Welcome to my January 2021 Reading Wrap Up Blog! Don’t worry – I know this is a lot of books, but I’ve still managed to get a lot of writing done on my WIP Guardians of Glitter Bomb (Book 5 of the Love by Glitter Bomb Series.) I’m at 27/39 chapters written. Barring any super long chapters like a few which came up last week I normally manage 3 chapters throughout the day from writing sessions. So, sometime this week I should be wrapping up the first draft and moving into polishing it up a bit before I send the guys off to play with my editor.
Now – onto what you really came here for. Yes, I read 20 books this month. Well, I read 14 and listened to 6 books this month. Though, since I count them for my GR challenge I’ll talk about them here too. This blog is just a short list of the books I read this month and what they’re about. I’ll be doing another post soon about my favorite books of January.
Stay by Catherine Ryan Hyde: A young man’s life changes as his brother returns from the Vietnam war with a drug habit and he begins caring for a hermit’s dogs.
This Close to Okay Leesa Cross-Smith: Woman saves man’s life by lying to him about not being a therapist. He lies about who he is. A doomed romance ensues wrapped in beautiful life altering moments. I received an early release of this book through the Book of the Month Books Box.
Burnt Offerings by Laurell K. Hamilton: (Book 7 in the series) Anita Blake once again works with the police and ‘monsters’ to save the city from a boogeyman between balancing her supernatural love and sex lives.
My Name is Anton by Catherine Ryan Hyde: After losing his brother to suicide a young man aids an older woman in escaping domestic violence. In the meantime, they fall in love, but she still leaves. Years later they run into each other again and have a second chance romance.
Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks: Two high school sweethearts are brought together by the death of a mutual mentor. Reconnecting isn’t easy because the things standing between them have only grown and since this is a Nicholas Spark book, we all know not everyone gets out of his stories alive.
Elanor Oliphant is Just Fine by Gail Honeyman: A woman with CPTSD, Alcoholism, and maybe DID loses control of her life and the past and present blend together for her – even though she can’t remember the past. With the introduction of a new friend life starts to look up.
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch: A young man rapes his friends and makes excuses as to why he can’t be a rapist. I’m not one to usually say bad things about books – but this one left a horrible taste in my mouth. I would not recommend it.
Have You Seen Luis Velez? By Catherine Ryan Hyde: A young man stumbles onto a mysterious disappearance after his best friend moves away and he begins to help an elderly blind neighbor.
Rise of the Governor by Robert Kirkman: First in the series of The Walking Dead novels. It’s basically what you’d expect from TWD. Gore and humans sucking more than zombies.
Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton: (Book 8 in the series) In this one, Anita’s on again/off again werewolf boyfriend Richard is caught up in a lying scheme and falsely charged with ‘accused rape.’ She and some others make their way to Tennessee to rescue him and manage to piss off the local Master Vampire and the human police in the process.
Heretic’s Anonymous by Katie Henry: A high school kid who has spent most of his life moving around because of his dad’s job starts Catholic School as an atheist and makes some unlikely friends as he falls in love and figures out who he really is.
I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll: This one a slow burn mystery/thriller where in a woman finds herself wrapped up with a young girl’s disappearance and under threat because whoever killed her believes she knows a lot more than she does.
The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.: This is a stunning historical fiction novel that explores the beautiful and forbidden love story between two young men in the south. As slaves on a plantation dubbed “The Empty’ all hell breaks loose as everyone turns on each other. The writer does a beautiful (if haunting and heartbreaking) job of spinning the web of intricacies. I don’t think I’d ever have the words to do this one justice. This book was another one from the Book of the Month Box.
Anne Boleyn: 500 Years of Lies by Hayley Nolan: This is an Anne Boleyn biography written by a mental health specialist and it’s like no other Tudor bio I’ve ever read before.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: If you don’t know what this one is about; we can’t be friends.
Pyotra and the Wolf by Elna Holst: This is a queer retelling of Peter and the Wolf.
Coming Clean by Kimmie Rae Miller: This is a memoir of growing up with hoarders for parents. It was heartbreaking and insightful.
Quiet by Susan Cain: This is about how introverts both struggle and fit into the world. It’s well written and well researched. I’d recommend this one to any introvert looking for validation that they’re not crazy and extroverts really do go out of their way without realizing it to drive us crazy.
Jamaica Inn by Daphne Du Maurier: After Mary Ellen’s mother dies, she goes to live with her aunt and uncle. One of whom is part of a notorious smuggling scheme. Gothic and gritty at heart this book is adventurous, mysterious, and a tad bit romantic all at once.
Winter of the Wolf by Martha Hunter Handler: A young girl is determined to prove her brother did not take his own life.
How’s your 2021 reading year treating you? Any good books you read this month you wanna recommend?
Maggie Hemlock Books 