How would you rate January? For kids in school, I give it a solid 2 stars. They were out of school (due to COVID-related staffing issues, due to snow…) way too many times. For weather, one star. Winter sucks. Yet for reading, January was a 5 star month. I read a lot of books, and eight out of the eleven total I rated 4 stars or higher. Does that make up for the bad weather and cabin fevered children? The jury’s still out.
Here’s my reading recap for January.
Sci-Fi Meets Historical Fiction
Kindred by Octavia Butler. I’ve been trying to read more science fiction, and this was on my list for a long time. Dana, a Black woman, is newly married to her white husband in 1976, when she is suddenly transported into the past. She arrives in the antebellum South, where she saves Rufus, the son of a plantation owner, from drowning. She continues to travel back and forth through time, forming a complicated relationship with Rufus, whose life she saves repeatedly yet who refuses to see her as an equal. The way Butler wrote the time travel into the story was flawless—it felt like I was there with her during the gripping and often terrifying chapters when Dana went back in time, and the disorienting nature of her return to her modern life was palpable through the page. I can see why this novel is considered by many to be a classic. It was excellent. My rating: 4.5/5 stars.
Book for Book Lovers (that’s not overly sweet)
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. When I learned that this was about a friendship that develops because of books—library books—I knew I had to pick it up. Mukesh is still grieving the loss of his wife, and feels grateful for yet discouraged by his three grown daughters who are always calling him to “help.” He finds a library book he knew his wife had loved and reads it; from there, Mukesh becomes absorbed in the world of books. He soon develops a friendship with Aleisha, who works at the local library. Aleisha doesn’t have an easy life, yet helping Mukesh and discovering her own love of books helps her cope. This is a bittersweet story with both friendship and books at its core, and I loved the depth of the characters and how genuine they felt. Sometimes a “bookish” story can feel cheesy, and this one was far from it. My rating: 4.5/5 stars.
Classic Thriller with a Great Villain
Misery by Stephen King. I wondered if I could handle this book, given that I’m kind of a weenie. I listened to it on audio and told myself that it would be a “day only” book, which I (mostly) stuck to. This is about Paul Sheldon, a successful writer who gets into a car accident on a snowy Colorado road, and happens to be rescued by his number one fan, Annie Wilkes. Annie nurses Paul back to health, but we soon see that she is completely unhinged and Paul is trapped in her care. Annie is a villain that I loved to hate. She is obviously pure evil, but somehow quirky and surprising at the same time. I have purposefully been reading more Stephen King over the past year, and I continue to be blown away by his skill as a writer. I was completely absorbed in this story. It was excellent on audio as well. My rating: 4.5/5 stars.
Feel-Good Family Story
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. The Vanderbeeker children, twins Isa and Jessie, Oliver, Hyacinth, and Laney, have lived in their brownstone on 141st Street their whole lives. Their neighbors have become like family to them, so when their grumpy landlord and upstairs neighbor decides not to renew their lease, the family is devastated. They go on a mission to win over their landlord, Mr. Beiderman, to try to convince him to let them stay. I fell in love with this quirky family and was rooting for them from the start. The sibling relationships were so well-written; they bickered and fought of course, yet they were all dedicated to the same cause. There was so much love in this story—it was a heartwarming adventure. I read this aloud to Jona, who loved it as well. My rating: 4.5/5 stars.
Middle Grade Nonfiction to Introduce (or Continue) Conversations about Race
Stamped (for Kids) by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds. I read Stamped, the YA version of Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning, last year, so when I saw they made a kids version as well I knew I wanted to read it to Jona. I love the way that Kendi and Reynolds juxtapose history and race, and remind us that this isn’t just a “past” book, but it’s a “present” book as well. This book isn’t afraid to challenge what we may have learned, but in a way that helps us ask important questions and seek the answers. It definitely opened up some great conversations, and I hope that it helps Jona to think critically about what he learns and encourages him to ask questions and not accept everything he learns at face value. I’m so glad we read this one. My rating: 4.5/5 stars.
