The books I read in January were fantastic and really set a high bar for the rest of the year. My tentative reading goal for 2023 is to read 100 books. Yes, one hundred! Between physical books, books on my e-reader, and audiobooks, I think I can manage. And yes, some of them are shorter, but a book is a book. At any rate, here’s what I read and enjoyed this month:

1. Mary Quirk and the Language of Curses by Anna St. Vincent. This is the fourth book in a YA fantasy series set in a magic school. I bet you’re thinking of that magic school. Well, this school is nothing like that one. This one is set in Oklahoma, and the teachers are much more concerned with their students’ well being. Also, the students aren’t all unnecessarily mean. At any rate, enough about that other magic school. Umbrum Hall is a small school, and Mary Quirk’s family has all trod its halls before her. As the youngest in my family, I feel her pain, coming up behind her sibling and parents. Did I mention there are elves? And fairies? The interaction between humans and other magical beings reflects the issues of today, from immigration to racism to threats of violence against schools. And yet, things are never so dire in this series. I’ve been reading more warm and fuzzy stories lately, and this series definitely fits into that category.

2. The Fervor by Alma Katsu. When I haven’t been reading warm and fuzzy, I’ve been reading horror. Yes, it’s like a giant pendulum in my brain. At any rate, this book draws on true historical events, like Katsu’s other novels. In this case, the story is set during WWII and takes place, in part, in a Japanese internment camp. It also draws upon a Japanese balloon bomb that killed six people in Oregon, the only attack on the mainland during the war. Eerily enough, a Chinese balloon just sailed over the U.S. this week. I fervently wished there were no spiders on it, because there were spiders on Katsu’s balloons, and they were not friendly spiders weaving webs to save their pig friend. No, these spiders carried a deadly disease that caused people to become violent. Well, more violent. People can be pretty violent without any help, thank you very much. This novel, while set decades ago, sadly echoes what’s going on in the U.S. today with an uptick in hate crimes against Asian-Americans.

3. We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix. I almost didn’t make it back from my lunch break at work while I finished this one. This story spoke to me so much. I read it as a story about not selling out, respecting creativity, the pain and drudgery that sometimes goes into art, and the beauty that emerges. Maybe I just sympathize with the calluses on Kris’s fingers as I nurse my own calluses from doing martial arts. But pain is beauty, beauty is pain. My favorite quote from the book? “A girl with a guitar never has to apologize for anything.” Hell, yeah! This was straight up horror with some gross out scenes, and if you’re claustrophobic, there’s a scene in a cave that might not sit well with you.

4. Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Now we’re back to warm and fuzzy. This is, to the best of my recollection, the first cozy fantasy novel I’ve ever picked up. I listened to this one, which is read by the author who has loads of experience voicing books. This book was so warm, so comforting, just like sitting in your favorite booth at your favorite coffee spot with your favorite beverage. There’s a diverse cast of characters, some light romance, found family. I never imagined reading a story about someone building out a coffee shop could be so engrossing, but here we are.

I read more than these four, but these were my top picks for January. Feel free to share what you’ve read and enjoyed recently.