Books Read in January: 21
Books Read for the Year: 21/250

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone, by Diana Gabaldon (TBR). I have no words for how much I love this series.
Eye to Eye:  Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel, by William Koenig (spiritual). This seemed very monotonous after a while, though the topic itself was intriguing.
Seeing Jesus from the East, by Ravi Zacharias (spiritual). This viewpoint was very intriguing.
The Case for Christ, by Lee Strobel (spiritual). This was fascinating.
She Reads Truth, by Raechel Myers (spiritual). I loved the conversational, talk-between-friends tone of this.

For Review:

The Sorority Murder, by Allison Brennan. This was a decent thriller read. I wasn’t surprised by the killer or the ending, but I enjoyed the read.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, by Meg Long. This was a unique and compelling scifi read. I ended the book with a lot of questions remaining, but the writing was solid and it felt new and fresh.

The Last House on the Street, by Diane Chamberlain. The book almost broke me. I wouldn’t consider this a thriller, but historical fiction. Highly recommend.

Bad Luck Bridesmaid, by Alison Rose Greenberg. I wanted to like this—and parts were funny—but the MC was a touch on the…unlikable side.

Anatomy: A Love Story, by Dana Schwartz. I enjoyed this historical YA about a girl determined to become a surgeon when women aren’t allowed to be doctors…until the end, which took a sharp and disappointing turn.

Her Hometown Hero, by Jacquelin Thomas. These characters felt like talking heads, with no setting or character descriptions (I rarely had a picture of what they were doing), and the male MC just basically sat around and felt sorry for himself and acted like a jerk.

The Storyteller, by Kathryn Williams. I really enjoyed this story of a girl trying to discover if her great-aunt, who left a trunk full of old diaries, really was the lost Princess Anastasia.

Must Love Books, by Shauna Robinson. I liked this, buuuuutt the fact that the MC thought it was okay to lie, cheat, and steal did not sit well with me and detracted from the otherwise fun read. The banter between her and the love interest was great, but I found her character lacking.

One True Loves, by Elise Bryant. The MC was a bit much initially, but when she calmed down a little, I found this to be a fun read.

Getting His Game Back, by Gia De Cadenet. I liked these two characters a lot, and I think the author did a good job of giving a realistic picture of depression.

Feather and Flame, by Livia Blackburne (review forthcoming, due to changed pub date). I enjoyed this a lot. Mulan is my absolute favorite Disney cartoon, and I kept seeing those characters in my mind.

Made in Manhattan, by Lauren Layne. This was an okay read, but it was pretty predictable.

The Iron Sword, by Juklie Kagawa. Loved this, just like I love everything the author writes in this world. I do wish that it had been in Puck’s POV again, though.

A Lullaby for Witches, by Hester Fox. I really enjoyed this author’s other books, but the historical character in this one was a horrible person.

Just Because:
Parable of the Talents, by Octavia E. Butler. I have to be honest:  I did not like either the narrator or her daughter. Olamina was so self-absorbed and narrow-minded I could barely tolerate her, and her daughter was not much better. Fascinating narrative, but the characters weren’t for me.

The Good Shepherd (Gateway Church devotional). It’s always good to start the year off right.

Left Unfinished:

The Appeal, by Janice Hallett. I didn’t make it very far into this, because the format didn’t work for me. The plot sounded interesting enough that I wanted to give it a try, but in the end, reading the story in emails/text/etc. just didn’t work for me.

How to Love Your Neighbor, by Sophie Sullivan. I might have made it to 15% in this book, but Noah was such an arrogant jerk I couldn’t stand to read more.

Desolation Canyon, by P.J. Tracy. I read 10% of this, but I didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters, so I stopped reading.

Such a Pretty Smile, by Kristi DeMeester. I made it about 15% in this, but the characters and the vibe were pretty dark and unlikable for me.

The Christie Affair, by Nina de Gramont. The POV was far too distant in this to keep my attention, despite reading almost 20%.

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