January Reads



My top two non-children book reads for January were For Everyone by Jason Reynolds and The Girls by Abigail Pesta. For Everyone is a poetry book that takes an honest look at life. I gave it 5 stars and its own blog entry.



The Girls by Abigail Pesta. Wow, this was a tough one, but I do not regret one bit picking it up from the local library. I have loved watching gymnastics my whole life, even did a two-month stint back in elementary school at the local Y on the four apparatus that female gymnasts conquer. The unfolding of the abuse scandal over the last few years has been gut-wrenching. I hate what these young woman have been through but applaud their courage in standing up and testifying. This book documents many of their stories. The focus in on the girls not their abuser nor the system that protected him. Yes, he is a character but the protagonists are the women and the events they chose to share, some of them for the first time with the public. I believe the author has delivered a compassionate and compelling account that gymnastics fans need to read.

Top Secret Twenty-One by Janet Evanovich. This author delivers again with another fun Stephanie Plum romp. This book pulls in some international intrigue although Stephanie doesn't travel any farther than a monkey-themed casino in Atlantic Beach.



The Total Package by Stephanie Evanovich was a light read that overall I enjoyed. I appreciated watching the Tyson and Dani grow and develop their relationship. My two biggest complaints were how long it took to officially meet the female lead (yes, I know why it happened the way it did but it still felt too long) and that the book used one of my least-like romance tropes (not mentioning here to avoid spoilers).

Escaping from Houdini by Kerri Maniscalco. I tend to veer away from books that are dark or macabre, and while this one does not delve as deeply into these themes as other ones out on the market, I have to be in the right mood to pick this series up. That said, I am drawn to this series and once I start reading one of the books, I go through it quickly--I read this one in under two days! I adore Thomas. The setting about an ocean liner definitely added to the book and I was kept busy trying to put all the pieces together.


A Cup of Christmas Tea by Tom Hegg is another book of poetry, this one following a storyline of a young man reluctant to visit an older relative around the Christmas holiday. This one tugged at my heart (exactly what it was supposed to do!)


Touched by Fate by Preslaysa Williams was an ebook that I got as part of a program to read and share reviews. It combined aspects of Filipino and African culture that were new to me. While this book was my least favorite read of the month, I would be interested in trying the author out again sometime.

I did a lot of reading in January! Which one of these books caught you eye the most?

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