January was such a busy month and yet it already seems like a distant memory. Time can be funny that way. We headed to central New York after the holidays to spend a long weekend with my parents. Leaving was especially tough this time, knowing we wouldn't return until spring. It took a few more days to pack and close up the house in Connecticut before we began the trek to Florida. We got here just in time for the coldest weather in decades. There were actually snow flurries as close as Cape Coral - unbelievable! It's still unusually cold, but they're promising good weather for the upcoming week. Fingers crossed!
On the reading front, January was a a slow month, as usual.
I started my project for the year - a chapter-a-day slow read of War and Peace along with a group at Footnotes and Tangents. All went well for a week, but I didn't keep up during our travels and ended up starting over. I caught up later in the month and am actually enjoying it now. The daily chapter summaries and notes are helpful, plus I even occasionally check in on the chat thread. I will note that I enjoyed the initial 'peace' section more than the current 'war' section!
BOOKS READ IN JANUARY
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood
literary fiction - ⭐⭐⭐💫
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jesse Q. Sutanto
MMD February selection, cozy mystery, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
FEBRUARY READING POSSIBILITIES
Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by Hwang Bo-Reum (finished)
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (in progress)
Grown Women by Sarai Johnson
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol 7 by Beth Brower
Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes by Leah Litman
How did January go for you? What was your favorite book?
Looks cold. And when it's cold at the beach -- it can go right into the bones. I hope you get some warmth & sun. You had some good reads. And I wonder about the Ocean Vuong novel. It did pass me by ... but if you like it -- I'll put it back on my library list. Enjoy your Sunday ....
ReplyDeleteSusan - I can't figure out why a wind chill in the 40s feels so much colder here that it does up north, but I'm sure it's got something to do with being so close to the Gulf. Ocean Vuong's writing is gorgeous, but after 130 pages it feels like I'm losing my motivation to keep reading. Maybe a couple days break is in order...
DeleteYou guys have had some crazy weather too! Think yours was crazier than ours as we seem to get at least one ice/sleet/snow, etc. storm per year. And now that we've had ours, hope we are done with that! Can't believe there were snow flurries at Cape Coral. Glad you enjoyed your reading. I still need to read the Vera Wong books. I'm determined to enjoy my February reading and stop my endless news/weather/etc. updating. It's rarely nice anyway. Need to bury myself in a family drama, love story, or a 'nice' murder - right? Have a good week, JoAnn!
ReplyDeleteKay - I wouldn't have believed the snow flurries were that close to us if I hadn't seen it on the news - so crazy! Staying away from too much news scrolling is tough, but I'm trying. Vera Wong and Emma M. Lion were just what I needed.
DeleteIt does feel January was a long time ago, doesn't it? Time is so strange. I was thinking about a book I read recently, and it turns out it was so recent. It was in 2018! (Don't ask me what it was either, since I can barely remember what day it is!) I just checked your weather and it looks like it's pretty much perfect now. Sunny and in the upper 60s/lower 70s? I'll take that! Glad it's warmed up for you.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you're enjoying War and Peace. It probably helps to read it with a group. I was a little concerned that I'd have a hard time getting into The Winds of War, but it's very readable. I'm seeing a lot of parallels to our current political climate as I read...
I hope to read The Emperor of Gladness sometime this year. Looking forward to your review for that one.
I had a good month of reading in January. The stand-outs were Pete and Alice in Maine and Finding Grace. I also enjoyed You Are Here and The Eights.
Hope you have a good week! Enjoy your beach walks.
Les - The normal temps should be around 75 by now, but I haven't even gotten a pedicure since we got here, lol. Looking for warmer weather as the week goes on, but no 70s predicted on Sanibel for the next 10days. Our daughter and SIL are coming next week, but our cool winter is still a nice break from their NY cold.
DeleteGlad The Winds of War is so readable. I've got Wouk's Marjorie Morningstar on my kindle. Hope you have a great week and I'm sure you have plenty of good reading ahead for February!
Oh, I really, really enjoyed Emperor of Gladness. I look forward to hearing what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteHelen - I love Ocean Vuong's writing, but the current circumstances of both Hai and Grazina are pretty depressing. I'm about 130 pages in and am going to read something else for a couple of days before getting back to it.
DeleteIm looking at the Beth Brower books
ReplyDeleteMystica - I'm loving the Beth Brower series! The first two books are very short and mainly set the scene/introduce the characters. They get better and better after that.
DeleteWhat is going on with the weather here? ! We have had so many hard freezes, way more than last year and we had so much snow a year ago. It keeps me from walking as much but on the pplus side I read more.
ReplyDeleteHow are you enjoying The Emperor of Gladness? By the way, I like your approach to the Wara and Peace book. My favorite Januray books werer In a Distant Valley by Shannon Bowring and Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin.
Currently reading Crux with Susan and while the teen banter back and forth didn't grab me at first, I am very invested in the characters and their life situations. Very good writing.
Hope you stay warm and manage to get some walks in on the beach.
Tina - This winter has been crazy. I've NEVER had the heat on so much and am dreading getting our next bill!
DeleteThe writing in The Emperor of Gladness is beautiful, but right now (130 pages in) I'm finding the story to be depressing. Just started a novel by Ethan Joella last night, then I'll go back to EoG.
Crux looks good. Will wait for your final thoughts (Susan's too) before deciding whether to add it to my list. Hope your week is off to a good start!
Happy February! At least the days are getting longer if not warmer! My indoor plants are loving the extra light.
ReplyDeleteEvery Day I Read sounds so interesting. I really do read virtually every day--it soothes and energizes at the same time :) I may have to check this book out myself.
Frankly, the Supreme Court book sounds too depressing. I'm sure it is factual and important, but it won't help in the soothing and energizing department, I'm afraid.
JaneGS - The days got a lot longer for me when we got to FL! Our sunset is at 6:17 today, more than an hour later than CT. One of my neighbors up there texted the first day the sun set after 5 PM. She was so excited!
DeleteEvery Day I Read was good, but not one of my favorite "books about books." Since it's translated from Korean, there were a lot of titles mentioned that I'm not familiar with... a negative for me. Still an enjoyable read. Maybe one to borrow from the library.
A lawyer friend recommended Lawless to me and I generally enjoy reading about The Supreme Court. Agree with you in thinking this one might just make me even more angry...
I'm so done with cold weather! I will take heat and humidity over cold any day. Cold hurts! I loved the Vera Wong book and the Emma Lion diaries are on my TBR. They sound wonderful. Happy February!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - This has been such an unusual winter... and yes, cold does hurt! I have the second Vera Wong book waiting for me in CT, but I may borrow it from the library here if I need to read it sooner. You will love the Emma M. Lion books, but the first two mostly set the scene and introduce characters so you have to be patient.
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