January 2017 Wrap-Up!

January is usually my "hit the ground running" month for trying to get a jump start on all the reading challenges I normally partake in. This year, however, I had decided not to do any challenges and just read exactly how I want to and at whatever pace I wanted. It seems to be working out really well since I ended this month with 16 read books. Honestly, if so many things hadn't occurred this month, I think I could have gotten to 20. My reading just seems to go so much smoother when I'm not worried about if I'm on track or keeping up with everyone else.

I'm going to start breaking my monthly wrap-up down by rating. If you like it, let me know!

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE by J.K. Rowling.
- I try to reread the series at least once every other year. It's just as good as I remembered.

THE ROSE AND THE DAGGER by Renee Ahdieh
- Not quite as good as The Wrath and the Dawn, but still undeniably satisfying.

THE DARK WIFE by S.E. Diemer
- Hades and Persephone reimagined as... lesbians. Yes, please.

ALICE + FREDA FORVER: A MURDER IN MEMPHIS by Alexis Coe
- Teenage lesbian murder bisexual lover in public. True story.

TWIXT by S.E. Diemer
- Lesbian demons, ugly angels, and unaware dead people. Diemer is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors.

THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich
- Revenge is definitely sweet. (tw: rape)

THE BACKSTAGERS by James Tynion
- All boys academy and a stage crew. Plus, super cute crushes.

GIRL OUT OF WATER by Laura Silverman
- Coming of age story. Involves a carefree Black boy with dimples. You need this in your life.

HEARTLESS by Marissa Meyer
- Prequel to Alice in Wonderland. I'm still crying, tbh.

THE CURSE OF THE BLUE FIGURINE by John Bellairs
- Moral of the story: Don't take things that don't belong to you.

QUEERING SEXUAL VIOLENCE by Jennifer Patterson
- Essays on sexual violence between same-sex partners and how crisis centers are ciswoman centric.

THE BLAZING STAR by Imani Josey
- Time traveling back to Egypt. It should have been more exciting but I was actually really bored the entire time.

I WORK AT A PUBLIC LIBRARY by Gina Sheridan
- A lot of the stories seemed made up and not even in an imaginative way.

THE BONE WITCH by Rin Chupeco
- DNFed at 50%. A story about a witch raising her brother from the dead should have been more interesting.

THE PRINCESS SAVES HERSELF IN THIS ONE by Amanda Lovelace
- Not my cup of tea but also not my place to rate someone's extremely personal poetry.

IN ORDER TO LIVE by Yeonmi Park
- I liked this book a lot but after doing some research, it appears that there are some major discrepancies in Park's story. Since I'm not sure what's real and what's not, I decided not to rate.

QUEEN SUGAR by Natalie Baszile
- Three pages in, one of the character's starts making negative remarks about "Indians". Pass.



And that's it for January! I'm hoping February will be just as productive! What did y'all read in January?