I have had to recount several times because saying I read 12 books in January just doesn’t seem right! But alas, I read a few short things this month and have been riding on a Kindle Unlimited free trial (I think they have a 2 month free trial right now!), so I was trying to get as much use out of it as I possibly could 🙂 But since I read 11 books in December, maybe it’s not too far-fetched! It took me a while to post this round-up since there was so much to cover, so bear with me. But if you read something really great this past month, please share in the comments! I always love some recommendations 🙂
Good Inside by Dr. Becky Kennedy
I read a lot of parenting books, and I don’t think that you have to agree with everything 10000% in order to glean something from it. Like most gentle parenting books, I liked the approach of Good Inside; however, despite explicitly stating that she doesn’t agree with permissive parenting, some of the examples in the book toyed the line of permissive parenting in my opinion. It’s not the best parenting book I’ve ever read, but it had some helpful stuff in it!
4/5 stars
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me was SOOOOO talked up on BookTok and I thought it was just fine! I think it’s a bit more YA than I like, but if you enjoy dystopian romance, you may like this one!
3/5 stars
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
I LOVE Ina Garten. I love her cookbooks, her Food Network show, her aesthetic; love it all! I was really excited to read this book, and it was interesting, but I felt like it could have gone a little deeper. I was hoping for a little bit more depth from it, but it was still so interesting!
4/5 stars
The Songbird & the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent
This book is the 3rd book in the Crowns of Nyaxia series and I really enjoyed it! It is focused on a different character than the 1st and 2nd books, but they are still intertwined. I actually already posted a full review on it, so if you want to read more about my thoughts, you can do so here!
4/5 stars
The Night Agent by Matthew Quirk
This book is not really the kind of book I normally read but I actually still enjoyed it! Reading this book feels like an episode of 24, its kind of just non-stop action. It’s definitely hard to put down for that reason. Some of the political stuff truthfully went a little over my head until I talked it through with people though lol
4/5 stars
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez is literally a hallmark movie in book form. Big city doctor girl meets in small town with farmer boy and are unsure if they are too different lol
That being said…. I loved it! It was a little cheesy sometimes, but I thought it was such a fun read. Abby Jimenez has such good banter and humor in her romance books!
4.75/5 stars
Six Scorched Roses by Carissa Broadbent
I know, I know I read this a little out of order! This is a short novella (187 pages) that is technically book 1.5 in the Crowns of Nyaxia series. It’s actually a stand-alone novella though, so you could read it without ever having read book 1 of the series if you like romantasy books and need something short. You definitely don’t need to read it in the series at all, but I really enjoyed it and it actually made me appreciate book 2 a little more!
4.5/5 stars
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
I feel once again bamboozled by BookTok with this one! The MMC was just SOOOOOO unlikable that I really struggled. I can’t even really put my finger on exactly why this book didn’t do it for me 🙁
3/5 stars
Star-Spangled Jesus by April Ajoy
I worked on this one for a while via audio book, and while I found the parts about April growing up to be SO relatable (specifically the part about being traumatized by the Left Behind Series and thinking that her family had been raptured without her). I wish she had incorporated a bit more scripture in this book so that it had more legs to stand on if used as a tool to point out the error of Christian Nationalism in the church. Also, sometimes I felt like her opinions of theology felt a little mocking instead of light joking (its a tough line to tread I know) and I would have liked to hear more of what/if her faith looks like now.
3.5/5 stars
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren is a really short novella (101 pages) on Kindle Unlimited that I flew through! A big part of the story is told through emails and then it changes. It’s a really cute read and I totally recommend it is you love a romance!
4/5 stars
Animal Farm by George Orwell
I have absolutely zero clue what inspired me to read this other than it maybe being a book that everyone else read in high school and I didn’t for some reason! I did actually think it was a good allegory although very much in your face.
4/5 stars
Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez
You know I had to finish the Part of Your world series so far and read book 2! I flew through this book, BUT it was definitely my least favorite of the series (that number one spot is reserved for Just for the Summer!). A major miscommunication trope will always drive me bananas, but ESPECIALLY when the main characters are in their 30s and intelligent/well educated people. Like JUST TALK??!!
3.5/5 stars
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cool, 12 books rn? props for maxing out that kindle unlimited trial. idk if book counts really measure insight, but hey, it’s a rad month of reading. what was your fave pick? keen to hear your recs.