Thought-Provoking Little Women Retelling
So Many Beginnings by Bethany C. Morrow. This is a retelling of Little Women, featuring a Black family during the end of the Civil War. Sisters Meg, Joanne, Bethlehem, and Amethyst live with their mother on the Freedpeople’s colony of Roanoke Island, where they wait for their father to return home. The sisters share a strong bond, yet they are each trying to find their place in a world where their freedom seems tenuous and full of unknowns. I haven’t read Little Women since I was in high school (at least!) but that didn’t keep me from loving this retelling. I love the way the author kept the heart of the story intact, but brought it to life in such a different setting and time period, and with a new perspective. My only complaint is that the second half of the story left me wanting a little more. My rating: 4/5 stars.
Intense and Steamy Love Story
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. This is the story of Solene, a 39-year old mother of a young teen, who meets the lead singer of the popular boy band August Moon when she takes her daughter to a concert. She and the 20-year-old pop star soon engage in a relationship that starts as a fling but quickly grows into something much more serious. This story explores the way both the significant age gap as well as extreme fame affect both their lives and their relationship. I thought this was a romance when I picked it up, and while there are many extremely spicy scenes, it is not a romance. It is, however, a very intense love story that had me hooked from the start. It didn’t feel extremely realistic to me—there is a LOT of privilege in both their lives—but that didn’t affect how wrapped up in the story I got. My rating: 4/5 stars.
A Slightly Magical Adventure Story
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. This one had been on my TBR for quite some time, and when I picked it up all I knew was that it was about a young woman riding in a horse race against all men. So naturally it appealed to me both as a former-horse-girl and current feminist. Well, I soon learned that it was not just a horse race, but a race of flesh-eating water horses… and my first instinct was to put it down and walk away. I’m just not much of a fantasy magical horse person. But I’m always talking about expanding my reading horizons, so I decided to give it a chance. I’m so glad I did. By the end, I was completely invested in Puck and her quest to ride her (normal!) horse to victory in the Scorpio Races as well as her relationship with (water horse) rider Sean. I can easily say that not all books work for every reader, but sometimes it’s worth going outside your comfort zone as well. My rating: 4/5 stars.
An Unexpected YA Love Story
The Sun Is also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Daniel feels the pressure to follow in his brother’s footsteps and be the “good Korean-American son” his parents want him to be. Yet instead of dreaming about becoming a doctor, he spends his time writing poetry in a little notebook he carries everywhere. Meanwhile, Natasha’s head is in her science textbooks rather than being in the clouds, and yet all her scientific thinking won’t help her family from being deported to Jamaica in less than a day. The two meet on a crowded New York street, and spark a connection that not even practical-minded Natasha can deny. This is the story of how one chance meeting can shape our lives and the role of fate in falling in love. I really enjoyed this, it was unexpected in many ways, which I appreciated. It did feel very YA, which was no surprise—it IS YA after all—but for me the overarching drama of it all was a bit much. I did love the characters though! My rating: 3.5/5 stars.
Practical Home Organization and Decluttering
Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin. As an enthusiastic Gretchen Rubin fan, I looked forward to reading her take on decluttering and home organization. Rather than the more prescriptive approach of a book like The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (which I did really enjoy!), she acknowledges that different personalities will have a different approach to clutter-clearing and organization. Yet at the same time, she does fill this book with practical strategies for creating more “outer order” wherever you live. Those practical strategies are what made this book enjoyable for me—I would like to create more outer order in my most-used home spaces (which fill up way too quickly with kid-related clutter). I took away several suggestions that I plan to implement immediately. My rating: 3.5/5 stars.
A Novel of History and Crime in 1960s Harlem
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead. Set in 1960s Harlem, this is the story of Ray Carney, who appears to be an upstanding member of his community. He owns a furniture store and makes a decent living for his wife and two children. Yet there’s a crooked side to Carney that few people know about, a side that becomes even more prominent after his cousin Freddie volunteers his furniture store to serve as the fence for a heist that goes awry. I listened to this on audio, which may have been why I struggled to follow the multi-layered story. There’s no doubt that Whitehead is a fantastic writer; through his turns of phrase I found myself both laughing and biting my nails, and I loved how he gave even the most minor of characters memorable personalities. Yet I couldn’t get into the story, and I think it’s safe to say this one just wasn’t for me. Had I not been reading this for a book club, I probably would have set it aside. My rating: 3.25/5 stars.
Have you read anything good lately?
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