LIFE'S A PEARL

My January reading kicked 2023 off with a great start to the reading year!

I read 10 books – including all of my January hopefuls. I only had 6 this month because one was almost 700 pages!  Three of these were off my winter tbr. So far I’ve read 8 of the 12 books featured there.

I’m also happy with the amount of nonfiction I’ve been reading – 3 books in January. I feel like I had a lot of variety in my book choices this month.

I hosted my first 2 fable book clubs, participated in 3 buddy reads, and best of all – I had 4 5-star reads!!!

There were a couple of hybrid reads for me this month. I remain happy with how many of my picks I read with my eyes vs my ears. I even read one physical book!

January Reading Wrap Up:

By the Season and Reading Format

Winter Reads

• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman ?
• The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile ??
• The Winners by Fredrik Backman ? (also a buddy read)

Buddy Reads

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens ?
• Breathless by Amy McCulloch  ?

Book Club Picks

• Final Gifts by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley ?
• The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun ??

Just Because

• Gentle Discipline by Sarah Ockwell-Smith ?
• Check, Please! Book: 2 Sticks and Scones by Ngozi Ukazu ?
• Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid ?

Recaps and Reviews

You can find my reviews for Gentle Discipline (4.5 stars), The Bookish Life of Nina Hill (5 stars), Final Gifts (5 stars), The Charm Offensive (3.5 stars), and Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks and Scones (4 stars) in my Mid January Reading Recap.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Rating: 5 stars

This book was gifted to me long ago by a friend who loved it. I was hesitant to pick it up worried it wouldn’t live up to the hype. When a new bookstagram friend wanted to buddy read this one together, it was the perfect opportunity to dive in!

Abandoned by her family at a young age and rejected by society, Kya has learned how to survive in near isolation by studying the nature of the marsh that surrounds her. Still she yearns for a connection to others and as she grows up finds herself drawn to two young men from Barkley Cove, North Carolina.

Both are captivated by her for entirely different reasons and Kya tries to navigate finding connection while fighting her fear of being left again.

When in 1969, the body of Chase Andrews is found in the marsh Kya, referred to by the locals as the “Marsh Girl”, is immediately suspected by the town. She finds herself thrust into the spotlight and fighting for her life.

My Thoughts

I loved this book! The story made me feel all the feels. I was team Kya all the way! For a moment at the end, I was nervous if the author would pull it off but I feel like she did. I get why this is so popular and I think the hype is deserved.

The blend of coming-of-age story with a murder mystery set against the vivid marsh environment with biological knowledge woven in was so unique and interesting! 

While the book was a lot sadder and heavier in tone than I was expecting, the story still really worked for me. I think it may have been the balance Owens achieves of nature becoming Kya’s family.

This is a difficult book to discuss without spoilers but I was happy with resolution that comes around! It left me very satisfied.

My husband actually picked it up right after me so we could watch the movie together later. I personally didn’t like the adaptation (not that surprising) but reading a book together was on my reading life bucket list for this year and discussing it with him was really fun!

The Winners by Fredrik Backman

Rating: 4 stars

The Winners was the new release on my winter tbr. I buddy read this over on Fable with my real life – though long distance – friends, Ashley and Nicole.

There’s too much to this book and series for a simple synopsis so here’s the goodreads description:

“Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there’s something about this place that prevents it. The residents continue to grapple with life’s big questions: What is a family? What is a community? And what, if anything, are we willing to sacrifice in order to protect them?

As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?

Everything.”

My Thoughts

I was glad to buddy read this one because there’s so much to unpack with these characters in these towns.

It’s also nearly 700 pages! I felt it was at least 150 pages too long. There was quite a slog in the middle of the book so reading with others helped me maintain momentum.

This is my least favorite of the series. I didn’t think it was necessary. The flow of the story felt very strange to me. However I listened to the first two books in the series on audio and read this one as an ebook so I don’t know if that’s part of what made it feel different.

All of that said, Backman’s writing is absolutely amazing! The feelings that he evokes especially as a parent about life, community, trauma, and human nature amaze me. He writes about the absolute worst things humans can do or experience and then also shows how they’re survivable.

