So I was going to wrap up the TV shows and movies that I’ve watched this month too since there’s been a lot, but with 9 books this month to wrap up I didn’t want to make this wrap up any longer than it already will be. If you would be interested in seeing me wrap up what I’ve watched recently let me know and I can certainly either add it to my wrap ups or make a separate post about it!
For the month of January I read a total of 9 books for a total of 2,563 pages! Of those books, 4 were e-books and 5 were audiobooks. I read 3 ARCs, 1new release, and 5 backlist titles. Finally, for genres I read 4 fantasy, 2 non-fiction, 1 thriller, and 2 science fiction! This is really different from what I usually read because there are NO physical books and they aren’t all fantasy! Now on to the wrap up!
Witches of Ash and Ruin by E. Latimer – ★★★★☆
I really enjoyed reading this book! There was a ton of diversity that felt completely natural in this story. I loved the setting of Ireland, but I wish that we really got the atmosphere of Ireland a little more. The two different covens were really interesting and fun to learn about, and the last 50% or so of this book was really fast paced and action packed! I had a ton of unanswered questions by the end and I feel like there could definitely be room for a sequel, but it also isn’t necessary to have a follow up book with how it ended.
Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered by Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark – ★★★★☆
It’s hard to put a rating on a memoir like this one, but this was great! One of my reading goals for 2020 is to read more nonfiction, and I feel like I started off on the right foot with this book. I listened to this on audio and I liked that there were parts that were definitely audiobook style format, but there were also live clips of the authors reading chapters to an audience. I especially loved that it made me really think about my place in the world as a woman – mainly the sections on “fuck politeness” to stop being so nice to people and learning how to say no to keep yourself safe in certain situations, and the section on violence against women were two that really hit hard for me. Now I’m listening to the podcast My Favorite Murder that the authors have and I’m addicted to it!
Air Awakens by Elise Kova – ★★★★☆
This was not a completely new concept for a YA fantasy by any means, but it took the standard tropes and did them very well! I was able to connect with the characters and really care about what happened to them, and I totally shipped Vhalla and Aldrik together. I loved how each region of this world had a certain element associated with it (like Windwalkers come from the east), and I’m excited to explore more of this world in the next books because it certainly seems like we will be journeying outside the capital of the empire!
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan – ★★★★☆
I kind of wish I had read this physically instead of on audio because I got a little lost following the key people, but this was so incredibly creepy! It’s always interesting but disturbing seeing the mind of a serial killer. This scratched the itch that I had after reading Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered, which was to read a true crime book!
The Bard’s Blade by Brian D Anderson – ★★★★☆
I had high hopes for this book after seeing so many promising early reviews, so when I was approved for an ARC copy of this book I was thrilled! Sadly this book wasn’t the 5 star read that I had hoped it would be for me, and at times I had to really push myself to continue reading. I did really like the world and the characters were interesting, but I felt like it was really slow with not too much happening. However, I am interested in seeing where the next book goes because things started to pick up and happen in the last 20% or so of the book!
Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel – ★★★★★
This book gave off such creepy vibes! Just when you started to think that you were reading a regular book about a mother and her daughter, one of the characters would do or think something that reminded you just how messed up they really were. The way that this book reveals the secrets surrounding these two characters was really satisfying, because you would get the present situation through Patty but the past through Rose Gold, and then eventually those two timelines meet up and you finally see Rose Gold’s thinking after Patty is released from prison and just everything falls into place.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells – ★★★★★
I listened to this on audio and it was so enjoyable! Murderbot was definitely the highlight of the book for me, which 100% makes sense since he’s the main character. He’s so awkward around humans, and the way that he acts uncaring but secretly cares about “his” humans was so relatable! I’m a sucker for any type of A.I. or robots with a real personality, and Murderbot definitely fits that bill. It’s crazy to think how some authors are just so good at creating such intricate worlds with such a small page count.
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire – ★★★★★
I’m so relieved that we finally got to go back and see more of the characters from the first few stories, as I much prefer that story line to the one with Lundy as the main character. I didn’t really like In An Absent Dream, because I felt like there wasn’t enough substance to the story. Out of all the worlds we’ve visited so far, I think The Moors is definitely my favorite (followed by Confection, which was the world from Beneath the Sugar Sky). You really get the creepy, dreary vibe of this world, but never to the point where you feel scared or uncomfortable. The rep in this book was great as well, and once again, Seanan surprised me with how much is packed into this small little book!
Artificial Condition by Martha Wells – ★★★★☆
I loved All Systems Red so much that I immediately picked up the audiobook for the second book, Artificial Condition! I’m still enjoying this story so much and Murderbot is still such an enjoyable character. In this book Murderbot is trying to figure out what had happened to them prior to the first book, and along the way meets more incredibly diverse side characters and ART. ART and Murderbot honestly make the best duo and you can’t tell me otherwise. I just need to wait now for my Scribd subscription to renew so I can listen to Rogue Protocol next!
What have you read in January? Are you off to a good start for 2020? Let’s chat!
Melting Pages 
Leave a comment