In January we got hammered with snow, freezing rain and ice, so much that I got four days off of work and I’m still digging my car out. It was a great reading month, at least.
Here’s what I read in January:
- James by Percival Everett
- Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer
- The Shark House by Sara Ackerman
- Missed Translations: Meeting the Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me by Sopan Deb
- Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
- Heart the Lover by Lily King
- The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy by Megan Bannen
My favorite reads:
Heart the Lover was fantastic, another winner from Lily King. I loved the complexity of this story and how moving it was. Sad and hopeful, it felt very real throughout.
Missed Translations, a recommendation from Enter the Enchanted Castle, was excellent. It’s by a journalist and comedian who never gets to know either of his parents, until a friend’s wedding in India prompts him to have some difficult conversations. While the cultural references might not have been things I identified with, I enjoyed seeing India through his eyes and I definitely related to the family issues.
James was amazing. I’m still thinking about it, so I’ll just say this retelling of Huckleberry Finn from a slave’s point of view exceeded my expectations. I loved the emphasis on language and diction, as the slaves “dumb down” their words to hide their intelligence and make their enslavers feel superior (which makes them slightly less dangerous). It’s a complicated story, fast-moving and with a lot of characters. But underneath that is so much nuance and emotion. Everett reminds us we have no idea what it was like to be a slave.
Disappointing reads:
I was disappointed by The Shark House but there were also a lot of things I enjoyed about it.
On the blog:
I reviewed The Shark House, Aristotle and Dante, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, and Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil. I posted on the best books I read in 2025, my goals and challenges, and my favorite new authors.
Books for challenges:
- Reading Jewishly: Mr. Perfect On Paper
- Nonfiction: Missed Translations
- Speccy Fiction: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy
- Backlist: The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, Missed Translations, James
What I’m reading in February:
Right now I’m reading Playground by Richard Powers and Solito by Javier Zamora, both books I’ve been wanting to read for a long time. I also have a lot of ARCs coming up in February and March. I’m excited about Tayari Jones’ Kin, and Our Numbered Bones and Playmakers also look good.
That’s my January wrap-up. I hope you’re staying warm and reading something good!
