FAVORITE READS OF THE MONTH: January

An entire month is already gone, but not forgotten. Because we remember all the books we read during it…right?

Check out our yearly favorites from 2022 here!

We consume so many books in a month, that we don’t always get the chance to talk about all of our favorites. So, we’ve decided to set aside a monthly post specifically for talking about our favorite reads that would have otherwise flown under the radar.

Bree:

January is already over? Somehow?? Does not compute. I haven’t finished a book in days, and yet I still read a lot this month? Also does not compute, but a successful start to the year nonetheless. I read so much (entirely) fantasy this month. I feel like I have internalized seasonal reading, and “winter” always translates to “fantasy” for me. So to scratch that itch, I binged The Stolen Heir by Holly Black as my second read of the year. Aaaaand Oak & Suren were good and stabby, but Jude & Cardan will always hold a special place in my heart. I am excited for the next book, The Prisoner’s Throne, which switches to Oak’s POV! Too bad I have to wait over a year for it. Another long-awaited book that came out this month (and I immediately binged) was Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo! I even reread Ninth House in preparation. Unnecessarily so, because that book is imprinted deeply into my brain. It could be because it took until read #2 for the story to really settle into place. Hell Bent was similar in that I already know I’m going to enjoy the story much more the second time around (and I can trace what is actually going on with all the seasonal timeline-jumping).  Anyways, this is me telling you to move that fantasy book to the top of your TBR stack!!

Tree:

I don’t really know how to categorize my January reading. I read a few books that will be contenders for favorites of the year. I read a few that I was very excited for that just didn’t live up to my own hype and then some solid reads. Don’t hate me, but my favorite read was a book that does not release until JULY…But that means you have time to preorder it, request it from your library, or if you’re a reviewer request it from Netgalley, etc. My favorite was Role Playing by Cathy Yardley. This small town contemporary romance between two characters in their late 40s (or early 50s I don’t remember) was excellent. They are both massive introverts that are set in their ways and just want to play their online games. They meet via a guild and start chatting, there is nothing romantic because he thinks she is a grandma and she thinks he is a kid. So when they meet it is surprises all around. He also is figuring out his sexuality and she helps give him the language he needs. I do want to say, major trigger warning for biphobia/homophobia. You can see my Goodreads Review for details. Anyways. I highly recommend this one and definitely will be rereading it before I post a full review.

What was your favorite read this month?

xoxo, Bree & Tree