Today’s post covers the second half of the books I read in January 2026. I shared what I read in the first half of the month here. I shared my five star reads here. I read a lot this month, so this may prove to be a long post – and it includes an additional 5 star read at the end. Plus, it’s time for the Share Your Shelf Link Up! I hope you will join Joanne and I to share what you read this month. The Amazon links to the books I’ve read are affiliate links and if you use them and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. If you’ve read any of these books or are interested in them, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Title: The Sweetness of Water
Author: Nathan Harris
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hachette Audio, 6/15/21
Source: Library
Why I Read It: Book Club Pick
My Rating: 3 Stars
This month my book club chose to read a highly awarded book, The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris. I was left wondering why so many admired it, because it seems to be a book about white saviors. After the Civil War, George and Isabelle take in freed brothers Prentiss and Landry, letting them stay and work for them. Meanwhile, a Confederate soldier returns from the war and is seen engaging in a romance with his best friend. This leads to violence, imprisonment, and rescue by white characters.
“In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry—freed by the Emancipation Proclamation—seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle. The Walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping through an unexpected friendship to stanch their grief. Prentiss and Landry, meanwhile, plan to save money for the journey north and a chance to reunite with their mother, who was sold away when they were boys. Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers. The young men, recently returned from the war to the town of Old Ox, hold their trysts in the woods. But when their secret is discovered, the resulting chaos, including a murder, unleashes convulsive repercussions on the entire community. In the aftermath of so much turmoil, it is Isabelle who emerges as an unlikely leader, proffering a healing vision for the land and for the newly free citizens of Old Ox. With candor and sympathy, debut novelist Nathan Harris creates an unforgettable cast of characters, depicting Georgia in the violent crucible of Reconstruction. Equal parts beauty and terror, as gripping as it is moving, The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love amid the most harrowing circumstances.”
While the audio of this was very well narrated, I wondered about the choice to focus on the white characters rather than the Black ones.
Title: One Day I’ll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman
Author: Abi Maxwell
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Knopf, 9/17/24
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
In this book, the mom of a trans girl describes how she supported her daughter through her social transition in an unsupportive town. This happened even before the current national push to deny care to trans kids. The author was admirable in how she made sure her daughter was cared for. She is honest about her initial hesitations and reservations. This is also a memoir of the author’s childhood which included neglect, and she writes about her gay brother and how she wishes she was able to support him more than she did when they were growing up.
“Abi Maxwell was born and raised in rural New Hampshire, in the small mill town where her family had lived for generations. She grew up as one of eight children, and her parents were divorced and skating the edge of poverty. But her childhood was marked by the wonder of the landscape: long afternoons skiing the mountains, a cottage on the lake, accessible by a clunky old boat that broke down every summer. As an adult, Maxwell moves into the ranch house that once belonged to her grandparents, and she and her husband start a family of their own. But when their six-year-old, known to the world as a boy, wears pink sneakers, grows her hair long, and announces that she is a girl, the community turns their back on her, attempting to ban the young child from their bathrooms, their books, their sports teams. Weaving the story of Maxwell’s own youth with the story of her fight against the school board, state lawmakers, and her neighbors, she unspools a riveting tale of gender identity, class, and the soul of rural America.”
As a mom, I loved this mom’s story. I do wonder about Greta and what she thinks about her mom writing about her in this way, and I would love to learn more from her point of view. This is the perfect non fiction pair to This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel.
Title: A Holly Jolly Diwali
Author: Sonya Lalli
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: Berkley, 10/5/21
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4 Stars
Another backlist read and another holiday book in the wrong month! I listened to this one which is about Niki, who goes to India for a wedding, as well as for Diwali, which she didn’t previously know much about. It was fun to read about the celebrations for both! While in India, Niki meets Sam and experiences insta love.
