Reading Wrap-Up – January 2024

Hello, I hope you are all doing well? This post is a little late this month as I started February with a couple of health issues, but it did mean I got the chance to do a lot of reading (but more on that in next month’s post). When it comes to books, I had a great start to 2024, marathoning a favourite comic book series and picking mood-reads from my TBR. What’s the best book you’ve read this year so far? Let me know below!

BOOKS READ

*BOOK OF THE MONTH* | PROJECT HAIL MARY | ANDY WEIR | Standalone | Read 09/01 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | eBook | Amazon | Mood Read | Adult | Science Fiction | “An irresistible interstellar adventure” | After reading The Galaxy and the Ground Within (Becky Chambers) in December, I was in the mood to read more Sci-Fi, and Andy Weir is already a favourite of mine, so I knew I was in for something good with this book. This is one of those books that’s best to read without knowing a lot about it, so I’d advise you to skip reading the blurb for this book if you can! But to give a basic overview without giving anything away, this is a sci-fi ground in real, believable science. We start the book knowing nothing, and we learn about the plot and what our main character is up against, as and when they experience it. Which is a writing device I found really interesting to experience, it kept me hooked from the start, even through the parts that were a little slower in pace as I wanted to learn MORE. And as we do eventually gain more insight into what is happening, the book really comes into its own. With dire situations, desperate problems, and shocking, unexpected plot twists, every moment of this book has you on the edge of your seat. At times the science did go over my head a bit, but I didn’t need to understand all of it to understand what was happening, and it helped to lend a lot of credibility to the story. I have enjoyed every Novel I have read from Andy so far, and once again he brought emotion and humour to his writing, not shying away from creating a protagonist who is real, and flawed, as much as they are brave and heroic. I can’t wait to see what Andy has in store for us next!

THIEVEVES’ GAMBIT | KAYVION LEWIS | Thieves’ Gambit #1 | Read 21/01 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | eBook | Amazon | Mood Read | Young Adult | Thriller | “The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven in this cinematic heist thriller where a cutthroat competition brings together the world’s best thieves and one thief is playing for the highest stakes of all: her mother’s life.” | This is an edge-of-your-seat, diverse, YA thriller about a group of thieves competing to win a grand prize. It’s full of twists and turns, some I saw coming, but most I did not. It’s about deciding who to trust, and who’s going to betray you. And the heist scenes were great! Really tense to experience and intelligently plotted, especially as some pieces of the plan are withheld from us which makes the outcomes unexpected and exciting. Just to warn you though, this book does end on a cliff-hanger and, at the time of writing this, the next book isn’t out yet!

FENCE VOL 6: REDEMPTION | C. S. PACAT | Fence #6 | Read 22/01 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Paperback | Amazon | Mood Read | Young Adult | Sports, LGBTQIA+ | “A mysterious new fencer arrives at Halverton in the newest chapter of the GLAAD Media Award-nominated sports comic, perfect for fans of Heartstopper” | Thanks to the marathon re-read I did of the whole series so far, this volume didn’t feel as short as it actually is (each volume only being 112 pages), it’s still pretty expensive for what we get but I’m invested now! This was a fun instalment, with some major developments for our characters, both with their fencing techniques, teamwork and personal lives. Things are finally moving somewhere! These comics are complete comfort reads with diverse, likeable characters and exciting competitions. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

A CLASH OF KINGS | GEORGE R. R. MARTIN | A Song of Ice and Fire #2 | Read 23/01 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Audiobook | Audible | Mood Read | Adult | Epic Fantasy | “Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced.” | Not -as- exciting as book one because it contains a lot of filler content (it’s got a touch of ‘middle-book-syndrome’). But there were some exciting moments and important turning points. I enjoyed some POVs more than others, Arya places top, as she always did for me with the TV show too, I love her character arc and personality. With Sansa and Tyrion just below that. Theon places rock bottom, he’s the book equivalent of nails on a blackboard, although I do see why we need his chapters as they are important for the overall story. I especially like, and recommend, listening to this series on audio though, as Roy Dotrice is a great narrator lending difference voices to each character.

