I had big plans for January. Over the holidays, I had three full weeks off and I spent a lot of it getting organized and preparing for a hyper-productive, focused 2024. I was excited and motivated and ready to go.

Then my health took a deep dive and everything went up in smoke.

To be fair, I knew I was in for a challenging month, but I hadn’t prepared for just how hard it would be. I was able to get into a long-awaited procedure in another province that required me to spend roughly 3 weeks staying with family, away from my home, my husband, and my animals, and while I thought it would be a breeze to get through and that I’d manage to balance my health, my work, my family, and my reading life, I just couldn’t.

While I was sick and recovering, I found myself feeling really disappointed that I’d had literally no time at all for reading. I also found myself so exhausted all the time that even when I didn’t feel like I was in active recovery, I just didn’t have the motivation to read. My big start to the year was more like a big flop and I was pretty bummed about it.

That was probably a week ago though, and since then (and, not coincidentally, since I’ve returned home), I’m feeling much more like myself. My health has improved immensely and alongside it, my motivation has returned as well. 

I’m going ahead and calling January a trial month for 2024. It was hard beyond measure, but hopefully, not indicative of how the rest of my year will be.

Books Read in January 2024

After all that complaining, and despite everything that came my way in January, I actually still managed to read 8 books, which is only just under what I typically average. What’s even better is that the books that I did manage to read were fantastic.

In January I read:

1. Beyond the Wand by Tom Felton—I listened to this on audiobook and it was outstanding, I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a heartfelt memoir or some Harry Potter nostalgia. I rated it 5 stars and you can read my full review here.
2. The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon—this one took me a minute to get through and it felt like work to get to the juicy pieces, but the payoff was worth it. I rated it 4.5 stars and my full review is here.
3. Dance of Stars and Ashes by Nisha J. Tuli—Tuli is a peak romantasy writer and this sequel was absolute perfection. I read this as an ARC and it’s available February 16, you can check out my 5-star rating and review here.
4. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao—a feminine rage-filled violent fantasy that had me hooked on audio. I rated this one 4 stars and my full review will come shortly. 
5. Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart by Gennarose Nethercott — read this as an ARC, but it wasn’t really for me. I rated this one 3 stars.
6. All Systems Red by Martha Wells—the first book in the Murderbot series and it was outstanding. I rated this one 5 stars and my full review will come shortly.
7. Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross—the gut-wrenching conclusion to the Letters of Enchantment duology did not disappoint. I loved this one and rated it 5 stars, with a full review to come.
8. Yerba Buena by Nina Lacour—this was such a gorgeous piece of fiction full of heartache and growth and love. Another 5-star read with my full review to come.

TBR Lists

I didn’t have the capacity to do much this month, so the number of books I added to my TBR was a little more limited. Still, the ones I did add sound excellent. Some new additions include:

• House of Band and Blood by Alexis L. Menard—recommended by some bookstagrammers I trust and described as Peaky Blinders with elemental magic, this one sounds like all things I love.
• Bewitched by Laura Thalassa—an academy for young witches? Sign me up.
• The Frost Queen’s Blade by Meg Smitherman—a fantasy about an alliance between an assassin and a soon-to-be queen, recommended by a bookstagrammer I trust.

What I’m Loving Right Now

For the first time in a month, I’m feeling a lot like myself, which makes writing about the things I’m loving so much more simple. I’m just so grateful to be back to normal that my whole life feels like a romanticized version of what it always is, but here are a few things that are stand-outs right now for me:

My New Nespresso Machine

My morning coffee is quite literally the highlight of dragging myself out of bed. My husband bought me a Nespresso machine to keep in my office/home library and it’s been an absolute game changer. I can’t believe how consistently good the coffee is and I love how easy it is to make as I’m getting ready for my day.

Glamnetic Press-On Nails

I love having beautiful nails, but I am both cheap and untalented at doing them myself. My sister in law introduced me to Glamnetic nails over the holidays and now I’m completely hooked. They’re easy to apply, inexpensive, and last at least a week, if not more if I’m careful. If you see my bookstagram feature a really nice set of nails in my pics, they’re 100% Glamnetic.

Spending Time With Family

While January was incredibly hard in some ways, it was also a blessing to get to spend almost 3 weeks staying with my parents and surrounded by family. I haven’t been home for that long in more than a decade and it was so wonderful to have so much time with everyone. We got to hang out with my niece and nephew, have a tapas night with the whole fam, and see multiple toddler dance glasses and kids hockey games. It was easily the highlight of my month.

Now that I’m back into my regular swing of things, I’m excited for everything that I have planned for February. Onwards and upwards!