January Wrap Up 2020

What a month, I read a total of eight books, which was way more than I expected.

Firstly, I just want to say thank you. February 2nd will mark one month on this blog, and yesterday marked one month on Bookstagram. I was an avid Goodread’s user for days, would spend hours a day seeing what everyone was reading. Putting my energy into Half Wild Books has gave me so much fulfillment and joy and I’ve met so many amazing book lovers. I could go on and on, but I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you for making this a super fun month, and a promising start to the year 🙂

I had a good reading month, despite my reading being slowed down by the mighty tomb that was Dark Age. At 752 pages, I took me a lot longer than I had anticipated.

Without further ado, here’s what I read in January.

Release, Patrick Ness ★★★★☆
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen* ★★☆☆☆
The October Country, Ray Bradbury* ★★★.5☆
The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson* ★★★.5☆
Mansfield Park, Jane Austen * ★★☆☆☆
Dark Age, Pierce Brown ★★★★☆
Carrie, Stephen King * ★★★★☆
A Heart so Fierce and Broken ★★★★☆

* The following books were read for University*

Release, Patrick Ness: I picked this up on a whim and adored it. It was charming, emotional, and such a good story of self acceptance and self discovery. We follow Adam for one day of his life, and I can guarantee you by the end of it you’ll wish you could read about him, Linus and Angela forever. Full Review.

Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen: This is the third Austen novel I’ve ever read and I found it very underwhelming. It’s exactly the same plot as Pride and Prejudice – which I really like – except it felt slightly underdeveloped. With an undercurrent of satire, there is the same plot of financial anxiety and romance, and I was hoping for something slightly different. All the characters were so similar that I often had to go back and re-read/listen to certain sections. It’s not a bad book, it’s just not for me.

The October Country, Ray Bradbury: This was a collection of Gothic short stories, and I’m happy to say I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I read 13/19 of the stories, with some of my favorites being The Dwarf and The Small Assassin. It focused on themes of obsession, death and fear. It was quick to get through, and I recommend it to anyone looking for something spooky.

The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson: I’ve known about Shirley Jackson for a while, despite not being a Gothic reader. However, I really enjoyed this one. One aspect I really enjoyed was the interactions between characters. Being in a confined place with a small cast, I enjoyed seeing Theodore, Eleanor and Lucas all interacting with Dr Montague. Mrs Dudley was a really good addition, and added a sinister edge to the normal aspects of the novel. The book definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. To me, it was more of a psychological thriller than a ghost story, and the ending was both expected and not. It’s a good, quick read, but it didn’t blow me away.

Mansfield Park, Jane Austen: This book was pitched to me as adultery drama, and I don’t know why I got my hopes up. I’m having to read all of Austen’s finished and unfinished works from January to March, so I’m not going to dwell on each one too much. They’re not for me, and that’s ok. I found this one quite confusing to understand, with an info dump about three different families within the first few pages. Fanny Price was not an Elizabeth Bennet, she was timid and shy, and often didn’t want the agency offered to her. It was a nice change from Sense and Sensibility, since it followed the aftermath of marrying below your social rank.

Dark Age, Pierce Brown: This was the fifth book in the Red Rising Saga and one of my most anticipated books of 2019, and while I loved this book, it wasn’t what I expected. It was slightly longer than necessary, but full of twists and turns that have left me anticipating the final book, which will hopefully be out within the next year. My highlight from this book was, of course, Virginia’s POV, but also Lyria’s. I loved her in Iron Gold, and even more in this one. Out of everything, her and Vulga’s journey was definitely my favourtie plot. Full Review.

Carrie, Stepehen King: As my first Stephen King book, I was so stunned by how much I loved it! I’ve always felt intimated by Stephen King. It’s a big name, and a genre outside my comfort zone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I instantly felt for Carrie, her treatment at home was sinister and twisted. The layout was so unexpected, and if you know me, you’ll know I love any book that defies the norm for formatting. I found it so interesting that it was told through interviews, research, and character POVs. It really created a sense of realism, and I found myself in suspense the entire time. I highly recommend it!

A Heart so Fierce and Broken, Brigid Kemmerer: While this book wasn’t as breath taking as book one, I still loved it, and found myself staying up late at night and waking up earlier in the morning to read it. I couldn’t put it down. I was surprised by how easy it was to fall back into this world. We get new characters and POVS. This series is tragically YA at times, but it’s my guilty pleasure. Look out for my full spoiler and non-spoiler review coming out next week!