January 2025 Reading Wrap-Up

In January, I managed to read 8 books, 4 were library check-out, 2 paper books from my own shelves and 2 e-books that I own. I definitely need to focus on reading books from my own shelves if I am to meet my goal of reading 50 physical books that I already have. Here are my brief reviews of the books I read: 

1. Kingdom of the Sweets by Erika Johansen was my first read of the year. It is a dark Nutcracker retelling. If you are a fan of the original story (or the ballet), definitely check it out. It was not my favorite ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. A Rose by Any Other Name by Mary McMyne is historical fantasy set in Elizabethan England. I really enjoyed this one. The main character is a wise woman and a singer, determined to live her life the way she wants to. She is fiercely independent and I admired her resilience and strength. Will Shakespeare does play a role in the novel, and he is not a likable character ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa is a YA fantasy novel inspired by Japanese mythology and folklore. This was a re-read for me as I finally decided to finish the trilogy. I liked it the second time around even more than the first, and can't wait to complete the series. The main character is a half-human half-fox girl who has to go on a quest to save a precious scroll from falling into the wrong hands. On the way, she finds unexpected friends and meets powerful enemies, but through it all, her kindness and empathy really make her personality shine. She is the most unexpected hero and I love rooting for her ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo is a historical fantasy novel set in the time of Spanish Inquisition. Our main character is a Jewish girl forcibly converted to Catholicism. She is a lowly scullery maid dreaming of a chance for a better life. She also has magical powers and one day inadvertently reveals her talents to the mistress of the house. This book has a magical competition, court intrigue and romance. It also includes a redemption arc for one of the characters that I really enjoyed. Overall, this is a well-written and enjoyable novel. The only thing I was not a big fan of was the ending ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

5. Gamayun Tales I by Alexander Utkin is a graphic novel based on Russian folk tales. This was a quick read. I spotted it in my local library and was curious to see what the artist did with the original material. It did not disappoint ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

6. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel was the first non-fiction of the year. The author interviews renown scholars about evidence that the four gospels of the New Testament accurately narrate the story of historical Jesus. I thought this book was very informative and gave me some food for thought ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

7. Count Averin, the Wizard of the Russian Empire by Victor Dashkevich is a historical fantasy/mystery novel set in the alternative Russia. The time period is sometime after WWII, but Russia is a monarchy, the Bolshevik revolution did not succeed. In this world, demons sometimes breakthrough from their dimension and can be subjugated into serving humans by powerful wizards. Our main character is not just such a wizard, he is also a private detective called to investigate a murder that clearly had a supernatural hand in it. I really enjoyed this novel and am planning to continue with the series ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

8. Crumbs by Danie Stirling was another graphic novel I got from the library. It was a cute and heartwarming love story set in a fantasy world. Definitely recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

2025 Reading Goals

 For 2025, I decided to keep in simple. Here are the goals I am setting for myself:

1. Read 75 books

2. Read 50 books from my physical shelves

3. Read the entire Bible

4. Read 10 non-fiction books I own (physical or e-books)

5. Participate in the two book clubs I am a member of, but don't feel obligated to read every book. In fact, try to read those I already own if they are selected.

2024 Reading Results

I definitely read a lot more books than I anticipated. My Goodreads goal was set at 75, yet, I ended up with 132 books read. This is second only to 2020, when I read 135 books while isolating during the pandemic.

My most read genre was just like last year fantasy - 41 books. 

I read 57 books from my own library and 75 books were borrowed from the library or Kindle Unlimited.

In terms of medium: 33 were in paper, 42 e-books and 57 audiobooks (definitely more audio and e-books this year!) 

I read 101 adult books, 17 YA and 14 middle grade.

A few books did make a lasting impression. A list of my favorites is below.

