I feel like the term “monthly recap” is pretty self-explanatory, but just in case here’s my spiel! I’ll be recapping what I’ve read for the month and what reviews I’ve written, along with what I’m planning to read for next month. What’s been happening in my personal life may also be making an appearance from time to time (this of course depends on whether anything interesting happens!).
What I Read in January:
- The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
- Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson
- Paddling With the Current: Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Etiene Parent, Liberalism, and Nationalism in Canada (school)
- A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine
- Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier
- Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
- Pretty Deadly, Vol. 1 by Kelly Sue Deconnick
- The Al-Hamlet Summit (school)
- Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder
- Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
Despite reading slightly less this month than I usually do, I’m happy with what I’ve read this month. Two of my reads were much larger than usual (Daughter of the Forest and Fire Study both clock in at around 500 pages) and I also broke out of my UF rut. I read epic fantasy, fairytales, steampunk, a genre-bending YA, and some graphic novels – not too shabby. You can definitely expect more UF in February, though!
What I Reviewed in January:
- The Good, The Bad, and The Undead by Kim Harrison
- The Young Elites by Marie Lu
- The Walled City by Ryan Graudin (DNF)
- Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Four reviews is pretty typical for me month to month, but I read a lot in December so I’ve been getting behind on my January reviews. I’ve only written about one of the books I read in January, and it wasn’t even a review! One strategy that I’ve considered is joining one of those “review-a-thons” that have been going around. Might help me push through and get back on track.
Reading & Blogging Updates:
For those of you who haven’t heard me rant about #ProjectFiveBooks yet, it’s a reading challenge that encourages you to read five books you own before buying another – or borrowing one from the library. I decided to participate so I could start making my way through the massive pile of unread books that I own, and I’d been doing really well…until BookOutlet had a sale. I have no willpower.
The good news is that I got some e-ARCs this week that will force me to read some of those TBR books. The lovely people at NAL and Ace have provided me with Dead Heat by Patricia Briggs and Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop, the latest instalments in two UF series that I’m behind on. I own all the previous books in both series so February is gonna be series marathon time! Thank you NAL and Ace!
I’m also hoping to read this physical ARC of A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas this month. The cover art is gorgeous, but the real appeal comes from the author’s blog about feminism. A feminist YA fantasy romance author? YES PLEASE.
Thank you to Harper Teen for giving me a copy of A Wicked Thing! How am I supposed to uphold my lofty ideals of accepting fewer books for review when y’all are tempting me with these beauties?! February promises to be a month jam-packed with amazing reads, and I couldn’t be more pleased about it.
School Updates:
You guys…I have officially been accepted into my first ever academic research conference. EVERYBODY PANIC! I will be presenting a paper on the function of kitchens as pro-social spaces in Chinese Canadian and Indigenous literature, and the  symbolic consumption of culture through the eating of traditional foods. I know, fascinating right? 😉 I’m very excited and a little nervous, but thankfully I have until March to prepare.