January Wrap Up || new year, new books

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to a cosy, chatty post, and it's my first post of 2024! I can't believe it's already February and I haven't found the time to write much, but I have so much I want to share! Today, I wanted to hop on here and chat about some of the books I've been reading. This is a very informal post, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Let me know in the comments what you've been reading recently, and how your year is going so far! 

I was lucky enough to get several books for Christmas, and one that really stands out is World Wonders by Michal Gaszynski, which I got from my grandparents. It has a very unassuming cover, but inside is full of fascinating annotated diagrams and illustrations of landmarks all around the world, of cultural significance. It's so interesting to see places I've been to, such as the Guggenheim in Bilbao and learn more about them, but also to see so many places I want to visit in the future. 

I also got The Chawton Letters by Jane Austen, which I am so very excited tor read. It was, again, a present from my grandparents and I can't wait to get into the intricacies of Jane Austen's life.

I also got some book vouchers, which I've been enjoying spending! I actually managed to have a bit of money left on one of them so I can buy myself some more in the coming months, which is nice. I ended up buying several books, which I'll talk about more on here once I've read them, but a highlight was definitely finding Blackout, which is the previous book in the series to Whiteout, which I read last year (yes I read them the wrong way round!). 

I've been reading lots so far this year too! Revision may be taking over my evenings but my morning routine is so important to me that I always make time to read! So far I've been reading lots of comforting books, which is all I'm craving at the moment. 

I read Moonrise by Sarah Crossan, which I can't stop thinking about. It's such an impactful read and I can't wait to share some more detailed thoughts in a review soon. 

My favourite book of the year so far has been Days At The Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa. This is a Japanese book, with the most wonderful setting and unique characters. Once again, one I will elaborate more on in a full length review!

I also enjoyed getting lost in Fangirl, The Manga 2. I am definitely not a manga reader, but this one is based on a YA book I love, Fangirl. I adore these characters so getting to spend more time with them in manga form is really special!

I did manage to read Blackout as well, which I ended up reading so quickly. This is an immersive story of intertwining lives, set in New York during a black out. It's one of those books where there are constant references to characters from different parts of the novel and you want to reread it to understand them!

The last few weeks have been insane with piles of revision and quite a lot of homework and pressure at school in general. We have round two of mocks in all our subjects soon, which is just a little terrifying seeing as we now have to beat our previous grades! Overall, 2024 is going to be a pretty crazy year for me - I can't wait for the long summer after GCSEs! Imagine the number of books I'll be able to read!

January has been a pretty nice month overall, despite the schoolwork. I've read some good books, spent time with friends....it's been a very slow wintery month, with very cold days and surprisingly mild days. Days spent curled at my desk revising and days spent revelling in slow moments. The new Yoga With Adriene Challenge bringing in the new year has been a mundane joy. I am hoping to post more on here in February - but no promises! 

As always, thank you so much for choosing to spend your time here in this little corner of the internet. It truly means so much. I hope the new year is treating you well, and you've been reading some wonderful books. 

What have you been reading recently? Any recommendations for me?

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p.s. casual magic of the day:

(If you are new here and have no idea what I'm on about, click here to find out more)

I saw the sunset, with streaks of orange and pink across the winter sky. True casual magic.