Welcome to the 1,208th day of January! Much like the state of the world, my reading genres were all over the place and a little nuts. However, I embraced the audio format and devoured a personal record number of books this month! Hooray for staying just a little tuned into the news – and then saving my mental health by diving into escapism fiction. Happy reading, friends!

Physical: 4
Audio: 8
Mix: 4
DNF: 3

Format: Audio
Genre: Romance (of the regency and raunchy variety)
Rating: 3.25/5

I finished the 2024 reading year by gobbling up half of the fluffy ridiculous romance novels in the Bridgerton series (audio format). I have no regrets. Are these books a little like the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” – where you’re having a great time until you realize they’re pretty problematic? Sure. Just don’t think too hard about it and you’ll have a good time with the charming jerks in this series.

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction (I refuse to call this a thriller.)
Rating: 2/5

Friends, I OVER-CORRECTED. I thought I needed to cleanse my brain of Bridgerton, but I made a horrible mistake. This was supposed to be a follow up to The Firm (which I remember enjoying a solid 25 years ago), but other than the names of the main characters, it really had nothing to do with it. Instead, it was a lawsuit about a construction project in Libya that turns into a (somehow very boring) hostage negotiation. And NO ONE EVEN ASKED ANYONE ELSE TO A BALL. NEXT.

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction (with sci-fi/fantasy elements?)
Rating: 1.75/5
Library Challenge: Translated Book

It’s not a good sign when I have to think the thought: “Is this experience with a cozy Japanese coffee shop better or worse than reading legal drivel about Libyan terrorism?” Big sigh. Comparing/rating books is impossible, but I had two stinkers in a row. I had seen a lot of hype around this book, but it was another one that totally missed the mark for me. I only kept going because it was a shorter audio book that fit the “translated” category for this year’s library challenge. The premise was very interesting – including time travel and a ghost! – but way too many questions were unanswered and the characters were sad and boring. It could have been so fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun. Time travel AND A GHOST THAT DRINKS COFFEE???? Why was I so boooooored? Why did we have to reflect on Alzheimer’s disease, car accidents, and childbirth complications when there was TIME TRAVEL AND A GHOST THAT DRINKS COFFEE. I’m so upset.

Format: Physical
Genre: YA Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
Library Challenge: Long-time TBR

This book was a journey for me. A good friend suggested it years ago as an all-time favorite – which always adds a little pressure. I had to start this book four times to see it through, but I’m glad I stuck it out. Timing is everything. It involved multiple kingdoms and lots of characters and a very slow start. It took me a couple *years* to give it a real try. However, it picks up once the lovely male character is introduced. It’s an interesting quest and the story wraps up pretty nicely. Do I have questions about the plot? Sure. But I can also just enjoy the adventure elements & go along for the ride. It was a fun YA read with lots of fight scenes, a little magic, and some romance.

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.75/5
Library Challenge: Floral Cover

In hilarious news, I picked this book out for the “floral cover” library challenge, as I said I would choose the first one that with flowers that looked remotely okay. And it was….remotely okay! I could summarize this book in about four sentences, but it did have some humor to keep it interesting. If you like very descriptive character studies with not much else going on, this would be a cozy enough read. It wasn’t great, but it was refreshing to have senior citizen leads who do not take it upon themselves to solve crimes/murders. Apparently senior citizens in books can do other things!

Format: Audio
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3/5
Library Challenge: Book from the 19th or 20th century

I know that I seem like someone who would have read Jane Austen in high school or was obsessed with the movies based on her books. But – gasp – I had never read/watched a single story. The best part about reading this novel was realizing how much listening to Bridgerton helped prepare me for it, hahahaha. There is a very specific cadence and vocabulary to these British tales, and reading a little regency romance helped set me up for something much more “proper”. Overall, I felt like I needed to read this with the help of an excited English teacher or to have watched the movie first. Because it was a very drawn out way to say: two jerks hate each other until they don’t. Love story as old as time! I’m glad I read it, but I’m also glad that my husband dug up the old episode of Wishbone to help explain it to me.
**Update: I did watch the 2005 Keira Knightley movie version after writing this review. I should have watched the movie first. Ha!

Format: Physical
Genre: Romance (of the raunchy and ridiculous kind)
Rating: 2.75/5
Library Challenge: Published in 2025

Do you know how FAST you can read a contemporary romance novel after listening to all of Pride & Prejudice? It was like eating a full course fancy meal with etiquette guidelines and then following it up by chugging Pixie Sticks. While I didn’t enjoy this as much as Raiders of the Lost Heart, and some phrases/scenes made me throw up a little in my mouth, I knew what I signed up for and enjoyed the cheesy ridiculousness.

