#january reading wrap up

[godzilla-reads]

❄️ January Reading Wrap Up ❄️

The first month of the year has me at 14 books, which felt like a lot to me. My Top 3 Reads are starred below:

🖤 My Gothic Heart edited by Charlie Castelletti

🦎 Dorohedoro Vol. 1 by Q Hayashida

☀️ East of the Sun & West of the Moon by Mercer Mayer

⭐️ Dragon Lore: A Treasury of 10 Dragon Tales by Emma Roberts and Tomislav Tomić

👒 My Aunt is a Monster by Reimena Yee

⚔️ The Bronze Dragon Codex by R.D. Henham

🎶 The Book of Ballads and Sagas by Charles Vess

❄️ The Ice Dragon by E. Nesbit and Carole Grey

🐣 Domnall and the Borrowed Child by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley

⭐️ Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Dragons

⭐️ Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement by Angela Y. Davis

❄️ The Little Winter Book of Gnomes by Kirsten Sevig

🧚‍♀️ The Fairy Universe by Olivier Ledroit

🧚‍♂️ Lady Cottington’s Pressed Fairy Book by Terry Jones and Brian Froud

[tolive1000lives]

My 2024 reading wrap up through March! Only missing the last two books of the Witcher series, which were library books.

[bookaddict24-7]

January was a stressful reading month for me because Libby + the holidays had me with a ridiculous amount of library loans. ✨

• I read 41 books

• 22 of those were books I owned.

• Fave book: Lotus by Jennifer Hartmann

• Least Fave: Suddenly by Isabelle Autissier

• I DNF'ed II books

• 1 Unhauled 9 books

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

JOMP BPC - January 31st - Read in January

I had sort of an underwhelming reading month, despite reading a lot of books that were quite good. I just didn't really feel strongly about any of them - but hopefully February will be better 💕

[theinquisitxor]

January 2024 Reading Wrap

First wrap up of the new year! I read 8 books this month, and I'd say it was a strong reading month overall. I read some new releases, caught up or finished series, and read some good stuff! I read 6 fantasy books, 1 nonfiction, and 1 regular fiction. 6 books I read physical copies, and 2 audiobooks.

1.A Winter's Promise (Mirror Visitor Quartet 1) by Christelle Dabos. 3/5 stars. This is a book I've been wanting to read since before it was translated into English. This book didn't quite live up to the expectations I had of it, but I still overall enjoyed it. I plan to continue the series, possibly quarterly. Young adult fantasy.

2. A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. 4.5/5 stars. Another great Allison Saft book, and this one is possibly my favorite so far. This is exactly my type of fantasy romance and I was very invested in reading this. It's about a young magical seamstress who is commissioned to make the royal wedding clothes for the kingdom's prince. Young adult fantasy.

3.Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard. 3/5 stars. This was a fun read, but not the most exciting or great as it had the potential to be. The story has a fun cast of characters, and enjoyable world, but not a whole lot happened in this book. I can def see Aveyard's LOTR inspirations in this. I plan on continuing this series soon.

4.The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake. 2/5 stars. This was a disappointing end to a series and was very lackluster and fell apart at the end. Disappointing because of how much I loved book 2. There were some redeeming moments, but much of this book felt unnecessary or frustrating. Adult fantasy.

5.Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. 5/5 stars. This is a collection of essays by the author about the world around us, life, nature, and the way we interact with the world. Absolutely my new favorite thing and much of Kimmerer's teachings in the book resonate with me very deeply. Read on audio- which I highly recommend. Nature/essays.

6.Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands (Emily Wilde 2) by Heather Fawcett. 5/5 stars. This was just as good as book 1, and I loved the new adventure and learning more about fairies. Emily and Wendall are my favorite, and I can't wait to see how this series concludes.

7.Beartown (Beartown 1) by Fredrik Backman 4.5/5 stars. I read this book in less than 24 hours and it emotionally abused me throughout. I'm late to the game in regards to this book (no pun intended) but I'm glad I finally read it. Backman never disappoints, and I plan to continue the series soon. Fiction.

8. Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Wayward Children 9) by Seanan McGuire. 4/5 stars. This felt like the continuation of Antsy's story from book 8, but with some of our main cast of characters on a new quest. Very enjoyable and another solid installment in the series. Is the last time we see the "main cast?". Read on audio. Fantasy.

That's it for January! I am currently reading my TBR Pick of the Month, The Throne of the Five Winds, but I am only still in the first half of the book, so I will have to finish it up for Feb. I also started a new nonfiction audiobook, but am still in the first half of that as well.

February TBR:

finish The Throne of the Five Winds by SC Emmett

Crescent City 3

Nonfiction Audiobook (finish)

Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

What Feasts at Night by T Kingfisher

TBR Pick of the month

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (?)

[remusfinglupin]

January Wrap-Up

- Alone With You in the Ether: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- 10 Things That Never Happened: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Atlas Complex: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Ghostkeeper: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Don’t Want You Like a Best Friend: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Gwen & Art Are Not In Love: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Every Time You Hear That Song: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Only Girl in Town: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- The Henna Wars: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

- Playing For Keeps: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

[slaughter-books]

Day 31: JOMPBPC: Read In January

My wonderful January, 2024 reading wrap-up!

💛💚💙

[asexualbookbird]

It was not a great month for reading enjoyment. It did not start off strong, a book I was really looking forward to enjoying was boring as hell, and now my brain is too foggy to enjoy anything more complex I've been wanting to read. It WAS a good month in terms of volume, though. Two chonky books, and eight overall, if we care about those stats. Which I do a little bit. Numbers are arbitrary, but it does give me a sense of accomplishment when I read an 800 page book, I will not lie.

Eryie: Gryphon Insurrection by K Vale Nagle ⭐ - I'll admit, this is partially my fault. My brain skipped right over the Gryphon Insurrection part of the title, so I wasn't really expecting gryphon genocide, the children's novel. On top of that, it just wasn't well written! POV changes well over halfway through the book, no character is distinct, only thing it has going for it is it finally made me jump into Guardians of Ga'Hoole, but. uh. Well you'll see.

Dragon Pearl by Yoo Ha Lee ⭐⭐⭐- It was fine! Entertaining! I know YA and MG books don't have the luxury of going too deep into lore or anything, but it was really lacking here. She was sad about her brother being dead for like. One line. And then got over it. Kids deserve to read emotional depth! It was a cute adventure, but nothing I'd read again. It does make me more excited about Ninefox Gambit, though, because I can see the bones of good writing!

The Dragon of Jin-Sayeng by KS Villso ⭐⭐⭐⭐- Ow. What an end to a series. Everyone is awful, everyone sucks, except Khine, love of my life. It's always harder to talk about the books I like, but I did really enjoy this series. I'd like to reread it one day!

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward ⭐- I was sooooo looking forward to this. I even bought book two (at a secondhand shop thankfully) because I really thought I'd enjoy it. LOL. It took 800 pages to say nothing at all. It was long for the sake of being long. It was like four different plots trying to be one, and none of them really amounted to anything because the focus was so split. Really, similar problems as Priory, but at least that was gay.

The Guardians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky (1-4) ⭐⭐⭐- Finally starting this series after a million years! It came highly recommended from many friends throughout my life, so I've naturally been putting it off. It's fine. I did really enjoy the first one, but reading more left me really picking it apart and it's a solid three stars for me. I think Animorphs is more well rounded, but it's still an entertaining series. My biggest gripe is the inconsistencies! Soren and crew decides to withhold information from the Guardians, and then the next book the Guardians have that information? And said they got it from the gang?? Not sure how th timeline works for Metal Beak to be Soren's brother when Metal Beak was supposed to be a Big Scary Enemy to all of owlkind. Thought it might be a Dread Pirate Robert's situation, but nope! Kludd has been the only Metal Beak! Kids deserve better lol I'll read what I have (eleven books) but probably nothing more than that.

