Forever Lost in Literature: Month in Review: January 2024

We've officially made it through the first month of 2024! It's been a pretty busy month for me, but I'm feeling good so far about my productivity and the progress I've been making on work/hobbies/various tasks. I've always been a bit anxious about new years and whatnot, but I think I'm doing much better this year than I used to, even though there's actually a lot my husband and I are planning on tackling in 2024. But all that aside, let's talk about books!

One thing I wanted to try to work on this month was to improve my focus while reading, and I think I've been doing pretty well with that since I somehow ended up reading 14 books! It was a solid month for books, as I liked most of these and even loved a couple. Some of my favorites from the month were Sparrow, The Butcher of the Forest, Alone on the Ice, and The Book of Sand. Let's cross our fingers I can keep this momentum up for the rest of the year (or at least one more month, haha)!

How was your January? Were you ready for the year to end?? Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!

# books read: 14

Sparrow by James Hynes ★★★★★
Source: Giveaway | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: I had a feeling I'd like this historical fiction, and I did! This was a really heartbreaking story that I really loved, despite the fact that it's honestly a pretty tough read most of the time. Highly recommended for fans of The Wolf Den!

The Butcher of the Forest by Premee Mohamed ★★★★★
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: I adored this dark fantasy novella immensely and I'll have a review up for it closer to its publication later in February!

Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration by David Roberts ★★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: I finally got to this survival story about Douglas Mawson's Australasian Antarctic Expedition and the title isn't wrong, it really was an incredible survival story.

Winter in the Blood by James Welch
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: I read James Welch's Fools Crow a couple years back and had been meaning to get to Winter in the Blood, so I'm glad I finally did.

The Book of Sand by Theo Clare ★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: I belive the author of this one passed shortly before the book was released.

The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler ★★★
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: This didn't end up grabbing me quite as much as I'd expected it to, but it was still a really fascinating premise and is a novella that I would absolutely recommend.

Here in Avalon by Tara Isabella Burton ★★★★
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: This was really beautiful and more emotional than I expected! It actually was quite different from what I expected in general, but I still really enjoyed it.

The Great Air Race: Glory, Tragedy, and the Dawn of American Aviation by John Lancaster ★★★★
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I ended up reading this on a bit of a whim and I had a really fun time with it! I only know some basics about America's aviation history, so this was a really informative story that capture some important events, figures, and even shared a bit about aviation progress outside of America. Highly recommended for both how entertaining and informative it was.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell ★★★★
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I finally got around to reading this one and it was good, but not quite as impactful as I expected it to be. I did really like the ending and of course it's still beautifully written.

River East, River West by Rey Aube Lescure ★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was a small but powerful novel split between two timelines set in past and present Shanghai and it felt like a really important read. I liked diving into life in Shanghai for different time periods and experiencing what it's like for people to struggle with identities.

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides ★★
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: To be completely honest, this was a huge disappointment. I was excited to check this one, but held my expectations in check because these can be hit or miss, and it was a miss. This just felt scattered and didn't work for me.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland ★★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: This was somehow almost exactly what I expected it to be, and I had a good time with it! Reminded me a lot of Foz Meadows' A Strange and Stubborn Endurance (or the other way around, I don't recall which came out first), so if you like one I really think you'll like the other.

The Club by Ellery Lloyd ★★.5
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was fun and had a pretty good start, but fizzled out a bit and got a little complicated by the end. Still, a fun thriller overall. Sidetracked by S.T. Abby

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I initially had no plans to continue this series, but Libby recommended it to me and it was only three hours so I did, and now I'm actually mildly more interested to see where it goes, so maybe I'll continue, we'll see.

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

From what I can recall, I don't think I DNF'd anything this month.