January Book Roundup

Every book I read in January :)

Hi! How are you! I hope you’re having a good day!

I figured I’d make a cute lil’ post rounding up all the books I read in January. Will I do this every month? Maybe! Will I get distracted and abandon Substack in a week? Also maybe! I don’t know, man.

Anyway I didn’t set a reading goal or anything but I ended up reading 25 books in January. I’m not gonna give you a disclaimer or try to defend myself, I read a lot, I know. It’s my main hobby, I read fast, and when I’m not staying home with my son I’m working at a bookstore. Don’t compare yourself to me, I am a freak.

Okay let’s get into it. I won’t summarize the books, but I’ll give you the general vibes.

1. Hunting Season by Julia Brennan- Okay so I know Julia, she comes into my store a lot and she’s super cool so I figured I’d support her and check out her book. It was wild! Very experimental auto fiction that markets itself as “part performance, part exorcism”. I love a book that plays with form, and I’m glad I got to experience it!

2. Pearl by Tim Waggoner- Yes, this is the movie novelization of the A24 movie Pearl (2022). I joined the AAA24 membership and won a $10 gift card, so I got this book because Pearl is one of my favorite movies. It stays true to the film, but also goes more into Pearl’s backstory and her psyche which was very cool for a little nerd like me.

3. Make Me Famous by Maud Ventura- I’m in a season of rereading past favorites, and this was my first reread of 2026. I was an ARC reader for this and Ventura’s other novel My Husband before they came out, but this one is my preferred novel by the author. It details what happens when all your dreams of fame and fortune come true, and how it can ultimately lead to social exile and extreme burnout. Ventura is an expert at writing a good epilogue, and even though I had read it before, it had me hooked until the very last sentence.

4. Comemadre by Roque Larraquay- We love a fucked up book! The first half was a really spooky story about horrific experiments being performed on mental patients that had me gagging at work, and the second half was a commentary on subversive modern art, akin to Suture by Nic Brewer. Definitely liked the first half more, but it was overall a nice weird translated read.

5. Simply More by Cynthia Erivo- My husband got me this book for Christmas because I’m very amused by whatever is going on with the Wicked cast. It was a heartwarming book, but despite the short length it felt very padded. Couldn’t help but think it could’ve just been an Instagram post.

6. The Slicks by Maggie Nelson- Sylvia Plath and Taylor Swift and Taylor Swift and Sylvia Plath and Maggie Nelson. Sure, ok. I’m not a Swiftie but I am a Plathie, so it kept my attention at least.

7. Human History on Drugs by Sam Kelly- A nice little nonfiction book about how drugs have influenced pretty much everyone in history. As a neurodivergent person, I love reading books that are just infodumps of peoples’ special interests, and this did not disappoint.

8. Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata- Another reread. I was bored one night and wanted a nice lil’ novella to cozy up with. I looooove Murata, she is so good at writing women that completely reject social norms and are happy doing what they’re doing. I can relate! Leave the woman alone and let her work at that damn convenience store!!!!

9. Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg- First ARC of the year and I loved it. I love a good female grifter story, and a despicable FMC. Here is someone who lies, cheats, and steals with no remorse- and boy did I have fun following her journey. It also made me crave hot sauce.

10. Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams- I do love a good closed-door romance every now and then, but this one kind of bothered me. Just because a woman isn’t sexual doesn’t mean she deserves to be infantilized by everyone around her! I would know!

11. Tarantula by Eduardo Halfon- A very heavy read. Quick, but I found myself having to take breaks frequently. I love a disturbing novel, but as a mom I have a hard time with books where children are victims. Other than that, it was a great translation, but it gave me the creeps.

12. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn- A book I hadn’t read since I was a kid, but finally picked up again. What can I say? Katherine Dunn is one of the all-time greats, and I loved reading about this family of freaks again.

13. Wicked by Gregory Maguire- I will defend this book with my dying breath. Finally reread it after reading it several times way too young, and it holds up. Was inspired to do this reread after watching (and liking!!!) Wicked: For Good, but boy oh boy is this so much better than the musical.

14. The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares- Such a weird little novella. It wasn’t my cup of tea, but I enjoyed the ride. I loved stories about obsession and infatuation, and that part of the story kept me going through this read.

15. Offseason by Avigayl Sharp- I already wrote about this one in my Unhinged Women Recommendations post, but I have to recommend it again here. As an unhinged woman myself, I love a character who is completely unpredictable with the things that come out of her mouth. Wild novel.

16. Space Invaders by Nona Fernandez- A solid novella about memory recall. Rings true to the state of the world today, despite being about 1980s Chile. Very quick read, was only about 60 pages. Kept me company, and kept me unsettled.

17. Hello, Limerence by Momo Yamaguchi- Posted about this one already as well, but I will not shut up about this book. I was reading this and just thinking, “yeah girl, I remember being 24 too”. A perfect and universal novel about obsession, situationships, and unrequited love.

18. The Epic of Gilgamesh by Anonymous- I started doing a HarvardX class about World Literature (nerd!!!!), and this was the first assigned reading. Very cool to experience the first surviving written story, and learning the history behind it. I probably would’ve never picked it up if not for this class, but I’m glad I did.

19. Genocide Bad: Notes on Palestine, Jewish History, and Collective Liberation by Sim Kern- This is the perfect entry level book if you want to learn more about the genocide in Palestine. It gives you Zionist talking points and refutes all of them with well-researched facts. As a Jewish person, I also loved the elements of Jewish history throughout. Although it can be summarized entirely by the title- genocide BAD. End of story.

20. The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr- An eye-opening nonfiction book that triggered my desire to go (mostly) offline and redefine my relationship with the Internet. Details the history of human communication starting from the invention of the printing press, and how it evolved into the endless scroll we find ourselves in today.

21. Frida Slatterly as Herself by Ana Kinsella- Literary fiction about The Theatre(TM)? Check. Complicated relationship between a director and his muse? Check. Men being the absolute worst? Check. All the criteria needed for this to be a book I vibe with.

22. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston- Been meaning to read this book forever, and finally got it. Felt almost like an Odyssey-like story about a Black woman in the 1930’s trying to find her way in the world. Beautiful, beautiful novel.

23. New Skin by Sarah Wang- Covered this one in my other post as well, but think Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang paired with a narcissistic mother and a demented reality show. Very gross at times, but overall a very powerful read, although I felt it kind of tapered off a bit at the end.

24. You, With a View by Jessica Joyce- I asked my friend and romance author Swati Hegde what a good, wholesome romance book was that would make me forget about the Hellscape We’re Living In for a sec, and she recommended this one. Very gorgeous romance that leaves you feeling optimistic and healed, especially if you are someone who has experienced grief and loss.

25. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott- I’m writing a book and lost on where to start. This seemed like a good place. Great advice, but I don’t think I’d want to hang out with Anne Lamott. I kinda feel that way about a lot of writers, to be fair, including myself.

Okay that’s it! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. Remember, just because you read a lot of books, it doesn’t make you intellectual or cool or mysterious. It sometimes just makes you kind of a weirdo with a really strange manifestation of OCD!

Bye, see you later. :)