“Twenty-nine-year-old Niki Randhawa has always made practical decisions. Despite her love for music and art, she became an analyst for the stability. She’s always stuck close to home, in case her family needed her. And she’s always dated guys that seem good on paper, rather than the ones who give her butterflies. When she’s laid off, Niki realizes that practical hasn’t exactly paid off for her. So for the first time ever, she throws caution to the wind and books a last-minute flight for her friend Diya’s wedding. Niki arrives in India just in time to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, where she meets London musician Sameer Mukherji. Maybe it’s the splendor of Mumbai or the magic of the holiday season, but Niki is immediately drawn to Sam. At the wedding, the champagne flows and their flirtatious banter makes it clear that the attraction is mutual. When Niki and Sam join Diya, her husband and their friends on a group honeymoon, their connection grows deeper. Free-spirited Sam helps Niki get in touch with her passionate and creative side, and with her Indian roots. When she gets a new job offer back home, Niki must decide what she wants out of the next chapter of her life—to cling to the straight and narrow like always, or to take a leap of faith and live the kind of bold life the old Niki never would have dreamed of.”
I would have liked more of a story about Indian culture and less on stereotypes. There was a good deal of focus on classism and a bit on sexual assault as well.
Title: The Wedding Sisters
Author: Jamie Brenner
Genre: Contemporary
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin, 6/7/16
Source: Author
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The author of The Wedding Sisters sent me a copy of this book. I enjoyed this family drama about three generations – the mom of three young adults who are all about to get married, as well as her own mom. The daughters are named Meg, Amy, and Jo after the Little Women characters, and somewhat resemble the women they are named after.
“Meryl Becker is living a mother’s dream. The oldest of her three beautiful daughters, Meg, is engaged to a wonderful man from one of the country’s most prominent families. Of course, Meryl wants to give Meg the perfect wedding. Who wouldn’t? But when her two younger daughters, Amy and Jo, also become engaged to celebrated bachelors, Meryl has to admit that three weddings is more than she and her husband, Hugh, can realistically afford. The solution? A triple wedding! At first, it’s a tough sell to the girls, and juggling three sets of future in-laws is a logistical nightmare. But when Hugh loses his teaching job, and Meryl’s aging mother suddenly moves in with them, a triple wedding is the only way to get all three sisters down the aisle. When the grand plan becomes public, the onslaught of media attention adds to Meryl’s mounting pressure. Suddenly, appearances are everything – and she will do whatever it takes to keep the wedding on track as money gets tight, her mother starts acting nutty, and her own thirty year marriage starts to unravel. In the weeks leading up to the nuptials, secrets are revealed, passions ignite, and surprising revelations show Meryl and her daughters the true meaning of love, marriage and family.”
This reminded me of another book I read in the past, although I’m not sure which one! In order to save money, Meryl and her husband convince the girls to have a joint wedding. The wedding planning leads to lots of secrets and reveals. I enjoyed the Jewish representation in this one.
Title: The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost Kiss
Author: Amy Noelle Parks
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, 1/5/21
Source: Little Free Library – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
I have read other books by this author and when I found it in a Little Free Library, I brought it home, but didn’t get around to reading it until now. I listened to the audio of this one, about Evie, who goes to a boarding school for very smart kids like herself, alone with her best friend Caleb. Caleb harbors a crush on Evie, but Evie starts dating Leo. Caleb messages Evie through an app and Evie starts to like the person she is talking to, without knowing it is Caleb.
“Seventeen-year-old Evie Beckham has always been too occupied with her love of math and frequent battles with anxiety to want to date. Besides, she’s always found the idea of kissing to be kind of weird. But by senior year, thanks to therapy and her friends, she’s feeling braver than before. Maybe even brave enough to enter the national math and physics competition or flirt back with the new boy. Meanwhile, Evie’s best friend, Caleb Covic, has always been a little in love with her. So he’s horrified when he is forced to witness Evie’s meet-cute with the new guy. Desperate, Caleb uses an online forum to capture Evie’s interest—and it goes a little too well. Now Evie wonders how she went from avoiding romance to having to choose between two—or is it three?—boys.”