I don't have reading plans or goals for February. I'm still sick, doing things is hard. I'm just trying to survive over here. If you have recommendations for easy to read silly books, I am all ears!

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

January Wrap-Up

The Only Survivors (Megan Miranda) (audio) ★★★

Two Twisted Crowns (Rachel Gillig) ★★★★★

The Quiet Tenant (Clemence Michallon) (audio) ★★★★

Heartstopper Vol. 5 (Alice Oseman) ★★★★★

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known (Seanan McGuire) (audio) ★★★1/2

Dark Heir (C.S. Pacat) ★★★★1/2

Forget Me Not (Julie Soto) ★★★★★

A Study in Drowning (Ava Reid) ★★★★★

The Couple Next Door (Shari Lapena) (audio) ★★★1/2

Powerless (Lauren Roberts) ★★★

Done and Dusted (Lyla Sage) ★★★★

Never Lie (Freida McFadden) (audio) ★★★1/2

Ruthless Vows (Rebecca Ross) ★★★★★

Butcher and Blackbird (Brynne Weaver) ★★★★

Murder in the Family (Cara Hunter) (audio) ★★★1/2

This was SUCH a great start to the year with multiple snow days and some excellent reads. Find me over on Goodreads (linked) if you want to be friends there!

[literateish]

books read in january

kim jiyoung born 1982 by cho nam-joo - 4 stars

fen by daisy johnson - 3.5 stars

faces in the water by janet frame - 4.25 stars

the night watch by sarah waters - 4 stars

jane eyre by charlotte brönte - 4.25 stars

wide sargasso sea by jean rhys - 4.5 stars

paradise lost by john milton - 3.75 stars

the diary of adam and eve by mark twain - 2 stars

the yacobian building by alaa al aswany - 4 stars

disgrace by j.m. coetzee - 3 stars

the patience stone by atiq rahimi - 4.5 stars

a good girl's guide to murder by holly jackson - 4 stars

the sailor who fell from grace with the sea by yukio mishima - 3.5 stars

unlikeable female characters by anna bogutskaya - 3 stars

getting away with murder by kathryn foxfield - 3 stars

love her or lose her by tessa bailey - 2 stars

[jasper-book-stash]

January 2024 Reading Wrap Up

As y'all know, I started this blog anew to record my thoughts on some books I read. Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of reading a lot more books than the average human should, and they knock each other out of my noggin. This is why I maintain a color-coded spreadsheet with columns to keep track of things. I also took on a winter reading challenge, and I've read most of the 17 books I was looking to read. With that said, let's see where things landed this month!

Religious Text

None applicable.

1/10 - Why Did They Publish This?

None applicable (thank the gods).

2/10 - Trash

Creating Magickal Entities: A Complete Guide to Entity Creation | David Michael Cunningham, Taylor Ellwood, T Amanda R Wagener

This one was...rough. Painful, even. This made me retroactively rate the other occult books I read higher just to cope.

3/10 - Meh

Heartbreaker | Julie Garwood [reading challenge]

I was hoping this one would be fun, considering the author is from Missouri and the summary seemed promising, but the main male character (not the antagonist) came across as a creep the whole time. I hated him very much.

4 to 6/10 - Mid-Tier

Sigil Magic for Writers, Artists, & Other Creatives | T Thorn Coyle [reading challenge]

With all due respect to Mx. T Thorn Coyle…this book sucked. It originated as a zine and tbh it should have stayed that way. There was a lot of fluff to get the page count up that could honestly have been removed (and should have been). I didn’t feel like I came away from this one learning anything new about sigils or how to incorporate them or my writing into my craft.

