January Reading Wrap-up

Prophet Song - Paul Lynch

My first book of the year and I really wanted to love it more than I did. While the prose was poetic and harrowing, the lack of world building irked me. I understand that the “why” for events such as this is less important than the “what”, but personally I found it reductive. Fascism and the uprising against it don't occur in a vaccum and I believe we lost a lot of value by getting no insight into how the years that came before the events of this novel impacted its characters and their responses to their current situation. Overall though, still an important and timely read. 

Assembly - Natasha Brown 

I don't quite know where to start with the plot of this book. I could say it follows a young woman in a corporate job as she prepares to meet her boyfriends family, and while that is objectively accurate, this book is about so much more than that. It packs such a punch for such a short book. It is beautifully written and it genuinely prompted me to do a lot of my own research on certain topics. 100% reccomend. 

Come Closer - Sarah Gran

This book had all the vibes of a classic 90s/00s horror. It tells the story of a woman who believes she is possessed and it was genuinely creepy at times. I really enjoyed it and think it would be great for someone into horror, who doesn't want to wade through the excess body/shock horror that a lot of books in this genre have. 

None of This is True - Lisa Jewell

An excellent thriller and the best one I've read so far from Lisa Jewell. It's not too heavy content wise and genuinely had me gripped. The characters really made me feel things (no spoilers by saying what things, exactly) and I read most of it in a day. 

Pearl -  Josh Malerman

This book, about a possessed pig raining destruction down on humans, was a wild ride from start to finish. It gets crazy almost immediately, but winds down to a really satisfying point that I wasn't expecting. Definitely not for everyone, but it was a good read. 

A Slanting of the Sun - Donal Ryan 

Donal Ryan is one of my biggest inspirations and every story in this collection shows why. He captures such intensity and specificity in very few words and the prose is absolutely beautiful. I would recommend 100 times over. 

The Employees - Olga Ravn 

The Employees, told through the collected statements of workers aboard a futuristic spacecraft, is one of those books where you're not going to be certain what's going on, but you also don't need to be. There were some really tender moments in this as it looked at identity and what it means to be human. 

You Should Have Left - Daniel Kehlmann

I read this book in one sitting right before bed and was genuinely creeped out. It's well-written, tense, atmospheric and knows exactly where to draw the line to keep the fear of the unknown and uncertain intact. 

The Spinning Heart - Donal Ryan 

This was my first time ever re-reading a book and with good reason. It's beautiful, engaging and so true to life. This is my go-to book rec, no matter what genre people are into. 

Topographia Hibernica - Blindboy Boatclub

Overall, this was my least favourite of Blindboys collections, but is still absolutely worth a read. The first story “The Donkey” had me in genuine tears and it carries his trademark wit and incredible observations.