January Wrap Up

I haven't done monthly reading wrap ups in a few years, but I'm thinking about bringing the practice back for 2020 so that I can keep better track of my book ratings. I'm going to give it a shot this month and see how I like it.

I finished eight total novels in January. Here's the breakdown:

The Green Ray by Jules Verne (4/5 stars)
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier (5/5 stars)
The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier (2/5 stars)
The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets by Sarah Miller (4/5 stars)
Trinkets by Kirsten Smith (2/5 stars)
White Jacket by Herman Melville (2/5 stars)
Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (3/5 stars)
The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater (4/5 stars)

While I'm happy with the amount of books I was able to read, this was a mixed bag for me quality-wise. There were high points and low points throughout the month. I really enjoyed both of the nonfiction books I read, The Green Ray, and of course, my reread of Daughter of the Forest was fantastic. Everything else, though, was only okay.

Not counting the reread, I think The Green Ray was my January favorite. It had all the usual humor and adventure of a Jules Verne novel, plus one of the sweetest endings in the world. My least favorite was The Harp of Kings. It fell far short of what I know and love about Juliet Marillier's writing, and contained several elements that annoyed me.

My most surprising read was definitely Venus in Furs. It was a scandalous classic that still felt scandalous today. I knew beforehand that this book is where the term 'masochist' comes from, but I didn't anticipate it being so spicy! I won't be forgetting Severin and his whip anytime soon.

My most forgettable read was Trinkets. I read that only a few weeks ago, and I can barely remember it. If I didn't have my review here on the blog, I would probably have totally forgotten it by now. There just wasn't anything special to hang onto in its pages.

So while January wasn't exactly a bad month for reading, I'm hoping for a bit more success in February. I'd like to read more books at four or five stars, although I can't really control that. I'm also hoping that my Then vs. Now selection will be more impressive. I'm going to be rereading The Night Circus, then trying out The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. It would be nice to like both of them this time around.

Here's my complete February TBR:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
Black Boy by Richard Wright
The Financier by Theodore Dreiser

Of course, I'm hoping to be able to read a few books beyond these, but those are my main goals. A new favorite might be hidden somewhere in that list. I'm excited to start the month and find out.