Everything I read in January
and everything I'm reading next
Welcome to my monthly reading post!
I’m writing this to you from my couch in a bronchitis-ish induced haze of sorts. I managed to catch some kind of respiratory illness this week, and have spent the weekend recuperating in front of my tv watching more seasons of Lost than I care to admit. This upcoming week is a really exciting one, both generally in terms of industries that I write about (fashion week, Grammy’s) and personally (multiple events and such) and I’ll have more emails than usual coming your way as I break down all the most important moments for you so you don’t have to seek them out yourself.
And so, I thought it best to go ahead and get this reading rundown over to you before the week begins and it inevitably falls further and further down my to-do list, until it’s somehow already time for February’s wrap up and we’ve missed the window for Jan. While I infuse some bookish tidbits into my regularly scheduled programming here, I’m not sure how many of my subscribers are readers and/or look for in-depth book reviews such as these - but they bring me so much joy. If even one person finds a book they love because of this, my work here is done. I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you’re reading or looking forward to reading next.
January breakdown:
7 BOOKS TOTAL
GENRE:
2 Literary Fiction
2 Science Fiction
1 Classic
1 Horror
1 Contemporary / Historical Fiction combo
FORMAT:
7/7 were digital copies read on Kindle
4 digital copies from the library
3 digital Netgalley arcs1
PAGES READ: 2439 (average length 348)
PS: If you, like me, are meticulous about tracking the books you’ve read, I highly recommend the digital reading log templates sold by this seller on Etsy. Simple to use, easy to read, and just a good time for anyone who is interested in their reading stats.
Other than that spreadsheet, I use Storygraph for tracking, reviews, and stats. SG > Goodreads forever!!
And lastly, please be sure to check trigger warnings for any and all books I share.
THE INTERESTINGS
by Meg Wolitzer
This is one of those books that has sat in the back of my mind as something I’ll inevitably read at some point, and the point has finally come. There’s a sort of anecdotal reverence around this book, so I was surprised to see that the reviews online are actually quite divided between gushing praise and an opposing sentiment that there is nothing “interesting” about it. I really enjoyed this book because it delivers on a couple of the points I look for in a reading experience - storyline spanning decades and robust characterization. I felt that the characters, while often unlikable, sure, were so fleshed out as to seem corporeal. The book follows a group of friends who meet at an elite summer camp for creatives, giving them a sense of exceptionalism2. They first meet the summer Nixon resigns, and we see them through decades of their ensuing lives into 21st century NYC, experiencing the ways their stories arc towards and away from each other. Some of their paths exude mundanity while others are fortunate enough to experience great success and acclaim - and how much of that is truly fortune, and how much is talent? Privilege? The Interestings explores what it means to be exceptional, and if, at the end of the day, it really means anything at all. The characters grapple with envy, grief, and comparison - so, essentially, being human - as they navigate finding meaning and connection in the face of a series uncontrollable circumstances that make up a life.
PS: there is also a forthcoming musical adaptation, created by Sara Bareilles and Sarah Ruhl
The Interestings bookshop.org link
BLUE SISTERS
by Coco Mellors
I was drawn a couple years ago to Mellors’ debut novel, Cleopatra and Frankenstein, by the beautiful cover. It was unfortunately a confusing reading experience for me and I left it unrated, not really knowing how I felt about it when I closed it. I was hopeful that Blue Sisters, her sophomore novel, would be more of a home run for me. While I definitely enjoyed this one more than the first, I still wasn’t struck by the story or the characters. In fact, when I try to think back on the names of the sisters or any notable details of their lives, all I can really remember is the odd choice to name one of the sisters, a high fashion model, Lucky Blue - is Coco Mellors aware that a real life, famous model named Lucky Blue (yes, Mr Nara Smith himself) exists in the flesh? Even so, I know people who really enjoyed this one, so still worth a look if it sounds intriguing to you. The book follows 3 sisters who come together at the 1st anniversary of their 4th sister’s untimely death. It explores addiction and what it means to live after loss, ultimately looking at how you find meaning in deciding to go on. I did find the dynamic between the sisters to be fairly realistic, and I related to the (neurotic) oldest sister, who comes to the realization that shouldering the emotional burden of her family isn’t serving anyone, least of all herself. It’s always striking to see the surprising truth of sisters in a book - that despite growing up in essentially the exact same circumstances, you can turn out so starkly different, something that can be simultaneously heartbreaking and bolstering in its own right.