December 2024 Reading Wrap-up

Well, here we are, the last day of 2024. I will do a separate end-year reading stats post, but on a more personal note, 2024 had some major ups and downs for me. In terms of downs, my father passed away in the very beginning of 2024 and a good friend of mine lost her battle with breast cancer in the fall. Also, my daughter after doing great for most of 2024, had a set back in her chronic illness earlier this month. It will take a while to get her back on track. In terms of positives, I went to Europe twice: in May, my daughter and I took my mom to London for her 70th birthday, and then in August, we went on a family vacation to the Greek islands which was truly magical!

Now, in terms of my December reads, the beginning of the month was a bit of a struggle with reading, but it did pick up around the holidays. I mostly tried to focus on holiday-themed books. Here are some highlights:

1. In Deep was a very informative non-fiction about the concept of "deep state", its origins and myths surrounding it. I found it very helpful.

2. The popular romantasy When the Moon Hatched did not work for me at all. I really struggled to get through it. I did not connect to the characters at all and found the storyline dragging.

3. My favorite Christmas read was Waiting for Christmas by Lynn Austin. The plot was very Dickensian centering on an orphan boy trying to get re-united with his lost baby sister and missing father. I definitely see myself re-reading this one sometime in the future.

November 2024 Reading Wrap-up

November was a bit slow for me for reading. I read 9 books and most of them were fairly short. A few highlights:

📚 Lone Women was a re-read for me. It is a great historical fiction novel with some magical elements set in the 19th century Montana

📚 Cultish is an amazing non-fiction that explores the role language plays in cults. It also defines cults fairly broadly to include not only religious cults, but also workout studios, MLMs and social influencers

📚 The Faithful Dark was a very unique fantasy based in a world that is built around religion. The world is very catholic-like. I really enjoyed it.

📚 The Woman in the Library is a mystery novel where I enjoyed the setting more than the story itself. Most of the novel takes place in the Back Bay Area of Boston which I love and the first chapter is set in the iconic reading room of Boston Public Library

October 2024 Reading Wrap-Up

I finished October with 12 reads (not counting 3 books I gave up on). Here are my favorites of the month:

📚 The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt was unexpectedly delightful and funny. It is very short (60 pages?) so can be read in one sitting. It is better to go in blind and be pleasantly surprised

📚 Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio is a dark academia/mystery novella. It fit great with seasonal vibes and her writing is always superb

📚 The Changeling by Victor Lavalle is another perfect October horror story. This is the third book I’ve read by this author and I five-starred every single one

📚 Regrettably, I am About to Cause Trouble by Amie McNee features witches (or wisewomen) and is set in the 16th century England. If you like Anne Boleyn and Tudor England, this one is definitely worth a read. I was a bit distracted by the language choices: sometimes the author would use archaic syntax more in line with the time the book is set in, and other times, it read too modern for historical fiction. But I still really enjoyed it overall. The author’s background is also quite fascinating so please make sure to check out the author’s bio.

September 2024 Reading Wrap-Up

September was a solid reading month with 11 books totaling 3,583 pages. I also hit 100 books for the year! Favorites:

📚 This Summer Will be Different by Carley Fortune is not only a favorite for the month, it is now joining the ranks of my all time favorite books. It is not highbrow fiction, but it is heartwarming and wonderful and I loved every minute of it. I borrowed a copy from the library to read and as I was reading I had a strong urge to annotate and underline - something I NEVER do in books: So I ended up ordering a copy for myself so I can reread and highlight all my favorite passages

📚 Yellowface by RF Kuang is a compelling read about the present day publishing industry. It was a hard read but an important one. If you are going to read it, do it now. It is very much of the present day and will not age well with all its references.

📚 Vita Nostra by Marina and Sergey Dyachenko is a great choice for dark academia lovers. It is beautifully written and I am definitely picking up the sequel soon.

📚 James by Percival Everett is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn from Jim’s perspective. I really liked this book and highly recommend it.

📚 A Crane Among Wolves by Jane Hur is a historical fiction novel set in the 1500s in Korea. I had never read any historical fiction set in Korea in that time period so found it truly fascinating. 

📚 Finally I read a couple of thrillers this month. My favorite of the two was The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn - great mental health representation and an ending that I did not see coming