New month, new book thread!
The first book I finished in 2025 was Dying To Know by Rae Cairns.
A bit predictable but the writing was absolutely gripping. I genuinely couldn’t put it down.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/93975fdb-ba66-4672-af50-c16b59d19ea9
And now for the first book I started in 2025: Civil Resistance by Erica Chenoweth.
‘No movements have failed after getting 10% of the nation’s population to be actively involved in their peak event. Most succeed after mobilising 3.5%.’
This one gives me a bit of hope just when I need it most.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/9bfc5908-d3f0-4af6-8919-a86a716a9ba3
Friday’s book was So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams.
Insufficient Marvin … otherwise excellent.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/d04c0c02-f42b-49ef-8bee-7a0be96ffbe6
Saturday’s book was The Taiga Ridge Murders by Skyla Dawn Cameron.
It’s not *that* kind of horror. It’s sort of modern gothic horror: creepy and eerie but with minimal gore.
PS: The cat lives.
Get it now: https://payhip.com/b/LnA5I
Sunday’s book was The Usual Santas: A Collection of Soho Crime Christmas Capers.
Well, this was a random collection of stories.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/463956db-a4ff-4ed8-9901-dacb97f8cdf6
Monday’s book was The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst.
Cosy fantasy (yay!) with angsty romance (ugh).
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ac83a55b-2e08-4fc8-8867-7929958dfd6d?redirect=true
Oops… Forgot to post this one yesterday. Tuesday’s book was Exit Strategy by Martha Wells.
#Murderbot’s back with the crew from the first story – and it’s not sure how to feel about that. Mainly it feels icky because feelings are gross.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/0b7ef317-f636-42ee-bd32-42e3384ddff6
Wednesday’s first book was A Quiet Teacher by Adam Oyebanji.
This story pairs a slow and gentle pace with a dark and all-too-realistic storyline.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c7875b1d-b1e0-41e1-be33-dd2adfef933a?redirect=true
Wednesday’s second book was Boneshaker by Cherie Priest.
Compelling characters and a gripping storyline paired with racial slurs and crass stereotypes.
Sorry. Read her other books instead.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/7eff666c-6c12-4e19-bd5a-705a63abe6bb?redirect=true
Thursday’s book was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
This book is a powerful anti-totalitarian anthem. This book is a racist, ableist, misogynist mess. Both statements can be true.
Moving on.
Hey, I heard you like queer books!
Friday’s first book was Iron Goddess by @dharmakelleher.
A fast-paced story of a woman on a mission. She’ll stop at nothing to protect herself and the ones she loves.
Get it straight from the author: https://dharmakelleher.com/products/iron-goddess-ebook-shea-stevens-outlaw-biker-book-1
Friday’s second book was Marketing Strategy for Authors by @taorwong_author.
This book will teach you how to build a marketing plan that’s right for your author business … wherever you’re at.
Get it straight from the author: https://starlitpublishing.com/products/marketing-strategy-for-authors-1
Saturday’s book was Unnatural Causes by Richard Shepherd.
I was hoping for inspiration on unusual causes of death. Alas, this is not that book.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/6776801a-b998-4903-bbb6-fec4997268ab
Sunday’s book was The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi.
In 2020, I couldn’t write another serious novel about serious people dealing with serious problems. So I set out to write a fun, fluffy book to amuse myself.
Apparently, I wasn’t alone in that feeling. John Scalzi felt it too.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/2f654441-d9e2-4109-b335-d072da2ad845?redirect=true
Monday’s book was Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson.
This one wasn’t for me … and that’s okay. Not every book is for every reader.
Also, they’re going to want to revise the review on that cover.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ae840ac5-681a-46b1-a203-2b40f06cc16d
Tuesday’s book was Firewatching by Russ Thomas.
Well done mystery with compelling characters and a twisty, winding plot.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/326a87df-d309-4032-9efc-ef3150dbad85?redirect=true
Wednesday’s first book was Irmageddon by Maia Ross.
Irma is the best! But also kinda terrifying.
This one is free with subscription to the author’s newsletter.
https://www.maiarossbooks.com/irmageddon.html
Wednesday’s second book was Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams.
‘Oh, so you think time flows that way, do you?’
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5427474a-17a8-41be-a68e-72c8ecd5e9ab
Thursday's book was Elevator Pitch by Linwood Barclay.
Complex storyline with a cast of thousands, so it was a bit hard to keep straight. I enjoyed it, though.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/233cd311-b002-4366-8cc1-e258c9138c8a
Friday's first book was Mickey7 by Edward Ashton.
I enjoyed this one – just not as much as I loved Mal Goes to War.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/1d6de5e8-6c93-4ae6-b97e-79ff4d58ba5c
Friday's second book was Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata.
