January was a mixed bag for books - I kicked off the year with an excellent book, a fun book, and followed with a DNF. It always bums me out when I have to DNF a book, but I’m pretty ruthless about it. I typically read 50-75 pages of a book, and if I’m not intrigued enough by then, it’s time to put it aside.
Regardless, let’s take a look at what I read in January
Luster: Raven Leilani
This book came out late last year and it felt like everyone was talking about it, including Barak Obama who had it on his list of best books of 2020.
It lives up to the hype. This book is quite short at 227 pages and not a single word is wasted. It’s the story of a 20-something Black woman in the publishing industry who begins an affair with an older White man who is in an open marriage. Our protagonist Edie’s life is so messy and she makes such bad decisions - I kept wanting to step in and fix it!!!!
Read this if you enjoyed the discomfort of watching Hannah in Girls.
Overall Grade: A+
My So-Called Bollywood Life: Nisha Sharma
My so-called Bollywood Life is the story of Winnie Mehta, a high school senior whose high school boyfriend just broke up with her. She thought her ex, Raj, was her destiny. After all, her family astrologer predicted that she would meet her future husband before she turned 18, that his name would begin with R, and that he would give her a silver bracelet. All these things happened but now she and Raj are no longer together, so what does this all mean?
This is a fun read for astrology fans, and while it has a lot of Bollywood references, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know much about Bollywood (I don’t - I’m the worst Indian!!!!!!!). It’s a light read that will give you a look into Indian American culture with a side of Bollywood, and if you feel so compelled, you will also find a list of Bollywood RomComs to search on Netflix. Read this if you enjoyed Never Have I Ever.
Overall grade: A-
Us Again: Elle Maxwell
This book was an Amazon Unlimited feature, and I’m so glad I didn’t pay $ for this. This was long and rambling, and I did not finish.
I’m not even going to go into the story at all because it is not worth your time.
Overall grade: F
Grown Ups: Marian Keyes
I’m not going to lie: 100% picked this up because of the hot pink cover.
Every family has secrets, and big families have more of them. The Casey family is made up of 3 brothers: Johnny, Ed, and Liam and their wives and children. They go on glamorous family vacations, but underneath all is not as it seems. And everything begins to unravel when Ed’s wife Cara has a head injury and can’t keep secrets anymore.
Read this if you like a slow burn family drama that won’t make you cry.
Overall grade: B+
Emergency Contact: Mary H.K. Choi
Another book judged by its absolutely gorgeous blush pink and gold cover and it was 100% worth it!
I fell in love with Mary H.K. Choi’s writing and characters when I read Permanent Record a couple of years ago. Her characters her nuanced and sensitive and awkward and uncomfortable and nervous and I just want to hug them all.
Penny Lee is a freshman at University of Texas at Austin, and meets Sam while at a coffee shop. Sam is in a very stuck stage of his life, and when he has a panic attack, Penny rescues him. Soon they begin a textual relationship sharing all their dreams and secrets and hopes for the future.
Read this if you like Sex Education or any movies with angsty college-age characters.
Overall grade: A+
The Divines: Ellie Eaton
This book flips back and forth between current day L.A. and a British boarding school in the 90s. Angsty teens at an all-girls school, they were known as the Divines. Josephine hasn’t spoken to a Divine since the school’s sudden shut down, but finds herself drawn back in, especially to the scandal that shut it down. How accurate is her memory of that time?
Read this if you liked Cruel Intentions and the general theme of unsupervised teens getting into trouble.
Overall grade: B+