Who’s ready to talk books?? I expected my reading stats to take a nosedive at the start of the new year, but some epic snowstorms (and soccer practices) gave me time to read a total of eleven books in January.
I’m changing the format of these posts ever so slightly to make things a bit easier for me. I’m not going to write a book summary because those took forever and I found them tedious. I realize this isn’t quite as fun and makes it trickier for readers to figure out what the book is about and if it sounds interesting.
I’m simply copying and pasting what I wrote in my Goodreads reviews; see the graphics for my star rating!
JANUARY FICTION
- Small Boat by Vincent Delecroix
This is a hard book to rate. For a short read, it packed a big punch but did start to feel repetitive and boring. I think it could have been tightened for a bigger emotional impact. The ending leaves me with questions, but in a brilliant way (I think? Maybe I’m reading too far into the ending).
It’s maddening, it fascinating, and feels deeply prescient.
Content warnings. I forgot to make specific note, so there might be some strong language? There are (non-graphic) descriptions of migrants drowning at sea.
- The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
This is a tough book to rate. My heart is saying 3 stars, but my head is saying 4 so I’ll go with 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. (Side note: I think the title fits the story PERFECTLY.)
I only liked one character in this entire book (Rebecca). Basically everyone else is horrible/unreliable in one way or another and there is SO MUCH SADNESS. Audrain is good at writing twisted stories and this one is definitely twisted. That said, the plot doesn’t really move very quickly and I predicted one of the big twists pretty early in the book. I preferred her book The Push (which made it into my Top Ten Fiction for 2025 list).
Content warnings. Infidelity (multiple characters). Some strong language. Suicide. Miscarriage/child loss (multiple characters).
- The Widow by John Grisham
The premise of the story is compelling, but it went on and on and on and on… forever. It was almost like he had a page or word count to get to? This book should have been half the length.
Also, the final “twist” came out of left field, made little to no sense, was abrupt (which felt odd given how slow and plodding the rest of the book had been) and basically made the entire book pointless. Lots of loose ends left untied. Meh.
I finished reading it because I was filling time at a kid’s sport practice, but this should have been a DNF.
Content warning. Gambling and substance abuse, strong language (not pervasive), homicide.
- The Bear by Andrew Krivak
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. This is a hard book to rate because it’s an unusual blend of genres. It’s dystopian (in a way), yet hopeful. There’s realism and fantasy all blended into one. The writing is beautiful and haunting, though the pace is quite slow. It’s an interesting thought experiment about a world where there are only two humans left: a father and daughter.
It reminds me of a melding of: I Who Have Never Known Men, Isola, and The Jungle Book.
Content warnings. Some peril, dystopian themes.
- Gray After Dark by Noelle W. Ihli
I read this book a day after watching a new Netflix documentary about Elizabeth Smart’s abduction. It made the events described in this thriller seem horrifically realistic. This book is (loosely!) based on the true story of what happened to Kari Swenson (an Olympic biathlete who was abducted by a father and son in Montana).
It took a while for the pace of the book to pick up, the content is definitely disturbing, and the whole thing wrapped up a bit too quickly, but this was a SOLID thriller that was compelling.
Content warnings. SO MANY. Some strong language, abduction, rape (implied, no graphic descriptions), physical and emotional abuse, miscarriage/child loss.
JANUARY NON-FICTION
- The Scandinavian Guide to Happiness: The Nordic Art of Happy and Balanced Living with Fika, Lagom, Hygge, and More!
Meh. A surface-level approach to each of the topics and a lot of repetition, coupled with far too many subcategories in each chapter.
If I’d never heard of any of these concepts before I might have been a bit more intrigued…
- Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller
This was an… intense read. I did find Miller’s memoir compelling and hard to put down but also deeply depressing. Both the mental and physical struggles of her parents, the generational trauma caused by extreme hoarding, and the delicate balance between loving someone with a mental illness the way they are and enabling that behaviour are all explored in this book. (I’m not rating this memoir because of the personal nature of it.) It’s both sad and redemptive, hopeful and hopeless. There are a lot of emotions wrapped up in this book!
Content warnings. Discussions of suicide. Hoarding. Mental illness. Death of pets. Occasional strong language.
- The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories That Define Us by John J. Lennon
This book had some great qualities, but I found it extremely hard to follow with the constant jumping back and forth between characters/criminals. There didn’t seem to be any cohesive arc to how the information was separated out and I think it would have been 20x better if it had been half the length.
I also didn’t feel like there was a clear thesis to the book; no real takeaways for what should be done in the future. I’m not quite sure what to make of the loose ends.
That said, what Lennon has accomplished as a journalist behind bars is incredible and I appreciated that he shared about the process of writing and getting that information out into the general public (spoiler alert: it’s hard!).
Content warnings. Strong language, graphic descriptions of prison and prison violence, graphic descriptions of crimes (murder/assault), substance abuse.
- The Language of Kindness: A Nurse’s Story by Christie Watson
This was such a thought-provoking read and a powerful reminder of the incredible work that nurses do every day, often without much appreciation and recognition.
