This month has been an absolutely fantastic month for reading. After an end to the year last year that saw my personal life, longer books and proof physical copies mean that I wasn’t finishing books I didn’t even do a round up in the end. However, this month was much better!
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As the title suggests, I read nine books this month and they were of varying genres and varying quality.
What I’ve gone and done below then is list out every single book I read this month Have a look through and see if there’s anything you’ve read too or that you might enjoy reading.
Then I’ve added the final summary from my full review for you to get an idea as to my thoughts on the book itself.
And I’ve added in a link to the full review and a link to buy the book on Amazon if you know it’s something you’re going to enjoy.
So here are the nine books I read in January 2024:
Helle & Death by Oskar Jensen
“Helle & Death manages to feel like a classic “whodunnit” wrapped in a more contemporary story. You feel like you know what’s going to happen until twice in the book it goes you’ll find yourself being taken in a direction you didn’t see coming. Did I like the ending? I’m not sure yet. But I know I very much enjoyed the journey I had getting there. Jensen has also managed to make me feel fully intimidated by some of the characters’ intelligence in Helle & Death which is both a testament to his intelligence himself but more importantly to how well he’s written them.
Helle & Death is a modern take on the “group of friends go to a big house and one ends up killed” story that we all know of and love and I think he’s pulled it off with great success.”
Read my full review | Buy this on Amazon
Battle Song by Ian Ross
“Battle Song is a very solid historical fiction with some solid characters. It’s got everything you’d want from the genre: battles, strong world immersion and some great historical facts. It’s not going to thrill you with some sudden plot twists or have your heart racing and your fingers flipping through the pages at pace, but as I said, if you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll likely love Battle Song. You’ll find yourself a big fan of the characters and a big fan of Ian Ross’ writing too.”
Read my full review | Buy this on Amazon
Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard
“Battlefield Earth was released over 40 years ago now and there are elements to the book that feel like this. At times it does feel like a brain dump from Hubbard but at others, it feels like a genuinely incredible science fiction novel, scoping worlds, and cultures with sweeping action. The characters are hit and miss with our main protagonist being the perfect character to take us through these 1,000+ pages and some others being memorable too.
Realistically, if you’re looking for a massive science fiction novel to get your teeth into that you could read for the next few months, then Battlefield Earth is one you should look at. If you don’t have the time or the attention span, just be weary of its length.”
Read my full review | Buy this on Amazon
The Knight of the Moon by Gregory Kontaxis
“The Knight of the Moon is a fine novella. I don’t know if I’d encourage you to read it before reading Kontaxis’ original The Return of the Knight as I feel, due to its length, this was a far superior novel. I have read a brilliant fantasy novella in Ryan Cahill’s The Fall and so I know it can be done. However, The Knight of the Moon suffers from not being able to put enough plot and not enough strong character development for me to care that much.
I found myself turning the final page if The Knight of the Moon thinking I wouldn’t mind reading another novella featuring John, The Long Arm, I would just hope it had more substance.”
Read my full review | Buy this on Amazon
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
“I’ve rated Red Rising a 4.25 instead of anything higher because I feel like it’s only just scratching the surface of what Brown has to offer here. Brown has written an explosive science fiction novel here filled with an exciting plot, a building world and some genuinely interesting characters. There’s something to be said that after finishing this, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and instantly wanted to read the sequel. If you’re a fan of dystopian novels, Red Rising should shoot to the top of your list.”
Read my full review | Buy this on Amazon
The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn
“The Whalebone Theatre was a genuinely beautiful read. Not only was it wonderfully written but it featured a powerful storyline, impactful plot moments and deeply likeable characters. There’s a lot to be said for a book that can cover three decades, multiple characters and be over 500 pages and still keep you interested throughout.
I love books like The Whalebone Theatre where you feel like you’ve been on a life journey with the characters too. It’s staggering to think this was Quinn’s novel considering how composed and, at times, experienced it feels. I shall be adding Joanna Quinn to my list of authors of whom I will most definitely be picking up their next book.”
Read my full review | Buy this on Amazon
Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
I haven’t yet written my full review of this. The reason is: in all honesty, it was so short I don’t felt I picked up enough to be able to actually write a proper review.
I’m watching the film and I’m going to look into some other reviews to see what other people’s thoughts on it are. Maybe this will help me write something substantial enough to give you a full review.
Read my full review when it comes out | Buy this on Amazon
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
“I absolutely adored Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, it was funny, lighthearted and heartwarming but also deeply sad, moving and sometimes quite dark. Eleanor is brilliant, Raymond is brilliant and Eleanor’s mother is the worst person in the world. I’ll always rate any book that can make me feel more than one emotion highly and I think Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine had me feeling quite a few. Yes, I may be a few years behind the hype, but I’m so glad I finally caught up.”
Read my full review | Buy this on Amazon
River East, River West by Aube Rey Lescure
“I adored River East, River West. The characters were so utterly believable and going through such difficult situations that I couldn’t pull my eyes away most of the time. Rarely does a book have me so engrossed anymore that I’m excited to keep picking it up. Alva and Lu Fang have two fascinating stories that happen during different times in Chinese history that feel so genuinely real too. All of this makes for a book that I think will break your heart multiple times over and yet you’ll still find yourself loving.”
Read my full review | Buy this on Amazon
So in summary
As I’ve stated a couple of times already, January was such a good reading month for me. Not only did I read some really brilliant books but I managed to find my reading form again.
Now I know it’s not all about how many books you read, but the fact that I rated six of these nine books 4.25/5 or higher this month shows that there have been some bangers in here too!
I’d have to say my favourite read of the month was a pick between three: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Red Rising or River East, River West. Three very different books, but all brilliant in their own way. You’ll have to go and read my full review for why I loved all of these!
Have you read any of the books above? Have you found anything new you’re interested in reading? If so, let me know in the comments below!
