Warning: Affiliate links appear in the following post. Although shopping the embedded links won’t cost you any additional dollars, it might mean that I download a few extra audio books this month. Your support of my reading habit is always appreciated!
It is no secret that I love to read, but I’ve been terrible about logging my books into Goodreads or keeping track of how many or which books I’ve been reading. It also doesn’t help that I’ve read a few sketchy freebies that I’m not sure I would even disclose. I’ve decided to take a more deliberate approach this year, both to reading and to sharing, so I’ll be writing a monthly post categorizing everything single thing I read this year. I love that I’ll be able to keep up with exactly how many books I log, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on each one, and I’ll be held more accountable to read really good ones since we’re dealing with full disclosure. Why don’t we dive right into January’s Books.
1. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty // 3 out of 5 stars
This is the second Moriarty book I’ve read. I picked up The Husband’s Secret at the beach last summer and couldn’t put it down! I was hoping What Alice Forgot would be just as good for me, but it was a bit of a let down. The book is about a suburban housewife and mother of three, who collapses at the gym one morning and loses the last ten years of her memory.
The story follows Alice as she pieces together all she has missed, including a dissolving marriage, three kids and new friends. Her chapters are interspersed with letters from her grandmother to an unknown man and Alice’s sister’s “homework” for her therapist. I loved the first few chapters and the last few chapters, but I thought everything in between was a little slow. I will admit that since I listened to this book on Audible, it might have been a better read if it weren’t drawn out over fourteen hours (gasp!). I also kept expecting some big revelation or secret that we didn’t know about and that never materialized. I’ll probably try another of Moriarty’s books since I like the first one so much, so let me know if you have a favorite.
2. After You by Jojo Moyes // 3.5 out of 5 stars
I read Me Before You (the first book in this series) over Thanksgiving, the November before last. I distinctly remember laying in our camper bed, under an electric blanket reading as many pages as I could while the girls played Candy Land and watched Christmas movies. It was the first book I had read by Jojo Moyes and I was immediately captured. I’m pretty sure I read countless excerpts to Josh and my mom, neither of which cared one little bit about Lou or Will. When the sequel came out last year, I read so many negative reviews that I put off reading this for months. I couldn’t decide if the book was really that bad or if everyone had high expectations after falling in love with the first one.
I had a few credits in my Audible account after Christmas and this was the first book that I downloaded. I’m not sure if I had just set myself up for disappointment or if the narrator just made it that much better, but I kind of liked the book. It’s definitely not a five star read and I didn’t even give it four stars since it doesn’t measure up with the first book in the series, but I did really enjoy it. Sure Lou was a bit whiny at times, but doesn’t she deserve a bit of a break? I loved the voice of the narrator and I thought she did Lou’s character perfectly. I loved the sub-plot going on between her parents and I pretty much fell hook line and sinker for Lily AND for Sam. I must admit that this felt a little like the “middle” of the story, so I’m going to wish on a star for a third installment. I won’t give too much away (because if you haven’t read the first book then you don’t need to know what the second one is about), but I would definitely recommend picking these up for some light weekend reading.
3. It Starts With Food by Melissa & Dallas Hartwig // 4 out of 5 stars
I know what you’re thinking. I’ve completed three successful rounds of Whole30 and I’m currently attempting a year of LiveWhole365, yet I’ve never read THE book. I think maybe I hesitated to read it because I’ve read several other books about the Paleo lifestyle and I already understand the basic science behind this way of eating, I’ve just been avoiding adopting them as my own. Since committing to a full year of whole foods, I am already much more invested in the concept of a Paleo diet long term and felt like it was time to read the book and see if there was anything I didn’t already know. Spoiler alert: there was.
If you are new to Whole30 or just want to read more about, I highly recommend their website. They have tons of free information to get you started and a forum and FAQs, which provide tons of extra information. If you are really interested in approaching this as a lifestyle change, then I definitely recommend the book!
4. The Heir by Kiera Cass // 3.5 out of 5 stars
Like almost every other girl in the world, and certainly all of you in blogland, I absolutely fell in love with The Selection Series last year. I devoured all three of them and couldn’t wait to read about the newest member of the royal family. In case you aren’t familiar, The Selection Series is pretty much Cinderella meets The Bachelor meets your favorite romance novel of all time. Sure, it’s geared towards a YA audience, but that didn’t make me love it any less. The fourth installment is about the daughter of the original trilogy’s main characters. She experiences a similar romantic process as her parents, but with all sorts of new twists and turns. I was so worried I wouldn’t like it as much as the first three, but I was pleasantly surprised. This was the first time I’ve listened to a book by Kiera Cass (the first three were Kindle downloads) and the narrator was perfection. I will admit that this wasn’t as good as the first trilogy, but I’m holding out hope that it’s because I’m not as invested in the characters. Yet. I was worried about how this one would end, but it left you hanging in the most perfect way and there *might* have been a few tears shed in the last few minutes. I am already excited to read (or listen) to The Crown when it debuts later this year!
I updated my Goodreads profile and bookshelves this week, so everything is fresh and ready to tackle the new year. My taste in books had certainly changed since the last time I marked something “to read.” I removed a few things, added a few new things to my shelves and stalked all of your “must reads” for later this year. My goal this year is to read 52 books – one book for every week – and I’m well on my way. I’ll be adding these four to my account this week and looking for a few new things for February.
Any recommendations? Sound off in the comments, please.
