In 2022, I rediscovered my love of reading.
Growing up, I’d always had a book to read. But in college when funds and space were scarce, I misplaced the habit and drifted away from the book stacks. Last year, while recovering from a knee surgery and feeling financially secure, I found myself happily buried in the pages of fiction again. Finally.
In 2023, I set myself a reading goal: 100 books finished before the year is out. January saw a bit of a rocky start, with not much read in the first couple weeks while we prepared for our annual migration to Florida for my husband James’s triathlon team.
That being said, it was still a solid month, and I started what has become one of my all-time favorite series — Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.
January Reading by the Numbers
In January I read:
- Seven books
- 2,900 pages
- On 30 of 31 days
This completed (maybe obviously) 7% of my reading goal, which is 1.3% behind pace for 100 books. I’m not worried 🙂
My Rating System: Out of Three Stars, Yes or No Recommendation
A ratings explainer: While I do have a Goodreads profile and adhere to their rating system on that platform, I prefer a different method in my reading log: one, two, or three stars, and a yes or no on whether I think it'd be worth someone else's time to read. I don't rate memoirs or autobiographies, but will note my recommendation for them.
This month, I rated:
- One star: 1
- Two stars: 4
- Three stars: 2
And had:
- Yes, would recommend: 5
- No, neutral or would not recommend: 2
With that, let’s get to the reviews!
January Reading Reviews
A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross
Book two of The Elements of Cadence Series.
Pages: 494
Format: Hardback
Genre: Fantasy
Dates read: January 2 – 12
My rating: 1 star, wouldn’t recommend
A Fire Endless picks up where A River Enchanted, the first book in the series, left off. It follows the hero and heroine as they progress along the paths that were decided for them at the end of book one, and weaves in a few side stories from some of the lesser characters. We get more background on the spirits of the island and learn about the land’s folklore and history.
My underwhelm for this book is probably an unpopular reflection. I’ve seen lots of folks site lyrical writing and world-building as part of their love for the series, but I had to disagree.
While some of the writing attempted to read nicely, I thought that it felt clunky and in many places, juvenile. When I found that Ross began her career writing in YA, it made sense. I often found myself questioning characters’ decisions, rolling my eyes at dialogue and plot devices, and wondering if more could be done to fill some questionable plot holes.
Beyond the glaring gaps, I felt that the characters generally lack substance, and frankly would not care if any of them died. Their relationships are poorly developed and have no draw. My favorite character is probably Jack’s little sister — who, at this point in the story, doesn’t really matter.
So my verdict: I’ll probably finish the series, just because I want to know how the story ends. Would I ever recommend this book to a fantasy reader? No. There are many other novels that are better worth your time.
Lessons by Ian McEwan
Pages: 431
Format: Hardback
Genre: Literary fiction
Dates read: January 13 – 19
My rating: 3 stars, would recommend
Lessons follows the life of Roland, a boy sent away to boarding school in the post-war years of the 1950s. The narration jumps between his time spent at school, at home on a military base in Africa, and his adult years in England. As he “confronts the reality of his rootless existence” the world rushes by: his wife leaves (not a spoiler, as it’s in the book jacket), the Chernoble reactors fail, and several crises and causes for elation make their way into the story of his self-reckoning.
I didn’t know what to expect when beginning this book, and finished it feeling thoroughly satisfied and moderately enlightened. In a narrative spanning decades, McEwan explores how the impact of certain childhood experiences carry the main character through his life story.
Slow to start, this story eventually swept me up in its precision and deep empathy for the human experience. There was so much that happened in this book, I don’t feel equipped to do it justice in a section of a blog post. Maybe I’ll update after a reread.
The thing(s) that got me, and that might make you want to read it too, are these:
- Relationships and experiences in our childhood, and how they shape our lenses for our adult years.
- The aging process: how we change, think, gain, lose, and become someone new while still staying the same.
- The reality of living through major events and unprecedented times.
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Pages: 373
Format: Paperback
Genre: Romantic comedy
Dates read: January 19 – 20
My rating: 2 stars, would recommend
In typical Emily Henry style, Book Lovers is a sentimental rom-com with interesting characters and a standard story arc. Because it’s Emily Henry, I thoroughly enjoyed it (even though I’m not, almost ever, a romance reader).
I’ll be honest — there isn’t much to say here. Henry’s style is both hilarious and endearing. She strikes a perfect balance of swoon-y (ew, did I really write that?) romance with comic relief. Her male love interests are unfailingly sensitive and yet realistically stupid, as many men are. This is standard fare, and probably my second-favorite of the three novels I’ve read from her — Beach Read coming in first.
