January Reading Mood Report
I’ll be honest–January was tough. Not only was it cold AF, but we got a lot of snow in Detroit, and my partner and I were sick the entire month. I don’t even know what illnesses I cycled through, but there had to have been several.
Despite the weather and feeling crummy, I managed to keep my creative energy up. I wrote a lot, revised novel outlines, and started crocheting again. I also read three books in January.
- Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross
- Critical Focus by Meredith Dimick
- The Witch Who Trades With Death - C.M. Alongi
I also read most of the book How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, but that book will have its own post.
If we’re talking about mood reads, January was very… eclectic. Sisters of Sword and Song is a beautifully written fantasy that was definitely a comfort read. Critical Focus is a horror novel that scared the shit out of me. And The Witch Who Trades With Death is a fun and interesting fantasy novel.
As you can see, it was all over the place.
January Reads
Sisters of Sword and Song
This book was gifted to me by my bestie, Erin. It’s a standalone, and I wasn’t quite ready to jump into a series, so I picked it up. This book is fantasy, but rather than your traditional medieval England fantasy, it is very Greek/Roman-inspired. I liked that change and found it very refreshing.
The romantic relationship was very sweet, and I enjoyed it. Sisters of Sword and Song is not a spicy book, but a romance can be done well without it, ya know.
Critical Focus
Like I mentioned, this book scared the shit out of me. It was released just before Halloween, and I started it at the beginning of November. But holidays are always crazy. Anyway, after the new year, I dove back in. I legit could only read it during the day or if my partner was home. It was so scary. Meredith Dimick says the things out loud that I usually trap in a box in the dark recesses of my mind.
The Witch Who Trades With Death
I liked the concept of this book, even if the prose and dialogue felt a little too colloquial for the fantasy setting. I still felt drawn into the world, and spent a few days afterwards thinking about the multiple meanings behind the title. I also enjoyed the romantic relationship between the FMC and the love interest.
Emotional Arc of My Reading Life
This is my first time exploring this topic, so I’m not feeling very insightful at the moment. However, I think choosing Sisters and The Witch were more about comforting reads. Like I said, January was tough, so I reached for books that wouldn’t tax me too much (I’ve got my eyes on you, How High…).
Critical Focus was definitely a deviation from that mood. But I know the author and wanted to support her debut novel. Go read it, BTW.
February Cravings
The turmoil and craziness of “These Times,” as Erin referenced in a review she wrote on Goodreads, I’m feeling myself drawn to the following books:
Finish Reading
- These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low
- The Bootlegger’s Daughter by Nadine Nettmann
Start/Finish Reading
- 1984 by George Orwell – This would be a reread for me
- Julia: A Novel by Sandra Newman – A feminist and modern retelling of 1984
- We Used to Live Here: A Novel by Marcus Kliewer – For a book club
Fixing My Reading Mental Health
Last year, I tried to use the app Bookly, which was fun for a minute. You used the timer to track how long you read, and then the app gives you a bunch of fun stats and data, which I love.
However, using the timer was too much pressure. So I deleted the app and just focused on READING. While I love the stats, StoryGraph also provides some fun data, and that app doesn’t stress me out.
Closing Thoughts
Reading in January for me was about just doing “The Thing.” No tracker, no timer, no pressure. Just enjoying the moment and sitting with the words. Reading isn’t a competition for performative, so take my advice and just enjoy the process.