Content warnings. Occasional strong language. Frequent detailed descriptions of death and dying. References to trauma, child abuse, mental illness, and substance abuse.
- Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass—How I Went 77 Years Without Growing Up by Dave Barry
Predictably funny. A few sections had me roaring with laughter; in fact, my jet-lagged husband was rudely awoken from sleep to find me howling in bed (with literal tears streaming down my cheeks) while reading the chapter devoted to interactions with readers.
A few parts of the book felt a bit tedious (I’m not American and some of the sections on politics felt like a slog), but overall this book delivered what I hoped it would.
Content warnings. Some strong language, discussions of substance abuse and suicide.
- Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery
I have been borderline obsessed with the Appalachian Trail since reading about Jennifer Pharr Davis and Scott Jurek’s treks. Somehow, the story of Emma Gatewood (a grandmother in her 60s) never crossed my radar. The book occasionally gets bogged down with too many details (most notably about two hurricanes), and I would have liked more pictures, but overall this was a delightful read.
Content warnings. Descriptions of domestic abuse.
TOP PICKS FOR JANUARY
Drumroll.
My favourite fiction read for January was Gray After Dark but it comes with MANY CONTENT WARNINGS so proceed with caution.
My favourite non-fiction read for January was Language of Kindness which also comes with MANY CONTENT WARNINGS.
That’s a wrap.
- Tell me all about the books you read in January.
- What would your top pick be from the month?
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Top non-fiction read: Humanism, about why people anthrpomorphize just about everything. ( you have your Eufy!)
Fiction- read a lot, Peter Swanson novels- good but got tired of all the sociopaths. Wuthering Heights- up there with Joy Luck Club as glad I read it, never will touch it again. Fun read – Barbara Allan Antiques Round-up. I really should write down what I read.
We have Eufy!!!
Oh my goodness. Wuthering Heights is the most depressing slog in all of literature, I think. I read it once as a teen and hated it and then wondered how it would live up to a re-read a few years ago. What a bleak book!!!!
I am so impressed that you write summaries and rate almost each book you read.
It is interesting that every book requires a “trigger warning”. Have all books had upsetting elements, or is this only in our current age of hyper-sensitivity, hair-trigger upset, easily offended approaches to life? Just food for contemplation here. . . (I’d love to know what your dad has to say about this.)
January was full of escaping into fiction for me, and it continues as I find more excellent stories by Jo-Ann Mapson. Even the ones that are not part of the same series borrow characters from other series. Some treat sex as a spectator sport, but I can flip past these unnecessary details to keep the story flowing. The characters are so complete, and it helps that I often recognize the settings.
The last couple of books I’ve read by John Grisham cause me to wonder if he has hired inexperienced ghost writers, or if he is tired of writing but required by contract to produce. He seems to have run out of juice.
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk was excellent! She was one tough cookie. I love the books based on the Appalachian Trail, or the Pacific Crest Trail, or random walks across the country. Did you ever read Peter Jenkins Walk Across America? That’s the first one I discovered in the genre (if it can be called that).
P.S. I can access your Patreon account through the email notifications but only the current post will load.
I don’t think many people put content warnings for all books; I just like to be thorough with that sort of thing (though obviously, it’s not foolproof!). There are some books I automatically skip because of a content warning!!!
I haven’t read John Grisham in at least a decade, but this book is unlikely to ever take me back to his books.
I’ve never read (or heard of) Walk Across America. Off to look that up.
Argh. I have no idea what’s going on with Patreon. Leave this with me and I’ll see what I can figure out. Thanks for your patience <3
I dislike writing book summaries, too — it’s challenging, and the work has already been done for us on the cover copy. Sometimes I still try to write a line or two, but that’s mainly for myself. I never mind reading reviews that have no indication of what the book is about. You read a ton of books in January! I am going to put Gray After Dark on hold; you make it sound intriguing!
Gray After Dark was extra compelling for me because it was based on a true story. That always pulls me in a unique way! I hope you like it 🙂
I’ve been reading Jane Austen books that I had neglected to read before and I also read The Correspondent, as it finally was my turn for it from the library.
I’m curious what you thought of The Correspondent. I really enjoyed reading it (with my ears)!
I’d give it a B. It was an easy read, which I appreciated, but too much of a Debbie Downer book for me to give it an A.
We’ve got two books in common! I read Coming Clean so long ago that I remember NOTHING about it. I listened to Class Clown when I was in BC, so I have great memories of driving through the mountains while laughing my head off.
Best books of January: Discontent for fiction and Best Laid Plans and The Simple Path to Wealth for non fiction.
I think you were the one who put Class Clown on my radar. Some parts were rib-splitting funny!!!! I very much enjoyed it, so thanks for the rec <3
Cue the Sun! was probably my favorite January read. Reality television, whether we like it or not, has had a huge impact on modern life. I thought this was well-researched and thorough, while still being readable.
It has arrived for me at the library! Will report back 🙂
I remember the Elizabeth Smart case as a kid – I was around the same age and it really upset me. I recently watched the netflix documentary, thinking I would be able to handle it better, and I still didn’t sleep!
