January Reading Wrap Up and February Reading Plans

Can you believe January is a thing of the past? How did the first month of 2022 go for you?   We survived the cold weather, the bomb cyclone and hunkering indoors for much of the month.  I did go back to yoga mid-month -- I needed to chat with other women and my body appreciated it as well. Our class size has dropped from about 25 to about 14-17 and it's a huge room so I'm not overly concerned.  Although the Covid cases are declining in our area, I tried making an appointment for a haircut but, just found out my stylist has Covid:( --so not sure when that haircut will happen. Hey is anyone playing WORDLE? I'm hoping now that the NY Times has purchased it - they don't screw it up.  I love this daily feature which is not a time waster since you can only play one time a day. I'm on a roll and although I haven't guessed the word on the first try yet (been playing 2 weeks), I have guessed it several times on the second try. Try it - it's fun.

Now on to my favorite subject - books:

January Reading - 14 books

Some of you might recall, I started January by coming up with a list of (12) books I hoped to read during the month - ( I read 8/12) plus (6 other books that called my name). This plan worked quite well for me and most every book was one I was happy I tried.  I love having a plan  - do you?

January Reads

1.  Honor; Thrity Umrigar - 4/5 stars
2. Abide with Me; Elizabeth Strout - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite
3. Amy and Isabelle; Elizabeth Strout - 4/5 stars
4. Winter Solstice; Rosamunde Pilcher - 5/5 stars - a favorite
5. The Maid; Nita Prose - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite
6. After: A Doctor Explores What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Life and Beyond; Bruce Greyson, M.D. - 4/5 stars (NF)
7. Joan is Okay; Weike Wang - 4/5 stars
8. Mala's Cat; Mala Kacenberg - 5/5 stars (NF) - a favorite
9. Mouth to Mouth; Antoine Wilson - 4/5 stars
10. Ladder of the Years; Anne Tyler - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite
11. The School for Good Mothers; Jessamine Chan - 3.5/5 stars
12. In Five Years; Rebecca Serle - 3/5 stars
13. The Lincoln Highway; Amor Towles - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite
14. One Step Too Far; Lisa Gardner - 4.5/5 stars - a favorite

My wishful thinking read list for February  ** (will be updating throughout the month)

1. To Paradise; Hanya Yanagihara (combo eBook & audio) - 3.5/5 stars (from January list)
2. The Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times; Katherine May  (January list) - 5/5 stars
3. The Elephant of Belfast; S. Kirk Walsh (January list) - 4/5 stars
4. Greenwich Park; Katherine Faulkner (January List)
5. The Heights; Louise Candlish (ARC) - 4/5 stars
6. The Swimmers; Julie Otsuka - 5/5 stars
7. The Paris Apartment; Lucy Foley - in progress
8. The Authenticity Project; Clare Pooley (Feb. book group read) - 4/5 stars
9. A Town Called Solace; Mary Larson - 5/5 stars
10. Very Cold People; Sarah Manguso 
11. Talking to the Dead; Helen Dunmore (my shelves)
12. Xstabeth; David Keenan
13. The Overnight Guest; Heather Gudenkauf
14. These Silent Woods - K. Cunningham-Grant -  4.5/5 stars
15. Vladimir; Julia May Jonas - DNF
16. The End of Getting Lost; Robin Kirman - 3.5/5

** I'd also like to read a few new children's books that arrived as well.

Hope everyone has a great February. Did you have any outstanding reads last month?

Happy New Year 2022 and Reading Plans for January

Wishing Everyone a less stressful and more hopeful 2022. May good health and happiness find their ways into your lives. Thank you for taking the time to pop over to my blog throughout the year and taking the time to comment.  Your friendship and love of good books means a lot to me.

Sheila@ Book Journey is hosting this annual even once again. Thank you Sheila!

What's your first book for 2022? Have you picked a "First Book of the New Year?" Thrity Umrigar is a wonderful author so I decided to start 2022 with her new book, Honor,  which releases on Tuesday.  So far (at about 50 pages) it's been a very good story but it is about to take a darker turn.

Do you have any specific reading plans for January?

I always enjoy making a tentative list of books that I'd love to try each month and, for January, I've been more deliberate - really trying to pick just books that I think sound like they might be winners for me. (Let's see how well this list ambitious of (12) books works out.)

• Honor, Thrity Umrigar (favorite author)
• Abide with Me; Elizabeth Strout (favorite author)
• Amy and Isabelle; Elizabeth Strout (favorite author)
• Winter Solstice; Rosamunde Pilcher (have been wanting to try this for 20 years-audio was not working for me so I purchased the print edition.)
• The Wintering: The Power of Rest & Retreat in Difficult Times; Katherine May (just because 2-years of COVID sometimes gets to me)
• In Five Years; Rebecca Serle (book group read for the end of January)
• The Elephant of Belfast; S. Kirk Walsh (elephant lover (actually all creatures great & small) - I've been eyeing this one since it's release last year.
• Mala's Cat: A Memoir of Survival in WWII; Mala Kacenberg (new release - just because me & cats)
• The Maid; Nita Prose (new January release - sucker for hotel settings in fiction.)
• To Paradise; Hanya Yanagihara (new January release - her previous book: A Little Life was one of my most memorable reads ever)
• Joan is Okay; Weike Wang (another January release - a blend of humor and medicine)
• Greenwich Park; Katherine Faulkner (yes, one more January release - cover art called my name and story line left me curious.)

QUESTION - I noticed some reader have some pretty detailed stats at the end of the year. How do you track your stats throughout the year so that it's not a major project in December?  Do you use a spread sheet, journal or something else?  

Wishing everyone a wonderful start in 2022 - may it continue all year long.