January flew by and ended in a snow storm where I live. Even so, I was able to read a total of 5 books this month. I’m fairly certain that two of this month’s books will be in my top 10 favorite books of the year! I’m hoping to read at least 75 books in 2016. I think this month was a solid start. As the year goes on I want to participate in a few different reading challenges. Leave a comment at the bottom with some of your favorite book challenges or your favorite book from January.
To Helvetica and Back by Paige Shelton – 4/5 stars
This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series set in Star City, Utah. While classified as a cozy, this book has enough suspense and intrigue to keep your attention throughout the story. A solid start for a new series.
Mr. Monster by Dan Wells – 4/5 stars
This is the second book in the John Cleaver series. John finds himself in another sticky situation when a new demon comes to town looking to avenge it’s friend. I liked this book even more than the first one. I can’t wait to continue reading this series and see how John’s character and desire to kill grows over time.
Even the Dead by Benjamin Black – 2.5/5 stars
When I received a copy of this book I didn’t realize that this was the 7th book in the Quirke series. It took me a while to get my bearings with the characters. Once I got to know them the story moved too slowly. This is heavy crime noir. I found myself getting distracted from the main story. This seems like another decent entry into the book series, but it just wasn’t right for me. Side note : I’m pretty sure that I got secondhand smoke just from reading this book *coughcough* I’m positive there was someone smoking a cigarette on every other page.
The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan – 5/5 stars
The Sword of Summer is the first book in the new Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series. I loved every page of this book. I immediately felt a kinship with Magnus from the first chapter. And speaking of chapters, you can be sure to find some hilarious chapter titles throughout this novel. Magnus definitely fills those chapters with a big personality and genuine emotions. The numerous characters he meets add to the complexity of the story. This is an all around fantastic book. I’m anxiously waiting for the next in the series to be released in October 2016. Easily a favorite read for 2016.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – 5/5 stars
I went way out of my comfort zone with this one. I do not read much Fantasy, but I was immediately sucked into the world and characters in A Darker Shade of Magic. I can honestly say that I have never gotten so attached to characters as fast as I did during this novel. I buddy read this book with two Instagram friends. We were all worried about feeling pressure to read the book too fast, but we all finished it in 48 hours! We have so many theories about what will happen in the next book. I won’t divulge any since they definitely contain spoilers. I am so happy that the next book in the series comes out at the end of February! This is another one that is destined to be a top favorite of 2016.
Jenn Blogs Books 