The Whittiers | Danielle Steel [reading challenge]

Unlike my surprisingly good experiences reading The Wedding Planner, The Whittiers was a sludge to get through. It was a bit annoying to hear Danielle Steel talk so much about how the characters weren't rich when they were clearly living a rather rich lifestyle without much financial problems in the beginning, and I eventually gave up on the book. The characters just...weren't too compelling to trudge through the repetition for.

The Stranger Upstairs | Lisa M Matlin

YOU. This book took a bit too long to get to the point (the plot), but at least part 2 was absolutely riveting and the epilogue was intriguing. I honestly think None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell did this better, even though The Stranger Upstairs is more about a house than a person. Just...read None Of This Is True instead. Trust me.

Liber Null and Psychonaut | Liber Kaos | Peter J Carroll

Part of what I'm doing is research into chaos magic, starting with its foundational texts. And boy howdy, is this a severely middling book to me. Pointlessly obtuse, refuses to get to the point, spends too long sucking Aleister Crowley's dick... But utterly fascinating from a retrospective point of view, seeing what chaos magic looks like now.

7 to 8/10 - Good With Caveats

Dracula | Bram Stoker [reading challenge]

I'm going to beat Bram Stoker with a broom. Good with the caveat that you have to read it with the context of it being a product of its time. Also, post-vampire Lucy Westenra can GET SOME.

Strawberry Shortcake Murder | Joanne Fluke [reading challenge]

I "read" this one in audiobook form, thanks to my library having a Playaway of it. This one…aged a little poorly in some aspects. I might skip into more modern entries to the series rather than trudge through the older stuff to get there.

The Leftover Woman | Jean Kwok [reading challenge]

This one was a fucking TRIP. This book was full of twists and turns and physically pained me at points. It absolutely fucked me up and I was crying by the end, so I was lucky that no one came into work while I was reading it. I can't say much about it for fear of spoiling it, other than that it delivered upon what it promised.

The Midnight Library | Matt Haig [reading challenge]

This did NOT help with the crying! This book also fucked me up! It’s absolutely wild from the get-go. Content warning for animal death early on, though, because that did not help my anxious ass.

Marrying the Ketchups | Jennifer Close [reading challenge]

With all of the things this book was juggling, it ended exactly how it needed to.

Spells for Change: A Guide for Modern Witches | Frankie Castanea/Chaotic Witch Aunt

I was expecting something entirely different from this book.

Condensed Chaos: An Introduction to Chaos Magic | Phil Hine

Exactly what it says on the tin.

Magickal Servitors: Create Your Own Spirits to Attract Pleasure, Power and Prosperity | Damon Brand

Far more effective and to-the-point than Creating Magickal Entities was, but still far from perfect.

9/10 - Very Very Good

The Puppets of Spelhorst | Kate DiCamillo [reading challenge]

This book is one I've been meaning to read since the library got it in. It's an adorable story with great illustrations and plenty of drama for the 8- to 12-year-old in your life. Or for you, if you want a touching low-stakes story with an open ending.

Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under The Sea | Dav Pilkey [reading challenge]

From the guy who brought us Captain Underpants comes an adorable graphic novel about…honestly a lot happening, there was a lot. Luckily, even though it’s late in the series, there’s enough context provided that you can get a good grasp of the characters. Doesn’t have much to do with Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, though, so I’m deducting a point for that. I read Jules Verne's work and there was nothing about a dog-headed cop in there, nor a cat man who used to be a criminal and is having the worst redemption arc of his life.

Honestly, it was still fun.

Practical Gods | Carl Dennis [reading challenge]

Read for both my reading challenge AND my book club's Pulitzer Prize prompt, this is such a lovely collection of poems and really gets into the crossing of religious belief with modern problems. How does it do this as a book of poetry? I’m not sure! But it did! Definitely worth the multiple prizes it has won. I ordered my own personal copy and I'm waiting for it to arrive.

Gods of Jade and Shadow | Silvia Moreno-Garcia [reading challenge]

I AM GOING TO EAT THIS BOOK BECAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH. We love a book in which the main character dies but that's not the end of their story!

