Get Me Outa Here
What I read in January
January Reads
Winter—especially the “clean slate” vibe of the new year—used to be a nonfiction-packed time of year for me. And while I did start this month with a kick-in-the-pants book about financial planning, I quickly abandoned the self-improvement genre for pure fantasy. And a little murder, as you do. I can’t imagine why I’m so driven to leave reality, considering how positively delightful it is to live in America these days. Fiction, take me away!
Let’s dive in!
Women and Money by Suze Orman
5 ⭐ | Audiobook 🎧 | Nonfiction | Finished January 3, 2026 🗓️
I don’t know if it’s necessarily “cool” to like Suze Orman anymore, but I do. I have learned a lot from her podcast, and admire her desire to empower everyone—especially women—to take control of their finances and grow their personal wealth.
I liked this book. It was chock full of helpful advice, easy-to-follow guidance, and not-too-overwhelming to-dos to get your finances on track and plan for the future. It was the kick in the pants I sought when I picked it up in the first place.
Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher
5 ⭐ | Audiobook 🎧 | Fantasy | Finished January 5, 2026 🗓️
I loved this book, but for some reason I can’t remember what it was about. (Why does January feel like it’s 57,000 days long?) Give me a moment to consult the Internet for a refresher…
…okay, got it.
As I said, I loved this book. It had all the ingredients of an epic fantasy adventure: a band of misfits, a seemingly impossible mission, an adventurous path toward their goal. It was a sometimes creepy, often funny hero’s journey. The characters were memorable (once my very fallible memory was jogged), well-rounded, and unique.
I thought this might be the first novel in a series, but there’s no indication of that that I could find. Has anyone heard otherwise?
Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart
4 ⭐ | Kindle 📱 | Action/Thriller | Finished January 13, 2026 🗓️
Sometimes a girl just needs a Boy Book. By that, I mean plenty of action, a little too much blood, and oodles of sarcastic banter. This book had all of that, plus an interesting premise: a 12-step group for recovering contract killers.
The protagonist is interrupted at one of the group’s meetings by, ironically, someone bursting in to kill him. A whodunit (or should I say, whogundoit?) ensues, with our main man fighting off attempted hits with superhuman skills that made him the most notorious assassin known to the dark web.
It was a nice break from dealing with the rest of the world, and unlike Nettle & Bone, this one is the first in a trilogy. I’ve added the other two to my to-read list.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
5 ⭐ | Audiobook 🎧 | Romantasy | Finished January 15, 2026 🗓️
I finally did it—I entered the Empyrean world. A few years ago, it seemed that everyone was reading this series. I was late to the game, one because I hadn’t really plunged into the romantasy genre yet, and two because I was intimidated by the length of the tome.
Thank goodness for audiobooks.
This one sprang up as available on Libby, so I gave it a go and was instantly hooked. It’s the reason for my new morning routine of getting out of bed, making a matcha latte, and heading upstairs to sit on the guest bed with Bird and listen to a book while I play Match Factory on my iPad.
It draws on a well-worn trope: an underestimated, broken-in-some-way female protagonist finds herself battling life-or-death stakes and falls for the mysterious, emotionally unavailable bad boy. There are also dragons and magic.
Ugh. I didn’t say I was proud of liking this series. I just do and that is enough. There’s action, sex, mystery, adventure, politics, emotions, and bookish nerds who help save the day. It’s all I need right now.
Why Didn’t You Tell Me? by Carmen Rita Wong
4 ⭐ | Audiobook 🎧 | Memoir | Finished January 21, 2026 🗓️
This memoir was the first pick for the new book club started by the writing coaching program I joined last month. It was perfect timing, considering that I just started writing my own memoir. What’s more, I got to talk to the author—she was on the call when the group discussed the book this week!
Memoir is one of my favorite genres—I think there’s almost always something to identify with in a memoir, regardless of the author’s story or background. Memoir distills the human experience into bite-sized chunks and helps everyone feel more seen. This offering is no exception. The author tells of her strained relationship with her narcissistic, abusive mother without holding back—and yet, without judgment.
I learned during our discussion that Wong was able to achieve that balance thanks to years of therapy and distance from the events she discusses in the book. In short, her mom did a number on her and everyone else in her family, and it’s taken decades for the author to reconcile it all.
It’s a story of finding identity and family in unexpected places, and learning to tether yourself to something deeper when everything around you is trying to untie the connections.
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros
4 ⭐ | Audiobook 🎧 | Finished January 30, 2026 🗓️
I told you I was in love with this series.
More dragons! More magic! More sex! Things really ramp up in this second installment in the Empyrean series. I found myself pausing every now and then, wondering how Rebecca Yarros developed some of the action scenes. I found them unpredictable and completely enthralling.
I hammered my way through this one, committed to finishing it before the end of the month. I got it in just under the wire, and not for lack of trying. It’s hard to find 28 hours to listen to a book, no matter how much you play Match Factory. I’ve already started listening to Onyx Storm.
P.S. One thorn in my side: “Heartbeat” is quickly becoming the “murmured” of this particular series. This is the overused word of a killer, Bella…
DNFs
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. DON’T JUDGE ME. I had this on my to-read list for years, and then finally grabbed it up to read before the movie adaptation comes out in March. My stepmom read it and warned me about the sheer volume of math/calculations in it. She said I could skip over it without losing any of the plot. That was all well and good, except I didn’t care for the rest of it, either. I imagine it’s difficult to weave together a narrative with a single character. Of course, most of it is going to be internal thought processes. But that took away the “show, don’t tell” aspect of well-written prose. It was literally just TELL TELL TELL. We get it, Andy Weir. You’re a smarty pants. It reminded me of Dan Brown books. The constant over-explanation came off as mansplainy bravado. No thanks.
That’s our kick-off of the new year. What did you read this month? What should I read next?
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