These characters are flawed and complicated, the same as all of us. I can strongly dislike someone in one chapter and in the next completely feel for them or at least understand where they are coming from. Nearly everything is shades of grey in this world.

This series is the only work of Backman’s that I’ve read. I’m excited to explore more.

The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile

Rating: 5 stars

Another book off my winter tbr and the only nonfiction I read in the second half of the month, The Road Back to You gave me so much to think about. It sent me off on a deep dive into the enneagram, a personality framework I’ve been wanting to learn more about for a long time.

This book was an informative, practical, and entertaining introduction to the nine types of the enneagram. Authors Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile give history and background on this framework as well as advice for how to find your type.

From there each chapter digs into one type sharing stories of others who identify with that type. They cover what each type looks like when healthy, average, or unhealthy.

They also explore how a type may present as children, in relationships, and at work. Each chapter gets into wing numbers as well as stress and security numbers. They close each type with ten paths to transformation.

My Thoughts

I’ve looked into the enneagram before but this book felt like a huge epiphany for me.

I first listened to it on audio. Ian Morgan Cron is the narrator and it was a lot funnier than I was expecting.

It does get a little heavy on the god talk at different parts but I was able to frame those stories and advice moments in a way that makes sense for my own view of spirituality – one that is always evolving.

I later went back within the ebook to reread the chapters about finding your type and studied the types I could relate to. I was fairly certain that I was a type 1 but I could also see myself fitting a few other types. It did help me to look at the underlying motivation and fears of each types to figure it out (as the authors advise).

I’m eager to learn more about the enneagram and how to apply this knowledge to improve my life. It has been fun to dig into podcasts, other books, and even share this information with friends and family members. My husband recently learned his type and that’s been fascinating to discuss with one another.

Currently I’m reading Ian Morgan Cron’s follow up book, The Story of You, so look out for my review next month.

Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Rating: 4 stars

I considered myself a TJR completist before but now after listening to this short story, I’m pretty sure that’s accurate.

Told entirely from the letters between Carrie and David, two strangers reveal the affair that’s been going on between their spouses, support one another through their processing, and determine where to go next.

This was a quick and fun listening experience via audible. I’m usually not huge on short stories but this one felt complete to me. Though I gladly could have been invested in a full novel around these characters.

I thought the letter format was fun. The shout out to Mick Riva (the tie throughout her starlet quartet) was great! It was a little strange to me that this character is named Carrie and TJR goes on to write another Carrie in Carrie Soto is Back.

The characters felt full and real – something I don’t think is easy to find in short stories. The ending was surprising and thought provoking.

I’m not sure what more I could want from a short story. Besides a full length novel of course.

Breathless by Amy McCulloch

Rating: 4.5 stars

This was a last minute buddy read squeezed into my January reading. In the future I think I need to stop doing that and just enjoy not taking notes for a week before the next month of book clubs start.

This was a really fun read though and a perfect winter thriller addition to the month!

British journalist Cecily Wong is offered the story break that could make her career and she desperately needs it. All she has to do first is make it to the summit of Manaslu, the eighth highest peak in the world! But Cecily doesn’t have much mountaineering experience and is still overcoming a past tragedy.

When a climber dies in a strange accident after confessing to her his suspicions around a friend’s death on Everest, Cecily wonders if there’s a larger story here. She begins to fear more than just the climb itself.

My Thoughts

I went into this one skeptical after seeing mixed reviews (it was not my pick lol) but I wound up loving it!

The setting is perfect for reading in winter. It rekindled my own love of being outdoors hiking and the awe of the mountains. I loved all the little gems describing the natural beauty and the Nepalese culture.

I was blown away when I read the author’s acknowledgments and discovered she has climbed Manaslu herself as the youngest Canadian woman to summit! That is amazing and I could feel her experience informing Cecily’s.

I loved the journalism angle, the clean 14 challenge, and all the insights into the mountaineering world, including moments of feminist pushback!

I figured out one part of the mystery before the reveal but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. The rest kept me on my toes. It was a delicious sort of suspense for me – just scary enough.

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What did you read in January?