The first month of 2022 has flown by—was it last January that felt like it lasted a decade?—and I can hardly believe it’s already the fourth of February. This past week has been more exhausting than I expected it to be, but now that my weekend has begun (and a snow storm is howling outside my apartment windows), I’m officially ready to wrap up January.

Books Read

Tell Me You Need Me by Joya Ryan
- Scribd ebook

I enjoyed this Contemporary Romance like I’ve enjoyed others. It’s riddled with goofy, sometimes nonsensical phrases (for example: “She gasped his name as another release spired through her body like pop rocks in soda.” Creative, sure. Puzzling, quite.), but there’s no questioning the main characters’ chemistry. Joya Ryan has sort of become an auto-save for me when it comes to Scribd ebooks, so don’t be surprised when you see the next book I read…

Tell Me You Crave Me by Joya Ryan
- Scribd ebook

Case in point. Joya Ryan is just great at keeping me hooked to these stories.

Homecoming by Beverly Jenkins
- Scribd ebook

This is such a sweet, captivating story. It does take place at Christmastime, which means snowy scenes and cozy embraces. Of course, nobody writes intimacy like Beverly Jenkins, so this is much more than a cheesy love story.

I do want to note that when I describe a romance as cheesy or goofy, I’m not necessarily complaining. Love itself and love stories always have the potential to be cheesy or goofy; if anything can get the message across that I do enjoy these types of stories and books, it’s my reading record from 2021. Just wanted to make that clear.

Delicious by Melissa Schroeder
- Scribd ebook

There is an emphasis on sweets and “sweet” allusions, as the main character owns a bakery, but I was never tired out by either thanks to the romance.

The Unexpected Guest by Agatha Christie
- Scribd audiobook

I’m going to write a blog post about this story and my experience with the audiobook (for my Reading Agatha Christie series), but I do want to mention my point of disgust with this mystery; a content warning if you will (and significant spoiler, so continue to the next section if you’re not interested in reading it). The primary red herring of this mystery relies on 1950’s (mid century-ish) stigmas against the developmentally disabled. The r-word is frequently used by a couple of characters (it not being considered a slur when the book was written does not make it less abhorrent when reading it in the current time period), and there is a significant scene in which the person who is repeatedly singled out as being disabled is shot and killed, and the other characters discuss how it was probably for the best. This and other details of mistreatment were just not necessary to the core mystery, so the fact that they were included at all just sours the whole novel for me.

Books I Did Not Finish (On Purpose)

Slammed by Kelly Jamieson
- Scribd ebook

I’ve read enough smutty books by now to know that when characters—who are in their most hot and steamy moment—exchange information like sexual history and what type of contraception they plan to use, it does nothing to cool the heat of the moment. So when such characters do not partake in this exchange of information and the author alternatively goes the “oh no, we didn’t use any protection nor do we know if either of us regularly have unprotected intercourse” route, I’m not interested in the fate of the love story. DNF’d!

Blog Posts

Blogging | 2021 Review and 2022 Goals
Reading | 2021 Review and 2022 Goals
From My Bookshelf: Agatha Christie
- Since this blog post my Agatha Christie paperback collecting has only gotten more obsessive. Can you really blame me, though?
- From My Bookshelf explained
22 Anticipated Fiction Releases | 2022

Miscellany

I got an unexpected promotion in January that I’m still feeling anxious about (doubting myself/imposter syndrome, etc.), and my beloved car that I’ve had for nearly six years and paid off last summer is showing signs of car-death/the need for expensive revitalization. I mention these things because in addition to daily household tasks and maintaining a long-term relationship, I’ve felt a bit disconnected from this online bookish space because of the mental and emotional space “general life things” have taken up (though to be fair, I’ve felt this way for a little bit longer than just last month). I do find comfort in the both the fact that all of the above are critically important aspects of my life, and the fact that although my attendance here has been going through more downs than ups lately, I still feel comfortable and happy while sitting down to write and publish in this space. All of that is to say if you’ve read up to this point, thank you. And just a heads up that I’ll be using this Miscellany section to talk about non bookish and non blog topics in the months to come (I’ve decided at this very moment).