January felt both fast and slow. The first part of the month seemed to fly by, while the latter half seemed to creep. I didn't have an overwhelming desire to read, strangely enough, though both (yes, only two!) books I read this month were books I enjoyed. Hoping I can get my reading mojo back soon because I'm already four books behind on my Goodreads 2020 goal. Yikes!

Things have been busy. I'm taking an Italian class online which is consuming a lot of hours, with me reviewing grammar and writing essays. And I've had quite a month of social activities. So I'm hoping February will be a little more grounded. I also promise - at some point - to do a look at my favorite books of last year for you guys. At some point...

In any case, here were the books I read in January, both of which made the cut as best books!




Trail of Lightning - Rebecca Roanhorse
As I mentioned before, I'm now part of a bookclub! Hooray! This was selected by one of our members as our discussion book for January, and I'm glad it was. This was the tale of a Navajo woman with special powers who has to face off against great evil. There's nothing super special about that plot of course, but I found the world building of the book a delight, and the pacing fantastic. Roanhorse's writing is sharp and alive, and though there were elements that I wish were explained in more detail, I overall really enjoyed this one.




The Fisherman - John Langan
Ho. Ly. Smokes! This book was incredible! I'm very much into weird literature, and this novel - about a man dealing with the loss of his wife - hit the spot like nothing else has in quite awhile (I'm looking at you ex-favorite VanderMeer...what happened???). The Fisherman is, of course, about fishing. But it's also about what happens when you can't let go of those you love, which is not only its own kind of hell, but can also lead you to make terrible decisions; being caught in the snare of your own grief. Langan writes with an immediacy that reeled me in (see what I did there?) right away, and as the book got stranger and stranger I felt like I was there. It was also genuinely frightening at points. Highly highly recommended if you're into Lovecraftian horror.

That's all for me! What did you read this month? Any recommendations? Leave them in the comments!