Reading Update Part 1 | January & February 2024

Phew! I’ve worked and reworked this post several times, trying to make it manageable for both you and me. It started out as a truly massive update covering January through April of this year, but I really wanted to give several books their due so I’ve decided to break this up into two parts. Today I’ll be sharing the books I read in January and February. March and April are nearly finished and will be published in the next few days (I hope).

And because my writing chops are gone, I’m struggling with including way too much information in this post. I apologize in advance if it’s choppy and disjointed because I’ve been deleting a lot!

And if you want to listen along with me as you read this post, I’ve been listening to this playlist by author Rebecca Ross. I currently feel like a medieval queen on horseback leading her people into battle. It’s a pretty good feeling!

---

---

The year started out slowly and I only read two books for myself in January: In Memoriam and Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries. Two very different books but I genuinely enjoyed both of them!

In Memoriam: set during WWI that follows two men who fell in love during the war. It’s a beautiful book, full of the painful consequences of war. I learned so much about The Great War and still think about the fate of the young people sent into such barbaric situations. And I continue to imagine our modern day wars and how they’re different, yet so similar. War is a terrible experience, all the way around.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries: a fantasy novel about a naturalist who researches faeries. It’s full of the coziest details and was a lot of fun but a little fluffier than I expected. And still — it ignited my desire to explore more fantasy books the next month.

Other than that, Bronwyn and I read a lot of American Girl (we’re on the Rebecca books) and Greetings from Somewhere books together. Our morning readaloud in January was Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, which was a lot of fun and equally enjoyed by my 10 and 5 year old. (I haven’t done a very good job of keeping up with all of the individual chapter books I’ve been reading with the kids this year, just a heads up!)

---

---

Given how difficult it was for me to read at the end of 2023 and in January of 2024, I decided to try something completely different: Fantasy February. And boy — it paid off in spades! I got sucked into the world of Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR). And friends? I haven’t looked back!

I was highly skeptical of Fourth Wing when I started it but became hooked about 2/3 of the way through the book. I almost immediately picked up its sequel, Iron Flame, and was on the edge of my seat throughout that reading. Once I finished that series I jumped right into A Court of Thorns and Roses and read that whole series in February too. Who knew the fae could be so fascinating?!

My favorite book of the month was A Court of Silver Flames. It’s the last book in the ACOTAR series (so far) and was incredibly moving. It focuses on characters who were introduced at the beginning of the series and were pivotal in the prior four books, but weren’t developed especially well. This was Nesta and Cassian’s time to shine and I loved every word of it. I originally borrowed this from the library but ended up ordering my own copy because it’s one that deserves to be marked up and given a special place on my shelves.

Our morning readalouds in February were Greenglass House and Winnie’s Great War. Winnie’s Great War, a WWI story about the inspiration for Winnie the Pooh, is appropriate for a wide range of ages. Greenglass House, a Christmas mystery that explores identity and belonging, is probably more appropriate for 10+ year olds.

---

I think it sounds silly to say that I feel like a whole new reader with my newly found interest in romantasy, but I’ve been really excited about reading again this year. And that feels really good! By the end of 2023 and very early 2024, I was completely burned out on reading. Changing genres for a while really helped that feeling and opened up a whole new world for me.

Tell me: have you discovered anything new in the last few months? Have you read anything and been surprised by how much you enjoyed it? Is there anything I should be adding to my TBR? I want all of the recommendations you have.

I hope to be back with my March and April update soon. Perhaps even tomorrow? But if not, I’m working on it and will be back as soon as I can be! Take good care.