Blue Sisters bookshop.org link
THE BLUEST EYE
by Toni Morrison
I am a notorious avoider of classic literature but there are certainly some classics worth reading, Morrison’s works being chief among them. The foreword that the author wrote was required reading in my opinion, and it set me up for a deeper understanding of the characters and Morrison’s intent in sharing them with us. In the foreword, we learn that our main character Pecola’s desire to have blue eyes is lifted directly from a conversation that the author had with a classmate as a child. Morrison later decided to reproduce this yearning in a book about the most vulnerable member of society that she could think of - a young Black girl. The book actually is largely written about the various players in Pecola’s life rather than about her directly, which seems telling in itself. A victim of both personal circumstance and the fully intended effects of systemic racial power structures in America, Pecola faces a barrage of unimaginable, dehumanizing situations - well, unimaginable for many of us, but sadly quite real for many others. I found the writing to be lyrical and mesmerizing, and I was taken by the way that the chapters often started with no context as to where they were going or who they were about, but ultimately were neatly stored into the larger framework of the story. The Bluest Eye takes a sharp look at colorism, classism, internalized racism and racialized beauty standards, and how all of these things contribute to shaping one’s own self worth or self hatred, grappling with how others’ perception of our appearance can seem to determine our value.
I would say that if the themes of this book are something you’re interested in furthering exploring, Big Girl by Mecca Jamilah Sullivan is a book you should prioritize. One of the best books I’ve ever read and one that has stuck with me since the day I opened it, it similarly explores self esteem, oppressive power structures, and standards of beauty but through the lens of a young fat Black woman in 1990s Harlem.
The Bluest Eye bookshop.org link
THE END OF MEN
by Christina Sweeney-Baird
This was the January pick for my book club, and while I likely wouldn’t have picked it up otherwise I did enjoy it. As someone who struggles with intense health anxiety (aka I’m a clinically certified and medicated hypochondriac), I have a hard time with pandemic novels - and, really, who doesn’t at this point? This is an intricately pieced together portrait of many stories coming together to tell one larger narrative about a pandemic that sweeps the world, affecting only men. Very few are immune, and as a result almost the entire male global population is wiped out. Sweeney-Baird immerses us into the very personal, small scale experiences of a wide range of women (an ER doctor, a politician, various mothers and wives) as well as broad strokes of the world at large and how all involved handle this crisis. Thinking about a world without men may sound lovely in some regards, until you read stories of women losing their young sons and the loves of their lives. Until you realize, because of the patriarchal structure of society, just how many industries are led so heavily by men - what happens when they all suddenly disappear? Just how ethical are required work drafts, rationing, closed borders, separating families, or for-profit healthcare? And does the long-term benefit outweigh any ambiguity in those moral lines? I think this is well read as a companion to Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn, which also explores a very different look at a world without men.
The End of Men bookshop.org link
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
by Ling Ling Huang
I was thrilled to be invited this month onto the Bad On Paper podcast to share two of my most anticipated 2025 releases, and Immaculate Conception is the first of those two recommendations that I shared. Ling Ling Huang’s debut novel, Natural Beauty, was a favorite read of mine early last year and I was so thrilled to discover this sophomore novel, coming out later this year. While her debut follows a young woman mixed up in a Black Mirror-esque story about a sinister Goop-y wellness start up, Immaculate Conception takes us into the life of a young art student. Enke is attending an elite art school on scholarship, in a world where the class structure is so stark that it’s actually divided by physical barriers. As she realizes that maybe she doesn’t have anything that makes her art special or original, she meets Mathilde, a privileged and prodigiously talented student who is successful without even trying. We see the pair in dual timelines, from the inception of their friendship through the later years of their lives. Huang is skilled at writing nuanced literary horror, incorporating light sci fi and body horror elements that take you to a surrealist place while still providing very real commentary on issues that exist in our day to day. Through Enke and Matilde’s friendship, she ponders what it means to create anything truly original in our digital world, smartly incorporating the competition between and intersection of creativity and AI. Add in a big tech corporation that has created a way to commodify empathy through cutting-edge technology, Immaculate Conception also delves into envy, codependence, bodily autonomy, and exceptionalism.