Warrior Magic: Justice Spirituality and Culture from Around the World | Tomas Prower

I did a little write-up of this one.

Give-A-Damn-Jones | Bill Pronzini [reading challenge]

This one was great because the titular character respects women and protects minorities and keeps getting into situations. We love a guy who doesn't want to be here! This was the first Western I've read, and I think it was a good pick.

10/10 - Unironically Recommend To Everyone

Well, everyone who's into the genre these fall under, at least.

Sappho: A New Translation | Mary Barnard

I was so worried that this translation would...well, straightwash Sappho, but from what I see, Mary is dedicated to translating them as close to intentional meaning as possible, including Sappho's bisexuality. Hell yeah.

Welsh Witchcraft: A Guide to the Spirits, Lore, and Magic of Wales | Mhara Starling

This is an in-depth look into a Welsh witch's practice. It's delightful to read someone talk about their own craft, and you can really tell that Mhara loves the place she lives in.

Exodus 20:3: A Monster Romance | Freydis Moon

We love a gay angelfucker romance between a trans man and an angel, complete with smut. Honestly, a great time.

The Salt Grows Heavy | Cassandra Khaw

Do you want the mermaid from The Little Mermaid fairy tale to murder people? Do you want a nonbinary plague doctor? Do you want to hear about murderous child cannibals and freakish surgeons? Do you want your protagonist to McFucking Snap? Do you want a happy ending in the weirdest way possible in this setting? Read The Salt Grows Heavy! A mere 112 pages that will fuck you up while you're trying to poop in peace!

[princessofbookaholics]

January was a short reading month. I already have my first 2 star read of the year and no 5 stars which isn't shocking since I was in a reading slump. Hopefully the romance readathon of february is going to fix that for me! Here's the wrap up:

The Villa ⭐⭐⭐

What Lies in the Woods ⭐⭐

Divine Rivals ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ruthless Vows ⭐⭐⭐

Next of Kin ⭐⭐⭐

The Tourist Attraction ⭐⭐⭐

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Read in January 2024

*facepalm* I've just realised I actually read two really good books this month despite what I've said in my other wrap-up posts. Butch is a Noun and Stone Butch Blues (a reread) were absolutely wonderful - I forgot about them because I haven't got physical copies 😂

the rest of my reads were a bit underwhelming but at least I crossed off lots of stuff from my TBR 😊

Series read:

Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire

Mislaid in Parts Half-Known - 4/5

Evander Mills series by Lev AC Rosen

Lavender House - 4/5

The Bell and the Fog - 4/5

Backlog books:

I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick - DNF

Other reads:

Camp QUILTBAG by Nicole Melleby & AJ Sass - 3/5 (audio)

Butch is a Noun by S Bear Bergman - 4/5

Dykette by Jenny Fran Davis - 4/5

Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg - 5/5 (reread)

Very Bad People by Kit Frick - 4/5 (audio)

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand - 2/5 (audio)

Cackle by Rachel Harrison - 3/5 (audio)

Sing Anyway by Anita Kelly - 4/5

The Trauma Cleaner by Sarah Krasnostein - 4/5 (audio)

The Complete MAUS by Art Spiegelman - 4/5

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang - 4/5

Spinning by Tillie Walden - 4/5

[franticvampirereads]

January has been a wild ride, with a snow and ice storm that knocked out power for a few days, reading way more than I had planned, and birthday celebrations! It’s been interesting to say the least. I think the thing that I’m most shocked by was just how many books I’ve managed to read this month, so here’s what I read:

Daja’s Book 4.5⭐️ {review}

Us 4⭐️ {review}

Epic 4.5⭐️ {review}

Briar’s Book 5⭐️ {review}

The Dragon’s Betrothed 4⭐️ {review}

Last Courtesan Of Olympus 4⭐️ {review}

A Psalm For The Wild-Built 4⭐️ {review}

I’m Kinda Chubby & I’m Your Hero 4.5⭐️ {review}

Omega’s Forever Home 3.5⭐️ {review}

Omega’s Runaway Love -currently reading

My favorite books this month were The Dragon’s Betrothed and Last Courtesan Of Olympus. They were both so much fun!

