The 2026 Book Parade Begins! January!

Some thoughts about my January Reading Journey: 

2026 is about slowing down and going deeper with my books.  As much as I enjoyed blasting through what felt like a million books last year, I fully recognize that a large percentage of what I read was just fluff.  By the end of the year I was really missing longer stories and better writing.  I also wanted to return to my roots, and start living through my books instead of merely using them to escape. 

Sadly, though, despite a really strong start to the month, most of my January reading was not so great.  I ended up starting a bunch of books, but then setting a lot of them aside.  Of the books I did get through, a lot of them were just ok, and left me feeling disgruntled.  Lots and lots of life stress kind of crashed me out, destroying my attention span and leaving me with little time to read.  Big sighs.  Hopefully next month will be better.  

And despite all of that, there were some highlights.  I started the month with two really fantastic books and a third that was just a lot of fun.  I also started a new series (which I will be talking about in February!) which I’m really excited about because it’s everything I’ve been wanting and more.  

The Books: 

1.  Aftertaste, Daria Lavelle - I'd wanted to read this for quite some time, having been intrigued by the premise from the moment I first heard of it, and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long!  This was such an amazing way to start the year.  Aftertaste is an absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking book about love and loss.  The concept of the book was completely original, which is always a treat, and I loved the characters.  Bonus, I appreciate the way the author explored identity through food and taste.  Such a treat.  This book will sit with me for a long, long time.  So glad I found it on the shelves at Skylark! 

2.  Lucy Undying: A Dracula Novel, Kiersten White - I loved this book so, so much.  My thanks to the bookseller at The Novel Neighbor who brought it to me after we discussed how much I love modern spins on some of my favorite classics.  (OK, I read White's The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein years ago and loved it.  I need to read more of her work.). I’ve read Dracula a dozen times, and am embarrassed to admit that I’d never given Lucy Westenra much thought.  (My college freshman honors English teacher would be appalled.)  I’m so grateful to White for giving me a new perspective.  Dracula will never be the same.  And wow, the twisty way White updated the story was just so much fun!  

3.  Phantasma, Kaylie Smith - I was influenced by one of my favorite book people on Instagram, and I am so glad!  This was one of those books that was just a good time.  I loved the New Orleans flair, and surprisingly really enjoyed the games and trials aspect.  (It’s a trope that can be iffy for me.)  I loved our sisters, and really enjoyed the exploration of their characters and relationship.  And the love story was fun and the spice was hot!  Winning all around.  This is the sort of fun book that I want more of this year - more than fluff, with some deeper stuff to make it a more meaningful story that will stick with me.  

4.  Through Gates of Garnet and Gold, Seanan McGuire, Wayward Children #11 - Again, every year I talk about how much I adore this series.  As someone who grew up steeped in stories of magical doorways, who believes that we all have a home somewhere, each book touches me deeply.  I love that we've come around again to tell more of Nancy's story.  (She was the subject of the very first Wayward Children book.)  I've started collecting these in hardback, and it's bringing me great joy to page through the books reading random passages.  

5.  Dot Slash Magic, Liz Shipton (audio) - Ummm...  I found Shipton on socials a while ago, and I have loved every one of her comedy writing sketches. I wanted to give her books a try, and her descriptions of Dot Slash Magic were hilarious.  So I loved the first two acts, but then absolutely hated the third.  I think Shipton was trying to say a lot of really big things, and it just didn’t quite work.  I’m also dismayed that I was sold a book on the promise of fun, and in the end I got something that left me feeling really icky because of part of the twist.  I really wish I hadn’t read it.  

6.  Everybody Wants to Rule the World Except Me, Django Wexler, Dark Lord Dave #2- I enjoyed the first book, but this felt tired.  Again, I'm not much of one for comedic fantasy books, so it's a bit of a stretch anyway.  I ended up skim reading it to get it done as fast as possible.  Having said that, if you love your fantasy with a big dose of laughs, this might be the book for you.  

7.  To Clutch a Razer, Veronica Roth, Curse Bearer #2 (audio) - I really wish I loved these books more than I do.  As I’ve said a million times, modernized fairy tales are near and dear to my heart.  I just couldn’t connect emotionally, and so ultimately it wasn’t the experience I’d hoped for.  I did like it better than the first.  

8.  The Blonde Identity, Ally Carter, The Blonde Identity #1 (audio) - I loved Carter's Holday mystery/romance, so I wanted to try more of her work.  It was light and fluffy and just ok.  I got both books in the series on an Apple Books sale, so I will read the second.  (Checked the audio out from the library through Libby.)  This is the sort of gentle reading I can do at work.  I'm able to enjoy the story, but it's not the sort of writing I have to think about.  Honestly?  This type of fluff is the sort of thing I want to move away from this year...but life has been so stressful this month that it's served its purpose.  

9.  The House Saphir, Marissa Meyer (audio) - Meyer is the queen of updating fairy tales, and I love that she took on Bluebeard - a story that I'm not sure I've seen modernized before.  This was very much a Meyer book - excellent writing, respect for the source material, enough twists on the source to keep it fresh, and characters you love.  Having said that, in recent years I've moved away from YA.  I still have deep respect for the genre, and appreciate masterful YA writers...but it's just not for me.  I need a bit more maturity in my characters, and I need the plot to not be telegraphed so far in advance.  I'm glad I read it, but I'm not in the right reader space these days to fully appreciate it.  

10.  Leather & Lark and 11. Scythe & Sparrow, Brynne Weaver, (Ruinous Love #2 and #3) - I read the first book in the series last year, mostly just to see what the hype was about.  At the time I felt conflicted and really didn't expect to read the rest of the series.  But an Apple Books sale happened and here we are.  I actually really enjoyed #2.  It was by far my favorite of the series.  #3 was a bit of a letdown after that.  Listen, sometimes you have to read something a bit unhinged, and with current events it was pretty satisfying to spend time in a world where bad guys were getting their just desserts.  

12.  The Courting of Bristol Keats, Mary E. Pearson (audio) - OK, I bought the duology because the hardbacks were just so damn pretty.  That’s not a good reason to buy books, and now I’m stuck with the conundrum of whether or not to keep them.  It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t particularly original, either.  Made for a pleasant listen for a road trip.  (Thank you, library!)  Ultimately, though, it was forgettable.  And kind of annoying.  There’s at least one plot point set up that makes me want to throw the book across the room…sigh.  I do have the audio for the second book downloaded, so I’ll give it a shot.  But yeah, this one is not great.