January is the longest month ever. New Year’s Day feels like seven years ago at this point to me. But on the bright side I read six books this month! Which beats my average of 4-5, so I will take that as a win during a month that had lost of busyness attached to it. So here is my January Reading Wrap-up!
Hopeful List Recap
I read 3 out of 4 of the books that I said I was going to read for January. January Reading Goals: Floating With Fantasy
Finished
- Ashes of Gold by J. Elle: It is the sequel to Wings of Ebony. It is action-packed and I loved every minute of it. Ashes of Gold Is Action-Packed Conclusion to Duology Published Jan. 11, 2022
- The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera: Well I found out what happened after they got on the spaceship…boy oh boy. It was the best piece of science fiction that I’ve read since middle school. This book just one the Newbery Award for 2021. Review: The Last Cuentista Published October 12, 2022
- I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys: This tale of a young man coming of age in 1989 communist Romania was both intriguing and informing. This had me up late trying to figure out who exactly was betraying who. I also had the chance to participate in a Book Club Zoom meeting with the author and it was so insightful to listen to her talk about her research. I’ll have a review coming soon. Published Feb. 1, 2022
Still Reading
- Broken Wish by Julie Dao: I’m in the middle of reading this, which is Book One of The Mirror series. I read Shattered Midnight by Dhonielle Clayton first (Review: Shattered Midnight by Dhonielle Clayton) and I wanted to go back and find out what the origin story for the magic was with the descendents. This series has family trees and I love when those are included!
Bonus Books Read
- Wash Day Diaries by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith: This is a graphic novel about four best friends. It centers their hair care routines and rituals while telling a snapshot of each woman’s life. Each woman has their own short story and there is one that ties them together at the end. I hope to see more from these authors! But I will have to have patience, because this gem doesn’t even debut until June 14, 2022.
- Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds: This phenomenal and needed book is three long run-on sentences without punctuation. It is a call to stop and take a breath or put on our oxygen mask if we need to do so. He captured my feelings about surviving 2020 so beautifully. The art is wonderful and a great companion. Published Jan. 11, 2022
- A More Perfect Union by Tammye Huf: I’m a little wary of slavery novels because they usually are pretty tough to get through or they are over romanticized and still…tough to get through. I won this book in a giveaway and saw another Bookstagrammer talking about it. So I decided to pick it up. Welp, that was an L to my afternoon! The chapters are short which makes the story move quickly and they alternate perspectives. I will share more in a review coming soon. Paperback Released Jan. 11, 2022
Did you read any of these titles or do you plan to add any of them to your reading list? Let me know in the comments!
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