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When I set my audacious goal to read 52 books in 2020, I…. wasn’t sure I could do it. Don’t get me wrong, I love to read, but a book a week is a lot!
When I set my January goals, I decided I needed to start the year strong, so I set out to read four books. I was cautiously optimistic, but also wasn’t going to be hard on myself if I couldn’t do it.
Well, the joke was on me. I read six books in January, and I’m working on another two. Here’s what I read last month.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller
I started out the year strong with this one. Wowza. Chanel was known to the world as Emily Doe, but she has claimed her identity and is telling the world what happened from her side of the story.
Chanel is a brilliant writer, who makes you feel like she’s telling the story to you directly. Like you’re best friends, and she’s telling you over coffee about all of the struggles she faced.
I genuinely think this book should be required reading. For like… everyone.
Rating: 5/5 stars
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
I’m embarrassed to say I’d never read Anne Frank’s diary until January. When I went to Amsterdam back in 2012, I went to Anne Frank House and was totally moved by everything I saw and learned, but I feel like I would appreciate it now so much more.
Anne Frank’s diary was honestly kind of boring. But I think that’s what made it so heartbreaking and moving. She was just an average girl, and the Franks and van Daans were average people. And yet they were hunted for who they were.
A lot of it just hit too close to home.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Amber Burns listed this book in her roundup of new releases she’s excited to read, so I immediately requested it from the library. I’m so glad I did.
It tells the story of two women, a wealthy white woman, Alix, (basically an OG influencer) and the young black woman, Emira, who babysits her daughter. One evening Emira takes Alix’s daughter to the grocery store to get her out of the house, and the security guard accuses her of kidnapping the child.
The whole book was frustrating, but in the best, most captivating way.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Okay, I’m just going to say it: this book was fucking weird. It tells the story of Eleanor Oliphant and her journey to open up to the people around her. It’s one of those stories when you know something crazy happened in the past, but you only get snippets here and there.
I’m really glad I read it, and I did enjoy it, but I will say, it takes a while to get into it. You have to get used to the writer’s style (it reminded me a lot of the style of Fleabag, if I’m honest), and the story doesn’t really pick up until you’re about 2/3 of the way through it.
If you have the time to charge through it in about a week, do it! But otherwise it might take you a month to read, because it’s pretty slow going.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
I love the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire. It’s another recommendation by Amber Burns, and the books are all wonderful. They’re about 150-200 pages each, and they’re super easy to zip through.
In the series, children find doorways to other worlds, which help them realize their true selves. Some become mermaids in underwater worlds, others are warriors in lands made of candy. Eleanor West’s School for Wayward Children is a school for kids who found their doorway, and then were kicked out, back into the real world where they no longer belonged.
Come Tumbling Down just came out in January, and it’s the fifth book in the series. It’s been a few months since I read the first four, so I had to do a little Googling to get the characters straight, but as soon as I jogged my memory, I zipped through this one, too.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I often get intimidated by things that are widely and positively reviewed. For example, I’ve been struggling to start Stranger Things for years because I’m worried that I won’t like it as much as everyone tells me I will.
I had a similar feeling with Daisy Jones & The Six. It’s so well regarded in the book community, and I was super intimidated. But as soon as I got a few pages in, I was hooked and read the entire 355-page book in the span of 48 hours.
It tells the story of a band from the 70s, Daisy Jones & The Six, from their founding to their breakup. It’s all told through interviews with the band members and people close to them, thinking back on their time together.
The book is seriously so well written that you 100% think it’s a real band. Like, how can it not be? But it’s all totally fictional. It’s fascinating. I’ve also heard that the audiobook is amazing, so I put a hold on it at the library… I’m now 109th in line for it. 🙈So I’ll be rereading this come August or September when the audiobook is finally available for me.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Gmorning, Gnight! by Lin-Manuel Miranda
I didn’t really know about this book until I walked into the library to return the other books I read in January. It was propped up on the display table right inside the main door, and as soon as I saw “Lin-Manuel Miranda” I was sold.
It’s a super quick read—I would have read it in one sitting if I hadn’t started it so late in the evening. It’s a compilation of tweets from Lin, accompanied by beautiful illustrations by Jonny Sun. They’re encouraging, understanding, and just all-around wonderful. I could totally see myself buying a copy to keep in my bedside table for reference whenever I need a pick-me-up.
Rating: 5/5 stars
I have to say, I’m super impressed that I read 7 books this month and liked them all enough to give them each 4 or 5 stars. So far this 52 book reading challenge has been a success! Wish me luck as I continue!
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