January Reads

Hello fellow bookworms! I'm coming in late with my book reviews from last month... what can I say? Monday night I stayed up late reading instead of writing this post... oops! It wasn't even a good book ::facepalm:: But I'll be sharing that one next month. Last year was rough for sure, and my reading reflected a lot of what I'd consider "fluff" because that's all I could handle. This year I'm trying to be more inclusive in terms of authors (last year I only read books 4 by men, 2 of which were short stories, and only 6 by BIPOC authors... oh, the shame!). Here's what I read in 2022 so far.

Let It Snow - John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle: 5 Stars
library e-book

Short take: 3 intertwined stories of teens caught in a snowstorm between Christmas and NYE in NC. 

I almost never read the book AFTER watching the show/movie, but I made an exception because I barely remembered anything about it other than that the stories were interconnected. (And of course I re-watched the Netflix movie directly after I finished, and they were vastly different.) All that to say that I loved both (though I think I liked the movie a wee bit more *gasp!*). And I'm pretty sure this was a timing thing, as I was still feeling a bit of the holiday spirit and this had just enough mush and romance and holiday without going overboard. Also made me crave Waffle House hash browns.

Shout - Laurie Halse Anderson: 4 Stars

library paperback

Content warning:  rape, sexual assault, PTSD, war, physical abuse, fat shaming, alcohol and other drug use.

I never read Speak but I knew what the premise was, and knowing that made me wary going into this memoir. But this wasn't all about that singular incident (which was called IT and I found that profoundly fitting); it included poems about her childhood and growing up, about her family, her subsequent relationships, and her After life.  I love that she's going to high schools and school boards and spreading her truth and empowering the movement because it at least gets the conversation going. 

"too many grown-ups tell kids to follow

their dreams

like that's going to get you somewhere

Auntie Laurie is says follow your nightmares instead

cuz when you figure out what's eating you alive

you can slay it"

Jane Austen Ruined My Life - Beth Pattillo: 3 Stars
library paperback

Short take: Emma (ha) finds herself cheated on and out of a job; she moves to England after getting a letter from a stranger stating that she has Jane Austen's long lost letters, so she moves there to find, steal, and publish them to get "revenge" on Austen and her life back on track.

I admit I've never read anything by Jane Austen nor do I know anything about her life. I solely picked up this book to fit Erin's Challenge, but I enjoyed it! While Austen factoids were thrown in, it wasn't much about her at all but rather one fanatic's journey after she falls (or tumbles, painfully and quite publicly) from grace and lands in England on the hunt for Austen's long-lost letters (really to sell Austen's private life out and publicize the letters because she read to many of Austen's novels and wanted to get revenge on her for "making" her believe in a happily-ever-afters or something like that, but also to clear her name and get her career  as a professor at a university back). I liked the eccentric character of Mrs. Parrot, the witty banter and playful romance, but was disappointed by the ending and too many unanswered questions that I can't mention here without major spoiler alerts. 

"'I can't believe any of this is coincidence.'

Mrs. Parrot gave me another one of her smiles. 'My dear, you should never fail to believe in the power of coincidence. I'm sure Jane Austen would give you the same counsel.'" 

The Knockout Queen - Rufi Thorpe: 2 Stars

library e-book

Content warning: pedophilia, homophobia, self-harm, alcohol and other drug abuse, physical abuse/bullying

Short take: An unlikely friendship blossoms between neighbors and "outsiders" Michael (who is poor and gay) and Bunny (who is 6 ft tall and rich); this is "their" story."

I just didn't like this author's way of story telling. The first person narrative felt like a stream-of- consciousness, however Michael isn't telling his story at all- he's talking all about events that are happening to his best friend, Bunny, which felt weird. Events that happened to Bunny that should have been gut-wrenching, as told from outside/Michael's POV, seemed less so, if that makes sense. This was definitely a coming of age story, but also involved toxic friendships, abuse, and privilege. (F'n RAY aka Bunny's dad, what a scumbag.) A few reviewers mentioned that if you liked Holden Caulfield and/or Wes Anderson movies, you might like this. I dislike both, so take this review with a grain of salt I suppose. 

"You were poor, you got a drug charge, you got a gun charge, ding, ding, scrape, scratch, because those were the problems that came from growing up in a poor neighborhood. They were not signs of individual moral turpitude."

Currently reading: What You Did - Claire McGowan

Book Stats
Total number read: 4
Owned: 0

Library: 4

E-book: 2

Physical book: 2
Non-Fiction: 1
BIPOC: 1

What are you reading?

Linking up with Steph and Jana!