Which books are worth the read and which should you skip? Find out what books I’ve been reading lately and whether I recommend them.
In 2019, I challenged myself to read at least one book a week. To make it fun, we created a fun 2019 Reading Challenge with 52 different categories to diversify my reading. Secretly, I just wanted a way to force myself to get around to the books that have been languishing on my to-read list too long.If you are joining us in the challenge, I hope you are having as much fun as I am. My right-brained self craves order and organization, so I’m proceeding through in order. However, I do not expect you to do the same.
I thought it would be fun to update you on my progress thus far. To keep things on track, I split the full reading challenge into smaller monthly challenges. One month in, and I’m having a blast. I’ve chosen 4 of my books because they’ve been sitting on my to-read list for years, and I’m glad to finally give them some attention.
Here’s what I read for the January Reading Challenge. I’d love to hear what you’ve been reading!
Reading Challenge Update
For our 2019 Reading Challenge, we are reading one book a week from a list of 52 categories. Here are the five books I chose for January: 
The Forgotten Garden
Kate Morton
A Book with More than 500 Pages: I can’t tell you how glad I am that we chose The Forgotten Garden for our January book club pick. We are going to talk all about it in our January book club discussion, but I will just say I love how Kate Morton peeled away layers of revelations to finally get the overarching mystery – how did a little girl end up on a boat to Australia.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 1 June 2008
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The Casual Vacancy
J. K. Rowling
Book You Haven’t Read by An Author You Love: I’ve read all of J. K. Rowling’s other books, so I thought I would give The Casual Vacancy a chance. Honestly, I almost didn’t finish it. Without the magic of Harry Potter and the mystery of the Comoran Strike detective series, this novel just fell flat. I will admit, it did not end in the way I expected, but I still don’t feel like it overcame its dull premise. My suggestion: Skip this one.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 27 September 2012
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Circe
Madeline Miller
Goodreads Winner: I’d heard such mixed review about Circe that I knew I had to read it myself. I can see why other people love it, but I had such a hard time getting into it. Miller does a good job giving a nuanced view of the characters from Greek mythology, and she makes the myths a bit more accessible to the modern reader. For myself, I think part of my problem is that I just prefer reading the original source material instead.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 10 April 2018
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Old Yeller
Fred Gipson
Book You Can Read in a Day: I’m not sure why I read this book in January because a book that will make you cry is one of the February Reading Challenge topics. This short classic was easy to fit into one day – though I was left emotionally wrecked for the rest of the day. The real question is, do I dare to watch the movie now?
My Rating:
Publication Date:1942
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Still Alice
Lisa Genova
Book About a Difficult Topic: I was combing through my to-read list on Goodreads for a good choice for my last pick for the January Reading Challenge when I spotted Still Alice. Frankly, I’d been meaning to read it for 4 years. Many of my readers love Lisa Genova, and I can see why. I adored her take on Alzheimer’s, which anyone who has ever seen a loved one experience dementia will agree is a difficult topic.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 6 July 2007
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Upcoming Releases
One of the best perks of being a book blogger is receiving advance review copies (ARCs) of upcoming book releases from publishers.
At the beginning of each month, I cover all the new book releases coming out, and the February 2020 book releases are right around the corner. Here’s a peek at the February releases I’ve already read.
My To-Read List
What’s up next for me? Before I let you go, here are a few of the titles I’m hoping to get through this upcoming month.
Be sure to come back in February to see which ones I read.
Which Books Did You Read in January?
What books did you love this month? Which books did you hate? As always, let me know in the comments!
More Book Lists to Enjoy:
