What I Read in January (2023)

I didn’t hit my goal of 250 books the last two years…so I’m scaling back a bit to 225. I’m also cutting back on reviews a bit, and leaving room for straight fun reading.

Books Read in January: 17
Books Read for the Year: 17/200

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

The Silmarillion, by J. R.R. Tolkien (TBR). This was…a hard read.

The Letter Keeper, by Charles Martin (TBR). Man. I had trouble putting this down…

The Magician’s Nephew, by C.S. Lewis (Re-read). This isn’t my favorite of the series, but I love them all as a whole.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis (Re-read). Love it.

Poison Princess, by Kresley Cole (Re-read). Dang it. I forgot how good this series is! Almost impossible to put down.

Endless Knight, by Kresley Cole (Re-read). This was another one I had trouble putting down.

Resilient, by John Eldredge (spiritual). I listened to the audio book, and I didn’t really care for this. A bit too…I’m not sure. Passive and crunchy granola for me.

For Review:

Sam, by Allegra Goodman. I didn’t really care for this. It seemed to be largely missing a plot, and Sam just let life happen to her without doing anything about it.

The Stranded, by Sarah Daniels. This was an interesting dystopian read. Fascinating setting (an old cruise ship), and I’d enjoy reading more.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett. I found this a charming read! I liked Emily and her awkwardness–and her friendship with her annoying coworker.

A Guide to Being Just Friends, by Sophie Sullivan. I didn’t realize I DNFed the previous book in this series because the characters were annoying until about halfway through. I liked Hailey’s character, but found Wes moderately annoying.

One Duke Down, by Anna Bennett. I liked this romance read, the second in a series of linked standalones. The characters were a lot of fun.

Against the Currant, by Olivia Matthews. This is the first in a new series of what I would call cozy mysteries. I really enjoyed the culture in this book–and liked the fact that there wasn’t a romance.

Son of the Poison Rose, by Jonathan Mayberry. Really enjoyed this snarky second book. Great epic fantasy.

Just Because:

The World of the End, by David Jeremiah (TBR). I enjoyed this.

Sprout: 21 Days for the Fruit of the Spirit to Bloom in Your Life, by Gateway Devotions. My church’s January devotional.

The Fallen Stones, by Diana Marcum (audio book). I don’t know if it was the author’s voice, or the narrator’s voice that was so snarky and sarcastic, but I didn’t care for this at all. I regret even bothering to finish it.

Left Unfinished:

Queen Among the Dead, by Lesley Livingston. What I read wasn’t bad–it just didn’t hold my attention. I didn’t really make a connection with the characters, so I wasn’t interested.