I started off the New Year excited to dive into my well-planned TBR list and start chipping away at reading challenges like a boss. However, being a WOC in 2017 in the U.S. has given me quite a bit of anxiety which impacted my reading life in unexpected ways. Every day since he-who-shall-not-be-named became our official leader, I’ve woken up to one horrific story after another. I’ve been scrambling to donate to organizations that I support and to stay up-to-date with current events. This has definitely taken away my precious reading time, but I’ve also been craving different sorts of reads all together. Usually I’m fine reading brutal books, but I’ve found this year I have struggled reading books about tyrannical governments that feature a lot of violence. It’s just too real, and I’ve preferred reading romance, WOC authors writing POC protagonists, and historical books taking place in different countries. Plus, a lot of nostalgia reading (hello, Flashback Reads). Below, a quick recap of what I read in January.
Middle Grade
Rollergirl by Victoria Jamieson
Baby-sitters Club: Mary Anne and Too Many Boys by Ann M. Martin
Baby-sitters Club: Mallory and the Mystery Diary by Ann M. Martin
Baby-sitters Club: Mary Anne and the Great Romance by Ann Me Martin
Baby-sitters Club: Dawn’s Wicked Stepsister by Ann M. Martin
I’ve written before about my love for the Baby-Sitters Club, and I definitely leaned in to that this month. I also really enjoyed the graphic novel Rollergirl, which features a latina middle schooler who longs to become a roller derby bad ass. The story is wonderfully illustrated, is funny, and does a great job examining finding your identity and navigating the ever-changing world of female friendship.
Young Adult
The Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
I’ve already reviewed The Rebel of the Sands, which you can check out here. Meanwhile, reading A Torch Against the Night was a true struggle. This was the book that was filled with oppression and violence, and I felt like nothing good happened throughout the entire book. There weren’t any moments of reprieve to make me want to keep reading and rooting for the characters. I struggle sometimes overall with YA fantasy because I read quite a bit of high fantasy, and that is more aligned with what I enjoy in a fantasy story than what most YA books center on. I just needed more world building and worlds that weren’t so horrific and depressing.
Romance
The Heiress Effect by Courtney Milan
Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase
Dearest Clementine by Lex Martin
Insert Groom Here by K.M. Jackson
Romance really saved my sanity this month, and I enjoyed all of these reads. Courtney Milan is one of my favorite romance writers, and the books overall featured strong female leads who either were already confident in themselves or found that confidence without help from the hero.
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
My two five-star reads of the month. So well-written, and both did a great job balancing drama and tragedy with kindness or humor. These were fantastical worlds that dealt with near-death experiences, but neither gave up on hope, and both were comforting to read.
Total books read: 13
Books for a challenge: 7
Books for a challenge: 7
No comments:
Post a Comment