It’s been a while since my last blog post, in fact my last one was my December Wrap Up post which you can find here! Life has been quite busy this month, but I still managed to read 6 books which I’m extremely happy about. Let me know what your favourite book of January 2021 was in the comments!
I’m working on creating a Classic Spotlight over on my bookstagram @booksandbaking_ and where I talk about classics, my recommendations and thoughts on different types of classics. If that’s something you want to see on my blog too let me know as I’d love to incorporate that on here somehow! Anyway, lets get into my January Wrap Up:
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Although I am very late to the party with this one, I am so glad that this was my first book of the year! It is so beautiful, and I could not recommend it enough to anyone! It is a lovely story about kindness, friendship and compassion which are so important, now more than ever. The illustrations that accompany it are just perfect and bring the whole story to life.
Rating – ★★★★★
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
This was a re-read as I first read Truly Devious in about 2019 and I absolutely enjoyed it, rating it 5 stars! I was gifted the last book in the series for Christmas and as I already had the second one I thought it would be time to finally read it. I enjoyed being immersed into the snowy and mysterious world of Ellingham Academy in Vermont. This really is a cosy YA mystery and made me want to curl up in front of a fire and read it! Although this is a slow burner at times, the pace really picks up as the different threads within the mystery tie together.
Rating – ★★★★
The Discomfort of Evening by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
I read this book for my university book club and it was definitely different to my usual reads in so many different ways. This book won the International Booker Prize 2020 and was translated from Dutch to English by Michele Hutchinson. I was not really sure what I was expecting from this book going into it but it was such a surprise. If you are considering reading this one please check content warnings beforehand as there are quite a few! It is interesting to see grief and loss through a child’s eyes and to explore their psyche in a changing world. There is a lot of dark content, but the writing is for the most part beautiful.
Rating – ★★★
The Vanishing Stair by Maureen Johnson
The second book in the Truly Devious series was such a joy to read. The pace really picked up and although a lot of new questions were raised, we did get a lot of answers too. The snowy Vermont backdrop is still full of mystery and suspense and the character development is good too. I will not give a brief summary here as it is a sequel, but I really enjoyed it and although I did not manage to squeeze in the last book in the trilogy, I will be reading it in Feb!
Rating – ★★★★.5
The Sad Ghost Club by Lize Meddings
For my next assignment at university I have been reading manuscripts and this was the first one that I read. It is a lovely and timely graphic novel that touches upon mental health and celebrates friendship and unity. I would highly recommend this book it is beautiful, charming and the illustrations were simply wonderful! This is amazing for all ages.
Rating – ★★★★
Alessia in Atlantis: The Lost Vial by Nathalie Liane
This was the second manuscript I read, and I really enjoyed this middle grade fantasy novel. I do not usually read fantasy, but I definitely want to start reading more of the genre this year and children’s is a wonderful place to start. As much as I want to read ACOTAR I think I will read some more children’s fantasy novels first before I venture out. This was a good story, and the adventure and mystery elements were truly brought to life in the underwater world of Atlantis.
Rating – ★★★★
So that’s my January Wrap Up post! Have you read any of these books, if so what did you think? Let me know what your favourite read of January was in the comments!
Books and Baking 