Everything I Read in January
On the 10 books I read in January and some really remarkable books...
I got to the middle of the month and thought okay maybe I can actually finish my designated tbr for the month, so I calculated how many pages I needed to read per day to do this and succeeded. It wasn’t easy because often on days where I don’t go to the gym or I am in the office I barely get 10 pages in. But it was also a goal of mine this month to read 50 pages a day so this way made me accountable.
I’m not sure if I’ll do the same in February. Firstly because I don’t want reading to seem like a chore. Secondly, my exam is coming up so I want to prioritise revision. A perfect balance would be nice but February is a notorious month for burnout and just seasonal depression for me!
Anyway back to January. It was a great reading month and overall I liked pretty much every book I read which is a huge juxtaposition to last year where if you remember I struggled to find any books higher than 3 stars.
In terms of data:
I read 10 books! This is a lot and I don’t intend for this to be an average each month. My reading goal for the year is only 50.
As mentioned this was a good reading month quality wise for me. I had an average rating of 3.78 stars.
I never usually track this, but I read 2558 pages.
As for mood, nothing changes there: reflective, emotional, sad, dark and challenging
I have included fragments again for this month but I will be moving these over to a different newsletter.
Last Summer In The City by Gianfranco Calligarich (4.0/5.0)
“Winter and spring were exchanging their last blows. The seasons change at night, unbeknown to the people, and we were witnessing a spectacle whose grandeur was only equaled by the silence with which it crept up on us.”
Fragments:
Really like the writing style and flow — can feel the summer and heat — alcoholic haze — got some low reviews — a party floating about — grounded by a bowl of peanuts — eventually lost — blurred together like young people in a club — the blending of seasons — really beautiful writing — depressive state — wandering — middle section lulled — feels like Catcher in the Rye — tragic ending — youthful yearning and nostalgia — sundown syndrome(?)
Review:
This novel followed me from the end of 2025 into 2026 and I couldn’t have asked for a better narrative to transition me from those weird days in between Christmas and New Year. I’d seen some pretty poor reviews and I didn’t agree. The middle of the book lulled a little but but beyond that it was beautiful.
This novel is a hazy dreamlike read written with a strikingly cinematic style. The way the seasons blur and bleed into one another mirrors the characters themselves, drifting through streets in alcoholic, half-blinded wanderings. Everything feels suspended between moments: between youth and adulthood, winter and spring, longing and loss. There’s a strong sense of youthful yearning and nostalgia that lingers long after you put the book down.
I’m not usually a descriptive reader, I tend to prefer dialogue-driven stories. But the prose here pulls you in completely. The descriptions don’t feel excessive or ornamental and instead they immerse you in a fever dream where atmosphere matters more than clarity, and emotion matters more than plot.
The novel is deeply tragic, yet quietly so. Its melancholy and restless longing strongly echo The Catcher in the Rye, capturing that same aching confusion of youth and the sense of being on the edge of something you don’t yet understand. It’s a story that doesn’t announce itself loudly, but seeps into you like alcohol or those long summer days.
Eve by B.K. O’Connor (3.0/5.0)
“To all Eves, Unable to shake the urge To know”
Fragments:
Paradise Lost retelling — short chapters — narrative voice and pov shift — God pov — Adam pov — Gabriel pov — Eve pov — Lucifer pov — too simple — too many themes going on — feels immature at times — truth as death — tied to a man as the cost of freedom — love triangle(?) — does she really travel — unfaithfulness to other version quite of makes it impotent — combines theological and archeological — distorting Western renaissance — research sheds some light on choices
Review:
I am an Eve who cannot shake the urge to know. I love learning and philosophising, so when I received this arc, I felt instinctively attuned to what this novel was trying to do. Framed as a feminist retelling of the Creation story and Paradise Lost, it reimagines the Fall not as a moral failure but as an intellectual and spiritual impulse - the ache towards knowledge. In that sense I understood the novel’s ambitions even when its execution occasionally felt quite aggressive in its delivery.
The novel is structured in short fast-paced chapters that move between the perspectives of the key figures involved in the Fall. This makes it quick and accessible to read while still offering moments of real insight. There are some genuinely striking lines here, quotations that I underlined and will come back to on the thirst of knowledge.
If the novel falters, it is not in its ambition but perhaps in the sheer scale of it. It wants to hold theology, feminism, myth, archaeology and philosophy all at once. In doing so it inevitably loses some of the dense symbolism that feels so vital to both the biblical account and Milton’s epic. But I don’t think this is a failure of the author’s imagination or prose. It feels more like a limitation of form. A novel cannot quite sustain the same symbolic compression and mythic architecture that scripture or epic poetry can.