Immaculate Conception bookshop.org link
OLD SOUL
by Susan Barker
This was the second of the books I recommended on the podcast episode, and I am so glad I did. I haven’t heard anything about this author or this novel other than in my very intense 2025 releases research, and I haven’t seen it crop up on anyone else’s anticipated reads list - which is such a shame! Old Soul was such a unique and propulsive reading experience, firmly cemented in my brain as completely different than anything else I’ve read. Described as part thriller, part Western, and part Japanese horror, the book starts when two strangers meet at the Osaka airport after missing their flights. Over dinner and drinks, Jake and Mariko discover that each of them has lost someone close to them in the same horrible and mysterious way. Shortly after each met and was photographed by a peculiar woman, they devolve into madness and die. Upon investigation into their deaths, it’s discovered that all of their organs have been reversed inside their bodies. The woman is an old soul, seemingly immortal and always under the guise of a new identity while seeking out her next victim. The book takes us through Jake’s journey across the globe to find out who she is and why she’s leaving this path of macabre destruction in her wake.
Old Soul bookshop.org link
GOOD DIRT
by Charmaine Wilkerson
After the blockbuster success of her debut novel, Black Cake, Charmaine Wilkerson kept the incredible momentum with Good Dirt. The Freeman family is an affluent Black family in New England, their family’s presence cemented in the region since the 1800s. Throughout those hundreds of years, they’ve passed down a family heirloom in the form of a handmade jar, crafted from good dirt by an enslaved ancestor in South Carolina. In the modern day, we follow Ebony “Ebby”, whose fiancé recently deserted her on her wedding day. Unfortunately, this isn’t the worst thing that has happened in her life. 19 years ago, when Ebby was only 10, her brother Baz was shot and killed in front of her during a home invasion. In addition to losing him, her family also lost the precious family heirloom as it tumbled to the floor in the struggle. While the heirloom in question is a jar, the book reads more like an intricate patchwork quilt, pieced together painstakingly over time. Wilkerson weaves together a story of present and past traumas, from slavery to its modern day implications. The jar has been a source of storytelling and record keeping for their family, and this novel emphasizes the importance of knowing history from all perspectives, that “history can be told only through a chorus of voices” - a timely assertion, as those in power in our country wish to wash away the narratives that do not serve them. There is so much packed into this novel, and it defies genre as it incorporates elements of history, of family, of romance, of mystery, and more.
Good Dirt bookshop.org link
My Immediate TBR:
I currently have digital library copies of:
Hunger | Roxanne Gay (has been on my TBR forever)
The Eyes are the Best Part | Monika Kim (horror novel described as Crying in H-Mart meets My Sister, the Serial Killer)
Shred Sisters | Betsey Lerner (everyone seems to love this)
Sea Wife | Amity Gaige (comes highly recommended by
)Scrap | Calla Henkel (I loved Other People’s Clothes by CH, but have heard mixed reviews on this one)
And I currently have NetGalley ARCS of:
What Hunger | Catherine Dang (I can’t express how excited I am to read this)
Loca | Alejandro Heredia (a queer novel said to appeal to fans of the show Pose)
Too Soon | Betty Shamieh (a “fun and flirty” multigenerational story about Palestinian-American women)
The Bright Years | Sarah Damoff (multigenerational story about a Texas family grappling with addiction. sign. me. up.)
Hoping my library holds come through soon on:
Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth | Ingrid Robeyns (trying to read some nonfic. Fuck billionaires :) )
Lilith’s Brood Series | Octavia Butler (might be buying these instead - so hard to find for Kindle!)
The Rachel Incident | Caroline O’ Donahue (My book club’s pick this month)
Goodbye, Vitamin | Rachel Kong (by the author of Real Americans)
Let me know if there’s anything else I should seek out and add to the TBR, or any I should prioritize because you loved them!
Don’t forget to share your favorite books of the month + let me know what you’re reading next. And if you’ve read any of the books mentioned here, I’d love to know what you thought! Any that you’re now planning to read? Tell me!
advanced reader copy
the book “The Drama of the Gifted Child” is often referenced throughout this novel, and I have a hold on it at the library now. Former + still recovering gifted child, here
Subscriber who loves book reviews here 🫡 I loved Goodbye, Vitamin and Old Soul is on my list now thanks to you!
I read Hunger in college and remember it hitting me like a ton of bricks!