january reading recap + february reading plans
my january 2024 wrap up with the 6 books I read and some potential books to read in February
Starting off the year with a bang - I read 6 books read in January. That is quite a lot for me. I always enjoy reading in January, I feel so motivated, energised and refreshed.
Also, some goal check ins for the first month - which I think will be a feature of each monthly recap going forward.
1: The Vagrants by Yiyun Li - This book says its about a protest in China during the cultural revolution but I would say itβs more of a character study of how the events impact each person in this rural town. Itβs very well written but itβs also very bleak. Itβs a book you have to stay with - donβt expect to rush through it. Sometimes it was a β10 pages and Iβm done for tonightβ kind of book. That said, I like the way the author lingers on the details, sits in the characters heads to where itβs actually uncomfortable. It really felt placed in this exact moment in time with these exact characters. I really like that instead of her, observing them, itβs like she lets us see how they observe the world, think and feel.
2: It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo - On one hand, I liked the line by line writing of this book, it was very rhythmic and poetic. On the other, I felt it was difficult to really get into this book. I never felt immersed or invested wholly in the story. The last 30 pages were REALLY good though so it won me back over toward the end.
3: Bruny by Heather Rose - I did not finish this book. I found the plot veryβ¦. dumb? It was just one of those books I knew I was going to rate 2 stars tops, so I called it quits.
1: Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert - Eve is my favourite of the sisters so I had high hopes for this book. I would say I liked it but, not as much as I thought I would. I felt very meh on the love interest and the plot overall. I did like the ending. It was still cute and entertaining though! The first book is easily my favourite in the series though. Iβm glad I can at least say I finished the series.
2: Penance by Eliza Clark - Experienced major psychic damage from all the 2013 tumblr references. "get off your high horse bitch you're literally reading school shooter fanfic" "she's reblogging tonnes and tonnes of thirst traps about the cast of cats" i mean jesus christ! With that said, this was a really interesting follow up to Boy Parts, which I absolutely loved. I overall enjoyed it a lot, though I didnβt love the execution of the twist.
3: Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay - I think I needed to read this book a decade ago as I feel itβs aged poorly. A lot of the essays are just about media I either donβt care about, or has been dissected so thoroughly I felt I got nothing out of reading. I found a lot of the essays quite shallow. There was some highlights scattered through, but they were too far and between.
goals check-point
owned tbr - 3/23
24 in 24 - 2/24
february tbr
everyone knows Iβm a terrible TBR setter because Iβm such a mood reader and could do anything on a whim. But Iβve got some vague ideas of books I might read in February. Just donβt say anything if I end up reading none of these!
The only book Iβm currently reading is Among Tigers by K. Ullas Karanth which I read on a whim one day because I thought βI love tigers I should read more about them!β. This is about tiger conservation in India and itβs interesting so far. So this is on my TBR/to finish pile for February.
1: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - Itβs the book that has been on my Goodreads TBR the longest so determined to read it. Iβve been waiting for it at the library and I think my hold will come in this month (if not, we push to March).
2: Weβll Meet Again in San Francisco by Duong Thuy - As mentioned, really want to read this quickly so it doesnβt sit on my TBR a long time, so I think this is a good pick this month.
3: Lady Joker by Kaoru Takamura - Every month I like to randomly shuffle my Goodreads TBR and read the book that comes up and this was the pick for this month. Itβs translated so that is a nice bonus.
4: Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson - I read one chapter of this in January and thought it was good so far, I just never read on. I think I would like to sit down to read it seriously in February.
5: One Day Weβre All Going to Die by Elise Esther Hearst - Itβs one of my 24 in 24 books and I realised the audiobook is on Everand/Scribd, so I think this will be my audiobook for walks this month.
That is all my reading thoughts and plans for the month - stay tuned for a what I watched in January newsletter to come out soon. At the moment I only have monthly drops for newsletters planned, but I might think about what I could do to make that fortnightly? If you have ideas please comment!
omg someone who feels the exact same way I do about Bad Feminist!!!!!