My fun read this month is Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry and my serious read is The Death of Expertise by Thomas M. Nichols, which is a non-fiction book exploring why the general public has stopped trusting established scientists and science in general, and instead believe it’s sufficient to ‘do their own research’. A depressing but important read! I’m also reading some guidebooks on Florence.
It’s so fun to do reading centered on a place you’re visiting – whether that’s guide books or fiction!
January was an abysmal reading month for me. I didn’t finish a single book. The giant declutter of the basement really cut into my free time and honestly I also scrolled too much. Sigh.
Juts went and put Granda Gatewood’s walk on hold at the library!
P.S. I like your new book summary format! I personally found the previous format a bit repetitive with the short and long version. This is more streamlined.
Grandma Gatewood’s walk is VERY feel good (aside from the fact her husband was violent).
Decluttering is a very worthy way to spend time AND scrolling is okay too! Especially in the doldrums of winter.
I’m glad you like this format 🙂
I read a lot of good fiction in January – Purple Hibiscus, Heart the Lover, The Berry Pickers, and a new author’s debut novel that I highly recommend, Inhale, Exhale 🙂 Nonfiction was Careless People which I didn’t find riveting, but I did finish it.
I am STILL waiting for Inhale Exhale to come in. And I am getting impatient!
I finished Careless People, too. I didn’t find it overly gripping, but it’s definitely an important cautionary tale.
January was a so so month for reading for me. I read some good books but a lot of “just ok” books. But I don’t know if it was the books or the dreary backdrop of life in Minnesota. I really liked Good Dirt and So Far Gone. And I thought “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” was fascinating! My book club read The Bear in January and everyone really liked it.
I liked Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, too!
The Bear was a solid, quick read and I think it could make for great discussion!
My favorite read from January was Robert Galbraith’s The Hallmarked Man. BUT, this is a book in the series that you tried but abandoned because it had so much swearing. Someone else recently mentioned that about this series (can’t remember who it was…) Yes, there is a lot! Sometimes tht bothers me, but in these books it doesn’t, not sure why.
Hmmm… Gray After Dark sounds really good!
Gray After Dark was… pretty grim in places, but I found it very gripping!!
It was the middle of the night when I commented so I wasn’t as clear as I could have been about content warnings. I didn’t mean that lots of people put them in their reviews. I was puzzled as to why it is that so many books are full of things that cause us to warn our fellow readers. I also wondered if fellow readers are becoming more sensitive. I do appreciate the labels that Goodreads provides, because, for example, if it says Dystopian, I say, “no thanks”.
Thanks for checking into Patreon. I’m sorry to add to your load! It’s probably because of DuckDuckGo, because it keeps me from loading many sites. Until this week, I had no trouble with Patreon. Things just keep changing, “updating”, which is a euphemism for “complication”.
So many thoughts on this and not enough time to articulate them before I have to skedaddle! Short answer: yes, I think readers are more sensitive and while this is typically cast in a bad light, I also think there is the sense that we feel we have agency to admit when certain things (abuse, for example, will be negatively triggering). Short answer #2: yes, I think there is generally more content that would be potentially triggering in modern fiction. Sometimes that’s a good thing (we are tackling subjects that formerly would have been taboo) but also sometimes it’s a horrible thing. We’re unnecessarily exposed to things that weigh us down. Fiction isn’t necessarily a fun, light escape.
It seems to be working for others, so I think it is likely the DuckDuckGo. I’m so sorry, Jana. Argh! There is an app? That might work better for you?
I’d heard about Grandma Gatewood before! I would probably enjoy the Dave Barry memoir; he’s pretty funny.
Hmmmm….what did I enjoy in January? Oh, How To Read A Book by Monica Wood. IT WAS SO GREAT. I really loved it and didn’t want it to end.
How To Read a Book was great. I wasn’t a fan of her having an affair with the professor (sorry, spoiler alert) but beyond that, I loved it!
Oh yeah, that was shady as heck!
Looks like you had a great reading month 🙂 I like the new format for this post too! I’ve also streamlined by recap posts a bit this year. And the cover for The Bear is gorgeous!
My favorite book of the month was probably Anne of Avenue A – my new favorite Persuasion retelling. Although I ended up reading 2 Persuasion retellings without knowing 🙂 And my nonfiction count is at 1/12, and I’m totally counting this one even though I started it way back in November, LOL! I do hope to read more of it this year.
I read a lot of fiction in 2025 and was craving getting back to non-fiction. So I’m thinking my fiction reading might be down in 2026!!
I finished 1 book this month: No Quick Fix
https://practicalwalk.com/2026/02/05/january-book-stack-2/
You read a lot of great books! I read a content warning on Engie’s blog about horse death and I was very thankful. We need to know what books are not for us.
Yes to this!
The only book I’ve heard from your list is The Whispers. Gray After Dark sounds good but very intense! I really struggle with abduction books like that, so I’ll probably pass.
My favorite fiction of January was Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone. And I only read one nonfiction, In Light of All Darkness, but it was SO GOOD.
It is intense, so I would DEFINITELY suggest you pass.
I have In Light of All Darkness on my shelf thanks to your recommendation. Will report back!