2020 is off to an amazing start! I decided to set my Goodreads goal to 70 books this year and I am already on a roll. For the first time ever, I read 11 books in one month! I typically read 3-5 books per month so the fact that I read 11 books is mind-blowing to me!

The reason for the increase in reading last month is that I finally graduated from college in December, so I have so much more free time and can read whatever I want for the first time in 5 years! I’m currently substitute teaching and hopefully will have a teaching job lined up for August, but for now, I’m enjoying my free time.

Also, another side note, I have started rating my books using the CAWPILE system, created by Book Roast. 

Here are the books I read in January 2020! I am planning on filming a January Wrap-Up for my BookTube soon where I’ll be more descriptive of how I felt about a book.

1. I Have No Secrets by Penny Joelson

The writing was a little too juvenile for a Young Adult novel in my opinion. Because of that, I couldn’t really enjoy the book as much. The ending was also extremely predictable and I never really felt like much was at stake.  

2. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

This was the first book I ever read by Riley Sager and I was very happy with it. I thought the ending was predictable, and while I was technically right, there was so much more to the ending that I could have ever imagined. There was

3. Anger is My Middle Name by Lisbeth Zornig Anderson

It hurt me so much reading about what the author went through during her childhood. I think this book did a great job of showing some of the errors in orphanages and what makes a decent household, even for children in the foster system. Painful and brilliant. 

4. We, the Wildflowers by L.B. Simmons

This book was a digital advanced copy from Netgalley. I reviewed this book previously on my blog. Check out the review here!

5. Lot (Stories) by Brian Washington

There were two or three short stories I really loved in this collection but a lot of the other stories fell flat for me. Short story collections are always extremely hit or miss for me and this one felt like more of a miss.  

6. Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

Didn’t love it; didn’t hate it. I didn’t expect the twist at the end but the whole thing felt off to me? The characters were also meh, and really didn’t have any development throughout. The main character with her “sleuthing” bothered me the most. She was just a know-it-all who constantly got proved wrong. 

7. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

So, I was subbing at one of the school’s in my district and saw this book sitting on a teacher’s desk. I found out the whole school was reading it. I opened to the first page and started reading, only meaning to see if I’d be interested or not. Five hours later….I finished the book. 

Considering I read this book in one sitting, I LOVED it. The story was so raw and interesting. I also related to the MC a lot through her inner thoughts of her eating disorder. Phenomenal. 

8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

I decided to reread this series this year since it’s almost been 5 years since I’ve read books 1-4 (I’ve never read books 5-7; tragic, I know). I enjoyed the first book as much as I remember enjoying it when I first read it. I’m excited to get to book 4 (AKA my favorite) and continue the series to actually finish for the first time in my life. 

9. When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk

I received a digital advanced copy from Netgalley. Amazing book about losing a best friend and moving on. I really related to the main character. She handled losing a friend the way I imagine most teens would. This book is told in dual timelines of then and now, and I think it works perfectly for the book. The “then” is when the MC Cleo and her ex-best friend Layla were still close but starting to drift. The “now” is Cleo moving on and trying to start a new life with Layla. I love the dual timelines and I love that you don’t find out everything that happens until almost the end of the book.

The only thing I didn’t love was the ending. It worked fine but it didn’t wow me in any way.

10. The You I’ve Never Known by Ellen Hopkins

I hadn’t read Ellen Hopkins since high school but I’m very happy I decided to pick this book up. The characters were extremely relatable and the main character’s internal conflict with being bisexual was a super similar experience to mine which made the story so much more personal to me. I’m mad (but also happy I guess) that I didn’t catch the twist until way later in the book because it was super obvious, but all around a great story!

11. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness 

I decided to read A Monster Calls because it was January 31st and, for some reason, I was determined to fit another book into the month. I’m so dang happy I bought this book last month and am mad I didn’t read it sooner. This book gave me all the feels and the illustrations were phenomenal. I definitely recommend this as a short read!

And that’s it! That’s everything I read in January 2020. I am quite happy with the turnout, considering my average star rating is 4. What were some of the books you read in January? What were your favorites? Let me know in the comments below!