Everything I Read in January 2024
Thanks to a shiny new library card, a backlog of Audible credits, and many winter nights spent hibernating, I managed to get through 7 books in January. It’s seen a mix of returning to my comfort genres and exploring new territory, from fantasy and mythology to LGBTQIA+ and even a modern classic.
Circe
Madeline Miller | Library book | 4.5 / 5 ⭐
Greek Mythology retelling is fast becoming one of my favourite genres and I absolutely adored Miller’s first novel, The Song of Achilles, when I read it a couple of years ago.
Most notably adapted from The Odyssey, Circe tells the story of the witch daughter of Helios and her time in banishment by Zeus, honing her occult crafts and crossing paths with iconic figures including the Minotaur, Hermes, and, of course, Odysseus.
I didn’t connect with Circe’s story quite as much as that of Achilles and Patroclus — but only by an iota, so it was still a wonderful 4.5-star read to kick off the year.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Suzanne Collins | Audiobook | 4 / 5 ⭐
After watching the film on New Year’s Eve, I finally dived into the audiobook that has been sitting in my digital library since its release in 2020. It didn’t disappoint!
Set 64 years before the first Hunger Games novel, TBOSAS gives us insight into the tenth hunger games and the role future president of Panem Coriolanus Snow played as an ambitious student and mentor.
I don’t tend to opt for YA fiction any more, but I’m glad to have completed the Hunger Games story. Collins has crafted Snow’s descent into villainy brilliantly, and the book expands on many nuances in his internal monologue that would have been impossible to portray in the film.
Open Water
Caleb Azumah Nelson | Library book | 5 / 5 ⭐
Wow. I devoured this in a couple of sittings, and it didn’t take me long to find my first 5-star read of the year! I’m going to paste the official summary here, as my words simply won’t do it justice:
Two young people meet at a pub in South East London. Both are Black British, both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong, both are now artists — he a photographer, she a dancer — trying to make their mark in a city that by turns celebrates and rejects them. Tentatively, tenderly, they fall in love. But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence.
At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity, Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body, to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength, to find safety in love, only to lose it.
This book was so unlike anything I’ve read before, but I could barely put it down. I’m even considering picking up my own copy as I can see myself revisiting the beautiful prose time and time again. I’ll definitely pick up Nelson’s second novel, Small Worlds.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Taylor Jenkins Reid | Library book | 4 / 5 ⭐
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo flits between the past and present, with the once-iconic, now reclusive Evelyn giving a tell-all interview to unknown reporter, Monique Grant about her life and the seven husbands with whom she shared it. Why did Evelyn choose Monique? Well, as Evelyn’s story goes on, it seems that their lives may cross paths in more ways than meet the eye.
Far removed from my usual go-to genres, I genuinely wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did! I originally umm-ed and ahh-ed over picking this up from my local library’s ‘BookTok’ display, and I’m so glad I did. Reid dives into important conversations around race, sexuality, and celebrity, while still producing a compelling and entertaining read.
Another Country
James Baldwin | Library book | 3.5 / 5 ⭐
This year I want to dip my toe into the realm of classics, so I decided to start with this Modern Classic from 1962.
Another Country takes us into the heart of 1950s Harlem. We follow a group of friends and lovers, exploring how their lives change and relationships become strained thanks to racial tension, wilful ignorance and professional jealously.
I struggled with the writing style at times — my ADHD brain doesn’t tend to do well with page-long paragraphs and run-on sentences! That being said, Baldwin’s characters were beautifully crafted, and this book provided a fascinating insight into race and sexuality in 1950s New York.
Outraged: Why Everyone Is Shouting and No One Is Talking
Ashley ‘Dotty’ Charles | Audiobook | 3 / 5 ⭐
Another audiobook that had been sitting in my library for a while, I sped through this during a week’s worth of errands.
Outraged takes us on a journey through notable points of public outrage — including the sagas of Katie Hopkins and Rachel Dolezal, among others — using these examples to highlight how we may have lost sight of the fights that actually matter, and discussing how we can get back on track.
I would consider this a great introductory read for anyone ready to challenge their relationship with social media outrage and ‘hashtag activism’, but I wouldn’t say it broke much new ground for me personally.
Jade City
Fonda Lee | Library book | 4.5 / 5 ⭐
Aaaaand I’m officially back in my fantasy era!
In Lee’s world, Jade is everything — it’s used by Kekonese Green Bone warriors to enhance their magical abilities and defend their island, with Kekon being the only place in the world Jade is mined. It’s easy to see why Jade is traded, stolen and even killed for. In Jade City we join the Kaul family, head of one of Kekon’s most powerful clans, as they navigating rising tensions and the threat of all-out clan war.
Jade City is urban fantasy meets crime syndicate thriller meets martial arts epic and I absolutely ate it up. I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the trilogy whenever I can get my hands on it.
Up Next
Current library loans:
- Betty — Tiffancy McDaniel
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous — Ocean Vuong
- Tress of the Emerald Sea — Brandon Sanderson
On my Kindle:
- The Way of Kings — Brandon Sanderson
- Yellowface — R.F. Kuang
On Audio:
- Motherhood — Sheila Heti
