Somehow through having lots of spare time and a chain of good books I managed to start the year with 20 books in a month.
- The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – an excellent follow up to The Bear and the Nightingale. Having now read the third book, I think The Girl in the Tower is my favourite of the trilogy.
- Vicious by V.E Schwab – a really gripping anti-hero story. Never thought I’d enjoy something like this as I tend to prefer really moral characters. But it was fantastic!
- Vengeful by V.E Schwab – Vicious was so good that I just had to follow up with the sequel. I enjoyed it just as much if not more!
- Owning It by Caroline Foran – a book on living with anxiety. I enjoyed the relatable parts but not sure it told me much I didn’t already know.
- The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell – a memoir about a penguin! This short read was so adorable and I was gripped from start to finish.
- A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet – I found this book really easy to get through. The plot was interesting but there were little bits like how the main character views herself that I didn’t like so much.
- Circe by Madeline Miller – a retelling that I never quite got into. The middle section was really enjoyable but I really couldn’t connect with the title character.
- The Wicked King by Holly Black – the much anticipated sequel to The Cruel Prince! It didn’t disappoint. Holly is the queen of good twists.
- The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke – probably taught me more about pre-wall Berlin than I’d ever have known otherwise. Really enjoyed the story.
- From Twinkle with Love by Sandhya Menon – all the secondary school vibes. Sandhya is the queen of understanding and portraying teenagers. I related to When Dimple Met Rishi more but this was a solid follow up. Can’t wait for There’s Something About Sweetie!
- Onyx and Ivory by Mindee Arnett – another fantasy that I couldn’t put down. I loved the concept and can’t wait to read book 2.
- The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski – a fantasy again that I definitely couldn’t put down. I think this was the best book I read in January. I enjoyed that the heroine relied on her brains more than her physical strength.
- Feminists Don’t Wear Pink by Scarlett Curtis – a collection of essays on what feminism means for a variety of women. I asked for this for Christmas from Dan and loved reading a few essays a night.
- The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin -Probably my least favourite book of the month, but I still read it over the course of a day. Just wasn’t really my thing.
- How to be Champion by Sarah Millican – absolutely hilarious. The structure was a bit odd for me but I loved every chapter.
- Written in Red by Anne Bishop – this book started off really badly for me but then it got so good! There were so many cute bits that made me awww out loud.
- Likel1k3 by Jay Kristoff – Anything Jay writes I love and this book definitely solidified that. Especially loved Eve and Lemon’s friendship.
- If We Were Villains by M. L Rio – Wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book but it was like gossip that you know you should be interested in but want to know more. Loved the Shakespeare references, but I did guess the killer.
- Seeing What Others Don’t by Gary Klein – a non-fic about how we gain insights. I loved all the real-life examples given and found the ideas fascinating.
- The Witches of New York by Amy McKay – a book that had been sat on my kindle for months that I was wary to read. Shouldn’t have been – it was a stunning way to end January. I really loved the main characters, especially Beatrice. The whole thing was magical!
And that’s that! 20 books in 31 days. I don’t think I’ll ever have another month like it!
You can see how I get on with my reading challenge here
