Books read in January
Feb. 1st, 2026 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
glacier_kittyA book set in Michigan or written by an author from Michigan: Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass (Dec 31-4). The main character drives a bookmobile from her library, and her cat stows away, which all the patrons love. The character kept saying things I related to haha. Then her cat finds a dead body, oh my! (Or as the cat would say, "mrr!") Her descriptions of Michigan sound really pretty, and kind of made me want to visit!
A book with a character who has curly hair: Tailing a Tabby by Laurie Cass (Jan 5-11). I bought the third and fourth book after reading this one, the main character is so relatable! (Though why does she keep finding dead bodies?? Haha) Yay, a fun new series to read!
A book featuring a character with a hidden past: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (Jan 11-14). Everyone had secrets! The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff should be more well-known..it was similar to the Titanic but a lot more people died. So sad!
A book about new beginnings: Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats by Courtney Gustafson (Jan 15-18). The author moves into a house with 30 feral cats..she feeds them, TNRs them, cares for them, etc, and the cats transform into beautiful healthy cats. The author also rescues other feral/stray cats, and tries to stop their suffering (like she gets one spayed, and the cat is relaxed and happy, and doesn't have to worry about constantly getting pregnant). Very cool!
A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover: Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (Jan 18-25). Main character has an existential crisis, gets drunk, gets on a cart and falls asleep and finds herself far from home and has adventures. The elf and goblin characters were cool, but the main character's crisis throughout the whole book got annoying. Legends & Lattes is definitely the best in the series so far
A book less than 260 pages: The Four-Poster Bed by Susan Hudson Chellis (Jan 25-28). Obviously I had to read this haha, but it was definitely one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. It desperately needed an editor, and I feel like she used autocorrect a lot. She'd say "boob" instead of "bob," "courtesy" instead of "curtsy," the sentences were repetitive and weird, etc. There wasn't enough about the bed either, which was mostly talked about at the beginning and end. So disappointing :(
A book in a different format than your usual: physical, audio, eBook: The Indestructible Tom Crean: Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic by Jennifer Thermes (Jan 29). I knew this would be painful, so I chose a short picture book..someone on YouTube read it..that always drives me crazy because I can read faster than they can talk haha. Crean really was an amazing guy though..walking 30 some miles to get help for your dying expedition member? Crossing ice with orcas swimming around you (Cherry was there too!)? Crossing the South Georgia mountains with almost no special equipment? Wow. I should find a copy to add to my collection..
A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot
A book that features a platonic friendship between a man and woman
A book you meant to read in 2025
A book that starts with the letter "Z"
A book about women astronauts
A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight
A book about a granny hobby
A book about a sexless marriage
A book with a "type C" character
A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover
A book with a dad as the primary caregiver
A book with "pop" or "sugar" in the title
A book featuring a character with a hidden past
A book set in Michigan or written by an author from Michigan
A book about new beginnings
A book less than 260 pages
A book about your favorite event in the Winter Olympics
A love story that defies social boundaries
A book about teen angst
A book with a character who does Pilates or Lagree
A book about a bachelorette trip
A book about a book club
A book you were hoping would fit into a prompt but doesn't
A book about postpartum
A book that explores influencer culture
A book with a character who navigates infertility
A book with a character who has curly hair
A book about debt
A book that takes place during harvesting season
A travel ghost story
A book that makes you feel FOMO
A book with an underwater civilization
A book about college
A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist
A book that makes you want to travel to Italy
A book about a mob (fiction or nonfiction)
A book about a pop star
A book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title
A book with a character who runs a marathon
A book outside your comfort zone
Advanced
A book in a different format than your usual: physical, audio, eBook
A book inspired by a real song, album, band, or artist
Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (1)
Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (2)
A book that features birding
A sapphic comic
A book told entirely through letters
A book with a shadow daddy
A book with a mention of your zodiac sign
A book about Afrofuturism
That was a super fast month!! How does time somehow get faster every year??
Yesterday at the bookstore was awesome! Since Danae started, the customers have definitely noticed the changed vibes..it's so much busier, with people coming in the instant we open. That's more like it! She's definitely helped save the store and I'm so grateful. It's tiring, but fun too! Yay, happy fun vibes! A customer the other day paid his $57 balance entirely in quarters. O_o That's definitely the most amount of coins I've ever seen someone pay (he said his mom gave him a piggy bank for Christmas haha)
Jan 31. What is your favorite thing about weekends right now? Strawberry milkshakes, playing hidden object/cat games, reading in bed
Feb 1: Write down your fondest memories to do with a childhood pet: Swimming with my dog Max, playing Star Wars Monopoly with the Guinea pigs walking around haha, taking walks with the cats, etc
A book with a character who has curly hair: Tailing a Tabby by Laurie Cass (Jan 5-11). I bought the third and fourth book after reading this one, the main character is so relatable! (Though why does she keep finding dead bodies?? Haha) Yay, a fun new series to read!
