Monthly Reading Recap: January 2021

Hello, bookish friends! I can’t believe we are already a month into this brand new year. I’ve finally moved on from my 4-month reading/blogging/bookstagramming slump, and I am so so happy with my reading progress I have been able to make in just a short month’s time! Wanna know what I dived into this month? Keep reading to find out!

What I Read This Month

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Let’s Break It Down

New Books Read: 4

New Novellas Read: 0

Book Re-Reads: 1

Novella Re-Reads: 0

Monthly Total: 5

Average Rating of this Month’s Reading: 3.8 stars

Favorite Read of the Month: Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Most Surprising/Impressive Read of the Month: Words on Bathroom Walls by Julia Walton

Least Favorite Read of the Month: The Chaos of Standing Still by Jessica Brody

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Ratings

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this anthology of sweet holiday tales! See my full thoughts in my review.

I fell so hard for this historical fantasy novel by Nadine Brandes. The writing was so beautifully done, the fantastical components were nicely placed to fill in the historical gaps, and the strong family dynamic that permeated the entire novel made the plotline that much more heart-wrenching but oh so loveable at the exact same time. Review coming soon because I have so many thoughts to share with you!

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While many YA novels try to leave the reader with a lesson to have been learned and/or attempt to educate the reader on tough topics, I have found that it’s rare that one can accomplish this as well as Words on Bathroom Walls did for me. For someone who doesn’t struggle with their mental health on an on-going basis, I found Walton’s writing to be so helpful in understanding what coping with schizophrenia is like for those with the condition and certainly made more sympathetic to their struggles. In addition to the educational aspect, this book was absolutely hilarious (as it was intended to be to lighten some of the darker moments!) and is sure to make any reader smile. My review will be hitting the blog here directly, so keep your eyes open for my full thoughts!

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Going into this book, I honestly thought I was going to love it. It pains me to have to have even given this book a two-star rating, but it just didn’t do it for me. However, I did really enjoy the unique overall concept and the quirky characters, which kept me reading until the very end. Review coming soon, so stay tuned!

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In honor of A Court of Silver Flames releasing next month, I decided to begin my re-read of the ACOTAR series since I read these books when they first released (this one 2015… can’t believe it was that long ago!). I enjoyed this beauty just as much as I did the first time, and I am so excited to finish my re-read and jump into the brand new release in just a few short weeks!

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I’m honestly so proud of my reading progress this month. Given that I haven’t read for pleasure in so long, this is huge feat for me, and I’m definitely going to make it a goal for myself this year to prioritize my “fun” reading. How many books have you read this month? Any favorites? Let’s chat in the comments about all our bookish fun we’ve been able to have to kick off the new year!

May your February reading be equally if not more prosperous as your January reading! 🙂