January 2021 Reading Wrap Up
It’s that time again! Time to share what Claire and I have been reading this month. It’s been a few months since I’ve posted a reading wrap up. In December, I was busy and then I decided to post 2020 reading recaps in lieu of a monthly wrap up.Â
Check out my 2020 reading recap post here
Check out our 2020 read aloud reading recap here
I also have an exciting announcement! I have started a YouTube channel! For the moment, I’m intending to primarily use it to talk about books, but there will likely be other things interspersed (especially homeschooling). I will continue to post reading wrap ups on my blog, but I wanted an outlet to talk about books more in depth. I typically post the highlights of what I read each month, rather than every single book. In my January reading wrap up video (also embedded below so you can watch right here), I go over every book I read. However, I don’t mention what Claire’s been reading or any of our read alouds, so if you’re interested in those, make sure you continue to read my blog posts!
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What I've Been Reading
This was a fun book! I’m a weirdo who really enjoys books about cults and this book delivered! It’s a fictional thriller about Wynter, a girl raised in a cult. She is thrown out of the cult right at the beginning of a frightening pandemic that causes early onset dementia. I didn’t love the writing style (flashbacks to the cult are written in past tense, while the chapters set in current day are present tense), but I was able to let go of that, because the plot was really intriguing.
Also, for those who might know Tosca Lee from her books co-written with Ted Dekker, this isn’t a Christian book. Maybe there will be some elements in the sequel, but nothing overt in this book. In addition, there are a few mild curse words, which I didn’t expect to find in a book by a Christian author. I don’t mind a bit of language in my books, but I thought I would point that out in case you read Christian authors to avoid that.
In November, I read Sepetys’ book Between Shades of Gray, which I loved so much, it made it into my honorable mentions in my 2020 reading recap. I knew I wanted to read more by Ruta Sepetys, so I picked up this one. It’s probably her most well known book. It follows 4 different characters as they attempt to journey out of Russia during World War 2. The Germans are attempting to evacuate all German citizens out of Russia for their safety before the Russians wipe them out.Â
This book switches perspectives every single chapter, which was a bit jarring at first. While I adjusted to it, I do think that it hindered my enjoyment a bit. I was an emotional wreck after Between Shades of Gray, but I struggled to feel attached to the characters in Salt to the Sea. It was still a great book and one I’d recommend, but it didn’t wow me like I expected.
A middle grade retelling of the fairy tale, “East of the Sun, West of the Moon,” this was fun read! It’s wasn’t the deepest book, but I really enjoy fairy tale retellings. I wasn’t familiar with this more obscure fairy tale, but that didn’t keep me from enjoying it! Claire had read the fairy tale and she kept trying to spoil me on the plot. I kept having to tell her that I didn’t want to know ANYTHING about the original fairy tale 😂
This was one of my favorite books this month! A dark fantasy, this book follows college friends Eli and Victor. They explore the theory of EOs (extraordinaries), who have super human abilities. It’s a tale of revenge and none of the characters are the “good guys.” They all have their own selfish motivations, but I found it an interesting look at what makes people behave the way they do and how a sense of morality (and self-righteousness) are formed within a person. It’s definitely dark, so if you’re not into dark books, you likely won’t enjoy it, but I loved it!
Did you know the author of Winnie-the-Pooh wrote an adult murder mystery? Yeah, me either. When I found out, I had to give this book a try! It was a lot of fun to read. I have to admit, I guessed the ending pretty early on (I blame Agatha Christie), but it was still a lot of fun to read!
If you loved Seinfeld or any of Jerry Seinfeld’s stand up, I highly recommend this book! I initially thought it would be more of a memoir, but 95% of the book is stand up bits. It was so fun to read with Peter. We laughed so hard our stomachs hurt at some of the jokes. I do think that some of it would’ve been funnier if we could’ve heard Seinfeld’s delivery, but all in all, it was a really fun read!
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
This was, by far, my favorite book of the month! Mary Katherine, her sister Constance and their Uncle Julian live alone after the rest of their family tragically died of poisoning. Constance was arrested and later acquitted, but the town is still very mistrustful of the family and the feeling is mutual. This book was such creepy fun! It has a very gothic feel to it and is more psychologically eerie than supernatural or anything like that. It’s my first Shirley Jackson book, but it won’t be my last.
What Claire's Been Reading
This is the first of a series that Claire has declared is one of her favorites of all time. In this first book, David moves in with Liz and Lucy and discovers clay dragons that come to life and have magical powers. He ends up with his own dragon and adventures follow.
I read this book back in October, its sequel in November and then haven’t picked the series back up. Claire started the first book in the middle of the month and hasn’t stopped reading them! At the time I’m reading this, she is on book 5! Considering all these books are 500+ pages, that’s some pretty hefty reading! She is absolutely loving the whole series and has created a mini-Lego world to play act it all out.
Claire has been working her way through this series for the past few months. This is the final book and she’s really enjoyed each one. The premise of the series is that the children are able to leap into books and explore. One of the main characters is half fictional (her father is a fictional character and her mother a normal person). It was a really fun series for a kid that loves that read! Claire and I had lots of conversations about what book we would jump into if we could.
Read Alouds
If you’re looking for an old fashioned, wholesome, sweet read aloud, look no further! Ginger Pye was such a joy to read. It follows siblings Jerry and Rachel Pye, who adopt a dog. Ginger is the smartest and most wonderful puppy in the world! But apparently they’re not the only ones who think so, because one day Ginger goes missing. Jerry and Rachel believe he has been stolen by a jealous person and search relentlessly to find their dog.
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic
This was such a fun fantasy story! Persimmony Smudge accidentally overhears some creatures talking over a plan to overthrow the kingdom by tunneling under the castle and stealing the king’s gold. But when Persimmony discovers that the mountain the castle is built on is actually a sleeping giant, she realizes that there’s a lot more at risk than what the creatures realize. This book was hilarious and it was fun to follow the quirky characters. We both really enjoyed this one.
That’s it for this month’s reading wrap up! What have you been reading lately? Please share in the comments below!
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