What I read in January

I started 2021 off with nine books read.  My favorite were The Wedding Date, Yes, We (Still) Can, White Fragility, and My Life as a Villainess.

The Wedding Date is a hysterical romance.  Alexa meets a guy in the elevator and within an hour she’s going to be his wedding date and it snowballs from there.  Great dialogue, quick movie plot and a very enjoyable read.

I honestly had to wait until the election was over to read Yes, We (Still) Can by Dan Pfeiffer.  It is an engaging read about his time working in politics, mostly for President Obama.  If you listen to Pod Save America or read Alyssa Mastromonaco’s memoir, I would recommend it, even though we are FINALLY passed that presidency, it’s a great read that you can breathe a tad easier reading.

White Fragility is a look at how racism is imbedded into all of society and how white people can get butthurt.  May I recommend it to all the people who just can’t dare to be any more politically correct? Cuz, people this is for you.  Think through history, real history, and take a look at how we are living in a society designed for white people and how that can affect people deemed as other.

My life as a Villainess is an essay collection by Laura Lippman who is one of my favorite authors.  If you have no background on her, I’m not sure it will be your cup of tea, however, check her books out and then head to this one.  Especially, if your inner thoughts turn a bit towards mean.

Keep this To Yourself is YA and it had potential but it never hit it for me. I kept trying to think if it was a YA vs adult read thing, but I think it just didn't hit it for me. I did like that they lived in Camera Cove and was of course thinking Cabot Cove ala Murder She Wrote.

The Distant Dead was decent but it was just sad. Great writing. Nothing wrong there.

The Silent Sister was our book club pick and while I typically love Diane Chamberlin, I felt this one had too much going on for it, too many plot lines and too many ways to try to say 'gotcha!' to the reader. Necessary Lies is still probably my very favorite by her.

Did you read anything amazing in January? How are your reading goals shaping up? For my goals, White Fragility checked a box and My Life as a Villainess checked a box I had for myself.