Monthly Reading Wrap-Up: January 2018.

Hello! 

January is gone (nearly) and it has left me with quite a few books read and some pretty diverse reads at that. January was a very good reading month! 

I hope the rest of my reading year matches January. 

Let's jump into all of my reading that I did in January. 

BOOKS READ IN JANUARY 2018! 

1. The Mussoorie Murder Edited by Ruskin Bond: My first book read in 2018 and even the first book I bought in 2018. Truth be told, I got this book thinking it will all Ruskin Bond. It wasn't. It is an anthology of classic short stories. I quite enjoyed it. 

3/5 

2. One by Sarah Crossan: An incredible book. I loved it. Read it in one evening and I can't recommend it enough. 

So good! 

5/5

3. The Ten Dollar Bride by Sanya Runway: Another collection of short stories dealing with the myriad issues women in India face. 

Compelling and moving.

3.5/5 

4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling, Illustration by Jim Kay: A very happy re-read! I will say that the illustrations in this book were so much more darker that the last two instalments, which completely fits with the themes in the book. 

5/5 

5. The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan: I loved One so much, I got two more books by the same author. I read this one first and I did like it. Just not as much as One. It was about Polish immigrants in Britain and the racism and scorn they face. I will do a full review soon. 

3/5 

6. The Aunt Who Wouldn't Die by Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Translated by Arunava Sinha: A funny little novella full of family struggles and swinging family fortunes. I loved it! 

4/5 

7. Are You Sleeping? by Kathleen Barber: Twists and turns and true crime podcasts. A fun and engaging read. 

3/5 

8. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini: Another re-read. Just as amazing as when I first read it over 10 years ago. 

5/5 

9. A Strangely Wrapped Gift by Emily Brynes: A collection of poetry! 

Who would have thunk it?! Me reading poetry! 2018 is off to a promising start with me expanding my reading horizons. I loved this collection of poetry, it's themes were mainly mental illness specifically OCD, love, relationships and life and living. So good! I am so glad I chanced upon this gem of a book. 

4/5 

10. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett: My classic read of the year. Read in my beloved Puffin in Bloom edition and I enjoyed this book. It is a little twee but still enjoyable. I hope to watch a movie adaptation soon. 

3/5 

11. People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry: A non-fiction read. Chronicling the disappearance and murder of Britisher Lucie Blackman in Japan, this book goes into the victim, her life, her case and it's court case. I applaud the research that must have gone into this book. I really do. But Man!!!! This book was so boring and so deep into every single aspect of the story. Just..wayy too much. I was so bored and I wish the writer would just get to the point. 

2/5 

12. Did You See Melody? by Sophie Hannah: Inspired by a very popular case. This book was a fun read. A sound thriller. With a great twist as well. 

3.5/5 

13. Mrs. C Remembers by Himanjali Sankar: A great books about family, memory and even the world at large. So good. 

A full review will come soon. 

4/5 

14. Salt by Nayyirah Waheed: Another poetry collection! What! I guess I like poetry now. 

I loved this collection of poetry.  It's main themes were race, feminism, self-love and self-worth. Very powerful stuff. I highly recommend. So good! 

4/5 

15. The Ghost of an Indian Bride by Divyansh Munda: A short story very inspired by Sherlock Holmes. The Watson here is called Moriarty! 

:) 

It was enjoyable enough. A quick and engaging read.

3/5 

16. Fly, Little Fish by Lavanya Karthik: An adorable read. Full of gorgeous art and illustration. A visual treat for young and older readers alike. 

5/5 

17. One Dark Cloud by Sobha Vishwanath: A counting book for a rainy day full of lovely rainy day bits- rain boots, warm blankets and umbrellas. Very charming. 

5/5

18. The Perfect Roommate by Minka Kent: I read The Memory Watcher by Minka Kent last year and I lovedddd it. So when I saw she had a new book out I immediately got it via Kindle Unlimited and read it as soon I got it.
I liked this book, it's fast paced and very engaging. I couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting. But it wasn't as good as her other book. There were quite a few twists and turns but a lot of them were fairly easy to guess.
3/5

19. Daughter of the Red Light by Shanoor Seervai: Another non-fiction read of the month. A short essay of sorts about the children of the red light area of Mumbai and the author's own experience with working with these kids. I quite enjoyed this book and reading about these extraordinary girls.
3/5

20. The Girl Who Lived by Christopher Greyson: A thriller about a girl who witnessed the brutal murder of her sister and father as a teenager and bounced in and out of mental hospitals ever since. It was OK..not great, not awful..just average.
2.5/5

I've done reviews for a lot of these books.
Numbers- 2, 6, 7 and 12 all have full reviews.
So there it is!

20 books read.
Some Poetry.
Short Stories.
Picture Books.
A Classic.
A very wonderful mix of genres. I honestly, couldn't be happier!

January, you've been good for me and my reading life.
I bought over 20 books- a good way to start the year and read so many amazing books.
2018 is off to a good reading start.

How was your January reading like?

Do Tell!