Hello, readers!
I feel like January is always my hardest wrap-up to do, because for me January sets the tone for the rest of the year.
For the past couple of years, my reading in January has really only been about two books, and then around that I buy and never read.
This January, though, I decided to do something different. I didn’t buy any books this month, and I actually managed to read five books.
Hopefully this trend can continue in 2019, so here’s to a good start!
Let’s get this wrap-up started!
1. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Series: The Montague Siblings, #1
Rating: 3.8/5
Dates Read: January 6-12
Synopsis: Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men. But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Read my review here!
2. And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness
Series: N/A
Rating: 4.7/5
Dates Read: January 19-20
Synopsis: With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, fighting in the ongoing war against the world of men. When they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the Abyss, they expect to find easy prey. Instead, they find the trail of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself…As their relentless Captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt, one that will forever change the worlds of both whales and men.
3. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (*AUDIOBOOK*)
Series: N/A
Rating: 5/5
Dates Listened To: January 19-24
Synopsis: Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea. It is also the story of a rat called Roscuro, who lives in the darkness and covets a world filled with light. And it is the story of Miggery Sow, a slow-witted serving girl who harbors a simple, impossible wish. These three characters are about to embark on a journey that will lead them down into a horrible dungeon, up into a glittering castle, and, ultimately, into each other’s lives. What happens then? As Kate DiCamillo would say: Reader, it is your destiny to find out.
4. Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
Series: N/A
Rating: 2.7/5
Dates Read: January 20-25
Synopsis: Ruthie Mizrahi and her family recently emigrated from Castro’s Cuba to New York City. Just when she’s finally beginning to gain confidence in her mastery of English and enjoying her reign as her neighborhood’s hopscotch queen, a horrific car accident leaves her in a body cast and confined her to her bed for a long recovery. As Ruthie’s world shrinks because of her inability to move, her powers of observation and her heart grow larger. She comes to understand how fragile life is, how vulnerable we all are as human beings, and how friends, neighbors, and the power of the arts can sweeten even the worst of times.
5. Shopaholic to the Rescue by Sophie Kinsella
Series: Shopaholic, #8
Rating: 4/5
Dates Read: January 27-29
Synopsis: Becky’s father Graham and her best friend’s husband, Tarquin, have disappeared from Los Angeles saying simply they have “something to take care of.” But Tarquin’s wife Suze who is Becky’s best friend, and Becky’s mother Jane, are convinced the two men are hiding something and are in danger—their imaginations run wild. They must track them down! Hijinks ensue as husband Luke drives Becky, daughter Minnie, Jane, Suze and other favorite Kinsella characters across country from LA to Las Vegas in search of the missing men. Becky feels deeply guilty about ignoring her father while he was in LA, in addition Becky feels her enemy Alicia is threatening her friendship with Suze.
Those are all the books that I read in January 2019!
I hope this sets a good pattern for the rest of the year, and hopefully I can read just as many books in February!
Thanks for reading!
NEXT POST: Anticipated February Releases
CR: Invictus by Ryan Graudin, Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Currently Listening To: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Reviews by Hannah 