That’s it, the first month of 2024 is done and dusted. We’ve had a quite cold month and to be honest it felt like it went by really slow. However, this is not the case when looking into my reading for this past month. I had the feeling that I picked up one book after the other and my reading mojo returnt. One of my goals is to focus more on quality instead of quantity and I’m happy to see that quality and quantity went hand-in-hand in January. If my reading won’t slack, I might be increasing my reading goal from 50 to some other number. So, I have no complaints about the start of this year! Without further ado, here’s my monthly overview.

The books I’ve read

1. Flawless by Elsie Silver – This was the first book I finished in 2024. I actually had about half of it to go once 2023 ended, so I was able to finish it on New Year’s Morning. It’s such an easy read and I really enjoyed it. I’ll be picking up the other books in the Chestnut Springs series as well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ [review]
2. Sword Catcher by Cassandra Clare – Another 2023 leftover, but this one I unfortunately did not enjoy as much. The characters and world building were fine, but the plot itself was a mess. ⭐⭐,5 [review]
3. The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent – As much as I was suprised by the first book in this series, as disappointed I was in this sequel. It felt like all character development of the first ook was nullified, as well as the storyline. I enjoyed this significantly less. ⭐⭐⭐ [review]
4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – I have been wanting to reread the entire Throne of Glass series in English for a long time now, but I never did so. Until now and it was a delight. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ [review]
5. Twisted Hate by Ana Huang – Although this is not my favorite book in this series, I still enjoyed it. I especially liked the growth of one of the characters. ⭐⭐⭐ [review]
6. Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai – An intriguing story about the aftermath of the Vietnam war and a foreign topic to me. ⭐⭐⭐ [review]
7. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume – I’m not the target audience for this book, but I strongly recommend it to young teenagers. ⭐⭐⭐ [review]
8. De geheimen van maxton Hall College by Mona Kasten – This is the second book in an originally German series, which hasn’t been translated to English. I’ve read it in Dutch and highly enjoyed it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. The Love Letter by Lucinda Riley – One of this author’s stand alones I hadn’t read yet. Despite some negatives, I had a good time. ⭐⭐⭐ [review]
10. De terugkeer naar Maxton Hall College by Mona Kasten – The third and final book in previously mentioned series, neither translated into English. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
11. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa – A relatively short novel which was fine. Not that spectacular. Review might be up soon. ⭐⭐⭐

I also DNF’ed one book, Magnolia Parks by Jessa Hastings. Most times I’m drawn to books like this, with lots of drama and intrigue. However, i couldn’t stand this one. So, after about 4 chapters, I’ve had enough.

Bookhaul

I had some gift cards lying around and also I had a few Audible credits which I decided to put in use.

1. De terugkeer naar Maxton Hall College by Mona Kasten (pre-order)
2. Alles voor jou by Wendy Brokers
3. Niet zonder liefde by Wendy Brokers
4. House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas (pre-order
5. Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
6. Happy Place by Emily Henry (audio)
7. One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (audio)
8. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
9. Mile High by Liz Tomforde
10. The Legacies by Jessica Goodman
11. They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

Have you read any of these books? What was your favorite book this month?