January Reading Recap

Hello and welcome.

I read 12 books in total during January. I read ten fiction books and two nonfiction books. Four of those ten fiction books were graphic novels.

This post is a recap- a snapshot if you will. I'm a mood reader so I typically have multiple books going simultaneously. It easily gets out of hand, and I have to stop myself from starting at least three. But out of all the things I could gorge on, books are a pretty good choice.

This blog post will give quick, snapshot impressions of all the books I read this month. These are not fully formed reviews, although I will write those for my five-star-rated books for the year. If there are specific books you would like to hear more about or would like a more in-depth analysis or review of, please leave a comment so I can make another post about them.

Fiction

The Wall by Marlen Haushofer

"The Wall" was my very first five-star read for 2025. It was first published in 1963 and is considered Haushofer's best work. It is a dystopian literary fiction story that is slow-paced and deeply reflective.

I don't want to get into it too much, because I love it too much to spoil it for any of you. But it's about a woman who goes on a trip to the Austrian Alps; she wakes one morning to find an invisible and impenetrable wall separating her and what she thinks is the rest of the world. This novel is a record of the first two years of her isolation, her survival, and her development. It presents the questions of women in isolation; what would they do if no one was constantly watching them? How would a woman survive with only a dog, a cat, and a cow as companions?

It is a reflective story, oscillating between establishing the nitty gritty of basic survival and social commentary.

It is not an action-packed novel; it is not designed to get your heart thumping in your chest. It is meant to be a record of this woman's survival, written in her hand. Her reflections are bare and honest because there are no witnesses. I thoroughly enjoyed it; I'm excited to buy my own copy and fill it with annotations.

Open Throat by Henry Hoke

This is a short literary fiction novel written from the perspective of a queer mountain lion who lives in a park in LA. It was first published in 2023 and is another reflective, literary fiction book. Unlike the wall, it's fast-paced and much of it goes unexplained. It has a defamiliarizing lens since everything is from the perspective of a mountain lion witnessing human life from a distance. It was fascinating and unique. There were poignant reflections about the mountain lion's father and how humans lived their lives.

I enjoy books that effortlessly defamiliarize the reader. Our perspectives can become stagnant, thinking about even the most basic thing in a new way is a refreshing splash of cold water. The concept is creative, I can confidently say that I had never heard of a story like it before.

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

There's a bit of a backstory with this book. In middle school, I spotted a classmate with it and knew I had to read it. The cover caught my attention and before I understood social cues fully, I approached her and asked if I could borrow it. I read it at home that night in the bathroom since it was the only place I could have some privacy in a house with three other siblings, and sharing a room with two of them. I wanted the experience of this book to be mine alone, without interruption.

It is a fever dream of a book. I didn't fully understand it. The cover opened upward and the art scattered throughout the book was intriguing. I finished it in a single sitting and the next day, like I promised, I returned it. I thought it was cool but, in perfect ten-year-old fashion, didn't think about it again until years later. This memory faded quickly. It became so distant that I questioned if it was an actual event or if I dreamt it. I had not seen that book since and couldn't tell you what it looked like.

But one day earlier this year, I was browsing the used books for sale at my local library. I picked up a book, read the back, and decided against it. When I slipped it back onto the shelf, a book spine a few books away caught my eye. I read the title, "The Strange Library", and something wiggled loose in my brain. I did not question the instinct; I picked it up. As soon as I recognized the cover, my heart started pounding. After all these years, I found the book I thought I had dreamt of. I was far more excited about it than I probably should have been. I had never bought a book so quickly. It only cost $1. Could you believe that? A lost memory regained for only one dollar.

I reread this book that evening, plowing through it in a single sitting. It reads like a fairy tale, expecting you to comply with its version of reality. It does not leave room for questions or contrary beliefs. It tells you what happened, and you are meant to sit quietly and nod. It’s a strange little book and I encourage you to go into it blind.

Übel Blatt Vol. 6-8

I don't have much to say about these. Years ago, in a Barnes and Noble, I spotted a thick manga book titled Übel Blatt; translated from German, it means evil blade. I picked it up and enjoyed it enough to read the first four novels. But then all of a sudden they disappeared from Barnes and Noble's shelves. I would check every time I returned but accepted that I could no longer find them. This was long before I expanded my book-finding channels. So I accepted that they were lost to me forever. However since I started working at a library, I gained an understanding of our interlibrary loan system. I could finally finish the series after so many years of not thinking about it.