Format: Audio
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25/5

Did I take down my Christmas decorations and go on a cleaning spree while listening to a psychopath attack people? Absolutely, I did. Yikes. This book was going to serve as my Freida McFadden tie-breaker (I quit one and I gobbled up another with intrigue), but I have to admit that I am still undecided about these books. If you like creepiness and twists and some gore, this will do it for you!

Format: Physical
Genre: Romance/Mystery
Rating: 4.5/5
Library Challenge: Whodunit

There are cringe-worthy cliches and things that a reader could be really picky about – but I don’t care. It was FUN! A quick mystery with just the right amount of suspects. These hot dummies unpack emotional baggage while solving crime! It’s a little lusty but closed-door and suspenseful without too much stress. I wanted a fun read, and I got it – rounding up to my first 5 star of the year!

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Romance (of the regency and raunchy variety)
Rating: 4/5

Does this read like problematic Sound of Music fanfic? Sure. Can I recommend this series? Not really. Are they quick reads that make me chuckle a bit in all of their over-the-top glory and make me work in random 19th century phrases into my daily life? Absolutely. I should not like this series, but for some reason I keep coming back for more.

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Rating: 2/5

If you have sweet nostalgia for this book or thought it was about light overcoming the dark, please just skip ahead. It’s apparently a very hot take that this book makes for a miserable experience, starting out like a dream of whimsy and delight before plummeting into uncomfortable abuse and unlikable characters. And I’m all about breaking the fourth wall, dear reader, but this book busted down the fourth wall, reader, in maximum condescension. But reader, free to look that up ‘condescension’ in the dictionary, reader. I was sooooo frustrated, reader.

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Mystery/Fiction
Rating: 4/5

I gave up on The Thursday Murder Club series – I liked the writing, but the characters annoyed me greatly. So I thought I’d try the same author with a new batch of characters. It mostly worked! While I would have loved this book to be half the length (it easily could have told the same story in 250 pages instead of 400!!), it was a fun mystery with quirky people. I would read the next in the series.

Format: Audio/Physical Mix
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Rating: 1.75/5

This might have been a case of poor expectations. This read as Men in Black, Jr., but you aren’t rooting for anybody in the entire book. Artemis was extremely unlikeable (along with the rest of the cast?). The best part of the book is when the fairy punched him in the face. I’m glad this series is for somebody, but it definitely was not for me.

Format: Audio
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Rating: 4.25/5
Library Challenge: Recommended by a Friend

After hearing me complain about the children’s books mentioned above, my husband suggested this winner from his childhood. I was happy to report that – not only did it hold up – it redeemed this month’s “Newberry Award Winner Mouse Novel” category. Boring in a simply lovely way, I really enjoyed this bada$$ mouse mother. It was just the right amount of weird.

Format: Physical
Genre: Romantasy (520 pages of adventure, 7 pages of explicitness *you’ve been warned)
Rating: 5/5 (Any book that makes me gasp, laugh out loud, or cry is in automatic consideration for a five. This book – annoyingly – made me do it all.)
Library Challenge: Quest Novel

I can justify people loving or loathing this series. Personally, I’m a sucker for Rebecca Yarros. She sets things up, and I fall for them every time. I refuse to spoil anything, but she is the queen of page turners and cliffhangers in a series: At the end of book one, I gasped. After book two, I was enraged. Finishing book three, I’m so excited to see where she takes this crazy ride. (No spoilers – but if you haven’t read Iron Flame lately, you have to just accept you won’t remember 83% of names or places and she adds 1700 new ones. Just go along for the ride!)

Format: Audio
Genre: YA Fiction
Rating: 3/5
Library Challenge: Fairytale Retelling

I powered through finishing this audio book after crashing from my Onyx Storm high/hangover. There were many elements to this Cinderella story that I enjoyed and found twisty and delightful, but it was very drawn out and lagged in many spots. It was….fine!

January’s Quit List:

DNF @ 8%. On paper, this is a book I would love. I didn’t love it – and that’s okay! It was incredible wordy to the point of being painful. And while I like the idea of curmudgeons, there is a fine line between being aloof/grumpy and being clueless/cold. This is a magical tale for the fans of Eleanor Oliphant, one of my least favorite characters of all time (Heidi ducks).

DNF @ 5%. I went looking for a “fairy tale retelling”, but my face fell staring at the remaining 13 hours of audio book. I’ll admit I didn’t give this one much of a chance, but it failed to hook me in the first hour…so that was enough.

Oofta. The concept was fascinating. I mean, what IF you cloned yourself but then your husband had an affair with the clone and then the clone killed your husband?! I mean, WHAT IF. However, this was way more gore than I expected, told by an emotionless main character. Not my thing, but if you have ever said, “I like Freida McFadden but wish it had more sci-fi elements”, this is a book for you!

Happy Reading in 2025!!