I've managed to read a surprising amount in January, thanks mainly to my little one contact napping and doing long feeds before bed and there were some good books to kick off the year with.
Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult // It's really difficult to summarise this book without giving a huge part of the plot away, but it's about a woman who gets stuck on an island in the Galapagos when it locks down due to covid, but not everything is quite as she perceives. I loved this book even before it threw a massive curveball at me; it was such an interesting and gripping read and I rated it a rare 5/5 stars.
Small Pleasures by The School Of Life // Moving on to the book that inspired this post, which describes 52 small pleasures that you wouldn't necessarily usually give much thought to because they're a part of the everyday. I absolutely loved how this was written and although I didn't agree with all of the pleasures listed, I definitely related to a lot of them and the whole premise of the book resonates with how I want to live my life this year. I rated it 4/5 stars.
The Girl At The Back Of The Bus by Suzette D. Harrison // Set in both 1955 and the current day, this book tells the story of a woman and her grandmother. I love a book that's split into intertwining stories and this was beautifully written. It explores difficult choices, relationships and inequality. I absolutely loved it and rated it 5/5 stars; my second 5 star book this year already!
A God In Ruins by Kate Atkinson // This is a sort of follow up to Life After Life, which is one of my favourite books of all time, but it stands alone if you haven't read that one. This book follows the life of Teddy, the brother of Ursula who is the central character in Life After Life. I did really like it, but I think my expectations were so high for a follow up and it was totally different to what I expected. The chapters jumped around chronologically, which I liked, but time also jumped around within each chapter, which was maybe a little much for me! I rated it 3/5 stars in the end.
Some lovely books here, I've heard good things about that Jodi Picoult x
ReplyDeleteLucy Mary
It's so good, would definitely recommend it! X
DeleteHaven't heard of any of these before, but looks like you had a pretty successful reading month x
ReplyDeleteI definitely surprised myself with how much I read this month! X
DeleteI had Life After Life on my bookcase for ages but I think I passed it on during the move... Jodi Picoult is one of those authors that I always mean to read and then never get around to it - maybe this is the year that I do it...
ReplyDeleteI've read another good one by her too so would definitely recommend! X
DeleteLove the idea of the intwining stories of the girl at the back of the bus. I'm also a sucker for a curveball so the jodi picoult book sounds ace! X
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you manage to read either of them! X
DeleteThese sound like some great reads. I'm looking for some new book recommendations!
ReplyDeleteGemma Louise
Hope you've found some here :) x
DeleteI absolutely love this book roundup! Your January picks are so diverse and interesting—I’m already adding a few to my reading list. I appreciate how you’ve shared your thoughts on each book and what made them stand out. It’s always great to get recommendations from someone who clearly loves reading! Thanks for the inspiration—I can’t wait to dive into these books!
ReplyDeleteBeauty Sky