BOOKS GAINED

THIEVES’ GAMBIT | KAYVION LEWIS | READ IN JANUARY | Thieves’ Gambit #1 | eBook | Amazon: Gift Card | Young Adult | Thriller | “The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven in this cinematic heist thriller where a cutthroat competition brings together the world’s best thieves and one thief is playing for the highest stakes of all: her mother’s life.”
THE BAD WEATHER FRIEND | DEAN KOONTZ | NOT READ | Standalone | eBook | Amazon First Reads: Free | Adult | Thriller | “Benny is so nice they feel compelled to destroy him, but he has a friend who should scare the hell out of them in this breathtaking new kind of thriller by #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Dean Koontz.“
ANNA OF KLEVE: QUEEN OF SECRETS | ALISON WEIR | NOT READ | Six Tudor Queens #4 | eBook | Amazon: Gift Card | Adult | Historical Fiction | “A German princess with a guilty secret“
KATHERYN HOWARD: THE TAINTED QUEEN | ALISON WEIR | NOT READ | Six Tudor Queens #5 | eBook | Amazon: Gift Card | Adult | Historical Fiction | “A naïve young woman at the mercy of her ambitious family”
KATHERYN PARR: THE SIXTH WIFE | ALISON WEIR | NOT READ | Six Tudor Queens #6 | eBook | Amazon: Gift Card | Adult | Historical Fiction | “A woman torn between love and duty”
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING | J. R. R. TOLKIEN | NOT READ | The Lord of the Ring #1 | Audiobook | Audible: Purchased | Adult | Classics, Fantasy | “In a sleepy village in the Shire, a young hobbit is entrusted with an immense task. He must make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom”
INFINITE STARS: DARK FRONTIERS | EDITED BY BRYAN THOMAS SCHMIDT | 10% COMPLETE | Infinite Stars #2 | Paperback | Waterstones: Gift Card | Adult | Science Fiction | “Today’s most popular writers produce new stories set in their most famous universes, alongside essential and seminal short fiction from past masters”
FENCE VOL 6: REDEMPTION | C. S. PACAT | READ IN JANUARY | Fence #6 | Paperback | Amazon: Pre-Ordered | Young Adult | Sports, LGBTQIA+ | “A mysterious new fencer arrives at Halverton in the newest chapter of the GLAAD Media Award-nominated sports comic, perfect for fans of Heartstopper”
MARVEL’S OKOYE: TO THE PEOPLE | IBI ZOBOI | NOT READ | Standalone | Paperback | The Works: Purchased | Young Adult | Sci-Fi, Fantasy | “Before she became a multifaceted warrior and the confident leader of the Dora Milaje, Okoye was adjusting to her new life and attempting to find her place in Wakanda’s royal guard. Initially excited to receive an assignment for her very first mission and trip outside Wakanda, Okoye discovers that her status as a Dora Milaje means nothing to New Yorkers.”
HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW | SARAH J. MAAS | 92% COMPLETE | Crescent City #3 | eBook | Amazon: Pre-Ordered | Adult | Fantasy | “Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back.”

READING STATS

Books Read	9
Books Read Minus DNFed	9
Total DNFed	0
Total Pages	2464
Avg Days Per Book	11.2
Avg Pages Per Day	84.7
Audio Hours	37:12:00
Re-Reads	5
Series Stats	2 Series Started, 6 Sequels Read
Average Rating	4.8
Author Stats	4 Different Authors, 1 New Author
Book Length	Shortest (112), Longest (913)
Reason Read	9 Mood Reads
Years Published	Oldest Published (1998), Average Year (2018)
Top Genres	Sport, Contemporary

FEBRUARY’S TBR

CARRYING OVER FROM LAST MONTH

HOUSE OF FLAME AND SHADOW | SARAH J. MAAS | 92% COMPLETE | Crescent City #3 | eBook | Amazon: Pre-Ordered | Adult | Fantasy | Mood Read | “Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back.”
GHOSTS: THE BUTTON HOUSE ARCHIVES | THE CAST OF BBC’S GHOSTS | 54% COMPLETE | Standalone | Hardback & Audiobook | Fane Online: Pre-Ordered, Audible: Purchased | Family | Humour, Fantasy | Mood Read | “The comic companion to the BBC sitcom GHOSTS, perfect for all the family.”

TBR FOR THIS MONTH

SEVEN DAYS TO DIE | MICHELLE KIDD | Detective Inspector Jack MacIntosh Mysteries #1 | eBook | Amazon: Free (Stuff Your Kindle Day) | Adult | Thriller | Recommended | “A brutal killer who strangles young women and leaves their bodies strewn across London’s parks. A killer who leaves his next victim’s shoe beside the body of his last one. Detective Jack MacIntosh has seven days to find the truth.”
BRIDE | ALI HAZELWOOD | Standalone | eBook | Amazon: Pre-Ordered | Adult | Paranormal Fantasy, Romance | Mood Read | “A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love, Theoretically and The Love Hypothesis.”

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