My January Wrap Up | 2024

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Bookbugs,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January went by in the blink of an eye. At least, that’s how it was for me. Which means it is time to take a look at all the books that I read last month. Overall, I read a total of five books, which is my monthly average. Considering the fact that this was a busy month, I would say I did well. Now that I think about it, all of them ended up being 4-star ones. 

 

 

 

Without any more delay, let’s talk books.

 

 

 

 

 

1) War of the Wind by Victoria Williamson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Victoria Willaimson is my most-read author in the year 2023. I am part of the Neem Tree Press blog tours with TheWriteReads. I picked this book for the tour. War of the Wind was an emotional yet hopeful first read. War of Wind is the story of a bunch of differently abled children who need to fight their own fears to save their Scottish village. We follow forteen-year-old Max who lost his hearing recently in an accident. Most of the story is about how Max learns to adapt to his new life and make friends.  I enjoyed it and rated it a 4/5 ( Review )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have heard good things about this book and wanted to read it last year. The new year seemed like a perfect time to get into it as we made to-do lists and goals for the year. This book isn’t for everyone I would say. It is for those kids who discovered the joy of reading in their childhood and would love to escape into fictional worlds. For some, it could be Narnia or Hogwarts. For me, it was the Adventure Island or a caravan camp with the famous five. We follow Lucy Hart who finds herself a contestant in the famous author Jack Masterson’s contest for his latest manuscript. This could be life-changing not just for Lucy but Christopher, her student, whom she wants to adopt. An ode to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this one is a joy ride on a bookish island. I enjoyed it and rated it a 4/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) Wedding Bell Time by Sophie Toovey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read Bell Time last year, and it ended up being my top ten reads of the year. So, I was looking forward to reading the sequel. In the first book, we follow Michael and Jen, who both work in the same school and are eyeing the same promotion. In the sequel, Wedding Bell Time, we follow them as they navigate their relationship and live their happily ever after. Although, two people as different as Michael and Jen can have such great potential in terms of storytelling if they are saying their I dos. That’s what this is all about. it was fun and endearing. I loved it and rated it a 4/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) Ordeal by Innocence by Agatha Christie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read Ordeal by Innocence for my online Agatha Christie book club. This one again surprised me by how much it stands against time. Even after all these years, the suspense was maintained till the end and it just was a classic whodunnit. Ordeal by Innocence basically plays out one evening again and again. A woman is murdered and his son is accused of the murder. The son Jacko had an alibi but before he could prove it Jacko was sentenced to prison where he died. When the alibi Dr. Arthur Calgary finds out about this, he wants to get to the bottom of this so that justice is served. That’s where this story begins and you just get to know all these Knives Out kind of characters snd just speculate who the killer could be. 

Again I am repeating the same sentiment here. It was a good thriller, and I rated it a 4/5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) One of the Good Guys by Araminta Hall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one was a surprise for me. When I started, I just thought it was a regular domestic thriller until it wasn’t. We follow Cole who works as a forest ranger and lives in this small town by the coast after getting his life upended by his ex-wife in London. Cole meets Lenora and there is some spark there. However, when two women who were walking to raise awareness about everyday violence against women go missing, Lenora and Cleo find themselves in the middle of it. As they find out more and more about each other,  they realize that they might not know each other that well. 
This is a perfect book for a book club discussion because there can be so many perspectives. This was immersive and thought-provoking.  I would discuss more of my thoughts in my review. I rated it a 4/5. It could have been a five star but in the end, I went with four stars because at the end of the day, I realized I didn’t quite agree with this big twist that happened at the end of the book even if I can totally see where they were coming from.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That’s all the books I read in January. And for some reason, all of them ended up being four stars. It sounds a bit monotonous, but I think it was a freaky coincidence.