January 2025 reads...

Below are the books that I read in January and my thoughts on each. 

I'm not doing any reading challenges this year, but I am planning to keep my reading diverse as I tackle the pile of books I have on my shelves, both digital and physical. And I do have a goal of reading at least 30 books. I'm a slow reader, so that's a lot for me. It's also why I give high ratings to the books I do finish. If a book doesn't capture my attention right away, is in need of editing, or pushes a character ideal that I don't agree with, I am not going to take the time to finish that book. I've already DNF'd at least four books this year. But I never mention them, only the ones I enjoyed reading.

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YEAR ONE by Nora Roberts

This book was different than the other Nora Roberts books I read, because it was less about romance and more about survival, community, and hope. In some ways, Year One reminded me of Stephen King's The Stand as well as many books and movies about a chosen one. Yet, Year One had something special and magical that Nora Roberts always brings to her books, and it reminded me of the first Nora Roberts book I read, Dance Upon the Air. There is a huge cast of characters in Year One. Most of the time I found it easy to follow along, except when large chunks of time were skipped. Then I got a little confused, but the story managed to get me on track again. I really enjoyed Year One and look forward to reading the next in the Chronicles of The One series. If you're a fan of Nora Roberts, like dystopian stories, or live for books about a chosen one, be sure to read Year One.

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THE STARDUST GRAIL by Yume Kitasei

The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei is a sci-fi space adventure that for me had some Indiana Jones and Star Trek qualities. But at its heart, it's a story about defining humanity and what lengths a species will go to in order to protect themselves and ensure their survival. There are many characters with many different pronouns based on gender and species, and the character growth is very evident for all of the characters in this story. Each one has a clear moral compass at the beginning of the story, but they are forced to question it throughout as they learn truths beyond what they'd imagined and must make decisions with the new knowledge in order to survive. The pacing varies throughout, but when the characters aren't contemplating life, they are trying to sneak in somewhere, to escape, or to save one or more of the other characters. All in all, I enjoyed Yume Kitasei's second novel and I think it would be perfect to be produced on film as a limited series.

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FALLING BODIES by Rebecca Roanhorse

Falling Bodies by Rebecca Roanhorse is a sci-fi short that deals with colonization, the forced removal of children from their home only to be raised by the colonizers, the illusion of "peace" talks between the colonizers and those native to the land, and the effects all of that has on those who grow up in the after affects. While the story mentions an alien species as the colonizers of Earth, it is obvious how this story relates to colonialism that has happened and is still happening on our own planet. The ending is not a happy one, but it definitely gets the point of the story across.