Oh my gosh, I can’t believe an entire month of 2019 has gone by already! That means the year is 1/12th of the way over, and I still have about a billion books to get to! Welp, better up my game I guess, haha. (Although, honestly, not sure how I could do that other than to give up my job and stay home reading all day which I actually wouldn’t mind but sure my husband would object to when bills start piling up…..lol)
I’ve spent most of January playing catch-up while also trying to stay on top of new releases and only being marginally successful. But! Progress is progress so I’ll take what I can get.
I’ve read 16 books this month, which is a decent amount. 15 were Speculative Fiction while 1 was a Historical Romance (Sweet Disorder by Rose Lerner–highly recommend her work if you’re into that genre). 5/16 were ARC’s/Review request books, while 7/16 were new releases (or soon to be new releases)–there was some overlap between the two so two birds with one stone and all that.
Favorite Reads of the Month:
- In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire. Oh man, I really loved this one. It’s got that prose that I adore and the story says all kinds of things…ah, meaning!
- Thornbound by Stephanie Burgis. This is the 2nd book in The Harwood Spellbook series. So much fun, hope to have my review up soon so I can gush about it. If you loved the first book in the series, you’re in for a treat.
- The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty. Oh my gosh, THIS BOOK. What a wild ride. Everything I didn’t like about the first book was absent here. I don’t even know if I have an criticisms other then having to wait for the next book. Also hoping to have my review of this one out shortly.
January’s Book Reviews:
I had a lot of book review posts (14!) this past month since I spent so much time catching up from all the books I read in December. Here are all my book reviews that went up in January in case you missed them.
Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan
Roar of Sky by Beth Cato
This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada
The Vampire Knitting Club by Nancy Warren
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
Snowspelled by Stephanie Burgis
Iron and Magic by Ilona Andrews
Mage Against the Machine by Shaun Barger
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
Smoke & Summons by Charlie N. Holmberg
In An Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire
Windcatcher by A.J. Norfield
Appropriately Aggressive: Essays About Books, Corgis, and Feminism by Krista D. Ball
Other Posts:
I didn’t do a lot of posts other than book reviews and weekly reading updates, except for covering a variety of topics on my Friday Favorite Five posts. But I did post a few other things this past month.
- My Year in Reading Stats – 2018
- 2019 Audiobook Challenge
- Discworld Book Haul
- And I joined the Off the Grid Readathon!
Plans for February:
I guess my plans for February are pretty much the same. I still have several Review Copy’s and a couple ARC’s to work on. I have not requested any new ARC’s which has helped slow down the in-flow though, so that’s helped! Just have to keep on trucking.
I do want to try and have more discussion posts and some things other than book reviews and the usual, but time and all that, we’ll see what happens. I have a book tag or two waiting in the wings, just have to make time to fill them out.
In non-book related news (or semi-book related), I have a new bed arriving on Saturday so I’ll be spending some of my weekend time working on a big project of reorganization to make our game room even more of a game room. We’re moving a bunch of stuff out of the library (where I sleep) and living room to the basement which will leave me room to finally put away a bunch of piles of books that have been laying around the house, so yay! I also have the next meeting of my Tea Party Book Club at the end of the month, we’re reading Lost Stars by Claudia Gray which I haven’t started yet.
Well, that was my January! It’s been pretty packed with reading and trying to catch up on posts and such. How was your month? Got any plans for February? Leave me a note in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
Way Too Fantasy 
Looks like you had a great January! I can’t believe we’re heading into February already and a shorter month. Have fun rearranging with your new bed! I always like doing stuff like that. 💗
Thanks, it was pretty good. I love reorganizing so it should be a good weekend. 🙂
That’s such a great start for the year. Happy reading for month ahead 😍
Thanks! To you as well!
Wow, you read a ton of books! Super jealous, ha ha. Stephanie Burgis just sent me a copy of Thornbound, eee! Have a wonderful February😁
It was a good amount lol. 🙂 Ooooh looking forward to your thoughts on it!
Just started the first McGuire novella last night!
Oooh, hope you enjoy!
Dang you got through a lot! I’ve seen a couple people mention Swordheart, I’ve added that to my own TBR!
I guess I do….haha 😅
Looks like a great January! Hope February is just as amazing❤
Thank you! ❤
You had a very productive January! My plan for February is the same as its been: try to get back on track with all the things, hindered by not possessing a time stopping device to allow me to read and blog all the things
It looks productive but somehow doesn’t feel productive lol! Yes, that is essentially my plan too
I need to find myself a book club where we actually get to read awesome stuff like Star Wars and Claudia Gray. Sadly, I’ve seen none in my area that are all that keen on SFF 😛
You could always join mine! 😉
My husband actually picked the book this month, we’ve had an interesting variety of books so far but a lot of them spec fiction so far.
Wow, that’s a very productive month! :O
In An Absent Dream sounds amazing, I loved the first two books in this series but I didn’t finish Beneath The Sugar Sky ( I didn’t care for the story or the main characters nearly as much as in the other books), I will be giving the fourth one a try. 🙂
Thanks! Oh, I hope you like it!
Congrats on 16 books and catching up a little! 😀 And did you get a new bed frame or just a mattress? I want to upgrade to a bigger bed haha 🙂 I hope you have a great February 😀
A new bed frame too! I’m actually downsizing, because this room is so tiny, it’s hard to get to my closet with this huge bed in the way lol. Thanks, you too!
You had a great month and, yes, I can’t believe January has gone by already. What happened!! It sounds like we’re all playing a bit of catch up – I like that I’m not the only one in that respect.
Lynn 😀
I’m really having a hard time believing we’re into February already, lol. Good luck to us both with catching up!
I seriously need to find myself a IRL book club. I’d like to actually meet up. My coworkers at my fulltime job decided to form a book club, which I’m happy about, but I think they might focus only on nonfic reads.
I think they might have a book club at the Washington Science Fiction Association, iirc. Not entirely sure but could ask my friend who is in WSFA.
Oh yea, if you find out, please let me know. I’ll then see if I can make it out to wherever they meet.
I’ll ask him and let you know. 🙂
So many reads, I am jealous!!! Happy reading this February!
Thank you!