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January 2014 Reading Wrap-Up and a Look to February

January 2014 Reading Wrap-Up and a Look to February post image

I started January reading ALL THE BOOKS, then slowed down pretty dramatically at the end of the month. After finishing five books in seven days, I only finished two for the entire rest of the month. I’m not to worried about it though, since I think the quality of the books I finished was pretty excellent. Here’s what I read this month:

  1. Cohen, Leah Hager: I Don’t Know (nonfiction)
  2. Fowler, Karen Joy: We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (fiction)
  3. Dedman, Bill and Newell, Paul Clark Jr.: Empty Mansions (nonfiction)
  4. Swidey, Neil: Trapped Under the Sea (nonfiction)
  5. Leong, Tim: Super Graphic (nonfiction)
  6. Bailey, Catherine: The Secret Rooms (nonfiction)
  7. Messud, Claire: The Emperor’s Children (fiction)

My favorite book of the month was probably Empty Mansions, but I have a lot of good things to say about Trapped Under the Sea (out in late February).

A Look to February

I’ve got a lot of good options on my plate for the month of February. And I’m happy that they fit into a variety of different categories:

  • A book for One Little Word: A reread of Getting Things Done by David Allen
  • A March 2014 release for Bloggers Recommend: I’m thinking of Savage Harvest by Carl Hoffman (who wrote a book I loved, The Lunatic Express) or The Fishing Fleet by Anne de Courcy
  • A book for a book tour: Hope Street, Jerusalem by Irris Makler
  • A book for a challenge: Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedwell Smith for Nonfictionano’s President’s Day Reading Challenge
  • A book for a paid review: Marketplace of the Marvelous by Eric Janik
  • A book I missed reading in January: Cairo by Ahdaf Soueif
  • Another book by an author of color: Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala

I’m not sure how many I will get to read, especially if my library holds come in this month, but I’m optimistic that there are a lot of great options to choose from during this short month.

What books are you excited to read in February?

PHOTO CREDIT: ROB WARDE VIA FLICKR

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • tanya (52 books or bust) January 31, 2014, 7:48 am

    I read The Fishing Fleet and was not exactly thrilled with it. The premise is so great, yet it falls somewhat flat. And I’m dying to get to Cairo, so read it and review ASAP so i know what to expect!

    • Kim February 1, 2014, 2:50 pm

      That’s a bummer! I still want to give it a try, but I’ll keep that in mind. I am excited about Cairo, but I keep putting it off for other books… no longer!

  • Meg January 31, 2014, 7:57 am

    Oooh, I have Trapped Under the Sea in my TBR — excited for your review! It’s not my normal sort of read, but sounded very compelling (and focuses on an event I knew nothing about). I’m also reading a Leah Hager Cohen book now: No Book But the World. It’s interesting if a little slow so far . . .

    • Kim February 1, 2014, 2:51 pm

      Trapped Under the Sea is really good, it’s a great look at infrastructure and what goes into the major projects we see each day but don’t think much about.

  • Buried In Print January 31, 2014, 10:16 am

    Library holds are pesky and unpredictable (and wonderful and enchanting) things, aren’t they: destined to muck up the (add a brilliance to) the reading plans.

    In February? I’m looking forward to some graphic novels (like Lucy Knisley’s Relish) and some YA series. I thought I’d get to some of each in January but, like you, I started the reading year by reading EVERYthing and, then, not finishing ANYthing for ages and, then, not finishing what I’d expected all-in-all. (But, still happy!)

    • Kim February 1, 2014, 2:53 pm

      There are a lot of people reading graphic novels in February — I’m excited to see all of the reviews!

  • Kailana January 31, 2014, 6:02 pm

    I did that, too. I read ALL THE BOOKS in the first two weeks and then hardly read at all the last two weeks… I only feel guilty because of Christmas books and e-book sales. I got too many!

    • Kim February 1, 2014, 2:53 pm

      Oh boy, did I buy a lot of ebooks this month. So many! But they don’t take up space… so it’s ok?

  • Jenny @ Reading the End February 2, 2014, 10:10 am

    I’m excited to finally finally read Bleeding Violet in February! I started reading it last week, just the first few chapters, and I was enjoying it so much I wanted to save it for later.

  • Kelly February 2, 2014, 5:17 pm

    Does it bother you to have your reading so planned out? (I’m thinking of Rebecca’s un-plan TBR post)…

    • Kim February 3, 2014, 7:47 am

      Honestly, it’s a pretty loose plan. I probably won’t get to all of these books because my mood will take me somewhere else. But I do find it helpful to have a “short list” of sorts so if I finish a book and feel overwhelmed by the number of options for my next read I can turn to the list for ideas. Hmm… Now that I’m thinking about it maybe there’s a complimentary Book Riot post in here somewhere 🙂

  • Emma @ Words And Peace February 2, 2014, 5:19 pm

    lots of original titles here! here is my wrap-up: http://wordsandpeace.com/2014/02/02/2014-january-wrap-up/