfectly together, including her perfect mini-me daughter.
It’s told from multiple points of view, sometimes rehashing the same scene/event from different perspectives and I think that’s where it lost me a little.
But perhaps that’s also where it is brilliant – who can you trust? What really is the truth?
The Maid by Nita Prose
You know what’s funny? I picked this book up ages ago, read the first page, put it down and went, nah, not for me. And yet here I am, having finished it, and giving it 4 stars.
Imagine being a maid in a grand hotel. You’re invisible to those around you, but you see more than you realise. Especially if you’re a little ‘odd’ like Molly. I suspect ASD but it’s not expressly said in the novel itself.
This turned into a very interesting whodunnit with a twist I absolutely did not see coming.
Summary
So there it is, the 8 books I read in January.
I hope you got some inspiration. As you can probably tell, I’ll read almost anything. Feel free to drop any recommendations!