LOL, remember last month when we thought 2020 was over and the craziness might be as well? While I have to say 2021 has been better so far (no more Trump in office! Woohoo!), we still live in some seriously turbulent times. So much happened in January, but I had some great times with my family and am just happy 2020 is behind us!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on and/or purchase from some links, I make a portion of the sale. This helps keep Bitch Bookshelf running.
Books I Read
I’m a children’s librarian, so I read books for kids and for grown-ups. This month, I read 16 picture/early reader books and 6 “big” books, including audiobooks, adult novels, and chapter books for children. My average rating this month was 3.9 stars.
Before we get into the full list, last month, I started keeping track of ten books on my TBR list for each month that I planned to read. Let’s see how I did last month with that list.
- The Roommate by Rosie Danan *finish reading* ✅ Read my full review here.
- A Deadly Fortune by Stacie Murphy *must read* ✅ Read my full review here.
- An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole *must read* ✅ Look out for my full review on February 10.
- The Vanishing at Loxby Manor by Abigail Wilson *must read* 🟢 Started in January, finished in February. Read my full review here.
- Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain ✖ DNF. Find out why here.
- Mr. Hunt, I Presume by Valerie Bowman ➡ Postponed.
- Color Me Red by Beena Khan ➡ Postponed.
- For The Love Of English by A.M. Hargrove ✅ Look out for my full review on February 17.
- Sentience by Courtney Hunter ➡ Postponed.
- Purple Daze: A Far Out Trip, 1965 by Sherry Shahan ➡ Postponed.
Now, onto the full list!
The Roommate by Rosie Danan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fun, sexy read and I loved the business Clara and Josh founded (with Naomi – can’t wait for her book). Josh does some extreme groveling at the end when I felt Clara needed to do a little more than he did. 🤷🏻♀️ Overall, I really enjoyed this one. A great start to 2021 reading! My thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Animal Families: Farm by Nosy Crow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love lift the flap books for reading with babies. I feel like this will be a really fun one because it includes vocabulary adults might not know, but won’t be confusing for little kids. I learned some animal group names from this book!
Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love Lois Ehlert books because the text is simple and informative while still telling a story. The captions build vocabulary and help foster discussion. I’ll be using this for an online storytime, so I may rely less on the labels and more on identification and discussion – i.e. What veggies would you plant in a garden?
Baby Up, Baby Down: A First Book of Opposites by Abrams Appleseed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I think this is a good board book for babies and toddlers, showing opposites with vibrant and clear photos of babies. I think my favorite are the “near” and “far” pages.
A Deadly Fortune: A Novel by Stacie Murphy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a great read. While I found the beginning to be a little slow, but once I was halfway through, I could not put this book down. The characters were great, and the plot was so layered and twisted. While I figured some things out easily, other aspects were such a puzzle. I did want a little more detail in some of the settings, though the asylum itself is described expertly. I loved that this was a solid gothic historical fiction mystery with an excellent paranormal tie-in that lent itself well to the plot. My thanks to the author, publisher, and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for giving me a copy in exchange for my honest review. Look out for my full review at https://bitchbookshelf.com on January 26.
Ten Mice for Tet by Pegi Deitz Shea
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a good book about how the Lunar New Year, or Tet, is celebrated in Vietnam. It is a counting book featuring mice preparing for the holiday and celebrating.
Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick by Jen Sincero
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
While I loved You Are A Badass, this one was meh for me. While I believe it had good advice and that Sincero’s 21 day course is pretty solid and keeps you going with your habit for a few weeks, I found it to be super repetitive. I’m not sure I’ll remember much of what I read from it aside from my mantra. 🤷🏻♀️ My thanks to the author, publisher, and Edelweiss for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An exceptional historical romance that absolutely blew me away. I need to sleep on this one before fully penning my thoughts on my blog. Overall, Elle is a wonderful character, and her romance with Malcolm is stunning and nuanced. I loved these two together, from their steamy scenes to their honest discussions regarding their emotions and the power dynamics between them.
Look out for my full review on February 10.
Shrek! by William Steig
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book is straight up awful but I had to read the book that inspired Shrek. It’s nothing like the movie, and the vocabulary is just all over the place. I’m not sure which age this book is intended for. I enjoyed reading it because it was so absurd.
Polar Bear’s Underwear by Tupera Tupera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a silly, fun book! Kids will really enjoy this one, whether they are very little or in early elementary grades.
I read this for a preschool virtual class visit. They asked me if I was going to read it again the next time I saw them!
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
There’s a reason this book is such a classic. I like this one as a twist on the original, encouraging the kids to make the animal sounds, some of which are a little unique/interesting.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
So here’s the deal: I’m going to be honest from now on. When people ask me my favorite book, I won’t name this adult novel or that classic. Yes, I love those too. But since I was nine, Ella Enchanted has been my favorite.
This is a middle grade read, and even as an adult it has it all: beautiful prose, a badass heroine, a feminist plot, whimsical magic, memorable secondary characters, amazing world-building, and a sumptuous romance. Char is my ideal man to this day, about twenty years since my first of many reads. And Ella is still one of the most relatable heroines.
While this is a book for kids in late elementary/middle school, the language is stunning. I learned so many words on my first read in 1999: desolate, corrosive, chicanery… The author introduces these SAT words so seamlessly.
If you like middle grade, fantasy, fractured fairytales, and/or romance, you need to read this book.
