Going into 2021, I had such high hopes for my reading this year. I still do. But I have to say that I don’t feel I am off to the best start. I did start the year with a few more holiday themed books, and perhaps that was part of the issue. I was trying to stretch that warm fuzzy holiday feeling into the new year but it didn’t really work for me as far as books were concerned. Overall, I think the holiday genre is not really my thing.
On top of that, I decided I was going to do my best to clear my TBR backlist and that is still the plan. I did read two from this list (What Child is This and A Prayer for Owen Meany) but neither were show stoppers for me. I also had 2 DNF’s in January that I will note below.
With all that said, I am feeling great about my February selections and I know it is going to be an amazing reading month!
Here is what I read in January:
Eliza Starts a Rumor – Jane L. Rosen
There is an online book page that I follow and this was a recommendation from a pretty popular author. I thought the cover was gorgeous and I was drawn to it. I needed something light and quick to read so I picked it up at the library. Eliza is depressed and debilitated by agoraphobia and hasn’t left the house since her twins’ high school graduation six months ago. She is the owner of an online forum for her suburban town and it is her only true connection and lifeline to the outside world. Another local online moms page is all the buzz and she starts a rumor on her own forum that is not true to spice things up and drive traffic and comments. But is the rumor really false? While I thought this was just going to be about gossipy women in a NYC suburb, it was so much more. You’ll meet some fantastic women that remind us of the power of friendship and loyalty. Eliza Starts a Rumor was the standout for me this month.
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Caste: Origins of Our Discontent – Isabel Wilkerson
A fascinating look at the unspoken caste system in the US that goes far beyond race and class. Linking the caste systems of India, Nazi Germany and the U.S., there is no doubt that this book was deeply researched and the stories often blew me away. I think the reason this fell short of 5🍷 for me is that as she shows us a path forward, I just am not sure it is possible.
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Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid
TJR is one of my favorite authors, in the top ten. So to say I was excited to read this is a major understatement – especially when I learned that it featured the Riva Family. You may remember that Mick Riva was one of Evelyn’s husbands in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.
Ultimately it felt short of what I was expecting. The whole end of summer party was such a weird thing and overall the writing felt a bit off. It was still unputdownable so it got moved to that 3.5 spot instead of just a 3. But it was unputdownable in a weird way, I couldn’t not look. If you love the surf culture, you may connect with it more than I did. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Ballantine Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Malibu Rising will be published on 6/1/21.
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A Prayer for Own Meany – John Irving
I had high hopes for this one. It has been on my TBR list for a very long time and one of my local bookclubs picked it this month. For me, it was so slow. I had a very difficult time getting through it – just so much surrounding the actual story that I got lost. I had a really hard time connecting and once I did, it was just too late for me to fall in love.
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The Unwilling – John Hart
This one was just ok for me. It had a pretty strong start but then things went astray. I like a dark book here & there but this one got a little weird. Part was so unbelievable I could not suspend my disbelief. Additionally, I was not a fan of how any of the female characters in the book were described and portrayed. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
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What Child Is This – Rhys Bowen
This short story had been sitting on my kindle for a very long time, and I finally whipped through it. Jack & Maggie must flee their London home during a WWII air raid. Deeply moving as they remember the child they lost a few years past while seeking shelter and spending the night in an abandoned mansion. There is a Christmas theme to the book, although I didn’t know that going into it. Heartwarming & quick, but I would have liked it to be a longer story.
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In a Holidaze – Christina Lauren
In a Groundhog Day type cutesy romance, Maelyn Jones and her family are spending Christmas in a UT mountain cabin with their best friends entire families. Mae is in love with one of two brothers but after a few too many drinks one night, she kisses the other brother and things get messy. Driving away at the end of the trip she is in a car accident and awakes to start the holiday over. It was a cute, quick read but ultimately I didn’t connect with any of the characters as much as I had hoped.
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Comfort & Joy – Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah is another of my favorite authors. However, I have enjoyed her latest books much more than her earlier ones. But because I am beyond excited to watch the tv adaptation this month of her book, Firefly Lane, I picked up this older one due to the Christmas theme. It didn’t work that well for me. As I have mentioned in the past, it can be difficult for me to suspend my disbelief. In order for me to do this, I have to be 100% hooked. Otherwise, I just keep thinking about how none of it is possible. That’s how I felt about this book. Joy jumps on a plane which then crashes. Thing is – no one knows she is on the plane because she abandoned her life without telling anyone. The scene describing the crash and her walking away was 100% not believable to me. It completely destroyed my ability to engage with the rest of the story, which is pretty much the whole book. Everything else in my mind couldn’t make up for that.
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Book of the month: Eliza Starts a Rumor – Jane L. Rosen
DNFs: Emma in the Night & When No One is Watching
