I Read 36 Books in January… Here are the Best and Worst

January was a whirlwind of reading for me—I managed to tackle 36 books in just one month! With so many pages turned, I’ve come across some absolute gems, as well as a few that didn’t quite live up to expectations. In this post, I’ll be sharing the best and worst of my January reading, so if you’re looking for new book recommendations (or want to avoid a few), keep reading!

Best:

The Giver by Lois Lowry

This book was actually a reread, and it is one of the few books I’d rate 5 stars. The Giver is set in a futuristic utopia and balances simplicity and insight to form the most breath-taking commentaries on humanity, history, freedom, and pain. 

A Beast as Dark as Night by Jennifer Kropf

A Beast as Dark as Night was the fourth and final installment in The Winter Souls series by Jennifer Kropf. It tied the rest of the series together in a beautiful way, and is a powerful allegory akin to Narnia. This symbolism and theme of this book are absolutely incredible.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

I came into this book believing a certain film version was a faithful adaptation (spoiler alert: it wasn’t). While I probably preferred the movie’s story, the novel is much more interesting. The themes in this book are on-point and intriguing. It’s obvious why this book is a classic, and it truly makes you think.

A Heart as Red as Paint by Jennifer Kropf

As evidenced by the multiple entries from this series, The Winter Souls was an incredible reading experience. A Heart as Red as Paint is the second book in the series and where things start picking up. The symbolism is consistently the star in the series, but the plot also holds its own. This book, in particular, is one of the best portrayals of the imperfection of humanity, and the theology of the natural man.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

I initially began this book waaay back, but decided to revisit it in anticipation of the upcoming release of Sunrise on the Reaping. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is another pull-you-in-and-never-let-you-go read from Collins. Practically everything was on-point with this book; my only complaint is that the development of Coriolanus’s story felt a little uneven.

Worst:

Matched by Ally Condie

This book is actually the reason why I re-read The Giver. Matched is, to put it frankly, the Twilight version of The Giver. It contains many of the same elements of The Giver, yet manages to make them uninteresting and cliche. Unfortunately, this was a chore to finish, as I never had much of a desire to read it. The prose made me cringe, the characters were shallow, and the romance was very clearly a teen romance (and even then, I had a hard time buying that the love interest was older than 12). Was this the worst book I’ve ever read? No, but it was the worst book I read in January.

The Lantern’s Ember by Colleen Houck

Let’s all take a moment to appreciate this cover, because it reflects the best part of this book, which is found in the first chapter. I began this book with high hopes as Colleen Houck absolutely nailed the descriptions of an Autumn-based setting. Truly, this book had you immersed at the beginning. Then it unfortunately derailed into a teen romance where one of the love interests was 18, and the other was centuries old (not a fan of that age gap, I’m afraid). On top of that, the love interest had zero personality, other than being a love interest. I’m a sucker for a good romance, but unfortunately the overly sappy, cringy romance of The Lantern’s Ember completely overshadowed the plotline of this book and threw it completely.

The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest by Melanie Dickerson

I love a good romance (see above), but I am a harsh rater when it comes to them, because they handicap themselves. Unfortunately, when readers automatically know the ending of your book, you have to work harder to make up for that. I went into this book expecting a sweet, Christian romance (which I suppose it was), but it fell flat. This book suffered from the same malady as The Lantern’s Ember, in which both love interests had little to no personality. The romance was bland, the pacing was too quick and unbalanced, and unfortunately, this is not a book I could recommend.

Star Daughter by Shevta Thrakar

I chose to read Star Daughter because I love the Telugu culture and wanted to extend that into Hindu mythology. This book was a bit of a roller coaster for me. At first I didn’t like it, then I had high hopes, then my expectations diminished those hopes. The premise of this book was definitely interesting and the actual book (unfortunately) did not deliver.

White Rose by Kip Wilson

I appreciate this book, I really do, but it was definitely better on paper than in reality. White Rose is a historical fiction that tells the story of Sophie and Hans Scholl in poetry. Sophie and Hans have a brutal story, but unfortunately because this book was written in poetry, it removed the readers another step from them and made it harder to deepen our perspectives. This book was a novel idea and a nice tribute, but it unfortunately doesn’t do the Scholl siblings (and other White Rose members) justice.

January was an incredible month of reading, filled with books that left a lasting impact—both for better and for worse. Some stories reminded me why I love reading, while others fell short of expectations. But whether they were hits or misses, each book added something to my reading experience. Have you read any of these? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your opinions! And here’s to another great month of reading ahead!