Favorite quotes:
Why did he think it was fine to talk about me as though I were portrait instead of a maiden?
If I thought of a joke, I wanted to try it on him. If I had a serious idea, I wanted his opinion.
I trust you to find the good in me, but the bad I must be sure you don’t overlook.
I hadn’t loved him as long, perhaps, but now I loved him equally well, or better. I loved his laugh, his handwriting, his steady gaze, his honorableness, his freckles, his appreciation of my jokes, his hands, his determination that I should know the worst of him. And, most of all, shameful though it might be, I loved his love for me.
Read my full review, largely written in 2020, here.
Moo, Baa, La La La! by Sandra Boynton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A cute and silly Boynton book where kids can identify animal sounds and just have some fun!
Bear Needs Help by Sarah S. Brannen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a cute, silly book. It might not have much of a point, but I like the humor and think a lot of kids will appreciate it, too.
A Bed for Bear by Clive McFarland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a sweet book about a bear looking for a place to hibernate instead of in a cave with other bears. He comes across other animals that hibernate and tries their beds, but finds they don’t work for him. Finally, he realizes the bear cave is perfect for him.
Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A cute book in the Bear series by Karma Wilson! Bear feels sick and his friends help him feel better by taking care of him. Bear returns the favor when he feels better but they’ve caught his illness.
Bumblebee by J.V. Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow, what an informative book! I learned so much about bumblebees, and the illustrations are gorgeous.
Kingfisher Readers L1: Bears by Thea Feldman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a pretty good information book about bears. I found myself (as an adult reader) wanting some more information, but the length and words are good for the intended reading level.
Consider Love by Sandra Boynton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a cute book but I think better for someone feeling sweet and cheesy to give their partner on Valentine’s Day. I don’t feel this is something most kids will fully get, though they might still enjoy it if they’re Boynton fans.
Bear’s Big Breakfast by Lynn Rowe Reed
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is a cute book for the letter B but a little on the silly side for me. I think this fits best for a lesson about B (and not about bears).
Groggle’s Monster Valentine by Diana Murray
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is by no means amazing but it’s silly and cute, and I think it could be used to talk about different kinds of rhyme and poems when writing Valentines.
For the Love of English by A.M. Hargrove
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
While I loved the healthy portrayals of sex in this book, the plot was just a wreck and I did not care for any of the characters except for the kid. Beck is a jerk until he suddenly isn’t, Sheridan’s job is portrayed so unrealistically, and the family court plot is just an insulting mess. I couldn’t put this book down because I had to see just how outlandish it got.
Look out for my full review on February 17.
A Peek Into My Planner
I’ve been trying to fill out my planner each day to keep myself organized and to use the plethora of planner supplies and stickers I possess. (I use The Happy Planner.) In July 2020, I started a brand new planner, which I hope to use through 2021. Here are my weekly spreads for December.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
I’ve been keeping track of my moods to keep an eye on my depression and anxiety. In January, I felt:
- Okay – 8 days
- Good – 6 days
- Productive – 4 days
- Tired – 4 days
- Great – 3 days
- Happy – 2 days
- Relaxed – 2 days
- Disgusted – 1 day
- Lazy – 1 day
View this post on Instagram
More Stuff I Did
I got to spend some time with my parents, which was nice. I’ve been regularly testing for COVID since the city pays for it, and have been healthy and negative so far! I encourage everyone to get tested regularly.
I have been keeping up with watching what I eat and working out more. I am about halfway to my intentional weight loss goal. Weight loss is not necessarily part of everyone’s health journey, but at this stage in my life it is for me.
Finally, I watched some television and movies. I re-watched Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi and watched Soul. I finished Bridgerton Season 1 and Derry Girls Season 1.
View this post on Instagram
Because I’ve been blogging about more than just book reviews, I wanted to share some of our “other” posts from this month:
Other Bookish Posts
- I Read Bridgerton So You Don’t Have To
- The Absolute Essentials for Reading a Romance Novel
- Let Me Take a #Shelfie: A Tour of My Bookshelf
- DNF: Mr. Malcolm’s List by Suzanne Allain
- My Reads for the Second Half of 2020
- Children’s Books I Read in the Second Half of 2020
- My Most Anticipated Books of 2021
- How to Score Your First ARC
- My FAVORITE Underrated Historical Romance Series
- My 2020 Reads
- My 5 Star Children’s Reads of 2020
- #BookishAstrology – Books We Chose for #Capricorn Season
Blogging
- What Not to Do When Working With Book Bloggers
- Book Blogger Directory
- My Most Popular Posts for the Second Half of 2020
- My Most Popular Posts of 2020
Blog Hops, Memes, and Challenges
Planners & Planning
Looking Ahead: February
Here’s my February TBR list, though I plan to read other books too.
- The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix *must read* *finish*
- Swing Time by Zadie Smith *must read*
- Becoming Lady Washington by Betty Bolte *finish*
- Real by Carol Cujec and Peyton Goddard
- Then Came You by Lisa Kleypas
- Hallucinatory Tribulation, Vol. 1 by Sahreth Baphy Bolton
- The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk
- Ten Rules for Faking It by Sophie Sullivan
- A Wing and a Prayer by M W Arnold
- The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
My plans for the next few months are reading, reading, reading. In addition to reading for fun and the blog, I have some books to read for work! I’ll be spending a lot of time with my Kindle, reading apps, and library books.
