January felt like a very, very long month and I'm honestly not mad about it. There's a lot going on right now and I'm definitely feeling the stress of it all, but February should be when a lot of decisions are made and hopefully things will feel a little better... but we'll see, haha. I've still been struggling with focus and I'm not sure if that will get much better in February or March, but that's okay! I hope you've all been hanging in there so far this year. It's been a weird start to 2023. I didn't get up nearly as many reviews as I wanted to in January, but I did get up some ARC reviews at least, so I'm glad for that even though I didn't get more up.
I don't have much to share in the way of personal news because the big things are still up in the air and nothing else has really happened. I'm still taking aerial silk lessons and just can't seem to get enough of it–I wish it were a hobby that were easier to do at home, haha!
In reading news, things were a bit up and down as seems to be the norm lately. I really loved The God of Endings and Rubicon, and I did not care much for No Longer Human. I actually DNF'd quite a few books (so many I forgot some of them on this list, I think), but I think that's a result of my weird moods and also my inability to tolerate things I'm not enjoying more lately. Anyway, that's my update! How was your January?? What books did you read? Let me know!
Stories from the Tenants Downstairs by Sidik Fofana ★★★
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was interesting! Not quite what I expected, but I enjoyed the snippets we got from each person's life as we explored various tenants.
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton ★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This was really surprising, but also felt very classic Catton. The writing, the plotting, the pacing, all of it reminded me of The Luminaries so much, and I liked getting to know the characters and plot. It was a little odd at times, but overall it worked.
Rubicon by J.S. Dewes ★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: This was so good! Dewes really knows how to write a nail-biting sci-fi and this was a huge win for me.
The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland ★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Thoughts: I really loved this and am so glad I had the opportunity to read it. It's very thoughtful and more slow-paced and without any major... action (?) in a lot of it, and it worked so well. I enjoyed settling down with this book every time I got to read it.
God of Neverland by Gama Ray Martinez ★★★★
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: God of Neverland was a really fun Peter Pan-inspired story that was truly packed with adventure. I'm really looking forward to the next installment in this series, which just so happens to be Alice in Wonderland-inspired.
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai ★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Thoughts: I read Dazai's The Setting Sun last year and liked it, and I kept hearing about how No Longer Human was really his big work and just endlessly depressing and all that so naturally I had to read it. And honestly, while I think it captured a lot of things really well with depression and the sort of distance that exists with that, I also really, really didn't like this book for a lot of other reasons. It just didn't work for me in the ways I thought it would. It's not bad, it just had more annoying things to me than it had good, so there's that.
Lord of Embers by C.N. Crawford
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was the second in a fantasy series I started last month and it was a lot of fun! I find the world-building and some of the things that happen very imaginative and interesting.
Crooked Boys by Elena
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: This was recommended to me and it was alright, nothing too groundbreaking or anything, but had some fun with it.
Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook
Thoughts: Oh boy, okay. So I kept hearing this recommended as a 'you have to read... but at your own risk' and honestly, that's a very good way to pique my interest. And yes, this was extremely dark and kinda messed up, but also was a ton of fun. It's dark romance, but there was so much horror in it that it was fairly interesting. Full of trigger warnings galore and I wouldn't recommend to everyone, but certainly an experience.
DNF/To-Be-Finished:
Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young
Why: This started out fairly intriguing, but it's very slow paced and I don't have much interest in the characters, so I set it aside for now. I do plan on picking it back up at some point, but just not right now.
The Immortality Thief by Taran Hunt
Why: I'm not not enjoying this one, it was a little too action/adventure-heavy at the time and I wasn't quite in the mood for that since I wasn't very invested in the characters and the plot felt a little predictable.
The Devil Makes Three by Tori Bovalino
Why: I have pretty much the same story for this one as the previous two. There's definitely promise, but it just felt a little predictable and wasn't really engaging me at the time. But I'd like to finish it!
The Vermilion Emporium by Jamie Pacton
Why: This was really fun and I definitely want to finish it, but it wasn't grabbing me as much as I'd expected and I feel like I would appreciate it a lot more when I'm actually in the mood for it. And then I had to return it to the library, so that ended that.
(other than reviews)
Can't-Wait Wednesday:
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