January 2025 Wrap Up + February TBR List

    Well, we've finally made it through the year that was January. Seriously, why is the first month of the new year always the longest. Anyway, I had a pretty good reading month as I made it through my entire monthly tbr. I'm pretty proud of myself for achieving my reading goal for January. I started a new full-time job and it's my first one right out of college. I thought that I'd have less time to do my hobbies considering I'd have to start doing actual adult things. But one of my resolutions for this year was to make an effort to do the things I enjoy instead of doom scrolling on my phone. 

    To be so honest right now, the night that TikTok got "banned" I was lowkey (highkey) tweaking and I needed to have a serious conversation with myself because why was I freaking out over a social media app getting banned? Because of this I decided to have a complete cleanse. So, I deleted all of my social media apps expect for YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Fable. I do still have TikTok only because if I delete it, I won't be able to redownload it as it was taken off of the app store. But, I also set a time limit on the app so I'm not on it all the time. Anyway, I'm rambling. Let's get to the wrap up.

    

    The first book I read this month was Belladonna by Adalyn Grace. I thought this was a really good first book of the trilogy. Signa is a really compelling character and her relationship with Death is so good. 4/5

    The next book I picked up was Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. Ugh, I'm so glad to have found a young adult romantic fantasy series that I enjoyed. I love the attention to the world building that Garber put in to the book. *chef's kiss* 4/5

    The third book I read was The Striker by Ana Huang. Welp, I was roped into the Huang Hype and I can't say she disappointed. I liked the length of the book because in my professional opinion, romance books should be more than the typical 250-300 page length they normally are. There were, however, issues with pacing throughout. But I had a fun time. 3/5

    The last book I read this month was The Deal by Elle Kennedy. I succumbed to FOMO and read this book to see if I'd like the TV adaptation and let's just say I will be looking forward to any updates on it. 4/5

    

    Keeping in mind that February is only 28 days, I have a shorter tbr list. I'm also taking my driver's test later this month, yes I'm about to be 23 and am barely getting my license please leave me alone, and I want to focus on getting prepared for it.

1. The first book I have on my list is Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage. I had a fun time reading the first book in this series, although I did give it a pretty low rating. The way I see it, these books are just for fun and I honestly don't expect much from them except a good time.
   
   
2. The next book I one that I have been looking forward to for a very long time. To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose is a book that I've heard a lot of good things about. If you know me, you know that dragons are my favorite mythical creature. I mean, I named my care Dreamfyre for crying out loud. I wanted to read a fantasy book about dragons that wasn't written by a zionist that likes to profit off of an oppressed language, so I have high hopes for this book.
   
   
3. The last book I plan on reading is How Do We Look by Mary Beard. This is a non-fiction book about perspective. More specifically on how we will be perceived by future generations based on how we ourselves perceive those from the past.

    

    I have a pretty diverse genre of books on this list because January was a very romance-heavy month and I've been meaning to read some of the non-fiction books I have on my physical tbr. If by some miracle I manage to finish these books before the month is over, I have a few audiobooks I can pick up.

    I am very much looking forward to reading these books and hope you have a great reading month as well. Happy early Valentine's Day!

Until Next Time, 

A Lazy Reader