Happy New Year everyone!! Today I get to move into my new bullet journal which is so exciting, and I also can’t wait to share what I’m going to be reading this month because I have some LEGIT books lined up. No joke.

I did end up finishing my 2020 Reading Challenge so I’m really happy about that! Here are the books I read last year to complete it:

I started reading Shantaram in December with the intention of using it for the “Set In Asia” prompt, as it’s set in India, but it’s over 900 pages long and I only gave myself about two weeks to read it. So no, I did not end up finishing, but I looked back and saw that I read Lion last January, which is also mostly set in India, so we’re all good. Before I start any of the books on my January reading list though, I am going to finish Shantaram. I think I have around 400 pages to go, so hopefully I’ll be done by the end of this first week of the month and then I can start on some other reads! Shantaram is pretty good so far though I like it a lot, it’s just a long one:)

This reading list features two books that I got for Christmas (upon request), and one book that I got a while back but didn’t have the chance to read because I was busy with my challenge. Something that I started last year is just keeping a running list of books that I want to read in my phone, and adding and removing as I need to. This is good because whenever I go to the bookstore I AM READY, and it also helps me with my Reading Challenge because I know which books I need to read. The first two books on my list were on that TBR page in my notes. I’m really excited to read all of the books I have picked out for this month because I’ve heard great things about all of them, so it should be a really good time:) Here’s my January Reading List!

The Song of Achilles

I love Greek mythology so much, and so anything that weaves it in in some way has an automatic draw for me. Last year I read a novel called Circe, which was so good that it made it onto my list of Favourite Books of 2020. It was a retelling of the goddess Circe’s story, and I just couldn’t put it down! It was also the author’s, Madeline Miller’s, second novel. Her first is The Song of Achilles. It’s a tells the story of Achilles and Patroclus; two princes, one exiled and one perfect, and how they grow up together. Their relationship develops and is tested through the Trojan War. This novel has amazing reviews and is right up my alley so I can’t wait to get into it.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

This looks like it’s going to be a really deep, intense read, but I’m ready for it. It tells the story of Lale, a Slovakian Jew, who is forcibly taken to the concentration camp at Auschwitz and is tasked with tattooing the numbers on his fellow prisoners. He witnesses both acts of atrocity and amazing courage, and also tries to do his best to give what help he can to those that are suffering. After a couple of years, he meets Gita, a prisoner who comes in to be tattooed, and vows to one day escape and marry her. It also has great reviews, and I feel like it’s one of those books that you should read at least once in your life. It’s also based on a true story, so it takes care of that prompt in my Reading Challenge!

Death On The Nile

I’m assuming that I’m going to blast through both The Song of Achilles and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, so I’m giving myself A Death on the Nile to read as well this month. This was the book that wasn’t on my list and that I got a while ago, but I’m still really excited to read it! I read my first Agatha Christie Novel, And Then There Were None, last year and loved how suspenseful it was. It was also a really quick read, so I think this one will be as well. It’s part of her Hercule Poirot series, her most famous detective, and follows him as he solves the mystery of a young woman shot dead on a Nile River Cruise. This should be a short and fun read, and I’m looking forward to it!

I hope you got a little book inspiration from this list! I’m so excited to start reading these and will defintely let you know how I like them- check out my Instagram page @mydayisbooked_24 to stay updated!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))