Hello, reader!
Now that we’re solidly into the second month of 2022, I figured it was time to do my reading wrap up for the first month. I had a pretty decent month of reading in January! I didn’t read a lot of books, but the quality was certainly top notch. I also finally watched Encanto and it kind of took over my life for a little bit. Not that that has anything to do with my reading, but there have definitely been days I chose watching Encanto again over reading a book so… maybe it does?
Either way, let’s start of by going over what books I did read in January 2022!
Books Read
Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page
Book: These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
Rating: ★★★★★
Thoughts: I kicked off the year with quite a banger! I finally read These Violent Delights and I absolutely loved it. It was an action-packed, emotional beginning to what is promising to be an epic reimagining of Romeo & Juliet. I loved the vivid feel of the world and Juliette was incredible character. Roma was pretty alright, too, lol. I can’t wait to read the sequel!
Book: The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: I did it, y’all. I caved to the peer pressure and I read The Love Hypothesis. I’m happy to report that I really enjoyed it, as well! Was a tad be unrealistic? Sure. But did I have a lot of fun while reading it? Absolutely! Also, Olive needs better friends, I’m just saying. The amount of cringey things she did just because her best friend kept pushing her into PDA situations was just… yikes. Still, this was a fun read and I’m glad I picked it up.
Book: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Rating: ★★★
Thoughts: This was an interesting horror novella that would have been much better if the ghost had been more present. Which is saying something, since the ghost is quite murderous! I just did not care about any of the characters in this book. The spooky stuff, however, was on point! Give me more of that and I would’ve been happy. Overall, this was a good, quick read.
Book: Persepolis 2 by Marjane Satrapi
Rating: ★★★★
Thoughts: I picked up the second part to Marjane Satrapi’s graphic memoir, Persepolis, and found it to be just as engaging as the first. It’s such an interesting format to tell your story and she uses it to really educate and strike a chord. I thought it was fascinating following her growth as a teenager and young woman. It makes me want to see the movie!
Book: Frostheart by Jamie Littler
Rating: ★★★★★
Thoughts: I absolutely loved this middle grade novel! I read it with the Middle Grade Marvels group and I’m so glad that I did. It was such a sweet read, with a lot of heart and one of the best found family elements I’ve come across in awhile. Ash and Tobu are the best, but I love the entire crew of the Frostheart! I’m really excited to continue this series.
Book: The Thirteenth Hour by Trudie Skies
Rating: ★★★★★
Thoughts: I read this book for a blog tour hosted by The Write Reads and, y’all, I was blown away! This gaslamp fantasy hit all the sweet spots: it had intricate and excellent world-building, the plot was expertly paced and kept me interested the whole time. The best part, however, was the characters. Oof, the characters! Kayl and Quen are two of my new favorite characters of all time. Especially Quen because QUEN NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED!! This was an incredible read and I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment to the series!
Book of the Month
As you may have noticed, I had three five star reads last month. Seeming as I only read six books, that means half of my reading was five stars in January! Which, of course, leads me to a bit of a quandary when picking my book of the month. I decided to go with the book that started my reading year off the right foot and went with…
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
This book had so much going for it and I’m so glad that I decided to kick off 2022 reading it. It was the perfect book to really get me into a reading mood because, once you start on that high, you’re eager to see what other incredible books are out there waiting to be read! I really need to pick up a copy of Our Violent Ends because I need to know what happens next. Though, if reviews are to be believed, it’s probably gonna destroy me…
Challenge Update
22 Books in 2022:
I actually read two books off my 22 Books in 2022 TBR! I’m impressed with myself, if I’m being honest 😂 I’m kicking it off strong, too, with one 5 star read and one four star read. Let’s hope I enjoy the other books from that list just as much.
- These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
12 Friends, 12 Recommendations:
Heh… this one I’m not doing as well. I did start to read one of the books on my list, though! I picked up Battle Royal by Lucy Parker and, so far, I’m really enjoying it.
Popsugar Reading Challenge:
- A book about a found family (Frostheart)
- A #BookTok recommendation (The Love Hypothesis)
- A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title (These Violent Delights)
- A book you can read in one sitting (Nothing But Blackened Teeth)
- Advanced: A book about someone leading a double life (The Thirteenth Hour)
Read Your Shelf Challenge:
- A book with 22 or more chapters (Frostheart)
- Book 1 of a duology (These Violent Delights)
- A book that has a version of the word “two” in the title (Persepolis 2)
- A book with a main character in their 20s (The Love Hypothesis)
- A book about a character living two different lives (The Thirteenth Hour)
- A book under 200 pages (Nothing But Blackened Teeth)
Book Riot Read Harder Challenge:
- Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author (Nothing But Blackened Teeth)
How was your reading in January? Did you find a new favorite? Make any progress on some challenges? Let me know in the comments!
And, as always, happy reading!
Kerri McBookNerd 
What a great month of reading! So many five stars to kick off the year and you’re starting off so strong with your challenges! 😍 Ah, I really hope you enjoy Battle Royal! I’ll be picking up TVD this month and I’m so looking forward to it. So glad to hear you loved it! I hope you have a great month of reading in Feb!
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Thanks, Dini! It was definitely a strong month when it comes to quality. I’m hoping that carries over into this month! Yay, I hope you love TVD as much as I did! And happy reading in February 😊
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