In retrospect I wish I had read the endnotes first and I would recommend doing so before starting the book. This is not only a reworking of the Abrahamic story, but a weaving together of multiple ancient creation myths and gods. Knowing this contextual groundwork makes the narrative feel more convincing and textured thus clarifying that the novel is actively resisting the Western Renaissance-influenced interpretations that so often dominate readings of Eden.
This is a book I admire for its intellectual hunger and its devotion to Eve as a figure of thought rather than transgression.
Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles (3.0/5.0)
“Even then she worse the look of certain fanatics who think of themselves as leaders without once having gained the respect of a single human being”
Fragments:
Very formal writing — cult like religion games — spiritual / odd child — travel as a form of gaining knowledge — very quickly living together(?) — tragic Bowles could only write 1 novel — dialogue and arguing/disagreements — on loving an older woman — why is she called Mrs Copperfield suddenly? — beginning is interesting — two separated, becomes disorientating — it’s like a time capsule — nothing much of substance — rather exaggerated characters — and not very serious — setting and travel typical of the period.
Review:
The beginning was so strong — strange and immediately unsettling. There was something cultic in the early mood and I was hooked on that.
Yet as the narrative begins to unfold, the initial intensity dissolves into something quite disorienting. The novel kind of felt like the glare of headlights when you’re driving, never quite sure what’s approaching you. Relationships form, and die, with an unnatural speed. The novel rarely seems to linger long enough to convince me of it’s emotional reality and instead produces this peculiar sense that the novel in not interested in people but in types. The figures Bowles creates are exaggerated and faintly theatrical, thus allowing settings function more as backdrops than lived environments.
Consequently, the novel feels ironical in its titular seriousness. Nothing real ever seems at stake to these characters. It’s not necessarily a failure and there is something compelling in Bowles’ ability to sustain an estranged hovering tone. However, one finished the book with the sense of not knowing these people and instead they have poorly performed.
The Ha-Ha by Jennifer Dawson (4.0/5.0)
“But I am real. I was born for joy, for so much joy, for love …”
Fragments:
Narration smooth — getting sense of her interiority — socially reclusive — autism(?) — dystopian — aligning of a job — she laughs at non-socially acceptable moments — intellectual > social — enjoying the prose — whims v obsessions — glad she escaped — introspective look at previous mental health stigma — coming of age — preferred her in isolation than with others — dual titular meaning — similar to The Bell Jar — need to read I Never Promised You a Rose Garden
Review:
I discovered this through one of my morning coffee reads and I am so glad that I did!
I’m surprised this novel never reached the popularity of The Bell Jar, and I find myself wondering why. That being said, with it’s recent re-publication I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this one popping up everywhere in the upcoming years and hopefully it becomes a well-regarded classic.
What I liked was how fluid and absorbing Dawson’s narrative voice was. It was a stream of consciousness that mirrors the narrator’s mental state and fleeting thoughts in an almost peaceful way?! It felt natural and not overwhelming which I think it being semi-autobiographical works in Dawson’s favour. She is able to portray what it meant to think and experience the world differently from the norm with natural subtly and credibility. Thus you gain an intimate sense of the narrator’s interior life without ever feeling overwhelmed, or that her consciousness is being stylised beyond belief.
Reading the novel now, in the context of its republication, it feels almost dystopian. I was already aware of the historical stigma surrounding mental health, but encountering it from inside the narrator’s mind makes that world feel even more restrictive and unsettling. The title deepens this effect. “The Ha-Ha” refers to a concealed ditch used in landscape design but it also gestures toward the narrator’s inability to control her laughter in social situations. Her difficulty “reading the room,” and the invisible barriers that separate her from others.
Almost every character in this novel is deeply unpleasant. The only person I felt any warmth towards was the narrator herself and I found myself growing fiercely protective of her as I read.
Theory and Practise, Michelle de Kretser (4.5/5.0)
“I wanted to join the bourgeoisie and I wanted to destroy it.”From the first few pages, I was convinced I was going to hate this — the form seemed unbearable. But it suddenly slipped into a smooth weaving between, as the title suggests, theory and practice.
Fragments:
Woman looking back on young adulthood — values in late 80’s — Australian fiction — Woolf influence — I do not understand the form — literary references — comme un roman(?) — interconnection between theory and practise — Woolf-mother — mother-daughter tension — open relationships — Melbourne — feels vibrant and injected with life — feels autobiographical —intrusive and raw — for the people who love literary theory aka me!
