Despite all of the travel and craziness of January, it looks like I still got a fair amount of reading done! This month, my reading not only varied in genres, but also in sources. I read some books from the library, my backlists, and some e-ARCs from NetGalley. I didn’t read as many backlist books as I would have liked, but I think I’ll get closer to a physical TBR number I’m happy with in the coming months.
So without further ado, here’s everything I read this January:
Ruin and Rising (The Grisha Trilogy #3) by Leigh Bardugo
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Ruin and Rising is the third and final book in the Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo. After the events of the second book, Alina is in hiding as she figures out how she can regain her strength and defeat The Darkling. But to get there, she is looking for the help of not only her friends and the lost prince, but also the legendary firebird. But Alina’s plans are shattered by a mind-blowing revelation, and from that, she must think fast for her fate – and the fate of all of Ravka.
This book was my highest-rated in the trilogy, likely because it pulled a lot of the story together where the other two books just didn’t have that. It seems like a lot of the divisiveness in ratings over this book were over the results of the love “polygon” as I like to call it, but for me, that wasn’t my incentive for reading this trilogy at all, and like many crazy love shapes, I just did not care for them. But overall, I think this book really gave me what I needed from this trilogy, and now I am happy to move on to Six of Crows.
You can read my full review on my Goodreads here.
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Time Machine was written by H.G. Wells, who is widely considered to be the “father of science-fiction”. In this classic science-fiction novella, a man recounts his experience in a time machine he created himself, to a place tens of thousands of years beyond his time. He tells the story of what he found there, and how he got back when his time machine went missing.
A five-star read already! I have to say, as a fan of older science-fiction everything, I loved this book. I find it so interesting how much speculation is done in this book, and where H.G. Wells drew some parallels to modern times. Additionally, I loved reading about all of the “tropes” that we see in science-fiction media now, and understanding where a lot of these originated. I have six more of his works on my shelf, and I’m looking forward to reading them all.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
⭐️⭐️.5
Sharp Objects follows Camille, a reporter for a small Chicago paper that recently finished treatment at a psychatric facility. Upon her return, she is tasked to cover the disappearances of two girls from her small town. Camille is reluctant to return to her family and the place that she used to call home. But as she begins to investigate the murders of these girls, Camille finds a strange sort of familiarity with these girls, and she is determined to find out why.
This book for me was a matter of great concept, not so great execution. Overall, the parts that should have been emphasized got very little emphasis (almost blatantly told to the reader), and the parts that didn’t need so much detail got just that. Additionally, for a book that was under 300 pages and a thriller, it did not read like one. This book dragged on for me. And I know this is not a popular opinion, but sadly, I did not find this book to be as good as I’ve heard. With some tweaking I think it could have been so much more.
You can read my full review on my Goodreads here.
Show Your Anxiety Who’s Boss By Joel Minden, PhD
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was provided an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Show Your Anxiety Who’s Boss is an informational read and workbook all in one that teaches readers how to manage their anxiety. This book covers topics such as where anxiety comes from, what coping mechanisms help, and why how we think we should cope is not the answer.
This book was so incredibly helpful. While reading this, I was following the prompts that are provided to help me provide insight into my own anxiety. It also helped me to create my own program to help take control of what is giving me anxiety. Although I’ve had this my whole life, I still learned quite a bit about where I can manage it better, and for that I highly recommend this book. It releases in March.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Never Eat Alone is Keith Ferrazzi’s’ story on building a strong network, and how the reader can build one, too. Through showing not only his successes, but also his failures, Ferrazzi shows readers what and what not to do when it comes to networking, online presence, and building a personal brand.
I got this as a Christmas present, and because I traveled for work this January, I figured the timing was good. I have a lot of tabs in this book, and got some great insights, especially from building an online presence. I recommend this book for those just entering the workforce.
You can read my full review on my Goodreads here.
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Hurston
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is a collection of short stories that Zora Neale Hurston wrote about the Harlem Renaissance. This recently published collection of her stories includes a foreword about the origin of these stories and where Hurston was in her life and career when she wrote them. Many of the stories are about African-American citizens of the south who are looking to move north for the chances of a better life. These stories also cover intersectionality, especially with women beginning to question their roles in their home lives.
After reading Their Eyes Were Watching God last year and hearing of this collection, I knew I had to read it once it was released. The variety of stories and characters throughout this book do so much to demonstrate so many issues faced at that time, from economic struggles to domestic abuse and the adjustments of living in a new place. Not all of these hit the same way, but the ones that did were very impactful.
You can read my full review on my Goodreads here.
Things in Jars by Jess Kidd
⭐️⭐️⭐️.25
Things in Jars is a Victorian gothic novel that follows investigator Bridie Devine. She is tasked with the disappearance of a girl that is said to have supernatural abilities. Bridie’s introduction to this investigation leads to an influx of other peculiar happenings as well, such as the supernatural collectors, the appearance of a ghost, and the emergence of her past. As the investigation continues, Bridie is determined not to let this one end like her last.
I picked up this book from BOTM, only having picked up on the words “Victorian,” “ghosts,” and “mermaids.” And while I did enjoy this book, there was so much going on that was packed in a book under 400 pages. I would have loved to see this book stretch out a bit more in exploring some of these concepts, because it was so interesting to read about, and so much content for such a short book.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
Surrender by Ray Loriga
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was sent to me as an e-ARC by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Surrender is a dystopian novel recently translated from Spanish and released in English. It follows a couple during the war, in which they have no information about the war, nor do they know where the whereabouts of their sons. Right before they are ordered to evacuate, a mute boy shows at their property with no context. They decide to take him in as they embark for the “transparent city,” knowing and having not much else with them but each other.
While the writing and translation of this book was excellent, I liked the first half of the book much more than the second half. There was also so much information that I felt was missing from the story that would have added so much depth. I recommend it more to those that prefer a more “soft” dystopia that focuses more on the new world itself than how it was made.
You can read my full review on my blog here.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Into Thin Air is Jon Krakauer’s personal account of the disaster on Mount Everest that took the lives of many. He writes from beginning to end of his story climbing the mountain with those that accompanied him on the journey, and the lives that were lost on the summit on that day in 1996.
If I didn’t know Krakauer was a reporter going into this, I would have suspected it based on how much research he put into this. In addition to his own story, Krakauer discusses the history of the climb, and how commercialized the trip has become over the years. While I felt detached from the trip at times, I felt that this was an excellent insight into what hapenned and how quickly tragedy can strike in incidents like these.
You can read my full review on my Goodreads here.
Have you read any of these books? Be sure to let me know your thoughts!
-Julie Anna
