These are listed in chronological order of when I read them, not in ranking order. I read 10 books in January and liked all of them, so I would consider this a good reading month. I read a good mix of genres.
1. The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton (Memoir) - This was a great book to start the year on and one that I will continue to think about. It is thought-provoking and powerful. Ray Hinton's story is a testament to a strong spirit and faith. I cannot imagine being wrongfully imprisoned for 30 years due to an unfair trial and false evidence. I look forward to also reading Bryan Stevenson's book, as he was the lawyer who worked tirelessly for Ray. This is not an easy book to read due to the difficulty of the subject, but it reads very quickly and the story is conveyed well.
2. The Dating Plan by Sara Desai (Romance) - This book doesn't officially release until March, but BOTM had it as an early release. I read this book in under 24 hours and loved both Daisy and Liam. This was a sweet romance and Liam was a really good guy and a worthy romantic hero. He was kind and supportive of Daisy. Daisy's family was funny and very involved in her life, and Liam had some past family issues and struggles that he worked through in the book. The book was mostly light and balanced some heavier, serious topics within that. This was a thoroughly enjoyable story to read.
3. The Survivors by Jane Harper (Mystery) - As many reviews that I've read have said, this was a slow burn mystery. It takes its time to develop the characters and give significant important backstory. There was a mystery in both the past and the present. This book dealt with complex emotions relating to guilt. Kieran was a layered character, with strong, complicated relationships with his family and his girlfriend, Mia. His friends from childhood featured in the story prominently as well. I also loved how atmospheric the small town coastal setting was and how that was almost a character in this story as well.
4. The Push by Ashley Audrain (Contemporary Fiction) - This story was a dark, complex, and layered book. The writing style of being written in second person to Blythe's ex-husband was not my favorite, but I didn't have any difficulty following it. There were some very serious and sad topics in here, and I felt for Blythe, while also not always being sure that her narration was reliable. I never knew whether she was seeing Violet correctly, or if her gut instincts about her were wrong. I would have liked a couple more chapters at the end for some more closure after the last line. This is definitely a book that makes you think. The interweaving chapters with the story of Blythe's mother were interesting and showed a bit of insight into what she was like as a mother.
5. Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang (Fantasy) - At the beginning of this book, I wasn't sure how I would feel about the book being centered around Weylyn but being told from the perspectives of only people other than Weylyn. I ended up loving this book, though. I enjoyed every side character's perspective and the different people that Weylyn met. This book was a light fantasy, with magical elements that weren't really explained, in an otherwise normal world. This was a sweet story about an amazing man who changed the lives of many. The love story was sweet as well.
6. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah (Contemporary Fiction) - I don't cry often or really ever at books, but this one got me. The main heart of this story was the friendship between Tully and Kate, but it was also a poignant story about love, family, and loss. I loved both Tully and Kate, though Tully tended to make more mistakes and hurt Kate more and struggled with apologizing, due to her broken relationship with her own mother. This story was heartwarming and showcased many forms of love through Kate's family that Tully found a family with as well. I loved how we got to follow the girls through many years from them being teenagers all the way through Kate raising her own teenager. This was my first Kristin Hannah book, but it will certainly not be my last.
7. Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans (Short Story Collection) - This is the second short story collection by this author that I've read, and she is a talented story writer. Since this is a short story collection, I did like some more than others, with standouts being "Snakes", "Someone Ought to Tell Her There's Nowhere to Go," and "Robert E. Lee is Dead." Overall, this was an enjoyable and insightful collection. One of my reading goals of 2021 will be to read one short story collection a month, or 12 total this year, since I didn't really dive into many collections in the past, but there are a lot out there that sound good that I would like to read.
8. The Mothers by Brit Bennett (Literary Fiction) - This book was just as good, if not better, than The Vanishing Half. It focused within a smaller scope of characters than Bennett's sophomore novel. The three main characters were Nadia, Aubrey, and Luke and the story plays with the many ways that their lives intertwine through a period of about 10 or so years. The story deals with heavy topics, including loss, grief, infidelity, and abortion. All of these impact the lives of these 3 characters. I did not agree with every choice that the characters made, yet I loved them anyway. I don't believe that Bennett intended every choice to be one that readers would agree with, as these characters read as very complicated and real people. I loved this story and would definitely recommend it. I look forward to reading more of Bennett's future novels after enjoying both this novel and The Vanishing Half.
9. The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe (YA Thriller) - I have been a fan of Tess Sharpe since Far From You released in 2014. Luckily, this one held up to her debut and was a strong story as well. I adore Nora, Iris, Wes, and Lee, and how deeply they cared for each other. Lee was an amazing sister and strong. Nora went through a lot in her childhood and I can't imagine all of what she experienced. Part of this story is told in the past and I really liked some of those chapters, especially the one with Nora and her sister when she was 12. There was a lot of suspense with the hostage situation, and I had to keep turning the pages to see how everything would resolve and to hope all of the wonderful characters would make it out okay.
10. The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (Short Story Collection) - When I bought this book after making the goal to read a short story collection each month, I intended to read this in February. I ended up being excited to read it and finished the whole thing in January. This book was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2020, and I believe it was certainly deserving of the award. This was a strong collection of stories. To me, the standouts were "Snowfall" and "Peach Cobbler," but the others were good as well. Despite only having limited pages to develop them, these characters were developed and complex, and there are many that I would read a full novel about if written. I will definitely want to check out whatever Philyaw writes next.
