I had a pretty good reading month to start off 2019, because in January I read 19 books. That was completely unintentional but seemed appropriate in hindsight. I really, really enjoyed almost all of the books I read this month. None of them were super disappointing. Additionally, I did really well on my TBR for the month of January. I read all of the things that I put on it, with several extras that weren’t on it. I even read a couple of brand new releases that I had been anticipating, which is always super fun. Most of the books I read were audiobooks this month, but I had several physical books along with one eBook and one graphic novel. Below is the list of books I read, and I’ll give you my rating, the format in which I read it, and a quick review. So without further ado… Here we go!
(Quick note: books are listed in the order I read them from the first read of January to the last. I also have several in progress books that I started in January that I have not finished, but am hoping to wrap up pretty quickly into the month of February.)
The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan
Rating: 4 stars
Format: eBook
Review:
I read the Percy Jackson books for the first time a few years ago, and I binged all of the first series and the Heroes of Olympus ones. I never got around to reading the Trials of Apollo, but I am so glad I finally got to it. This book was awesome. I’m not necessarily the intended audience, and it’s not my favourite of the books, but I had a really good time reading it. It was so funny to see Apollo’s reactions to things as he lived as a mortal. His despair over his acne and lack of an 8-pack was especially humourous. I really am excited to continue on in this world when I get around to it.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
This was a re-read for me. I read The Hunger Games with my grade 9 English class as a novel study, and wanted to continue through with the rest of the series on audiobook. The narrator was really good, and it was fun to revisit a world I hadn’t been to in a really long time. As always, Mockingjay is a book that rips my heart out and stomps on it a little bit, which is why I’m not sure I could give it 5 stars, despite definitely enjoying it. Plus the epilogue is always a little iffy for me.
George by Alex Gino
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
This book was soooo cute! I had heard such good things about it, but never picked it up until I saw it in my library’s audiobook collection. I definitely wanted to read it so I gave it a try and it was so good. You really feel for the little girl as she struggles to traverse a world that says she’s a boy when she feels like a girl. I loved how realistic the depiction felt, but I also loved the supports that were given to her as she came out. The principal was a truly underrated character. I highly recommend this one.
The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review:
There was sooooo much hype about this thriller when it came out and that’s what made me buy it, but also what put me off of it for quite some time. However, I was super glad when my bookstagram followers suggested I read it. I loved, loved, loved this book. The twists were fantastic and the main character was super interesting to read about. I always love an unreliable narrator, and the woman is definitely one of those. You don’t know if you can trust her, but you definitely want to. I don’t really know as much about the mental illnesses portrayed in the novel, so I’m not sure I can speak to how well done they were, but I found it a compelling read with so many twists that I never really knew what to expect.
3 Willows by Ann Brashares
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
This was a cute audiobook. It’s set in the world of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants which is a series I love and re-read last year. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a super cute read. In some ways it was even better than SotP, because there were no magical pants to bring the girls together again. They had to figure out who their real friends were all on their own. The girls read really realistically, in my opinion, and I was really engaged with what they were going to do and how they were going to do it. It didn’t blow me out of the water, but I did really like it.
Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Physical Copy (Graphic Novel)
Review:
I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up the graphic novel version of Speak. So much of that story was Melinda’s journal and I really wasn’t sure how well it was going to translate to a graphic novel. How do you change a journal into pictures? However, it turned out fantastically. The artwork was beautiful, and the story was just as beautiful, just slightly updated for modern times. The story is still deeply moving, and the pictures only add to it, enhancing it and making the story more accessible for reluctant readers. I really do think that Speak is a novel that everyone should read at least once.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Physical Copy)
Review:
This was my first of many plays read this year. It’s one of my resolutions to read more Shakespeare. The Two Gentlemen of Verona was strange… I didn’t dislike it, and some parts of it I actually liked more than Romeo and Juliet. However, the characters made dumb decisions that made me want to face palm and I just needed them to smarten the heck up. Of course, that was the point of the story. Overall, I didn’t dislike it; it’s just not my favourite of the plays that I have read, which admittedly is a small number.
