I read 10 books in January! They were all fiction, mostly young adult and leaning toward science fiction.
In the month of January, books were my coping mechanism for stress. Work was a little cray (on top of the social and political climate) in January and if not for books, I might have snapped. These books feed my creativity and helped create a protective barrier against stress and over-thinking. Here is what I read in January:
My Heart and Other Black Holes (Young Adult Fiction) by Jasmine Warga, was kind of a dark book about a depressed teenager who has decided to end her life, but is unable to do it alone. She stumbles upon a suicide partner pairing website and goes on a journey of self-discovery and revelation with a teenage boy with whom she takes a suicide pact. The book is smart, honest, and well written.
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (Young Adult Dystopian Science Fiction), this had all the makings of an epic thought-provoking look at racism and prejudice in an alternate society where dark skinned people are the ruling class and white people face the harsh realities of systemic racism and discrimination. Noughts & Crosses is a wealth of potential, but ultimately disappoints in the end. It leaves so many holes and unexplored opportunities for the two main characters that the ending feels both incomplete and frustrating. In this rare instance, I decided not to read the rest of the books in the series, though I read the synopsis. Ms. Blackman had a terrific idea, but it was poorly executed, the mistakes in plot turned a gold mine into a disappointing series not worth completing. I sincerely wish she would rewrite this from the beginning, it had all the makings to be on the level of Hunger Games.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Contemporary Young Adult Fiction), is a suspense mystery with a surprise ending. It is reads like poetry and requires stamina to complete. Had I not been listening to the audiobook at 2x the speed, this may have taken me months to complete. The ending is so twisty and satisfying, that I (like many others) ended up listening from the beginning immediately after.
Mara Dyer, Books 1, 2 and 3 by Michelle Hodkin (Young Adult Fantasy/Paranormal), this book exceeded my expectations, the dialogue was often sharp and very intelligent. The books are an enthralling suspense filled roller-coaster. There were times where I couldn’t read it fast enough and was racing toward the end so I could unravel the mystery.
I Was Here by Gayle Forman (Contemporary Young Adult Fiction) is an emotional book about a very young woman struggling to understand the recent suicide by her best friend and the journey she goes on to unravel the mystery of her friend’s death. The book was pretty good, and I picked it up because I enjoyed Gayle’s other book turned film, If I Stay.
Crosstalk by Connie Willis (Science Fiction Romance/Humor) is a verbose and interesting book about a young professional woman who is convinced by her hot colleague boyfriend to get a popular “minor” neurological brain surgery, called an EED, along with him, to enhance their ability to sense each other’s emotions as a prelude to getting engaged. The female protagonist (Briddey) gets WAY more than she bargained for. When she wakes up from surgery, she hears an actual voice in her head. True telepathy, not just sensing emotions. And it’s not her boyfriend’s thoughts she is hearing. The book was very long and wordy but the ending was very satisfying, making it worth the read.
One Plus One by Jojo Moyes (Romanic Fiction), I gave this book a chance because I enjoyed Me Before You and the sequel After You by Ms. Moyes. The book was interesting, the characters were, for the most part well written. This author has a talent for incorporating a powerful narrative about class and the economic reality for working class women. Her romances are also grade A “chick lit”!
Under Different Stars (Kricket Series, Book 1) by Amy A. Bartol (Young Adult Fantasy/Romance). I read all three books over four days (spilling into February). Book one was good, book two was meh and book 3 knocked my socks off! At the beginning book 1, I thought most of the characters were eye roll worthy cliches, but something about the overarching narrative makes a scifi fangirl like myself curious about where the story was heading. I immediately started book two, and though I did not enjoy the plot as much, I liked it enough move on to book 3 and here is where the magic starts to kick up and the plot become exquisitely more complex. This series was a fun casual read. I really hope the writer releases book 4 soon so I can have closure.
I’m always on the market for a good book, what do you reccomend? You can also friend me on Goodreads.
Post Scriptum: Technically I read 11 books if you count the fact that I reread Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.
What did you say?