By Ava Shaffer
I don’t know what was in the air this January but I had an excellent reading month! I ended up reading 8 books, most of which were 4 stars and above (and even a new 5 star read!) I have lots of books to chitchat about so I’ll leave you with just this short introduction. Let's talk about books!
Bunny by Mona Awad
If you take Mean Girls, mix it with psychological thriller, add a hint of dark academia, and finally sprinkle on a bit of college angst, you get “Bunny” by Mona Awad. This poetic and mind-boggling story follows Samantha, a loner in a competitive MFA program in a very Dead Poets Society-esq campus, as she struggles with the female experience (in all its twists and turns and glory and gore).
This book, as Margaret Atwood reviews on the cover, is simply GENIUS. No, I don’t understand everything that happened a good chunk of the time. I’m still unsure what was or wasn’t real, but that’s kind of what made it so good. As a lonely college writer who deals with imposter syndrome in my writing workshops, this one hit close to home. Hopefully I won’t become a drugged ax-wielding lunatic though.
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
In my poetry class last semester, we watched Amanda Gorman’s performance of “The Hill We Climb” at President Biden’s inauguration. My grandparents knew how much I enjoyed her work, so they kindly bought me a copy of her poems for Christmas (Thanks grandma and grandpa!) This poetry collection was written entirely during the pandemic and focuses on tough, yet timely, topics such as grief, loss, community, and hope.
Even though I have been trying to use books and literature as an escape from thinking about the pandemic, I still really enjoyed “Call Us What We Carry”. The care and love Gorman writes with when discussing such personal yet universal topics make this collection a heartwarming read, one that connects you to our unstable world in such a delicate way.
Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins (January BOTM)
What goes better together than a gothic thriller and a beach vacation? “Reckless Girls” by Rachel Hawkins combines the seemingly very separate aesthetics, creating a suspense-driven story about friends and strangers taking a get-away vacation to a very mysterious island with a dark history. Fast-paced and twists around every corner, this story is a modern Agatha Christie.
What an amazing start to my 2022 Book of The Month experience. I was so engrossed in this story, from start to finish. It was the perfect blend of suspense, mystery, intrigue, social commentary, & beach vacation. I was hooked right from the start and the multiple twists in the ending were delightful. The atmosphere was so well developed I felt like I was actually there on a creepy yet gorgeous island. Also, can we talk about how wonderfully well-paced this was?? I finished it in about one sitting just because of how hooked I got into the story. This book is just a GEM!!!!
Neon Gods by Katee Robert
As we know, I am an avid Katee Robert fan, and I’m only a little bit embarrassed about it. I’ve read some of her Dark Villians series (dark romance about Disney villains) so I decided to dip my toe into her new retelling series, Dark Olympus. I grew up with the Percy Jackson series, so obviously I will read any Greek Mythology retelling. Especially if it is a modern smutty, mafia-esq romance between Persephone and Hades.
A lot of the other Katee Robert books I’ve read have virtually no plot, or at least not an interesting one. But the plot in this one was actually entertaining! (But also, who even reads Katee Robert’s books for the plot anyway?). Some parts of this story were unbearably cringy (the whole “dark goddess” thing is very Tumblr 2013) but I was entertained by this! And at the end of the day, isn’t that what books are supposed to do?
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Knives Out meets The Hunger Games in this thrilling tale of quick-witted high schooler Avery Grambs, who somehow stumbles into inheriting billionaire Tobias Hawthorne’s entire fortune. Family feuds, forbidden romance, and a mysterious mansion all play into this wild puzzle, one Avery is desperately trying to figure out.
I absolutely ADORED this!! I loved all the distinctive characters and their conversations with one another, reminding me a lot of the family in Knives Out. The plot twists in this story really got me, and I just felt very immersed in the Hawthorne House. I’m only taking off .5 stars because I feel like the repetition of past passages in italics was kind of overdone, like the author didn’t trust the reader to be smart enough to remember past clues so she had to reiterate them a lot. Also…. Grayson > Jameson
One To Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Now that I have already mentioned my love for Katee Robert’s books, let me pour a little more salt into my ego-wound and tell you that I also religiously watch The Bachelor franchise. My mom and I curl up on the couch, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in one hand, brackets to determine which contestants stay in the other, and we have a wonderful Monday night! So when I saw this book about a plus-sized fashion blogger becoming the lead of a Bachelor-like franchise, I knew I had to read it.
I love when romance books have a good plot, and this one certainly delivered! This started off kind of slow but as soon as the show started I loved it. I liked the format of the book & how it showed different media besides just typical chapters (tweets, interviews, articles, etc) This was inclusive, fresh, fun, romantic, insightful and just a delight to read. Now I have to go back to watching The Bachelor franchise and hope that the producers read this book and take note. Also, the ending of this story was everything I wanted it to be! I love when books end in such a satisfactory and conclusive way.
The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Ok I know I said “The Inheritence Games” reminded me of “The Hunger Games”, but this one does too. Maybe the universe is telling me I should reread “The Hunger Games”? Anyway, this story is set in a dystopian society where every year, when girls turn 16, they are banished to a secluded island for their Grace Year. The girls must “purify themselves” from their “seductive magic” while on their year-long banishment, trying to stay alive while the environment, hunters, and even the other girls are out for blood. Lyrical and sharp, this gritty story captures the wisted relationships between women, and the society that shapes those deadly thoughts.
I think this book, as well as “Bunny” and “Reckless Girls”, have helped me discover my new favorite genre: gory feminist psychological thrillers about female autonomy and sexuality. Although this story at times kinda lost direction and dragged on some places, I loved the metaphors, setting building, & prose. I highly recommend this one, I would even love to teach it in a high school English class one day!
November 9 by Colleen Hoover
I have been hearing about Colleen Hoover constantly on BookTok. So one Saturday I just decided to sit down with one of her books and read it all the way through. That book happened to be “November 9”. This story is about Fallon, an aspiring actress, and Ben, an aspiring writer, and how their lives change when they meet one another. Every year, on November 9th, they vow to spend the day together. The catch is that every other day of the year, they are not allowed to have any contact whatsoever. This story questions love, heartbreak, and the past scars they both hold.
I did not expect this to be as good as it was. First, the romance was great but then when the plot started developing more I was really impressed! I didn’t expect the ending parts at all and I think just the whole concept of this book was so intriguing. Now I’m going to read all of Colleen Hoover’s books and pray people who see me don’t judge me for these ugly ass covers.
I have a slightly newer version of this story, but I did read on GoodReads that Colleen Hoover edited out a sex scene from the earlier editions that didn’t seem completely consensual to readers. Since I did not have that scene in my book, I can’t really comment on the scene, however, I will say I think it is important to put pressure on authors if they are depicting unhealthy or nonconsensual sex as romantic in their books. A lot of young girls read Colleen Hoover’s books, so it is important to push for these types of scenes to be carefully and thoughtfully written.
My January Reading Stats
Books Finished: 8
Pages Read: 2,724
Book images courtesy of GoodReads