January Recap

Life lately
One month down in 2021 already? How is that possible?! In a month that felt crazy, I think the biggest moments of relief for me were: watching the Inauguration ceremony for Biden and Harris (I've never felt so invested or emotional over Inaugural Day!) and taking my dad to get his first dose of the vaccine. I know there's still a lot of work to be done but it feels like there are steps towards some progress at least. 

I also got promoted this month! Promotions at my job are always announced during the second half of January so I was pretty much counting down until they made the announcements. I'm now at the Design Lead / VP level and I couldn't be happier about it. Granted, work still sucks but at least my title finally matches the amount of work and responsibilities I carry. 

So I'd say January has been a pretty rollercoaster month but these days, that seems to be every month. I wouldn't mind a calmer February! 


This month's ...
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Read but not reviewed
  • Archangel's Sun (Guild Hunter, #13) by Nalini Singh 
    - 4.5 stars
    I knew I would enjoy Archangel's Sun but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did since it deviated from the core group the series has centered on. But I seriously shouldn't have worried! The romance, the story, and the main hero and heroine far exceeded my expectations. 

  • Coming Up Roses (Bennet Brothers, #1) by Staci Heart - 3.5 stars
    This modern take on Pride and Prejudice was exactly what I needed at the time. It's sweet and sexy and takes place in a New York City flower shop that I found myself wishing was real. I actually want to continue the series!

  • The Bone Season series (Books 1-3) by Samantha Shannon - 4.5 stars
    I re-read this series (for the first time!) to prepare myself before starting the 4th book. I'm so glad I did because not only did the series hold up for me, but I actually loved it even more the second time around. 

  • The Mask Falling (Bone Season, #4) by Samantha Shannon - 5 stars
    I was so torn between putting this or A Little Life as my favorite book of the month. Not to mention, how awesome is it to have two 5 star reads so early in the year?! But this was the Bone Season book I've been waiting for! It primarily focused on Paige and Warden (I love them) and their adventures in Paris. Need I say more? 

  • Sounds Like Me: My Life (So Far) in Song by Sara Bareilles - 4 stars
    My first complete audiobook read and it was the best experience. I loved listening to Sara narrate her own book and sing at the beginning of each chapter. 

  • Irish Thoroughbred by Nora Roberts - 4 stars
    This is Nora Roberts’ first book and also my first time reading anything of hers. You can definitely tell it's an early work and some of it is certainly dated but truthfully? I super enjoyed it! I was pleasantly surprised to find out she had written a horse book which is why I bought it and I'm glad I ended up liking it! 

  • The Brightest Night (Origin, #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout - 3 stars
    As always, JLA's books never fail to entertain me but I do think this spin-off series has gotten weaker with each book. Even though I love being in the Lux world, ultimately I want to be with the core characters, namely Daemon and Katy, rather than Luc and Evie. 

  • A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara - 5 stars
    I became curious about this book last year and I finally spent this past week reading it. I honestly don't have the words to describe the experience. It's a long book (over 700 pages!) and there are moments when it can feel a bit slow because it's so character driven. But I personally loved that because I was falling in love with these characters, namely Jude and Willem, and wanted to know everything about them. It's just so beautifully written and it made me cry at least 5 times. I can't stop thinking about it and I doubt the effect of this story will leave me anytime soon. 

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How's your month been?

3 comments

  1. A Little Life ruined me. Ah, Jude. <3 I also need to catch up to the Bone Season series! I only read the first book but continued to buy the corresponding installments. Man, lots to catch up on!

    I hope you'll have a great February!

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  2. Congrats on your promotion! January was decent--I had a good birthday which was my main hope for the month. Having a hard time getting my mom's vaccine appointment. Baby steps.

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  3. Congratulations again on the promotion! You totally deserve it. And yay for having so many amazing reads, including The Mask Falling (which was brilliant). And you've totally convinced me to read A Little Life!

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with love,

Rachel