It’s that time of the month again! Let’s take a look at what I read in January, what I meant to read this month, and what I’ve got coming up, maybe! I started the month and year off strong, with four books completed in less than two weeks, and then… got stuck. Well, kind of. I also had some BIG changes in my non-reading life that have been taking my time and energy (in a good way!): I started a new job as a Reference Librarian as a new library, which I am loving and am far more appreciated at than my previous library. Additionally, I… started dating someone for the first time in years. So my Sundays have been spent getting to know this wonderful woman while exploring parts of Boston instead of curling up with Ginny and a book. Additionally, classes started on the 15th, and I am making an honest effort to finally finish my research project and graduate this semester, so… yeah, it’s been a busy couple of weeks, full of good stuff! But, with all that said, let’s take a look at what I have been reading. Additionally, I’m crocheting granny squares to match each book I read this year, so enjoy!

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe

A full review of this is coming soon, but I read this in a single day on New Year’s. I am a big fan of Jenny L. Howe; as I’ve said here before, she co-hosts the romance book club I attend, and I loved her previous book, On the Plus-Side. Her books are funny, smart, relatable, and eternally optimistic. We read this for our book club for January, and everyone genuinely loved it (we might be biased, but we really did!), and I heartily recommend this to anyone looking for a good romcom. Also, I skeeted at Jenny on January 1st that “maybe your first book of the year will set the tone for 2025”, and now I have a girlfriend, so… it’s her fault. StoryGraph review.

Love at Full Tilt by Jenny L. Howe

In other Jenny L. Howe news, I received an ARC for her next book, Love at Full Tilt, which is her YA debut releasing this summer! I’m SO excited for this, especially since YA is my regular age-based genre. (If you don’t know, my ultimate goal is to be a teens librarian.) I’ve only read a few chapters so far, but I can already tell that I’m going to love it. Stay tuned for a review when I do finish it. I mean, I kind of have to write one, per the terms of NetGalley, but I’d want to anyway!

Funny Story by Emily Henry

At the end of last year, I read Book Lovers, and loved it, so I figured that Emily Henry’s new book would be just as funny (it’s in the title!) and captivating. Unfortunately, it fell pretty flat for me. It had all the elements to work, but it just… didn’t. I only laughed out loud two times in the entire book, and I just genuinely didn’t feel the magic. I liked the bits about being a children’s librarian and how she positively impacted young people’s lives with her work, but that wasn’t enough to save the book for me. On the other hand, I’m also pretty sure that I was romcommed out by this point (I tend to go hard on the romcoms during the holidays), so it might’ve just been timing. So, I put myself on a romcom pause for a while after finishing this one. I do want to read some of her other books, like The People We Meet on Vacation, but not for a bit. StoryGraph review.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

One of my goals this year is to read more of genres I don’t normally read, and horror is right at the top of that list. T. Kingfisher has been on my list of authors to check out for her fantasy novels, but when I was recommended this (by the woman I’m now dating), I picked it up and devoured it. It was so good, and the right amount of creepy without giving me nightmares (although I did have some weird dreams while reading it). It’ll definitely make me think twice about stepping through any Narnia-like portals. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I still will, but maybe I’ll grab some provisions and another person to go with me. I haven’t written a review on this one because I wanted to sit with it for a bit, but… it was so good, y’all. And I say as a non-horror fan. StoryGraph review.

Wolf Speaker by Tamora Pierce

Okay, this is a re-read (for the millionth time), but I needed a palate cleanser after The Hollow Places. I love this book and series, and have since I was 12. This one is possibly my favorite book from the series, but I don’t know if it’s because it’s well written or because I love wolves (and how Daine’s magic is growing/evolving). Besides, it has the best quote ever: “I think it’s fair rude to make him a tree and not know what kind he is.” I plan on re-reading all of Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books this year (aside from Song of the Lioness, which I just re-read last year), so enjoy her name coming up a lot on these recaps! StoryGraph review.

The Guncle by Steven Rowley

My sister told me months ago that I needed to read this book and my new coworkers echoed that sentiment, so I finally picked it up. While it wasn’t as laugh out loud funny as I expected it to be, it was absolutely delightful and I loved it. Honestly, I think it healed part of my inner child that never had the “right” (for me) space to grieve my dad. Also, I just love well done books about death and grief, and I really came to feel for this family. StoryGraph review.

Current Reads

Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros

Yes, yes, the big romantasy name of the month. Of course I’m reading it! However, it came out over a week ago, and I’m still… not even to the halfway mark yet (although almost!). The first third of the book was a struggle, but I felt the same way about the first half of Iron Flame and it ultimately got rated higher than Fourth Wing for me because the second half made up for it, so I’m really hoping that’s what happens here. I’m finally enjoying it instead of just “getting through it”, so there’s hope! No spoilers! (Update: I wrote this on January 29th. I’ve been too busy to publish this post since then, but now it is February 3rd and I’m almost done.)

The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami

I was so excited for this release, as it’s a companion novel to my favorite Murakami novel, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. I haven’t gotten very far into it (I put it aside to slog through Onyx Storm), but I already love the beautiful prose and the surreal story. I’m looking forward to diving back in once I’m done with the Empyrean dragons. (That book took priority because the internet is rife with spoilers, and I have coworkers waiting to discuss it with me.)

The Bookshop by Evan Friss

I started reading this while working at my old library when it was dead (which was often), and not only liked the content but also the writing style. But when I switched jobs, I left the book behind (yes, I know I could’ve checked it out, but I have so many books on my “library shelf” and didn’t want one that’s essentially “to reference when I get to it”). I finally picked up my own copy about a week ago, and am looking forward to reading more about the history of the American bookshop! It’ll be a perfect companion to my book about the history of American libraries.

Recent Buys

Going to go through this quick, but a round-up of the books I bought in January but didn’t make it into this post otherwise:

• A Stroke of the Pen: The Lost Stories by Terry Pratchett. This is some of his very early stuff, and I think I’m going to make it a point to read one short story every night when I do start on this one.
• Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant. Another recommendation from my girlfriend even before we went on a single date; I love Mira Grant’s zombie novels (the Newsflesh trilogy), and the fantasy books she writes under the name Seanan McGuire, but this will be my first read of hers that’s other horror.
• The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston. It’s the third of the books set in the Dead Romantics “universe”, and characters from the previous two make cameos. This is first on my list once I get over my romcom slump!
• The special editions of Legends & Lattes and Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree. I’ve already read and loved these, but I treated myself to these pretty editions for my birthday! (This also means that I have the regular paperback copies now moved to my “giveaways” shelf. So keep an eye out for that… eventually.)
• A special edition of Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. Another birthday treat for myself, this gorgeous edition has ephemeral throughout, including handwritten letters, maps, and drawings. I’ve looked at it literally every time I’ve gone into my local bookstore since this summer, and finally let myself get it.
• Various Fruits Basket and Sailor Moon volumes (collector’s editions). I’ve been slowly collecting them as I see them, and picked up a few more volumes this month. However, I’ve now discovered that my local bookstore can order all my missing volumes (they don’t have a big manga section, so I wasn’t sure), so I’ll have them complete soon! I’ve already read Fruits Basket before (back in 2012), but am looking forward to re-reading it once I have all the volumes. And I’ve actually never read Sailor Moon, despite being obsessed with the show as a kid (and I still love it), so I’m really looking forward to starting!

This was supposed to be a quick post (and posted almost a week ago), and yet here we are. Onto February! What was your favorite read of January? Mine’s a tie between How to Get a Life in Ten Dates or The Hollow Places.