Best Books of January

As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from January.

A Deadly Inheritance (Charlotte Vassell): This is the third book in a very good series, and you probably have to read the others to get all of the references. It was a great first book of the year. Charlotte Vassell is so clever, and I love the way all of the characters are interconnected. It would be even better if I didn’t forget so much between books, or if I re-read the earlier books so I could remember all the small details. But no matter; time with Caius and Callie is well-spent, and I love the exchanges between Caius, Matt, and Amy.

Fleishman Is in Trouble (Taffy Brodesser-Akner): I would put this book on a list for the top 100 contemporary fiction books ever written. Does that mean it is perfect? No! And that is the point of the book. We are messy, imperfect, restless, hopeful. It is a brilliant brilliant brilliant book that should be reread every few years. Libby is one of the greatest characters who ever lived.

Death and Other Occupational Hazards (Veronika Dapunt): A cozy mystery with a good ending, with a few highs and lows along the way. Some parts were clever. Some made me cringe. But overall, a lighthearted read about the Apocalypse with shades of Good Omens.

Beth Is Dead (Katie Bernet): Super clever idea, and you will enjoy it (if you like YA because this book is definitely aimed at teens) even if you are only moderately familiar with Little Women, like me. I sense I like this book more than I would enjoy the original Little Women. It’s true — I’ve never read Little Women. But I’m still glad I picked this up.

Meet the Newmans (Jennifer Niven): A solid story that feels like a tv show; everything wraps up exactly as predicted, and you spend your time with lovely people, saying the right things, feeling the right things, and knowing at the end of the book that all will be well in the world. Sometimes you need that kind of story.

It Should Have Been You (Andrea Mara): 4.5 stars rounded up. Mara’s books suck you in. This would make a great beach read – short chapters, you can pop in and out of the story. My only pet peeve with thrillers is when people behave in ways that don’t feel real. There was some of that here, but I still raced through it and enjoyed the twists.

Lost Lambs (Madeline Cash): 4.5 stars rounded down. Rounded down, Melissa? You never round down. Well, there is a first for everything. I mostly enjoyed the story. It was a little… gimicky? It went a lot of places, most of them interesting, but it felt a little empty, too. There were times I underlined a phrase – what a beautiful thought. So. Yes. 4.5 rounded down.

What did you read last month?