What I Read in January 2021!

What I read in January 2021. I didn’t focus a lot on reading this month and I didn’t read any 5 stars books but I read some good books.

Reading Stats

• Total Books Read – 7
• Pages Read – 838
• Audio book Total hours listened – 36
• Books by BIPOC authors – 4/7 (57% – I am focusing on this in order to diversify my reading so I’m adding this to my stats for myself)
• Favorite Book I read this month – The Truths we hold by Kamala Harris

Forever Wild by K.A Tucker

Another book in The Simple Wild series (which you know I love). I believe this book was written for the Calla and Jonah fans that needed more from them! I loved going back to Alaska and seeing what this couple was up to since the end of Wild at Heart. Calla and Jonah are one of my all time favorite romance novel couples and I am so glad the author wrote this novella to wrap up their story.

Format – Physical Book

Rating – 4 Stars. Check out my full review here.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

I loved this young adult book about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time. This is an amazing and heartbreaking story about a teen trying to find himself and with so many important messages. I loved this book and can’t recommend it enough!

Format – Audiobook

Rating – Read. Review coming soon!

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

I was in the mood for a thriller so I picked this one up in audio. I think this was a super entertaining book and I loved the audiobook narration (it has multiple narrators). I think if you are going to read this one and like audiobooks definitely read it in that format. This is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre (which I’ve never read) and I thought it was very entertaining. I had some issue with some of the surprise elements of the story but I’ll get into the details in my full review.

Format – Audiobook

Rating – 3.5 Stars. Full review coming soon!

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur

This was my IRL book club pick for this month and I really liked it! I was nervous because you know I have a complicated relationship with the romance genre and I had heard it was steamy. This was my first woman on woman romance and I enjoyed it. I think the steamy scenes were well done and it was a great book. There were some inconsistencies and plot lines that annoyed me (hence why its not a 4 star rating) but I recommend it. Most of the book club members gave it a 4 star rating.

Format – Physical Book

Rating – 3.5 Stars. Review coming soon!

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour

This was Jenna Bush Hager book club pick for this month and I was lucky to get an advance review copy. I listened to this in audio and loved the narrator! This book was a rollercoaster and like nothing I’ve read before. I laughed out loud a few times, cringed, got angry and also was really sad. So many emotions!

Format – Audiobook

Rating – 4 Stars. Review coming soon.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

Aaron and I listened to this one in audio on our way to Raleigh this past weekend and we were both like “what did we just listened to”. It was a very entertaining story and it made the drive go back super quick. However, what was that ending? If you’ve read it let me know so we can discuss it. I am not sure why this book was so hyped up. I am rating it 3 stars because of the writing and it kept us engaged until the end.

Format – Audiobook

Rating – 3 Stars. Review coming soon.

The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris

My favorite book of the month! Aaron got me this book for Christmas and I thought it was a perfect time to start reading it during inauguration week. I am a fan of Vice President Harris but I wanted to learn more about her. This memoir is great. I learned a lot about her, her family and her previous experiences. I am so glad I read this book and that she is our Vice President.

Format – Physical Book

Rating – Read NOW. Review coming soon.  

What was your favorite book you read in December? Let me know in the comments!