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Reading Wrap-UpFive Books I Read in January

As the January chill is still blasting around the country, I am finishing up my fifth book for the month. At this point last year, I had read ten books, but hey! Every year is different.

I did spend part of my month trudging through a book that I only sorta liked, but I put it down to save for later. And then bam! It was like I was a speed reader after that. I blew through The Forgotten Garden and Nine Perfect Strangers, both of which I had been anticipating for a long time. And they were definitely worth it.

Five Books I Read in January

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

Find it on Amazon here; review here

The motivational book that is sweeping the nation! Rachel tells you how to get over lies you’ve been telling yourself, and how to grab life by the horns. She gives detailed, practical advice alongside the story of her own life. I laughed, I cried, I took a good look at myself and really thought about things. If you need someone to just look at you and say, “Of course you can do that – go follow your dream!” then you need to read this book!

Woman Last Seen in her Thirties; Reading Wrap-Up - Five Books I Read in January

Woman Last Seen in her Thirties by Camille Pagan

Find it on Amazon here

This one was recommended to me by Sarah’s Book Shelves. As a young mother, I sometimes worry that I will lose myself in my children and their lives, and wake up one day in my 50s and wonder who I am. This book explores those feelings as Maggie suddenly finds herself an empty-nester, divorced, and not sure what to do with herself. She goes on a journey to re-discover the person she last saw in her thirties.

I didn’t find it as deep (or depressing) as I expected. Camille Pagan did address inner questions, desires and longings, but in an enjoyable way without being too cliché.

The Forgotten Garden; Reading Wrap-Up - Five Books I Read in January

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Find it on Amazon here, review here

Kate Morton takes you back and forth through time spanning from 1900 to 2005 intertwining the details of a family, a house, and a secret. In 1975 Nell is trying to figure out who she really is after she was left on an Australian dock at the age of four in 1913. She dies before she can discover the truth, and in 2005 her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the task.

I absolutely fell in love with these characters, their surroundings, and their places in time. It was one of those books where you obsessively keep reading, but you don’t want to stop because then the story will be over!

Nine Perfect Strangers; Reading Wrap-Up - Five Books I Read in January

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Find it on Amazon here, review coming soon

Nine people attend a ten-day retreat at a health resort. As the days go by, things begin to get more and more strange. Until there is a breaking point. How far is the staff willing to go to give their guest the transformations they desire? How much would you be willing to do to really change your life?

While I was reading Nine Perfect Strangers, I had to hide the book from myself or I wouldn’t have done anything else all day! (And my family tends to want to eat, so I had to put it down). Like most of Liane Moriarty’s books you slowly get to know different characters, their lives begin to merge, and then you reach an “un-put-downable” point.

Church of the Small Things; Reading Wrap-Up - Five Books I Read in January

Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle

Find it on Amazon here

There are a million tiny details, actions, and words that make up your life. You show love, you take care of others, you give in small, sometimes insignificant ways. It’s such a strong reminder that the little things you are doing matter.

This book had me literally crying from laughing so hard. But then – bam! – she’d hit me with some really serious, profound tidbit that would also make me start crying, for a different reason. It was such a joy to read her funny stories that actually make you take a look at the world and realize, yes, this is a great life. I will say there were some moments in her book where I was thinking where is she going with this, what exactly is the point? But, I think looking at everything as a whole is her point. Sometimes these random, tiny, insignificant (and sometimes slightly wandering) stories are what make up a beautiful life worth living.

What did you read this January? Keep track of it on my free reading goals tracker!

Happy Reading!

Hannah