Friday, February 05, 2021

Books Read in January


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!):
  1. Book you've seen on someone else's bookshelf: Beartown by Fredrik Backman
  2. A genre hybrid: Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson
  3. Book set mostly or entirely outdoors: The River by Peter Heller
  4. Book about fresh starts: A Home for Goddesses and Dogs by Leslie Connor
  5. 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?

16 comments:

  1. Congrats on a start on the Nonfiction Reader Challenge!

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    1. Thanks! Enjoying it so far and reading an outstanding nonfiction book now!

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  2. A great reading month with some great books read. Enjoy your reading in February

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    1. Thanks! So far, so good for February!

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  3. Great reading for January and you're doing well on your challenges!

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  4. I thought I had read The River tho it's not on my Goodreads list.
    I love a good adventure thriller. My fav book this year was The Foreign Girls by an Argentinian writer.

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    1. 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.

      And thanks for stopping by - nice to hear from you again!

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  5. 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!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. That sounds like a great idea! I've only read Beartown and A Man Called Ove so far.

      So far, so good for February books!

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  6. I also like to start my year with self-help nonfiction! Hoping to get to Beartown soon!

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    1. Nice to get some start-of-the-year motivation, right? Enjoy Beartown -

      Sue

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  7. 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:

    https://collettaskitchensink.blogspot.com/2021/02/january-2021-monthly-wrap-up.html

    Colletta

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    1. 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 ...

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  8. Excellent 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.

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    1. Oooh, that sounds great - will look for it. Thanks for the tip!

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