January Reflections: Books & More

Thoughts on my January reads ranked with ⭐️ ratings + things I loved

Hi all! January (otherwise known to me as the longest month of the year) felt never-ending, but was also filled with some great reads and other enjoyments. My daily routine of walking outside was challenging this month with bitter cold days, snow, and SO many cloudy, gray days- apparently only the third time since 1950 that Ohio had so many cloudy days in a row. But those daily walks outside in nature/woods are truly what sustains me during these shorter, grey winter days.

Reading wise January was STELLAR. I read 12 books and had four 5 ⭐️ reads! That is an unusually high number of 5 star reads for me and I attribute it to: putting books down that weren’t working (dnfing), and choosing books that had themes I love, were trusted authors, and/or were in genres that have been working for me. These methods are something I plan to continue doing in February, along with taking a reading chance on at least one book that’s outside of my comfort zone. In the past, these outside of my comfort zone books (Death Valley by Melissa Broder is a good example) have led to great reading experiences.

I’ll share my ranked reads with star ratings first - they’re ranked from favorite to least favorite - you can hear me share full reviews for most of these on my podcast, Book Talk, Etc (some are coming in future episodes). I’m also excited to share other favorites of my month including podcast episodes I loved, content I’ve read and enjoyed and my favorite new wide leg jeans. Let’s connect in the comments - what have been some of your favorites of January?