Evie has anxiety and her mom is not helpful and does some awful things. While Evie’s relationships seem to help her move on from her anxiety, I don’t love a love triangle! This was a pretty cute YA overall.
Title: Finding Her Edge
Author: Jennifer Iacopelli
Genre: YA Rom Com
Publisher: GP Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 12/2/25, originally published 2/8/22
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
Now on Netflix, Finding Her Edge by Jennifer Iacopelli is yet another YA with a love triangle. It is about Adriana, an ice dancer whose mom died and is being raised by her dad, who is spending the family’s money while training Adriana and her sisters to go to the Olympics. Adriana used to skate with Freddie, but she got a new partner when she grew tall faster than Freddie did. Now, she is fake dating her new partner Brayden while also still having feelings for Freddie.
“Adriana Russo is figure skating royalty, born to gold-medalist parents and an equally talented sister. Adriana’s dream? To conquer the Junior World Championships and uphold the family legacy. But when the family’s legendary skating rink faces financial ruin, everything she’s worked for is at risk. Training with her new partner, Brayden, sparks an idea: let the world believe their on-ice chemistry isn’t only for show. The fake-dating gains traction, and Adriana realizes maybe she actually is falling for Brayden. But then her past crashes into her present and changes everything, when Freddie, her former partner—and first crush—reenters the scene. As the biggest competition of her life draws closer and her family’s legacy hangs in the balance, Adriana is torn between the future she’s worked so hard for with Brayden, and the one she gave up long ago with Freddie. Will she find her edge and claim her place at the top, or will her heart lead her in a different direction?”
There seemed to be too much going on in this book with not enough time spent on each point. I also didn’t get much of a feel for Adriana’s relationship with Freddie. I am wondering how the show will be in comparison!
Title: The Gallagher Place
Author: Julie Doar
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Zibby Publishing, 12/2/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Gallagher Place is about Marlowe, who returns to her family home only to encounter a murder, which reminds her and her family of the disappearance of Marlowe’s best friend Nora when they were teenagers. The Gallaghers are the family who lived adjacent to Marlowe and her family, and many bad things happened to them, leading to talks about a curse.
“When Marlowe Fisher, an illustrator living in New York City, returns to her family’s bewitching Hudson Valley home for the holidays, she discovers a body in the woods―a murder that draws her back into the haunting case of her teenage best friend’s disappearance two decades earlier. What happened to Nora? As police descend on the sprawling Fisher property, Marlowe is pulled into an investigation that threatens to unravel the town’s fragile loyalties and expose the shadowed legacy of a weekend home steeped in secrets. Marlowe must confront the fallibility of her own memory and the feeling that everyone―including her brothers―is hiding something if she’s to uncover the shocking truth about her lost friend.”
This was atmospheric and held my interest – I actually read it all in one day. Lots of secrets are revealed!
Title: Dog Show
Author: Billy Collins
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Random House, 11/18/25
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
This very short book of poetry is about dogs and is very sweet. Some of the poems were sad and some were funny.
“Billy Collins’s Dog Show celebrates the joy of our canine best friends, honoring the love we feel for the animals who play such vital roles in our lives. In twenty-five poems, Collins distills the many ways dogs warm our hearts, from the happiness we experience as we watch a dog run unencumbered by our burdens, to the silliness of cradling a dog in our arms as we step on the scale together. Turning his inimitable eye and ear to the complexities of dog behavior, Collins ponders all that these winning creatures give us and what we learn from them about ourselves. For more than four decades Collins has delighted readers with his insight, wit, and clear poetic voice. In Dog Show, ‘America’s favorite poet’ (The Wall Street Journal) illuminates America’s favorite pet (sorry, cat lovers). Accompanied by Pamela Sztybel’s watercolors, which effortlessly depict a dog’s humble grace, Dog Show reveals the profound role these majestic animals play in our lives and the meaning they give us.”
Some of my favorite poems were from the point of view of the dog itself or just musings on what dogs are thinking.