Binge by Tyler Oakley
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
I picked this up to add to my ‘read more diversely’ resolution. I don’t usually read memoirs and I have never read one by a youtuber. I’m not a big Tyler Oakley fan, but it was interesting to learn about him. I think the reason this got four stars (it was never going to get a five from me) was the fact that Tyler Oakley was narrating it. I really liked the way he did it, and it was as if you were sitting in a room with him as he told you a story. That’s always a really good quality to have in an audiobook.
Feed by MT Anderson
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read, I’m not even sure what that would be, but it wasn’t my favourite either. I’ve heard really good things about Feed, but I just think that the story wasn’t for me. I think that the way it was written translated really well into audiobook format, but I just didn’t really like the main character and that’s a hard sell for me. I understand that it was probably the point, but Titus was selfish and a jerk, and I just couldn’t support him with more than three stars.
Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
This was such a unique story. This is about a girl who can’t remember backwards like we do normally; she can only remember her future. I was really invested in the plot and wanting to know what happened to cause her to remember forward. I loved the ending, and I do recommend this book. I wasn’t super keen on the love story aspect, but the main girl was cute with her boyfriend so I suppose I can support that.
Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review:
I put off reading Carve the Mark for a really, really long time. I heard a lot of bad things about the story, and I don’t really feel qualified to speak to those. What I can say is that I understand why some people might have had issues, but I didn’t necessarily notice them myself. However, I can acknowledge that as my white privilege. I will say that I liked this story far more than I expected to, but I’m still not sure if I’m going to continue on with the series.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy (Novel study with a class)
Review:
I read this play with my grade 9 English class as our last unit before the semester changed. We absolutely crashed through the story, going quickly to make sure we finished it on time. However, I always enjoy the story and I think the kids always have fun too once they get into it. I don’t have a ton to say here.
In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review:
This wasn’t my favourite of the Wayward Children books, but I will say that I still really enjoyed it. Lundy was a fascinating character and you really felt for her. I liked how it was a bit more spread out than some of the other stories, but Lundy wasn’t my favourite of the protagonists, which definitely has to be Nancy from the first one. That being said, I still love these books and can’t wait to go on with the series.
Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
I don’t know why I continued on with this series. This is a sequel to A Wrinkle in Time, which I didn’t even know had one sequel much less four. This is book four. It was weird, and I wasn’t super into it. I didn’t dislike it, so it nets about a three from me.
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review:
This was the month where I just loved thrillers. I was so excited when this book came out. I hadn’t thought about it a lot, but pre-ordered it on a whim and then picked it up to read it. I finished it super quickly too because I had to know what happened. The story kept me guessing the whole way through and I needed to know who had done it. The ending of this book was perfect, in my opinion, but it definitely felt like a punch in the gut.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
I know that I read Hatchet at some point, but I couldn’t remember when. I decided to give it another shot, but this time on audiobook. I had to admit, that I didn’t love it. It’s still a good story, and it’s definitely interesting, but I think the person who read the novel, killed it for me. He just wasn’t what I expected.
The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review:
One day, I was scrolling through Twitter and this article came up about these murders/deaths that had happened in New York State several years back. I was really intrigued and it reminded me of a book I had bought. So it made me want to read The Cheerleaders. I did do a little bit of research on the story, and apparently the author was inspired by the story I had read about on Twitter. I loved this book. It’s about the younger sister of a girl who killed herself after several of her friends died/were killed. She feels that it doesn’t sound right and sort of decides to solve it. I loved this book. I think it’s my favourite I’ve read so far this year. I liked the twists, and I loved the narrator. She’s a bit unlikeable but she definitely gave me all the feels. I want to hug her. If you read any book off my list, please read this one!
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review:
This was also a re-read for me. I just love this book. I loved it when I first read it, and I still love it now. It doesn’t blow me out of the water like The Raven Cycle did, but I really love it. It’s very different and unique. You should definitely read it.
Pain & Wastings by Carrie Mac
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review:
Based on discussions with the English department at my school, we have decided to introduce more First Peoples content into our classes per the new curriculum. It means that I needed to include a late resolution of reading all of the books we had in the book room that applied to that. I started with Pain & Wastings, which is a quick read. It’s an Orca Soundings book, which means it’s gritty and real, and so was this book. It wasn’t my favourite one I read, and I’m not sure it’s a book I would want to teach, but it was definitely interesting.
So that’s everything I read in January! Did you read any of the same things? Let me know!
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