January was a pretty great month for reading and I did a little writing, too.
READING — I read 14 books in January and they included more really good ones than in any month I can remember. Here’s my list:
? How Reading Changed My Life, by Anna Quindlen – memoir
? My Life with Bob: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Plot Ensues, by Pamela Paul – memoir
? Small Fry, by Lisa Brennan-Jobs – memoir
? Jane Steele, by Lyndsay Faye – novel
? The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield – novel – 5 ★
? Unlimited Memory, by Kevin Horsley – memory training
? An American Marriage, by Tayari Jones – novel – 5 ★
? Brain Myths Exploded, by Indre Viskontas – cognitive neuroscience – audio – 5 ★
? The Word is Murder, by Anthony Horowitz – novel – 5 ★
? A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mystery #1), by T. E. Kinsey – palate cleanser, fun
? The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller – novel – 5 ★
? The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole – novella – classic
? I’m Still Here, by Austin Channing Brown – memoir/polemic – audio
? Cape Cod Summers, by Beverly Koester – memoir
Books that helped meet my reading goals:
Classic: The Castle of Otranto
Read Your Shelves: Jane Steele, The Thirteenth Tale, The Song of Achilles
WRITING — I completed one “7-in-7” (7 poems in 7 days). Were any of them any good? Three are worth keeping. Not bad.