Happy New Year! I hope everyone’s 2021 has been off to a good start! My goal for this year is to read 50 books. In 2020, I managed to read 131 books, mostly because of quarantine. However, I know in 2021 I will be super busy with school and starting junior year, so I’m cutting myself some slack!
This reading month was great for me, with only 4 star and 5 star reads! I also ended up reading way more books than I thought I would, considering I had midterms this month as well.
Stats:
- Read: 9 books
- Zero 1 stars, zero 2 stars, zero 3 stars, two 4 stars, seven 5 stars
- Favorite book of January: House of Earth and Blood
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas
I am sometimes a harsh critic of SJM’s books, but this book was absolutely perfect! The third-person POV made me love all the characters so much more, the romance was VERY slow-burn, and the plot was engaging, if not sometimes confusing. I had no problem with the length of the book, since I felt that it was necessary in order to build the new world and magic system. This was such a good start to my 2021 reading year! Rating: 5 stars
The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
This was a great contemporary romance that tackled topics like grief, reconciliation, and forgiveness. I loved learning about Alaska as well, and the main character had great development throughout the story. The grumpy hero and spoiled heroine trope was done SO well, and I loved the romance. Rating: 5 stars
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Ok, objectively I’m aware that this book should be a 3 stars at most. The writing is NOT good, and the main character is super immature and annoying at times. However, I read this book for the first time a long time ago so I love it mostly because of the nostalgia. In the first book of the series, the romance isn’t focused on a lot (basically nothing really happens), but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I would recommend it if you don’t read it too critically and just read it for a good time! Rating: 5 stars
It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Once again, objectively NOT a 5 stars, but I loved it! It was better than the first book in my opinion, and even more drama-filled. Rating: 5 stars
We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
This was a drama-filled, emotional conclusion to the series that ended in the perfect way! I did notice that while Belly was a very immature protagonist in the first two books, by the last book we got to see some character development. Rating: 5 stars
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Usually I wouldn’t rate this book since I had to read it for school, but I enjoyed it so much that I just had to give it 5 stars! The plot was engaging, and the themes of savagery and civilization were horrifying yet very interesting to read about. This was definitely not a typical, boring classic! Rating: 5 stars
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
I’m embarrassed to say this, but it took me 3.5 books to realize that I don’t like the writing style of the ACOTAR series, which leads me to become annoyed with the characters sometimes as well. However, that doesn’t stop me from usually enjoying the books! This novella was a perfect winter read, and I loved all the found family scenes that were put in. I’m so excited to ACOSF, since I like Nesta as a character much more than Feyre! Rating: 4 stars
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
This was more of a 3.5, but I don’t like to give .5 stars so I rounded up to 4. Overall it was good, but not very impressive. I know that the series and the writing gets better, so I’m not too worried. I felt very lukewarm on the romance between Dorian and Celaena, but I LOVED Chaol’s character (I know people don’t like him later in the series, but I will probably defend him then, too). Excited to continue this series! Rating: 4 stars
Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman
I have never really been into graphic novels much, but I had heard nothing but good things about this! It was also recently announced that Heartstopper would be getting a TV series, so it seemed like a great time to pick the graphic novel up! I adored the characters, the romance, and especially the art style. This was such a sweet and comforting read, I’ll definitely be reading the other volumes! Rating: 5 stars