Thanks. I hate it.
Specifically, I despise every character except for Keiko – how they talk to her and about her and act around her.
Anyone who describes this book as funny or sweet or cosy or quirky … is not safe for neurodivergent people to be around.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b74bc9ef-895d-487f-83c1-44cb5a07078e
Saturday’s first book was The Truths We Hold by Kamala Harris.
Interestingly, the politics espoused in this book are so much more progressive than anything we saw in her campaign.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/a53b3029-41be-4621-9b56-e99d75f81a70
Saturday’s second book was Once on the Blue Moon by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
A fun story of a genius 11-year-old who has to save a ship full of passengers after pirates board and lock everyone up.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/c9813c19-60c0-40b8-b67b-d8b3e2427f86?redirect=true
Sunday’s book was Saturnalia by T.W.M. Ashford.
This claustrophobic sci-fi horror(ish) novel will keep you in the dark – sometimes literally – until the end.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5571131f-574f-403c-a003-5b83195b151d?redirect=true
Monday’s book was Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by MC Beaton.
I started out hating Agatha … but she grew on me. I might even read more of the series.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e0ebd479-06e5-45b0-9013-2867845f382e
Tuesday’s first book was Snuff by Terry Pratchett.
Pratchett died almost a decade ago. And yet this is a book for today.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/3162f494-e687-4dcc-bf2e-0489da4419be?redirect=true
Tuesday’s second book was Loud by Drew Afualo.
Don’t forget to mock the patriarchy. Every chance you get.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f7bb413e-07a1-4df8-aa41-3b6069047f54?redirect=true
Wednesday’s book was Trust: A Fractured Fable by Jeanne Ryckmans.
I read this one for research as my next book involves romance fraud. Interesting case.
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e50d708a-d348-4833-b270-e7422294f0d2
Thursday’s book was The List by Yomi Adegoke.
I hate it – not because it’s a bad book but because it shouldn’t need to exist.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/af0e13d9-e53f-4830-b4a9-86bc27550283?redirect=true
Friday’s book was The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong.
This book was an absolute joy. Found family. Ace joy. A slightly magical cat.
Very short review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/5b2803ee-35ab-404e-b4e2-912baec4c998
Oopsie, I’m behind again. Saturday’s first book was Neo Chongqing Glitch by W J Sam
Great idea, but I struggled with the execution.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/e3b760cb-81cb-481f-8000-066098978190
Saturday’s second book is Dead Mile by Jo Furniss.
Unique premise paired with great execution.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/632b0f12-0b4b-48e1-a182-8cda14849064
Sunday’s book was The Cat Who Caught A Killer by L.T. Shearer
I wanted to love this book. But the conservative (and Conservative) values were just too transparent.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/ce9c2898-e9d4-4782-bf08-2c8167ff6455?redirect=true
Monday’s book was The Truth by Terry Pratchett.
What surprised me in this re-read was just how relevant it is to the state of the world in 2025.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/564e40aa-cae4-46c6-bf1c-41b84f7aee66?redirect=true
Tuesday’s book was Black Thorn by Sarah Hilary.
I want to read about Agnes and Errol’s adventures once they finally escape her horrible family!
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/b7dd4c63-39e2-4081-aac8-b146c12feb0a
Wednesday’s book was We Solve Murders by Richard Osman.
This book is SO MUCH FUN. If you need a nice, light book-snack to restore your sense of hope, here you go.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f09d4a4d-7223-4711-b4e8-f711cc92bfb2
Thursday’s book was The Flesh of the Sea by Lor Gislason and Shelley Lavigne.
This inclusive and heartwarming tale was billed as a horror, but didn’t feel like one. Reminded me of OFMD.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/29f0c02a-19bc-4356-98f2-faa4a3572814
Friday’s book – and my final for January – was Stay Awake by Megan Goldin.
An un-putdownable thrill-ride of a book that’s very slightly let down by a lacklustre ending.
Full review: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/57824736-844d-4f25-8d92-70fe1912f6bd?redirect=true
I read 38 books in January. Some favourites include:
Civil Resistance by Erica Chenoweth
The Truth by Terry Pratchett
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
The List by Yomi Adegoki
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong
Loud by Drew Afuola
I keep hearing good things about Richard Osman, and all his books have multi month wait lists 😭
@BaconSmith @clacksee @bookstodon
Do you remember, I believe it was the convention , where a Palestinian speaker was excluded from the speakers list, and we got a short video instead.
I remember how I felt when that went down, like watching an own goal. I felt kinda sick, slapped in the face, even. I worried that we were not sufficiently robust for that kind of self-sabotage .
I understood the why. I didn't agree with it. Hell of a price we paying.
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🔥 Mireille Sillander 🔥
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