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Pages: 390
Format: Paperback
Genre: Historical fiction
Dates read: January 21 – 24
My rating: 2 stars, kinda neutral recommendation
The Devil in the White City follows two story lines: The planning and execution of the 1892 Chicago World Fair, and the serial murders committed by one Dr. H. H. Holmes. With several pages’ worth of notes and sources, this book seemed a well-researched rendition of the early 1890s in Chicago. I found the lead-up to the fair to be the most interesting aspect of the story: the challenges faced, the architects recruited, and the impact the fair had on industry at the time. The story of Dr. Holmes and his nefarious behavior was decently interesting but, in my opinion, not the highlight of this work.
I’m neutral on whether I’d recommend this book for the following reasons: The history is interesting. I’m American, so much of the impact of the fair is relevant to other things I’d learned in school. But, the two storylines didn’t have much of an impact on one another. Dr. Holmes used the fair to attract customers to his hotel — that’s the extent of it. I also felt that the book could have been much shorter and done without some of the exhaustive details of planning committee meetings and the like.
If you like historical fiction that’s deeply rooted in fact, this book is probably for you.
As a side note, this was a birthday gift (complete with a kind inscription) from my favorite PT, so regardless of how I feel about the story, I will always cherish this book. Many thanks to Ben from Heal Strong for Life.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Pages: 239
Format: Hardback
Genre: Non-fiction memoir
Dates read: January 24 – 27
My rating: N/A, would recommend
Crying in H Mart narrates Zauner’s experience in losing her mother to cancer. More than that (how could you even ask for more?) it’s a reflection on culture and heritage, grief, generational challenges, the mother-daughter relationship, and growing up first-generation Asian American with a white father.
This was, possibly, the first memoir I’ve read, and it set an impossibly high standard. Zauner’s writing is frank, honest, and yet poignantly emotive. Her story is communicated with clarity that could bring you to your knees with understanding. You feel as though you’re there with her — my favorite aspect of reading.
The way that she describes her conflicted feelings about her mother, first in the challenge of growing up and then in her mother’s illness, makes her narrative all the more compelling.
Personally, I felt this is an important read for today’s Americans, who have borne witness to some horrific racism against Asian Americans in recent years. (That’s not to say there was not racism before Covid — just that it is finally getting the attention it deserves.)
Empathy is always important. But now, when tensions are running high across political factions, it's arguably more so. Part of my reading efforts this year are to read books that tell non-white, non-hetero, non-cis stories. If you have recommendations, please drop them in the comments!
The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
Pages: 435
Format: Hardback
Genre: Fantasy
Dates read: January 27 – 29
My rating: 2 stars, would recommend
The Assassin’s Blade is a set of novellas that serve as a prequel to the Throne of Glass series. The Maas fandom seems torn on whether to read them before the series (which I did), or in publication order, which would put them in between Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire. That being said, while the novella set was published between those two books, the individual stories themselves were actually released via ebook in early 2012, predating the publication of Throne of Glass. Having finished the series at the time of writing, I stand solidly behind my decision to read The Assassin’s Blade first. It gives important context to Celaena’s character and, frankly, made her more likable in the early books of the series.
The Assassin’s Blade comprises four stories:
- The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
- The Assassin and the Healer
- The Assassin and the Desert
- The Assassin and the Underworld
- The Assassin and the Empire
I won’t give away much more about the plots than that. Each of the stories show Celaena’s skill and experience in her “before state”, e.g. before the main plot mechanisms come into effect. If you’ve read Maas’s other works, the key themes in this book will feel familiar: powerful young women, action, and a bit of romance. Even reviewing this now, I’m looking forward to reading this series again.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Pages: 404
Format: Hardback
Genre: Fantasy
Dates read: January 30 – 31
My rating: 2 stars, would recommend
Throne of Glass is the first (and titular) book of Maas’s first fantasy series. It follows Celaena from prison to the court that imprisoned her and introduces us to many of the main characters of the series. Despite the series having an additional six books to follow this one, there is plenty of action and intrigue in this story.
I gave it two stars instead of three because of some immaturity in the writing. I was skeptical of the series for this reason, but am glad I stuck with it. There are a few too many exclamation points (sometimes one is too many, IMO), but I’ve looked past them in my affection for the series as a whole. If you find yourself thrown off by writing quirks like these, keep pushing forward. The story is worth it.
January, Wrapped
And that was the month! Will you pick up any of these books based on their reviews? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time,
Vanessa