Review:
I am so glad I didn’t just scrap this from the TBR after not picking it up for the past few months! I also want this to be the novel I write if and when I write a novel! One final side note: perhaps I need to read more Australian fiction because so far all that I have read has not let me down!
Following a Woolf scholar who carries Virginia Woolf’s once-groundbreaking ideas into her daily life to confront feminist and patriarchal structures. The writing is witty, clever and often reminiscent of Atwood. And just one more thing on Woolf, whilst I’ve made it clear I don’t like her, I think this book made me understand why she was so important and pivotal to readers.
At its core, this is a novel about a woman looking back on her young adulthood in late-80s Melbourne. There are some excellent reflections on mother–daughter relationships, with literary idols positioned as a kind of alternative mother-figure. At times it felt distinctly autobiographical and even intrusive to read, but it was exceptional for that very reason.
Overall, I think this is a novel that will especially resonate with readers who have studied or love studying literary theory.
I underlined a lot of quotes in this one so you can expect a detailed Notes From in due course!
Held, Anne Michaels (3.5/5.0)
Fragments:
some incredible lines —regret choosing as audiobook — dualism — perfection of cause and effect — faith — sailors and soldiers — Welsh — war — new world with new forms of grief — winter — ghosts in photos — familial connections — novel of opposites — Marie Curie
Review:
I regret choosing this as an audiobook, for two reasons. Firstly, the shifting relationships in each chapter were disorienting in audio form and I did get a little lost along the way. Secondly, the language was absolutely stunning and I know that if I’d had the words on the page or on my e-reader, so much of it would be underlined. So sadly that probably as impacted my rating and review.
Nonetheless I could tell that this is a deeply philosophical novel. The section focused on the camera (I won’t say more, as that would be a spoiler) and the philosophical abstractions connected to it, was beautifully devastating — especially in the context of war.
We Do Not Part, Han Kang (3.0/5.0)
“We have to make sure scabs don’t form on the wound, Inseon went on. They said we have to let the blood flow, that I have to feel the pain. Otherwise the nerves below the cut will die”
Fragments:
vulnerability — darkness — dystopian feeling but also mundane — existence — anxiety and self destruction — snow — Jeju island — migraine — Seoul — flashbacks — Mother — intense friendship(?) — birds — dead birds — slow — war — generational stories — finger symbolism(?)
Review:
I have consistently rated Kang a 4/5 on all of the books I have read and this one was the last and probably my least favourite. I don’t think that’s Kang’s fault, I think it’s mine. With her other novels I was able to read without context, but I think this one required me to research into the Jeju massacre. Thus because I felt a bit disconnected from the cultural context I found it slow in the middle.
I won’t dwell on the negative though, I want to talk about what I did like. As per usual, the prose was stunning. The descriptions of snow and of internal feelings are poetic but mundane at the same time. Most of the lines I highlighted were of snow.
The Lost Traveller, Antonia White (5.0/5.0)
“Everything had always been for her father; her mother was lucky to have an occasional crumb.”
Fragments:
Thought it was about Nanda — similar vibes — Clara — controlling converted dada — oppressed mother — jittery emotional girl — separate novel but intertwined in young girls journey to adulthood — mum becomes sick — catholic to protestant school — father and daughter relationship — mum having an affair(?) — or she wants to be intellectually stimulated — similar family dynamics to Frost in May — intense but mundane — must continue the series — financial church scene was just stunning
Review:
I was under the impression that this was a sequel to Frost in May (my favourite book) that followed Nanda, but was shortly disappointed when it was not. Nonetheless, once I overcame that feeling I truly did adore this book just as much.
It’s just as tragic in very similar ways but also different. It had all the components I loved from Frost in May:
Catholicism, but where the father had converted to this at a later age and projected it upon the daughter. Although I did love how personal the relationship Clara had with it. It was uniquely hers and not her father’s this time around.
The father’s desire to shape and mould the daughter because he did not have a son.
The daughter’s disdain for the mother because of her father’s moulding, although this is softer in this novel and the ending was truly just magical.
This felt like a more fleshed out novel than the previous and it is significantly longer. It’s a true coming of age story as we follow Clara from her time at school in the Convent to becoming a governess during the war. What I love about White’s writing is her ability to show the interiority of her characters and how you can just fall head over heels for them, or in the case of the father, want to just shout at him. It’s this interiority building that left my mouth wide open at the event that happens to change the course of Clara’s life because you just know the mental impact this was going to have on her.