This is a fantasy/ adventure manga about betrayal and legendary swordsmen hunting down those who did him wrong, sullying his name.

Search and Destroy Vol. 1 by Atsushi Kaneko

This graphic novel crossed my desk while checking in books. One of the benefits of working at a library is how many unique books you cross paths with, books that you would not think to pick up otherwise. This was a quick read and an interesting one. But I could not find the second one and I'm not worried about it. It was a good story, and if the second one was readily available, I would read it, but since it isn't I dropped it fairly quickly. It did not leave me desperate for more, it didn't hold my attention for any longer than it took to read it. It is a fun dystopian, sci-fi book, but not one of my five-star reads.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid

I first encountered this story as a movie. It was first published in 2016 and was then made into a movie on Netflix. It's a strange and unique concept for a quick horror/thriller novel. It takes the idea of sentient fantasies and runs with it. It does not explain itself, it is a stream of consciousness for 224 pages.

Honestly, I did not love this book. It's a great idea and it was executed well. But the stream-of-consciousness style of writing got on my nerves a little bit. I enjoyed being left in the dark for most of the story, I don't like it to be too easy. But the author's voice did not speak to me. You may like it, especially if you want to compare the book and the movie. I think the movie portrayed the novel well, and there are some differences between the two that you may find interesting.

Can't Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne

This is an LGBTQ+ cozy fantasy book published in 2022. It is lighthearted and has a guaranteed happy ending. It's about a soldier, Reyna, and a mage, Kianthe, running away together to start a tea shop and bookstore. The story follows them as their relationship develops and they tackle the obstacles of becoming small business owners in a new town. It's world-building and magic is easy to understand. It doesn’t overcomplicate things with the normal complexities in deep epic fantasies, which could easily be the appeal for many people. The purpose of this book is to feel comfortable, no matter what, you know it will all be okay. And it's perfectly fine to need that every once in a while. This book is set in a magical world where two lesbians just want to open a tea/bookshop. It's cute, wonderful, and wholesome.

A Pirate's Life for Tea by Rebecca Thorne

This is book two in the Tomes and Tea series, "Can't spell Treason without Tea" being the first. This story involves the same characters as the first novel, with some happy pirate-related additions. This novel focuses on a storyline that is introduced in the epilogue of the first book. The storyline is a little more developed with more plot-driving forces than the first book. The stakes are a little higher in this book, but once again, there is still a guaranteed happy ending. They are both quick, fun reads with minimal energy required. No matter how tense it may get, the excess pressure is always released. Thorne promises a cozy fantasy with happy endings, and they certainly deliver.

Nonfiction

Who's Afraid of Gender by Judith Butler

The categories of this book could be listed forever. The most prevalent labels would be LGBTQ+, feminism, philosophy, and politics. I read Judith Butler's work while studying gender and linguistics in college. I came across their work in some of my favorite classes, one focused on our language related to gender, sexuality, and desire. So when I spotted their name across the library, I immediately picked the book up. And, especially with our current administration in the United States, refreshing my academic understanding of these important social issues was an actionable step toward activism.

Like much of their published work, the language is very academic. There is a lot of academic jargon that reminded me of being back in college. It's an incredibly informative book and lays out the information about "gender ideology" and how world leaders have historically attacked the LGBTQ+ community. It breaks down their methods of debate (or lack thereof) and how to understand the fear-mongering tactics many on the far right use. I highly recommend this if you are already familiar with Butler's work. But if you aren't, I recommend starting with some of their academic articles to get a feel for the language and syntax.

What Color is Your Parachute by Richard N. Bolles

I picked this book up with the express purpose of finding another job. A trusted source recommended this book, and I finally sat down with it seriously. As the book recommends early on, this is meant to be a workbook, not something you just read and move on from. And I did exactly that, I completed the "petal exercise" and learned about myself as an employee and what I'm looking for from my work. I found this self-help book realistic with the worksheets and activities it has within. It gave me solid action steps, which are extremely helpful for me. I like to feel I'm progressing towards my goals with each step. This book helped me figure out which direction to move in.

So, those are all the books I read in January of 2025. If you want more information about these books or an in-depth review, please leave a comment. I will be doing a post similar to this one once a month.

Thank you for taking a moment to read my update. I'll have a new post ready next week.