Title: The Donut Trap
Author: Julie Tieu
Genre: Rom Com
Publisher: HarperAudio, 11/9/21
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 3.5 Stars, Rounded up to 4 Stars
The Donut Trap by Julie Tieu is about Jasmine, a recent college graduate who is working at her parents’ donut shop and getting caught in what her parents expect for her and her future. She is reunited with her college crush, as well as with her secret boyfriend from high school.
“Jasmine Tran has landed herself behind bars—maple bars that is. With no boyfriend or job prospects, Jasmine returns home to work at her parents’ donut shop. Jasmine quickly loses herself in a cyclical routine of donuts, Netflix, and sleep. She wants to break free from her daily grind, but when a hike in rent threatens the survival of their shop, her parents rely on her more than ever. Help comes in the form of an old college crush, Alex Lai. Not only is he successful and easy on the eyes, to her parents’ delight, he’s also Chinese. He’s everything she should wish for, until a disastrous dinner reveals Alex isn’t as perfect as she thinks. Worse, he doesn’t think she’s perfect either. With both sets of parents against their relationship, a family legacy about to shut down, and the reappearance of an old high school flame, Jasmine must scheme to find a solution that satisfies her family’s expectations and can get her out of the donut trap once and for all.”
Although I love the narrator Natalie Naudus and thought she did a good job, this book dragged a bit for me. Jasmine’s parents’ expectations felt heavy, especially with some fat shaming. There was a reveal of a past trauma that seemed to come out of nowhere as well.
Title: When We Were Brilliant
Author: Lynn Cullen
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Berkley, 1/20/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 3 Stars
When We Were Brilliant by Lynn Cullen is basically a biography of Marilyn Monroe, told by her friend and photographer Eve Arnold, but as if Eve is speaking to Marilyn. Every time she said “you,” I somehow read it as “I” and thought she was speaking about herself.
“In 1952, Norma Jeane Baker follows documentary photographer Eve Arnold into a powder room on the night they first meet. She has a proposition for her. Norma Jeane created Marilyn Monroe to be photographed, and she wants Eve to do it. Eve is better than anyone she’s seen at revealing a person’s inner truth. Together they can help each other. Together, she says, they can make something brilliant. Skeptical of this cipher of a young woman, Eve demurs. She’s looking for more serious subjects than this ambitious starlet. But she keeps getting drawn back into Marilyn’s orbit, and the women come to recognize something in each other—something fundamental. Nothing will get in the way of what they want, and when Marilyn’s star takes off to teetering heights, neither will ever be the same.”
I found this book to be quite boring. Eve basically did whatever Marilyn told her to, at the expense of her own family. I did find the bits about her being a working mom to be interesting, but she definitely prioritized her work. I didn’t know much about Marilyn Monroe before reading this, but now I may know more than I wanted to!
Title: Everything Within and In Between
Author: Nikki Barthelmess
Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: HarperAudio, 10/5/21
Source: Publisher – Print, Library – Audio
Why I Read It: Backlist
My Rating: 4 Stars
I really enjoyed Everything Within and In Between. It is about Ri, who lives with her grandmother, but wants to get in touch with her mom and to connect with her Mexican culture. Being white passing and with her grandmother and her best friend wanting her to stay away from the Mexican kids at school, Ri feels confused about who she is. She signs up to take Spanish and begins making new friends.
“For Ri Fernández’s entire life, she’s been told, ‘We live in America and we speak English.’ Raised by her strict Mexican grandma, Ri has never been allowed to learn Spanish. What’s more, her grandma has pulled Ri away from the community where they once belonged. In its place, Ri has grown up trying to fit in among her best friend’s world of mansions and country clubs in an attempt try to live out her grandmother’s version of the ‘American Dream.’ In her heart, Ri has always believed that her mother, who disappeared when Ri was young, would accept her exactly how she is and not try to turn her into someone she’s never wanted to be. So when Ri finds a long-hidden letter from her mom begging for a visit, she decides to reclaim what Grandma kept from her: her heritage and her mom. But nothing goes as planned. Her mom isn’t who Ri imagined she would be and finding her doesn’t make Ri’s struggle to navigate the interweaving threads of her mixed heritage any less complicated. Nobody has any idea of who Ri really is—not even Ri herself.”
