Happy New Year! I started my year off right with some excellent books! Here's what I read in January:
The River by Peter Heller (Canada) - adult fiction
A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor (CT) - middle-grade fiction on audio
Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky - nonfiction
Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson (UK) - adult fiction short stories
Beartown by Fredrik Backman (Sweden) - adult fiction
So, I finished five books in January. It was mostly a fiction month, but I included some inspirational self-help nonfiction to kick the new year off right! Four were adult books, and one (the only audio) was for middle-graders. I enjoyed all of these, and they were all so very different! Tough choice to choose a favorite, but I think Not the End of the World wins by a nose. I don't often read short stories, but Atkinson's writing is just so clever, engrossing, and funny that I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. You can read all of my reviews at the links above. After my December catch-up, I am so happy to be back on track with my blog now and writing reviews soon after finishing each book, instead of a month later!
Progress in 2021 Reading Challenges:
You can see all of the reading challenges I am participating in and full
lists of the books read for each at the challenges link above. I have some
fun ones going this year!
Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2021 - I read just two books from my own shelves (I also own Make Time, but I bought it in January so it doesn't count as TBR).
2021 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge - January was Once Upon a Time, and Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson was a short story collection with elements of fantasy and mythology.
Back to the Classics 2021 - No classics in January (but I'm reading one now!)
2021 AtoZ Reading Challenge - My first time doing this challenge, and since it's January, all 5 books fit into different letters of the alphabet. I also got the January mini-challenge: a book purchased in 2020 (The River by Peter Heller).
PopSugar Reading Challenge 2021 - this is a unique one, with 50 quirky categories. Here are the ones I checked off this month (it's easy at the beginning!):
- Book you've seen on someone else's bookshelf: Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- A genre hybrid: Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson
- Book set mostly or entirely outdoors: The River by Peter Heller
- Book about fresh starts: A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor
- Book by a blogger, vlogger, or other online personality: Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
2021 Nonfiction Reader Challenge - Just one of my books in January was nonfiction,
Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky, and it counted for the Self-Help category.
Diversity Reading Challenge 2021 - Two of my books in January were diverse, but I did not hit the January mini-challenge.
Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge - I traveled to Canada, the UK, and Sweden in my books last month.
2021 Literary Escapes Challenge - I added just one state, CT.
And finally, Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month! Stop by to print out this month's Bingo card and play along. In January, I filled 18 spaces on my bingo card:
Spaces Filled:
The River - shelf love, thrilling
A Home for Goddesses and Dogs - not in a series, secrets, free book, moons on the cover, audio book
Not the End of the World - dystopia or post-apocalyoptic
Make Time - read a physical book, new to you author, nonfiction
Beartown - book club read, over 400 pages, blue on cover, diet or exercise, library book, multi-POV
Free Space
What was YOUR favorite book read in January?
Congrats on a start on the Nonfiction Reader Challenge!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Enjoying it so far and reading an outstanding nonfiction book now!
DeleteA great reading month with some great books read. Enjoy your reading in February
ReplyDeleteThanks! So far, so good for February!
DeleteGreat reading for January and you're doing well on your challenges!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Helen!
DeleteI thought I had read The River tho it's not on my Goodreads list.
ReplyDeleteI love a good adventure thriller. My fav book this year was The Foreign Girls by an Argentinian writer.
Then you should like The River! Thanks for the heads up - hadn't heard of that one before and have rarely read anything by an Argentinian writer. Will look for it.
DeleteAnd thanks for stopping by - nice to hear from you again!
Good luck with your challenges! I really liked Beartown and am slowly working my way through all of Backman’s books. I hope you’re having a good February!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
That sounds like a great idea! I've only read Beartown and A Man Called Ove so far.
DeleteSo far, so good for February books!
I also like to start my year with self-help nonfiction! Hoping to get to Beartown soon!
ReplyDeleteNice to get some start-of-the-year motivation, right? Enjoy Beartown -
DeleteSue
I almost never read non-fiction. Maybe I should work on that? I hope you can stop by. I'm a little late to the party:
ReplyDeletehttps://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2021/02/january-2021-monthly-wrap-up.html
Colletta
Ah, you never have to apologize to me about being late - I am perpetually late! I did a big catch-up in December, and I am trying to turn over a new leaf! We'll see how that goes ...
DeleteExcellent reading month! I enjoy seeing what challenges you are doing and your progress. My favorite January read was Alone by Megan Freeman. It's a powerful survival tale in verse for middle grade.
ReplyDeleteOooh, that sounds great - will look for it. Thanks for the tip!
Delete