My Week in Books for 12/28/20 | More

I hope everyone is recovered from your holiday celebrations, whatever form they may have taken. We still have New Year’s Day to look forward to, where we just might all shout “FINALLY!” I don’t think the world has ever been more ready to see a year end. It’s been so strange, so long, and so sad that turning the calendar to 2021 will feel like a relief even with the tough months that we still have coming. Through it all books have remained a steady, and calming presence in my life. I’m happy to report that the last couple of weeks my reading has been on fire. January 2021 has one great book after another being released.

Incase you missed it a couple of weeks back, many of those books were featured in my Winter Preview 2021 and last week I revealed my Best Books of 2020. Tomorrow I’m excited to be sharing my Favorite Backlist Books Read in 2020 and Thursday will be my December Book Reviews, which will include the last five 2020 books I read. So, I have a lot going on this week!

Hosted by Kathryn at Book Date

Last 2 Weeks’ Reads

• Besides the books pictured above, just after finishing my last “My Week in Book,” I finished listening to Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy and reading The Divines by Ellie Eaton. For me Migrations was just okay, but I loved The Divines, a book I’ll be talking more about nearer to its January 19 publication date.
• Consent by Annabel Lyon publishes on 1/26. It was my fourth 2021 read and my fourth 2021 winner! The book features dual stories of women forced into roles of responsibility for their impaired sisters and the man that connects them all. It was a quick read that I really enjoyed.
• I first started listening to A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost back in July, but for some reason never got very far. I once again started from the beginning and ended up thoroughly enjoying the whole thing. Mini-review coming on Thursday.
• I have a good history with Greek mythology retellings and that continued with A Thousand Ships (1/26) by Natalie Haynes. She tells the story of the Trojan War from the point of view of the women affected by this war of men. Each chapter features a different woman, goddess, or fate. Fans of this sub-genre will love it. Review to come later in January.
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was voted the Fiction Best Book of 2020 in the Goodreads Choice Award, so I had to find out what all the fuss was about. I listened to this one, but while I enjoyed it well enough, it wouldn’t even have been considered as a best book for me. I have more thoughts on this that I’ll be sharing on Thursday.
• The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (2/2) might be the winter 2021 book that I was most nervous about reading. Historical fiction has not been working for me this last year, it’s long, plus it’s a big, hyped book. No worries! I flew through Hannah’s book and came to love the women who fought their way through The Dust Bowl and Great Depression in her story. Full review coming closer to the publication date.

Currently Reading

• I just started Faye, Faraway by Helen Fisher (1/26) last night, so it’s really too early to tell, but so far I know a couple of things for sure. First, I really like the voice of the narrator, a woman who finds herself going back in time where she meets her mom who she lost as a young child. Also, it’s a book I can personally relate to. My father died when I was very young and I’ve always longed for a meeting with him. I’m looking forward to seeing how Faye’s story will play out.

Likely to Read Next

• I’m not sure where I’ll go next with audiobooks. Sadly, I have no desire to return to A Promised Land by Barak Obama. It’s too much of a deep dive for my taste. After listening to over half, I might have to call it a DNF. However, in print I plan on next reading Bride of the Sea by Eman Quota (1/26) next. This story of an immigrant family torn apart from the inside and the daughter who tries to understand it as an adult is my last January ARC.

I hope you have a great week in books!