Well, we finally made it through the entire year that was January. Honestly, I think we can all agree January was a lot for so many different reasons and most of them were not good. Here in LA we had some truly horrific fires that left so much tragedy it's still difficult to fully process. Fortunately, my husband and I remained a couple miles out from any evacuation zones, but there were some scary moments in there and it's been heartbreaking to see what those affected are going through. Maybe this is a good time for all of us to take a minute and appreciate that we've made it through January and that we are ready to take on the rest of the year, no matter what has happened (or at least keep repeating that like a mantra and pretend it's true?).
But rather than dwelling on what's going with the state of the world, let's talk about books! I actually ended up reading more than I expected to in January (somehow, despite having next to no concentration multiple times in January?) and I read some really fantastic books as well. One highlight was Richard Swan's latest upcoming release Grave Empire, which was every bit as dark and wonderful as I'd hoped. I also couldn't wait so I went ahead and read my eARC of A Drop of Corruption, the much-anticipated sequel to The Tainted Cup, and had a great time with that as well. I also re-read one of my favorite story collections, How High We Go in the Dark, and felt just as sad and melancholy as I did the first time I read it–and also just as in love with it. All in all, it was a very solid reading month and I'm excited to get into February's reading!
I also posted my best books of 2024 in January, so be sure to have a look at part I and part II of those lists if you haven't and let me know what your favorite books were from 2024. :)
# books read:
Thoughts: Grave Empire is the start of Richard Swan's new companion-esque trilogy following his Empire of the Wolf trilogy and it kicked off with a bang! I loved this one and cannot wait for more. My review will be up this week!
Thoughts: For some reason, it took me a long time to get through this one and I'm not entirely sure why. I loved the first book--it was one of my favorite reads last year--and I still really liked this one, but it just moved much more slowly until the end. My review will be up closer to its publication in April.
Thoughts: This was a reread because apparently I felt like being really sad, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time. I previously wrote a review for it here with more of my thoughts.
Thoughts: This was really fun! I sort of picked this up on a whim after seeing it pop up while browsing on Libby and it ended being a really fun read. I actually read a middle grade novel from Neff years and years ago that I enjoyed, so now I'm thinking I may need to check out some more of Neff's work.
Thoughts: I though Kell Woods' After the Forest was a compelling take on a Hansel and Gretel retelling so I was eager to check out her latest release, which mashes up some elements from Cinderella and The Little Mermaid. There was a bit more romance than I expected (which was perhaps my own fault for not realizing, haha), but I had a great time with this one. My review will be up closer to its publication laster this month.
Thoughts: I'm always up for a Greek myth-inspired book, and this was a really interesting one. I loved having Herakles be a character, as I don't actually see him a lot in Greek myth inspired fiction, which is surprising.
Thoughts: This was a really interesting new take on vampires and I thought it had a lot of promise! I will definitely be curious to see where the author takes this one. My review is already up here.
Thoughts: This ended up being even more intense than I expected and it was jam-packed with action. This was definitely a wild ride.
Thoughts: I thought this had some great insight and discussion around a multitude of mental health topics and what's it like to struggle with depression and other mental health issues. I didn't necessarily agree with everything in here and some stuff didn't work for me, but I liked the conversational format and think it's still a read that will inspire some thinking and discussion.
Thoughts: I just posted my review for this one last week. This is Shusterman's latest release and it was a really fascinating one!
Thoughts: Since I've been enjoying Dinniman Dungeon Crawler Carl series so much, I though I'd give one of his previous works a read. This is very much a similar litRPG-style book so if you like that aspect, you'll love it in this as well. It didn't grab me as much as the DCC series, but it's still a really interesting concept. It's dark and quite violent, so be warned!
Thoughts: I sort of stumbled into this book and read it without knowing anything about except that the protagonist and her mother were aerialists in a circus and that was pretty much all I needed. This ended up being a really good exploration of grief, connection, and there were some interesting fantasy elements I didn't expect.
Lightfall by Ed Crocker
Why Taiwan Matters: A Short History of a Small Island That Will Dictate Our Future by Kerry Brown
All Better Now by Neal Shusterman
Best Books of 2024, Pt. I: 2024 Releases
Best Books 2024, Pt. II: Backlist Titles & Honorable Mentions
2024 Reading Stats!
Anticipated February 2025 Releases!
1/8: The Garden by Nick Newman, Grave Empire by Richard Swan, Waiting for the Long Night Moon by Amanda Peters, & Boy by Nicole Galland
1/15: The Black Orb by Ewhan Kim, Upon a Starlit Tide by Kell Woods, & The Poorly Made and Other Things by Sam Rebelein
1/22: Whiteout by R.S. Burnett, The Fourth Consort by Edward Ashton, & Black Woods, Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey
1/29: Hungerstone by Kat Dunn, Gliff by Ali Smith, & Daughter of Daring by Mallory O'Meara, & After the North Pole by Erling Kagge
