What I Read In January
It was a pretty solid start to reading in January! I made my way through 9 books throughout the month, including a poetry collection, a classic, a few lit fics, two books by local authors and some romance.
There were a few stand outs for me: I absolutely loved Tom Lake, Intermezzo and Reel, but if I had to choose a top book for last month it would be How We Show Up by Mia Birdsong. It left me with so much to reflect on and led to some great discussions with our book club!
I did DNF two books in January. First was What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. He also wrote Atonement, which is one of my all-time favorite books, so I had high hopes for this one but I just could not get into it. I may try it again some day, but for now I’ve decided to put it down. Check it out here to see if it calls to you!
I also started but did not finish The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. I was really enjoying listening to this book on audio, but after getting a bit of the way in I felt like I would enjoy it even more if I read it physically, so I placed it on my book wish list to pick up again down the road when I’m either gifted or purchase a copy. We do carry the book - check it out here.
Keep reading for all of the books I read in January and my thoughts on each!
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This only the second book I’ve read by Ann Patchett and I loved it so much more than The Dutch House. It is set during the pandemic and follows an older woman telling the story of a summer romance to her three adult daughters. The book is about that summer romance, which is whirlwind and all consuming, but it’s also about the woman’s relationship with her daughters, how the choices we make shape the rest of our lives for better and worst, and what it means to be happy when the world is falling apart.
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This was a pretty fun thriller by an author local to the greater Charlotte area. It follows Rose, an investigative reporter, as she looks into the mysterious disappearance of a longtime friend who has recently done something to sever their relationship. Despite the hurt she feels, Rose decides to dive in and get to the bottom, only to find herself in dangerous situations. Overall I really liked the story and I was not expecting the twist at the end. There were a couple of continuity errors in the book that took me out of the story, which was a little frustrating, but I’m excited to reach more of Shanora Williams’ books after this one!
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I’ve wanted to read this classic ever since reading about it in Cheryl Strayed’s book WILD. I went in blind and had no idea what to expect, but I ended up enjoying this book much more than I thought I would at the beginning. I don’t love stream of consciousness as a writing style so there were definitely a few parts I had to Sparknotes to be sure I understood completely. The ending of the book made me chuckle outloud. Overall I’m glad I read this book and would recommend it to others who enjoy the classics.
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This was my first read by local author Meagan Church, and I enjoyed it immensely. The story follows a young mother and wife during the traditional 1950s housewife era. From the start of the book it’s clear the main character is mentally struggling, be it through postpartum depression or other reasons. The novel explores her paranoia and descent into “madness” while also taking a look at the lack of mental health support there was at the time, in particular for women. I will say the ending of the book twisted in a way I didn’t expect, but also didn’t explore some of the societal issues around the main character’s plight that I would have hoped for. Overall I’d definitely recommend this one!
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I ended up absolutely adoring this book. Much like Tom Lake, it’s a character-driven story exploring the complexities of familial and romantic love. It stars two brothers: one a chess star struggling in his career after their father’s death; the other a high powered lawyer who finds himself in love with two very different women. More than anything this book explores how we all move differently through grief and the importance of love, understanding and family.
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This is the second book in Jimenez’s Part Of Your World series. I want to start by saying I truly enjoyed this book, even though I couldn’t stand the FMC at times. The story follows two doctors, each with their own history of past trauma, who end up in a situation where they decide to fake date one another. I really liked the MMC, who suffers from severe social anxiety and spends a lot of the chapters in his POV reflecting, doing the hard work to manage his anxiety symptoms, and trying to learn and grow. The FMC has some major trust and communication issues, which results in most of the tension between the characters. I don’t love the miscommunication trope, which had me cringing at times. That said, I still devoured the book and would definitely recommend it to others, with a note that the main character can be a little tough to like at times.
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This is a poetry collection of Jim Morrison’s poems released by his estate after his death. I’ll be honest, this collection was not for me. I didn’t understand the vast majority of the poems, which felt to me like drug-induced ramblings with no real coherent thoughts. Of course, this is only my opinion as someone who has not studied or read poetry extensively, so take this with a grain of salt.
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I’m going to go ahead and call it right now: this book will be on my top books of 2026 list. This was a phenomenal read that caused me to really pause and reflect on the ways I build community in my own life and how I can foster deeper connections with people I love. I love how Mia includes research, personal anecdotes and interviews with others to bolster her thoughts and ideas around community, and I also love her challenging our ways of thinking about justice, the prison industrial complex, and safety. More than anything, this book helped me realize the importance of asking for help and being vulnerable with others. I strongly recommend this book for everyone!
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In anticipation of Score, the second book in Kennedy Ryan’s Hollywood Renaissance series, coming out in May I decided to finally pick up Reel, and I quickly fell in love. The story follows Neevah, an aspiring actress who was just plucked from Broadway to star in an epic biopic about a Black jazz singer who was never properly celebrated during her day, and Canon, a focused, serious director making the film. Both come with their own past issues, and the power dynamic makes their relationship a bit messy at first as they try to hide it for the sake of their careers, but the attraction the two of them feel is undeniable. Y’all, this is a romance with some meat, which we’ve come to expect from Kennedy Ryan. These characters are complex, well-rounded and still, above all, so incredibly sweet to one another. I devoured this book and cannot wait for Monk and Verity’s story coming next.
Need other recommendations? Ask me for some ideas!