Books Finished

• Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire (reread)
• Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (reread)
• Malamander by Thomas Taylor (review copy)
• Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia (Cybils nominee)
• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (reread)
• Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire (2020 anticipated release)
• We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey (Cybils nominee)
• Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore (2020 anticipated release)

Books Reviewed

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• I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
• The Ghost Collector by Allison Mills
• Malamander by Thomas Taylor
• Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport

Features

• Shared a reflection on the previous year and a look ahead at the next in my tenth annual ‘wrapping up, looking forward‘ post.
• Put a lot of thought into identifying my favourite books of the decade, choosing a favourite from each year
• Ranked the scariness of all the middle grade horror I’ve read, from slightly spooky to truly terrifying
• Signed up for the Pondathon, an incredible co-operative readathon hosted by CW @ The Quiet Pond
• Participated in my first Top Ten Tuesday of 2020 with a list of oceanic book covers
• Transformed my final 2019 list post into a discussion about why we don’t review great books

Goals Check-In

Ooh, a new segment for my monthly wrap up…totals are for 2020 except for the first two.

• 10/13 posts written (in January)
• 3/5 middle grade novels read (in January)
• 3/10 rereads
• 2/10+ books with queer rep
• 0/10 graphic novels
• 0/10 works by Indigenous writers
• 0/7 books about/by Tolkien
• 0/5 books with 500+ pages
• 0/60 books on my TBR that I don’t own
  • This is the biggest surprise. I may have to adjust this goal. The books I read this month which I didn’t own weren’t already on my TBR ^^;

Shared on Twitter

The much anticipated #mglit title 😍 https://t.co/SpIotwVyg2

— Jenna (@fallingletters) January 8, 2020

So excited to reveal the cover of THREE KEYS, my sequel to FRONT DESK, coming out in Sept!!!

It’s an election year and Mia’s life is turned upside down when a new immigration law looms. At school, her entire class finds out she works + lives in a motel!

Are u ready for 🔑🔑🔑? pic.twitter.com/4yfVLKDEhe

— Kelly Yang (@kellyyanghk) January 6, 2020

What a loss. Incredibly grateful for all the work he did in bringing his father’s writing to publication. https://t.co/b0qIkFCcSA

— Jenna (@fallingletters) January 16, 2020

Congrats, @TashaSpillett, @natashamdonovan, @DaveAlexRoberts and @gmbchomichuk! "Surviving the City" and "This Place: 150 Years Retold" are both finalists in the @CybilsAwards Young Adult Graphic Novels category. #Cybils2019#youngadultbook #yabooks pic.twitter.com/m8UaQMWg6S

— Portage & Main Press (@PortageMainPres) January 23, 2020

https://twitter.com/sarahrhamburg/status/1220901480871473152

I remember watching LotR the year I turned 19 and being like “omg I can’t believe I am now the age that Elijah Wood was when he made this” (that was like seven years after I first saw the movies)… https://t.co/cqt1afwj4X

— Jenna (@fallingletters) January 29, 2020

#Pondathon update: I completed the first side quest to help protect Xiaolong by reading most of Dark and Deepest Red! Kyrian has earned the Mark of the Brave. pic.twitter.com/h5VrhsGDaM

— Jenna (@fallingletters) January 30, 2020

Upcoming in February

• Throughout February – Pondathon. Sign ups open throughout the entire event!
• 14. Feb. – Cybils finalists announced
• I don’t have any new releases for this month on my TBR! What am I missing?

How was your January? What new books, or bookish events, are you looking forward to this month?