January 2024 Reading Wrap Up
Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!
Wow, can you believe we're already a month into 2024? I'm still having to scratch out "2023" on forms! But even if my muscle memory hasn't been jumpstarted yet, there is definitely one thing that has, and that's my reading.
This month I read 13 books: 4 novels, 2 novellas, 1 nonfiction, 1 graphic novel, 1 comic, and 4 manga volumes. That's a huge step up from recent months, but it's entirely due to the fact that I had a lot of variety in format. Because so many of the books were shorter, I was able to tackle them in only one or two days.
Okay, let's get into the wrap up!
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Novels
Genre: Literary Fiction, General Fiction, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 2.5/4.04
Page count: 258 pages (8hrs 27mins audio)
Day(s) read: 1.01 - 1.06
Final thoughts: Kind of forgettable, to be perfectly honest. This isn't my genre to begin with, though, so don't just take my word for it. If you like character studies and mysteries, I think you could enjoy this novel.
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5/6.51
Page count: 395 pages
Day(s) read: 1.07 - 1.09
Final thoughts: An excellent study of grief, but I personally did not find it very scary. Though, I think it's entirely possible that I'm just not in the right headspace to appreciate horror right now. You would think that depression would make horror scarier, but apparently not. Also, I found Gage at the end totally ridiculous. Something about a two year old using that language took me so far out of the story, I couldn't even hope to be scared.
Genre: Mythology Retelling, Historical Fiction, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5/6.93
Page count: 320 pages
Day(s) read: 1.11 - 1.29
Final thoughts: If you're unfamiliar with Sophocles' plays Oedipus Tyrannus and Antigone, I don't think you would find this book beneficial. It's a strong reimagining, but there are enough changes that I believe you would be confused by, especially if you know the general story but haven't read the source material. I don't want to gatekeep this book because I know that not everyone is such a Classics nerd as me, but I just think it's worth it to compare the two properly.
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3/5.54
Page count: 301 pages
Day(s) read: 1.17 - 1.22
Final thoughts: Again, I just don't think I'm the right audience for this book. I've seen a lot of people rave about this book but I just don't see the appeal. The biggest thing I look for in horror is atmosphere and I didn't find that here. There are also a lot of mature, sexual scenes and that is absolutely something I don't want to read about. There's a reason I avoid romance novels, after all.
Novellas
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Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5/6.32
Page count: 116 pages
Day(s) read: 1.13 - 1.16
Final thoughts: This was fine. I've read a decent number of T. Kingfisher's works by now and I would say this is at the bottom, so far. I wasn't particularly moved or intrigued by what was happening, and the ending didn't leave any sort of lasting impression on me.
Genre: Fantasy, Magical Realism, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 5/9.43
Page count: 146 pages
Day(s) read: 1.28 - 1.29
Final thoughts: I loved seeing the continuation of Antsy's story. I feel like we got sidetracked a lot along the way, but I still found the ending satisfying. Once again, Sumi ended up becoming the main character, which honestly I'm getting a little tired of. Sumi's an excellent character, she's just a lot and my tiny introvert mind struggles with her in big doses. Also, I need a story of Emily and Harvest, because that seems like the perfect world to me.
Nonfiction
Genre: History, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4/7.36
Page count: 361 pages (13hrs 28mins audio)
Day(s) read: 1.23 - 1.25
Final thoughts: Super informative, like a proper history, but with a narrative akin to a true crime book. You can really tell Julian Sancton cared about telling this story properly. I also thought the narrator of the audiobook was excellent. There wasn't a single instant where I was lulled by his voice and lost the plot (not that his voice wasn't good, I just mean that it was always engaging and never tired). I love learning about obscure moments in history!
Graphic Novels
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Genre: Paranormal, Contemporary, YA
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4/7.64
Page count: 366 pages
Day(s) read: 1.23
Final thoughts: This final installment of the Sheets series broke my heart into a thousand little pieces. Finally getting the entirety of Wendall's backstory was so devastating. I struggled a lot with Marjorie and Eliza's friendship, though. The reaction felt way too strong for the actual conflict, but then again it's been a hot minute since I was in middle school, and I absolutely remember friendships crumbling from less.
Comics
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Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4/7.29
Page count: 153 pages
Day(s) read: 1.27
Final thoughts: Another heart-wrenching installment for the Saga series, am I even surprised? I have to be honest, I'm struggling with this series a little. Ever since the death of a certain character in volume 9, I feel like the plot is sort of stagnant. Though the ending of this volume did suggest some major changes and consequences, so I'll keep going and see it through.
Manga
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, YA
Star rating/CAWPILE: N/A
Page count: 1,582 pages
Day(s) read: 1.30
Final thoughts: I finally managed to read the entire series! I read the first volume years ago but never got my hands on the rest of the series, until now. Of course, since I watched the anime first, I knew how it was going to end (well, apparently not, since the actual ending differs between the manga and the anime) but I still found the story compelling and thrilling. I also appreciate how short and concise it is, which is a nice rarity in the manga form.
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Total page count: 3,998 pages
Favorite book of January: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known by Seanan McGuire
DNF's this month: Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott
No unfinished books this month
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And that's all I've got for you today! What was the best book you read in January? Let me know in the comments below, or DM me on Instagram (link in sidebar under heading "More Media").
Until next time, friends!
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