January Reads!

 

Hi Readers! January sure went by in a jiffy. I would not have thought it possible, but I read 7 Books in January!! Given the lack of time for anything, I am quite surprised at this. I would have imagined completing 3 or 4 books, but this is a remarkable feat. Yes, I just realized how much I am bragging, so instead let’s get down to the books, shall we?

Usually while writing round-up posts, I separate the books into 3 categories: the best, the average & the worst. But, that won’t work in this case, because I don’t want to separate the books in a series & also there are not really any worse books this time around. Shocking, I know! Anyway, have a look!

 

~~LOVE & GELATO by JENNA EVANS WELCH~~

I have been wanting to read Love & Gelato for the better part of the last year & when I found out there are 2 more books in the series with similar themes, I had to read it. That finally made me take the leap. I was not disappointed.

Love & Gelato is set in Italy where Lina is sent off to live with her father who she has known for barely 2 months. After her mother’s death, Lina is forced by her grandmother to go to Italy & meet her father. It is truly amazing to read about Lina’s adventures in Italy; new friends, new love life, new father, new everything! Yes, it was more of a casual read, but that’s what I wanted to read to start off the year. That’s why ignored all the lame aspects & just tried to enjoy it. I have rated Love & Gelato at 3/5 stars on Goodreads!

 

~~LOVE & LUCK by JENNA EVANS WELCH~~

I started reading ‘Love & Luck’ on the same day I had finished reading ‘Love & Gelato’. I hadn’t expected anything great, but somehow this book was even better than the first one! In this book, the protagonist is Lina’s friend Addie. Love & Luck is based in Ireland where we see Addie & her brother Ian wandering all the iconic places. Both had separate reasons to wander in Ireland, but somehow on the journey their bond becomes stronger.

I loved this book for 2 reasons; firstly, I love Ireland & secondly it had more fun aspects like following a band’s early years & being a blogger. In short, there was more story in this book than the earlier one. I have rated Love & Luck at 4/5 stars on Goodreads!

 

~~LOVE & OLIVES by JENNA EVANS WELCH~~

Love & Olives is a stand-alone book with no references to the earlier two books. It is set in Santorini where Liv is shipped off to by her mother so that she could spend time with her estranged father in the discovery of the lost city of Atlantis.

The Goodreads blurb is commendable. It really gave me high hopes about this book, but unfortunately, I couldn’t stand this book. I have always loved those blue & white photos of Santorini, which is why I thought it was amazing that this book had that. But, the story was a big letdown. I couldn’t even finish it. I lost my patience after reading about 30% of it & it was honestly too predictable. Another reason for me not liking it was because it had no connection to my likes or hobbies. I have rated Love & Olives at 2/5 stars on Goodreads.

~~FIREFLY LANE by KRISTIN HANNAH~~

It was about time I read Firefly Lane, because I love Kristin Hannah & also its series adaptation is out tomorrow! I have written a full review of this which you can check out here! I have rated Firefly Lane at 4/5 stars on Goodreads.

 

~~THE SONG OF ACHILLES by MADELINE MILLER~~

The Song of Achilles is the best book that I read this month / this year! I had heard amazing things about it for as long as I can remember & I was not disappointed.

I have written a full review of this as well which you can check out here! I have rated Firefly Lane at 4.5/5 stars on Goodreads.

 

~~I WILL JUDGE YOU BY YOUR BOOKSHELF by GRANT SNIDER~~

This was an impulse read before nighttime. It has comics about readers & writers which was way too relatable & hilarious. I read it slowly so that I could have at least some humour during the day & it was always amazing! All book nerds out there must read this! I have rated it at 3.5/5 stars on Goodreads.

 

~~THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by RICHARD OSMAN~~

Finally, the book I finished in 2 days. All the reviews that I had read for The Thursday Murder Club were either 5-star worthy or 1-star worthy. This is why I knew I had to read it for myself. This book is hands-down the funniest crime novel I have ever read. Yes, you read that right.

Thursday Murder Club is basically a 4-member Club with members over 70 years of age, solving real crimes & what not. Because the premise was so out-of-the-world hilarious, I didn’t mind it. It gelled the story really well. For a crime novel, it was not at all predictable, but also it is written in such a manner that you wouldn’t be after guessing who the murderer is. Rather, you would just enjoy reading it without any other motives. If I get some time during the week, I will definitely write a full review on it. Till then, I have rated The Thursday Murder Club at 4/5 stars on Goodreads!

 

That is all, folks!

Until next time,