Month in Review: January 2023

Does anyone else feel that January both lasted forever and flew by? I can’t believe the first month of the new year has already come and gone…at least it was filled with some great reads!

This year while I will still be reading new books and review copies, I am also trying to focus more on the books I already own. I’m participating in a year-long challenge over on bookstagram with other bookfriends that are also trying to do the same and I have to say, I did pretty well in January, managing to read 8 books off my own shelf!

I’m also going to start a new project that I am super excited about…a book blanket that tracks my reading for the year. If you’ve ever heard of a temperature blanket, this is a similar concept. I’ll be doing mine based on the genre of the books I read – one row for every book read. We’ll see how it goes! I just got the yarn and now I need to assign colors to each genre and then I can start. Theoretically, I should have 24 rows done as I read 24 books this month…my goal is to be caught up by the end of February.

Reading Stats:

• Read this month: 24
• Year to date: 24

1. The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes (audio book)
2. Gallows Rock by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
3. The Nowhere Child by Christian White (audio book)
4. The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester (audio book)
5. When She Disappeared by Steph Mullin (audio book)
6. All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham (audio book)
7. City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita
8. Regrets Only by Kieran Scott (audio book)
9. A Light in the Forest by Melissa Payne (audio book)
10. Devil’s Way by Robert Bryndza (audio book)
11. What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall (audio book)
12. Hide in Place by Emilya Naymark (audio book)
13. Three Hours in Paris by Cara Black (audio book)
14. The Science of Murder by Carla Valentine
15. Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom
16. Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark (audio book)
17. Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano (audio book)
18. The Blackhouse by Carole Johnstone
19. Sam by Allegra Goodman
20. Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
21. Atomic Habits by James Clear (audio book)
22. The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie Ford (audio book)
23. Exiles by Jane Harper (audio book)
24. If a Poem Could Live and Breathe by Mary Calvi

My top 5 of January: 

***I saw this on a friend’s blog and really liked it, so I’m adding it to my monthly wrap-ups.

1. Favorite book(s) of January – these books are the ones I absolutely loved and will be recommending to everyone. They will be staying on my shelf and might even be rereads at some point in the future.
   • The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre
   • Fellowship Point
   • The Many Daughters of Afong Moy
   • If a Poem Could Live and Breathe
2. Biggest Surprise of January: Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom. I received this in a holiday package from a PR firm and am so glad I did. I had heard about it, but if not for getting it sent to me, I probably wouldn’t have read it. I ended up binge-reading it and was shocked by how much I enjoyed it!
3. Biggest Disappointment of January: I enjoyed every book I read this month. I did think I would like The Blackhouse a bit more than I did, but I still really liked it and will be reading more by this author.
4. Favorite Part of Month – I started hosting the bookclub at a local independent bookstore here on Long    Island, Theodore’s Books and we had our first meeting this month. The book for January was Fellowship Point, which had been on my tbr for quite a while, so I was glad to finally get a chance to read it – and it ended up being one of my favorite reads this month! We had a good turnout and I’m looking forward to next month’s meeting – we’re discussing A Quiet Life by Ethan Joella, which I loved!
5. 5 Books I’m most looking forward to reading next month:
   • The House of Eve by Sadequa Johnson – I loved her debut novel, Yellow Wife, and have been hearing great things about this new one. Out 2/7
   • Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes – I’ve been a fan of Joyo Moyes for quite some time and am so excited she has a new book out! Out 2/7
   • Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall – A debut historical fiction novel set in Canada. Out 2/7
   • On the Savage Side by Tiffany McDaniel – I loved Tiffany McDaniel’s last book, Betty, and this latest one is inspired by the true story of the unsolved murders in Ohio. Out 2/14
   • I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai – A dark academia whodunit that looks into collective memory. Out 2/21

So tell me, what was your favorite read of the month? What are you looking forward to reading in February?