So take this as a warning that this is not a sequel to Frost in May that follows Nanda; rather it’s a sequel in the sense that this is a coming of age story of a girl in Catholicism. I will be adding the others to my list.
The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoevsky
“After all, the instinct for self-preservation is the normal law of mankind”
Fragments:
prince is idiot — prince as philosophical muse — handwriting — mother and daughters — mystery — so much happening in short space of time — money manipulation — manipulating the good — rumours — loving with pity — atheism and religious discussion interesting — impulsive and suddenness — morality — not being afraid of eccentricity — neurodivergent(?) — nihilism a big theme — nationalism — explanation scene — feels like a theatrical novel — but slow — no sense of time
Review:
It doesn’t feel right to rate a classic, so I haven’t. I think I’d give it three stars but that feels rude to the clear sophistication of writing. I think it’s a novel I need to sit with and some critical reading before I decide on my thoughts for definite.
But, for now I didn’t love this as much as other works by Dostoevsky. As my fragments suggested I found it slow and lacking in a sense of time. Perhaps that’s to show the intensity of the Prince’s mental state?
Compared to other Russian novel’s I found it lacking in philosophical thought to. There was of course the nihilism running through but something was just lacking…
I’ll keep it at that for now. I’ll of course do a deep dive on this novel at some point, quotes and critical analysis.
Ruth, Kate Riley (3.5/5.0)
“Ruth knew no greater joy than discovering a present at her place at the breakfast table. Like all good and mysterious things, present grew in the dark and appeared in the morning, evidence that the world conspired towards delight”
Fragments:
religious cult — dualism — family dynamics — avoiding egotism and vanity — seasons marked by xmas and Easter — no talking behind others backs — sauna as a luxury as steam cleanses — family intimacy bad(?) — kinship without intimacy — wittiness from Ruth — feel protective of her — quick paced — name of Ruth in relation to Bible — does also feel disconnected and slow — there is no purpose — motherhood — detached mother — third person choice interesting — woman who is trapped but knows no better — ending question about happiness — depressed by her awareness of difference / sins
Review:
This one has been on my tbr for a very long time now and i decided that i just needed to get around and finally read it — although I did leave it till last on the list.
This novel isn’t doing much on the surface. It’s incredibly mundane and in plot it follows Ruth from youth, marriage to old age. The only difference between perhaps hers and our life is that she is part of a devout cult-like religious community. We learn about the rules of this community — that saunas are not a luxury but a necessity was one I found compelling. The plot did at times feel a bit empty but I felt that the world building was vibrant.
What I did find interesting was the use of third person narration. The book follows the titular character Ruth, whose name I believe is linked to the Biblical character, and through this third person narration we get a sense of her interiority as if this was a first person novel. Ruth’s interiority clashed quite heavily with the community she lives within. She never thinks about leaving or anything different, only that she cannot marry up her thoughts with the world around her and it leaves this rather oppressive and depressive atmosphere on the novel. She was a wonderful character to follow and I found myself protective of her.
I also found the marriage well presented as well as motherhood. I think what Riley does well is not force any agenda on us. She is not necessarily presenting this community as bad, rather just presenting the facts.
If you liked Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit I think you’ll like this too!
What I want to read in February
Very ambitious I know. I have quite a few arcs to get through but I also want to read some books for my own interest as well. I’ve reached a stage where I am overwhelmed by the fact I will never be able to read everything! But let’s see how it goes for this short month of February!
Repetition, Vigdis Hjorth (arc)
Down Time, Andrew Martin (arc)
Mare, Emily Hamworth-Booth (arc)
Stargazer, Laurie Petrou
Supporting Act, Agnes Lidbeck (physical)
The Fate of Mary Rose, Caroline Blackwood
All’s Well, Mona Awad (audiobook)
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, Hannah Green
On the Calculation of Volume 1, Solvej Balle
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Olga Tokarczuk
A Month In The Country, J.L.Carr
Chess Story, Stefan Zweig
Discord, Jeremy Copper (arc)
Books v Cigarrettes, George Orwell
To stay up to date with my reviews you can find me on Storygraph or Goodreads
Or:
You packed in a lot of books in January, fair play. I really liked Theory and Practice. I have read a few Australian authors and she is one of the better ones. I bought Michaels Fugitive Pieces recently, still to be read. And I must read White. I think I have Frosts in May on my bookshelf.