A book featuring a character with a hidden past: Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys (Jan 11-14). Everyone had secrets! The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff should be more well-known..it was similar to the Titanic but a lot more people died. So sad!
A book about new beginnings: Poets Square: A Memoir in Thirty Cats by Courtney Gustafson (Jan 15-18). The author moves into a house with 30 feral cats..she feeds them, TNRs them, cares for them, etc, and the cats transform into beautiful healthy cats. The author also rescues other feral/stray cats, and tries to stop their suffering (like she gets one spayed, and the cat is relaxed and happy, and doesn't have to worry about constantly getting pregnant). Very cool!
A book about a horse or with a horse on the cover: Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree (Jan 18-25). Main character has an existential crisis, gets drunk, gets on a cart and falls asleep and finds herself far from home and has adventures. The elf and goblin characters were cool, but the main character's crisis throughout the whole book got annoying. Legends & Lattes is definitely the best in the series so far
A book less than 260 pages: The Four-Poster Bed by Susan Hudson Chellis (Jan 25-28). Obviously I had to read this haha, but it was definitely one of the most poorly written books I've ever read. It desperately needed an editor, and I feel like she used autocorrect a lot. She'd say "boob" instead of "bob," "courtesy" instead of "curtsy," the sentences were repetitive and weird, etc. There wasn't enough about the bed either, which was mostly talked about at the beginning and end. So disappointing :(
A book in a different format than your usual: physical, audio, eBook: The Indestructible Tom Crean: Heroic Explorer of the Antarctic by Jennifer Thermes (Jan 29). I knew this would be painful, so I chose a short picture book..someone on YouTube read it..that always drives me crazy because I can read faster than they can talk haha. Crean really was an amazing guy though..walking 30 some miles to get help for your dying expedition member? Crossing ice with orcas swimming around you (Cherry was there too!)? Crossing the South Georgia mountains with almost no special equipment? Wow. I should find a copy to add to my collection..
A book where gardening or a garden is central to the plot
A book that features a platonic friendship between a man and woman
A book you meant to read in 2025
A book that starts with the letter "Z"
A book about women astronauts
A book with an overweight main character whose story isn't about losing weight
A book about a granny hobby
A book about a sexless marriage
A book with a "type C" character
A book with a dad as the primary caregiver
A book with "pop" or "sugar" in the title
A book about your favorite event in the Winter Olympics
A love story that defies social boundaries
A book about teen angst
A book with a character who does Pilates or Lagree
A book about a bachelorette trip
A book about a book club
A book you were hoping would fit into a prompt but doesn't
A book about postpartum
A book that explores influencer culture
A book with a character who navigates infertility
A book about debt
A book that takes place during harvesting season
A travel ghost story
A book that makes you feel FOMO
A book with an underwater civilization
A book about college
A book with a trans or nonbinary protagonist
A book that makes you want to travel to Italy
A book about a mob (fiction or nonfiction)
A book about a pop star
A book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title
A book with a character who runs a marathon
A book outside your comfort zone
Advanced
A book inspired by a real song, album, band, or artist
Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (1)
Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (2)
A book that features birding
A sapphic comic
A book told entirely through letters
A book with a shadow daddy
A book with a mention of your zodiac sign
A book about Afrofuturism
That was a super fast month!! How does time somehow get faster every year??
Yesterday at the bookstore was awesome! Since Danae started, the customers have definitely noticed the changed vibes..it's so much busier, with people coming in the instant we open. That's more like it! She's definitely helped save the store and I'm so grateful. It's tiring, but fun too! Yay, happy fun vibes! A customer the other day paid his $57 balance entirely in quarters. O_o That's definitely the most amount of coins I've ever seen someone pay (he said his mom gave him a piggy bank for Christmas haha)
Jan 31. What is your favorite thing about weekends right now? Strawberry milkshakes, playing hidden object/cat games, reading in bed
Feb 1: Write down your fondest memories to do with a childhood pet: Swimming with my dog Max, playing Star Wars Monopoly with the Guinea pigs walking around haha, taking walks with the cats, etc
