January has been a bizarre reading month, to say the least. I started off strong in terms of amount of time spent reading, but found none of the books were really hitting me in that 5-star spot.
Then, I got COVID and spent several days moping about taking DayQuil, playing Skyrim, and not really reading much, at all. I am thankfully on the mend, although the cough is lingering (something that always tends to happen when I get a cough).
In spite of not quite finding the perfect book mood for my dreary January, I do have a few pretty good reads I’d like to recap in the first best books of the month post of 2022!
In total, I read 7 books in January. 5 in print, 1 eBook, and 1 audio. Let’s talk about the best of the best, shall we?
(Full disclosure: Book links are Bookshop.org affiliate links, which earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. Book of the Month links are referral codes).
The People We Keep by Allison Larkin
Format Read: Hardcover (Book of the Month edition)
Why I Read It: I’m working on getting through some of the Book of the Month backlog, and this one came highly recommended.
I enjoyed The People We Keep well enough, but it didn’t quite land in that “OMG best book ever” range that I’ve defined as my 5-star rating feeling. April is a compelling and flawed protagonist who is doing the best she can to get by, but makes a ton of mistakes along the way.
The book pulls you through, wanting to see what happens next and where April winds up. For me, though, some of the ways in which we’re supposed to be happy about the ending just didn’t fully land, but that’s for highly personal reasons, I think. My full review is up on the blog if you’re curious to hear more: “The People We Keep” Will Keep Hold of You
I didn’t expect to be so investedmedium.com
The Witch’s Book of Self-Care
Format Read: Hardcover
Why I Read It: 2022 goal to read at least one self-care/spiritual book a year. This was January’s pick.
I really liked The Witch’s Book of Self-Care! I’m still new to reviewing self-care books because they’re pretty personal and the reading experience is more like referencing activities a future self might do. A lot of great ideas and activities in this one, and I’m glad I picked it as my first self-care read of the year. My full review appeared in Your Book Friend, here: Self-Care Book Reviews: The Witch’s Book of Self-Care
One self-care book a month for me means one self-care book review for youmedium.com
We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This: A Memoir of Missed Connections
Format Read: Paperback (gifted copy from the author, as part of a book tour)
Why I Read It: For a book tour through Love Book Tours
I am a sucker for a memoir that features yoga teacher training, and as a newish dog mom, I love a story that involves adopting some doggos. So, naturally, I was sold on We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This.
This is a book that follows the author through a difficult time full of grief and change, where yoga is a tool in the backdrop more than the central focus. I appreciated the way the book lets us see that even the yogis of the world are still real human beings with actual lives, and how the author applied what she was learning in her yoga courses to what was happening in her day to day. It’s also fun that her daughter goes to college in Pittsburgh, where I live, so I got to enjoy a few familiar references.
My full review appeared on Your Book Friend, here: “We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This” Explores the Yoga of Real Life
A memoir that reminds us people in yoga teacher training are human, toomedium.com
Getting Clean with Stevie Green by Swan Huntley
Format Read: Print (review copy from Over the River PR)
Why I Read It: Received an email and ARC from the book’s publicity team and it sounded interesting, so I signed up for a book tour!
Getting Clean with Stevie Green (out February 1st, 2022) is so well written! The voice is compelling and smart and funny, and you root for the characters even when you don’t necessarily agree with their actions.
I’m so very glad I decided to read this book, as it was precisely the story for my reading mood. I wanted some fast paced fiction and I got it!
My full review is coming on my book tour date of February 14th, so check back then!
Honorable Mentions
The other books I read this month that just didn’t quite make the cut for best of the best, which is kind of a long list this month. Maybe it’s my mood or maybe it’s the books I picked, but a lot of them just didn’t quite work for me.
- Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (audio), review in Your Book Friend
- How to Marry Keanu Reeves in 90 Days by K.M. Johnson (Book of the Month hardcover), review in Your Book Friend
- Open: An Uncensored Memoir of Love, Liberation, and Non-Monogamy by Rachel Krantz (digital advanced reader copy via NetGalley). I didn’t review this one for the blog. It was a difficult read for me personally in ways I’m still working to articulate.
That’s it for me this month! I enjoyed sticking to the TBR plan a bit more than usual and look forward to cracking through some more of my bookish backlog in February. The fiancé and I are taking a little wintery getaway and I can’t wait for that cozy cabin reading time!
What did you read this month, book friends?!
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