Welcome
I’ve got two featured reads for you, plus a list of the four other titles I finished in January 2023, and then we conclude with this month’s book gallery!
Both of this month’s featured reads are uplifting books.
Perhaps one of them will match your mood, or be the antidote you need?
If so, please let me know.
And I’d love to hear about a recent fave read of yours.
Thank you.
Featured Reads:
“A Thousand Heartbeats”
- Author: Kiera Cass
- Author URL: http://www.kieracass.com/
- Related Works: This is a stand-alone book.
- Review: In “A Thousand Heartbeats,” KC plays with tropes that she knows her readers are familiar with. So, what makes this romantic fantasy different from other storybook stories? KC’s delicious writing. The beauty with which she brings alive a library or the night sky, or the passage that reveals the meaning behind her tale’s title, are a sweet delight to read. Her nods to genre make me smile, and her prose and dialog are a feast that make me hungrier for more. The choices her characters make have costs, which creates complicated dynamics between them (and stumbling blocks for our romantic leads). Princess Annika and Lennox discover that they are mortal enemies and true loves. Theirs is a dance of swords and wits, as they fight for a kingdom, experience trust and betrayal, and learn secrets that redefine the people they care about as well as their own places in the world. A princess and a scoundrel in a grand romantic fantasy; it’s a much-loved setup that in KC’s skilled hands delivers a treasure of a book.
“The Chemistry of Love”
- Author: Sariah Wilson
- Author URL: https://www.sariahwilson.com/
- Related Works: This is a stand-alone book.
- Review: “The Chemistry of Love” is a joyful book. I laughed a lot while reading it; an impressive feat, given that just a few hours before I started it, I was laid-off from a role I’d had for six years. Our heroine Anna was relatable and endearing; smart, nerdy, romantic, socially awkward, and funny. Marco began as her co-conspirator in a ridiculous plan that they hoped would land Anna the man of her long-time crush and help him save his company. Their meet-cute was adorable (even the awkward parts), and from there, Anna and Marco’s chemistry refined. There’s a lot of kissing in this book; kissing for science! However, there aren’t any sex scenes, which I appreciated. (I know some of you prefer your romances steamy, but I like them sweet.) Perhaps it’s because I’m a nerd girl myself that I felt so hooked into this book; but perhaps it was simply a talented writer gave us a duo we love, sharp dialog, and the right mix of obstacles for them to overcome (and grow closer while doing so) and triumphs. This was my first book by SW, and she’s now on my “must read more” list.
Other Reads
- “Lost in the Moment and Found” (Wayward Children Series) by Seanan McGuire (Fiction)
- “Rav Hisda’s daughter, book I, apprentice : a novel of love, the Talmud, and sorcery” by Maggie Anton (Fiction)
- “Other Covenants: Alternate Histories of the Jewish People” edited by Andrea D. Lobel & Mark Shainblum (Fiction)
- “How Much Harm” by Seanan McGuire (Short Fiction)
Judaism Class
Beloved & I are participating in a twenty-week Judaism class, which means both that the number of books I finish in a month has diminished, and that I’ll be reading the class’s assigned books for the next few months.
(In April of 2023, my self-selected reading will hopefully pick up again.)
Book Gallery
Here’s a pair of pictures for you, featuring books I read this month.
(Comments about them are in the captions.)
Wrapping Up
That’s my Reading Roundup for January 2023.
Thank you for kicking-off this new year of reading with me!
And I’d like to hear how your reading is going.
Love,
Your Library Girl, Mina
Thank you for reading.
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