I read a lot of books, as you may know, but in the past few years, I’ve prioritized new releases or library holds I’ve been waiting for; I have hardly touched anything already on my shelves. A goal of mine this year is to read more of the books I own (which is a lot), and I think I am off to a fairly good start! Here’s what I read in January with the bare minimum of a review.
Title: Perfume
Author: Patrick Süskind
Rating: 4
This was recommended by me to my husband — a book that has moved with him to many states when others did not make the cut. I never would have chosen this for myself, and I had a good time!
Title: Democracy in Retrograde
Author: Sami Sage & Emily Amick
Rating: 4
Realistic actions you can take to make a difference in politics. Timely.
Title: What You are Looking for is in the Library
Author: Michiko Aoyama
Rating: 4
I love Japanese fiction. This was very similar to “Before the Coffee Gets Cold,” but add books and depressed people. Or what I call, “A fun time.”
Title: Not the End of the World
Author: Hannah Ritchie
Rating: 4
A solid 4 stars. The hope I needed to hear this year.
Title: Rental House
Author: Weike Wang
Rating: 3
A huge disappointment. Equally disappointed that I used Christmas money from my grandma to purchase it. I was really looking forward to this, and it was just alright.
Title: Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso
Author: Jeremy Egner
Rating: 5
A delightful book. I listened to the audiobook while running, and it was extremely enjoyable. Made me want to rewatch the show!
Title: Nexus
Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Rating: 4
A beast of a book! Some scary stuff about the future of AI that will certainly keep me up at night. I wish it was more approachable and not such a tome; more people should read it.
Title: East of Eden
Author: John Steinbeck
Rating: 5
Be still my heart. This book! I am now a Trask in spirit. My husband has been trying to get me to read this for years and told me I couldn’t be a real Californian until I did. I am so glad this was the year.
Title: I Might Regret This
Author: Abbi Jacobson
Rating: 3
I love female comedians. I love female comedian memoirs. I thought this was “ok.”
Title: Lifeform
Author: Jenny Slate
Rating: 3
See exact review above. But really, I absolutely loved Jenny Slate’s first book, “Little Weirds” and was so excited to read the motherhood version of that. This was just…not as good.
Title: In the Dream House
Author: Carmen Maria Machado
Rating: 4.25
Whoa. This was intense and not what I was expecting. I actually had no idea what I was about to read (listen to), I just remembered it was all the rage the year it came out, and it was immediately available on the Libby app when I needed something. It’s good, but you’ve been warned. Also, the audiobook narrator is way too breathy.