[millennialgrandma]

January 2023 - Retroactive Words Recap

The fact that this little bitch has been sitting in my drafts for 10 months is quite frankly, nothing short of criminal.

Things I Wrote

There weren't a lot of my own words that happened in January (however, looking back, it was probably my most prolific month of the year. which is honestly devastating to think about.) I know I put in some time on the dramione MCD fic (switched it to first person POV for maximum pain). I also squeaked out I can't wait to see you again (dramione, E, 1.9k) right at the end of the month.

Things I Read

January was the first of the very busy stressy depressy lemon zesty months. My reading that month was almost entirely a product of several bouts of being a horny monster, which meant the pairings (and fandoms) I read varied. Lord only knows how I fell into HotD.

Fiction:

Nonfiction:

Fanfiction:

Complete: (approx. 116.5k)

Only for Love by dalula (druna, E, 4.1k)

Yes Mr. Malfoy by @emotionalsupporthufflepuff (draco/rose, E, 1.1k)

Lessons by orphan_account (scorose, E, 1.3k)

Grindhouse by @provocative-envy (draco/rose, E, 2.2k)

Draco's Birthday Wish by sarahsempra (draco/hermione/ginny, E, 6.3k)

When Snakes Bet by peach_poppy (dreomione, E, 13.5k)

Take a Chance by @acciomjolnir (nevmione, E, 4.7k)

Summer Healing by emsie_writes (ronmionarry, E, 5.4k)

Future Thinking emsie_writes (ronmionarry, E, 4.9k)

Reread: Under the Moonlit Sky by arabellawrites (harmony, E, 5k)

Come to Me by @frumpologist (sirius/ginny, E, 2.4k)

Reread: Movements by @olivieblake (sirius/pansy, E, 2.6k)

Run For It by @provocative-envy (sirius/pansy, E, 4.4k)

How to Drain Your Dragon by @vukovich (luna/charlie, E, 3.7k)

Long Jacket by Willowfairy (parkweasel, E, 5.5k)

Mile End by @pacific-rimbaud (parkweasel, E, 8.4k)

Reread: Tied Up by @ladykenz347 (percy/pansy/hermione, E, 3.6k)

Reread: Incensed and Aroused by @ladykenz347 (parkweasel, E, 4.3k)

Useful by DontStopHerNow (parkweasel, E, 1.6k)

Boyfriend Dick by @fw00shy (parkweasel, E, 3.9k)

the difference between (being fucked and being taken) by LumosLyra (parkweasel, E, 1.7k)

Grey Days by MidnightChardonnay (parkweasel, E, 2.1k)

A Very Merry Christmas by @a-loveunlaced and LumosLyra (arthur/hermione, E, 3.9k)

jailbird by cordeliacordate (harwin/rhaenyra, E, 4.7k)

Partition by elegantmoonchild (harwin/rhaenyra, E, 1.4k)

A Terrible Lack of Respect by obsidian_hearts (harwin/rhaenyra, E, 7.6k)

menace. by orphan_account (harwin/rhaenyra, E, 0.7k)

Punishment by pecanbrandies (harwin/rhaenyra, E, 2.7k)

Reread: Practical Punishment by rockthecasbah18 (harry/rose/draco, E, 3k)

WIPs: (approx. 18.6k)

Kingdome Come by @inadaze22 and @jaxxartbox - Chapter 11-12 (dramione, E, 12k)

Good by @lovesbitca8 - Chapter 6 (dramione, E, 6.6k)

[booksandrandomfandoms]

JOMP day 31

Read in January

I enjoyed most of what I read in January, I did dnf 2 books (not shown)