January 2022 Reads
My true escape has been fiction over the past year, and January gave me a solid dose of fairytales and time travel. If you need some easy reads (minus the Outlander book), then these are quite the treat:
In a Holidaze
- Christina Lauren
I’ve had this book on my TBR for a while, and I finally picked it up…after Christmas! I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting (or plane ride truly). The characters are so relatable, and I kept thinking the family drama was National Lampoons Christmas Vacation the entire time. It’s funny, it’s real and it leaves your heart happy at the end. If you need an easy and enjoyable read to calm your monkey brain - this one takes the cake or the gingerbread cookie? That depends, don’t break a tooth…
As Old as Time
-Liz Braswell
There is a whole series written by Liz Braswell that is the complete opposite of every Disney fairytale we grew up with - A Twisted Tale Books. This was the first one I picked up and it’s a spin on Beauty and the Beast.
In this story, Belle’s mother is the enchantress and she is the one who cursed the Beast. We learn more about Belle’s mother and origin, as well as Maurice’s (Belle’s father). You think you know the story, but this twist is too good to put down. It is definitely written for all ages (including kids), so don’t hate on the simplicity of the book - I actually quite enjoyed the simple construction and quick pace. C’mon, we all kind of know what happens.
A Whole New World
-Liz Braswell
Same series, A Twisted Tale Books, but this time Liz Braswell took Aladdin in a different direction. Aladdin isn’t the one who finds the lamp, and someone else gets to summon the genie and all of his kosmos power. Loyalties are tested, friendships are created and a whole new world is explored.
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone
-Diana Gabaldon
The ninth Outlander book finally came out! To be honest…I didn’t love it. If you follow the Outlander series, the show is good, the books are great - this was a flop for me. Literally three things happened the whole time that didn’t pertain to the characters just living their daily lives. Those three things were quite a big deal, however, not 800+ pages worth of my time. I had to finish the book, I had to see if there was something about to happen because surely, 500 pages in and something had to happen…no. Just no. Read it if you must, it gets interesting in the last 100 pages. This could have seriously been a 200 page book and still set us up for the final book. I guess I’m just a “Book One” fan through and through, it was the best. The original.