Ri made a lot of bad decisions and so did her grandma. This was a good story though and I liked how Ri grew and changed throughout the book.
Title: The Official We Do Not Care Club Handbook
Author: Melani Sanders
Genre: Non Fiction
Publisher: Harvest, 1/13/26
Source: Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 4 Stars
The Official We Do Not Care Club Handbook is a guide for dealing with perimenopause and beyond, full of lists, quotes, and essays. Melani Sanders is an influencer who started a movement by stating the things she just doesn’t care that much about or for. Groups of women have formed to support each other through this time and now I want to join one!
“Do you wake up with night sweats at 3:26 a.m., overstimulated, mad at anything breathing, and ready to put the world on notice? Do you forget the words you are saying as you are saying them? If you have a she-shed and no longer care about clothes that fit or cellulite on your legs (legs is legs!), then welcome to the club—the We Do Not Care Club (WDNC). You’re now a card-carrying member with an exclusive invite to the biggest hormonal party in town. This club is for all of our Sisters in perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause who are over it. Here is a list* of things We Do Not Care about today:
- Shaving our legs. That’s on our summer bucket list. Winter is here.
- Plucking our chin hair. If we can’t see it, neither can you.
- Wearing bras. Be happy we have a shirt on.
- Wearing PJs all day. Clothes is clothes.
- Being on time. Be happy that I showed up — I don’t even want to be here.
- Cancelled plans. We didn’t want to go anywhere anyway.
- If you’re cold. Don’t even think about touching that thermostat.
*partial and incomplete
Melani Sanders, founding member of the WDNC, is here to tell you that it’s okay not to care. You’re not alone. This book is your life raft. Let’s hold on for dear life—and get through this together.”
This was cute, although it’s not scientific at all, it’s more just fun. It does use a good deal of slang, some of which I didn’t understand for multiple pages – like the use of the term “she shed” to mean more than just an actual shed!
Title: Maple For The People
Author: Kate McGovern
Genre:Middle Grade Contemporary
Publisher: Candlewick Press, 1/6/26
Source: PR For Publisher
Why I Read It: Sent to me for my review
My Rating: 5 Stars
Earlier this month, I read Welcome Back, Maple Mehta-Cohen and loved it. I loved this sequel as well! Maple is doing a lot better when it comes to her reading skills. When class elections are announced, Maple realizes she wants to build community and help people, even as her own family finds out that they may have to move after a rent increase. Maple continues to write mystery stories using her voice recorder, and she even encounters a real life mystery when the class funds go missing.
“Maple has made it to sixth grade at last, and her friend Jack thinks she’d make a great class president. At first, Maple’s mind isn’t on politics—she feels her old friends drifting away, her family can’t afford a new rent increase, and her favorite historic tree is taken down by the city, leaving only a stump with hundreds of rings. But when Maple realizes she might be able to achieve something good, like starting a community garden, she jumps into the race. When a fire sweeps through a local building, Maple’s priorities change. What if her class could help the families displaced by the disaster? Unfortunately, campaigning on the idea of giving away the class fund isn’t too popular, especially when Maple’s opponent, Sonia Shah (who has a cool new haircut), promises new tablets for everyone instead. Maple is further disheartened by anonymous attacks on her struggles with reading. But she is determined to see this campaign through, win or lose, with a slogan that shows her truest heart: Maple for the people!”
I loved the realistic situations that Maple encounters and the way her friends and family work together to find solutions to problems. Maple is a great character for young readers and adults alike!
Phew. This post includes thirteen of the books I read this month. Nine were print books and four were audio. Nine of these were adult books, three were YA, and one was Middle Grade. Genres included historical fiction, memoir, rom com, contemporary, thriller, poetry, and non-fiction.
If you wrote about books this month, you can link up with us here:
Have you read any of these books or do you want to? What have you been reading lately?
