Hey, Hi, Hello, my friends!
I survived the 120 days of January and now February is FLYING by and I just realized I never shared what I was reading last month!
I apologize for the delay, I know you’ve all been dying to know. I made it through 12 books in January which sounds like a lot…but when you remember that January lasted for 87 years it’s really not that impressive. Four of the 12 books were for various book clubs, and I am feeling really good about my 2026 reading goal which is 98 books (one fun read for every book club read). Anyways, let’s get down to the nitty gritty and talk about the actual books!
A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
I read this book last year, and we added it to our NeuroDivergent Tales book club list because it is such a great story! I won’t rehash everything since it is a re-read, but I highly recommend this read to everyone!
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber
This was the first book for Sugar & Spice book club and I had high expectations because I have read other books by Stephanie Garber that have been really great. This was…good….but…left me needing more. There was A LOT going on plot wise that didn’t get explained well within the confines of a single book. I realizes this is the first in the series, but it really left me confused and a bit disappointed. I will say that I love Stephanie Garber’s writing style, and the descriptions of everything were beautifully done, but it didn’t make up for the plot problems in my opinion. I think this has the potential to be great depending on how the next books go, but just reading this didn’t do it for me.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
This is one of the most commonly banned books of 2025 and we read it for our Rainbow Readers book club. The story takes place in San Francisco in the 1950s and follows a young Chinese American girl named Lily as she discovers the magic of the Telegraph Club, falls in love with a classmate, and ultimately has to deal with the consequences of her choices in relation to her sexuality and her cultural identity. This book has won the National Book Award, the Stonewall Book Award, and many others. It was a beautiful coming of age story set in a time when being a lesbian was extremely taboo, and the red scare made life harder for many. I have recommended this book to many young readers, and I am excited to get to share it with others.
We Were Liars, Family of Liars, and We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart
I read We Were Liars years ago when it was initially released and was OBSESSED with it. When Family of Liars came out, I had every intention of reading it but it sat in my TBR pile and I just never got around to it. When the third book, We Fell Apart was released in November of 2025 the series got bumped up to the top of my list. I think I listened to this whole series in three days. I love the characters, and the plot twists, and writing. If you haven’t read this series, you should. I am curious about the television adaptation, but I am nervous to commit to anything because every show I love ends up getting canceled. Have you watched it? Is it worth it? Somebody let me know!
Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights by Ashley Hope Perez
“Banned Together is an insightful, moving, and important resource for teens and all readers who are fighting the alarming rise in censorship across the US. Give this to every young person to better equip them to stand up for the rights and their communities.” Malinda Lo author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club
I loved everything about this collection of essays. The information is superb and the graphics/illustrations are so cute. I have recommended this to several customers and I think we will be adding it to our Banned Book Club reading list for next year. I especially loved all the reading lists included by each author and all of the resources that so many people are unaware of. I think having an easy way to share this important information in a way that is digestible for teens and all readers is an invaluable asset.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This has been one of my favorite books since I was about 14 years old, and I have re-read it numerous times over the years. We read Perks for our Banned Book Club and this was the first time I had read the 20th Anniversary edition with the extra letter from Charlie at the end, and it was so incredibly beautiful. I think this is one of the best books for young readers, and we had such a great time talking about it as a book club. I was the only person who had read the book before, and it was so neat getting to hear fresh perspectives on a book that made such an impact on me as a young reader and into my early adulthood. We also talked about the movie and how great it is, and made a playlist to listen to that incorporates the songs mentioned in the book, a few from the movie, and others that were chart toppers in 1990-1992.
Sept 18th, 2012
Dear Friend,
I haven’t sent a letter to you for 20 years, I didn’t even know if this is still the right place to send it but I’m going to send it anyway and hope that you find it, it would mean the world to me if you found it because I want to say thank you. Years ago there was a very sad kid who needed a whole lot of help and writing to you was the beginning of that help whatever I’ve learned as an adult I have never forgotten what it was like to be that kid, what it was like to feel like no one could understand these feelings because I couldn’t understand them myself.
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
My fiancé and I decided we wanted to read all of the Cosmere books together, since we both really liked the Mistborn series and other works by Brandon Sanderson. This book started off ssssllllooooowww but once I got into it I was hooked. Brandon Sanderson books are a commitment and I don’t really want to go too much in depth since I’ve only finished the first of the series, so I am going to say that I am excited to continue reading, and will save my official judgment until I have finished the series.
Legends & Lattes, Bookshops & Bonedust, and Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree
I got Legends & Lattes as a Christmas present and I had already had it on my TBR list and I really needed a lighthearted cozy fantasy once I got through the dredges of the longest month of the year. These books are sweet, comfy, and fun. I loved the characters, and the relationships they have with each other. I am a big fan of found family stories, and this is one of the best I’ve read in a while.
“Things don’t have to stay as what they started out as.”
That’s it for January…so far in February I’ve read 6 books, so it’s looking like it will be another long post next month too!
Until the next chapter,
