The Month We Had Snow
January Reads + A Surprise Author Chat!
Hello friends, and happy Friday! I hope the first month of this new year finds you well. If I’m being honest, it’s been a *month* if you know what I mean. California has been on fire, and it feels like lots of other things are on fire too. On the flip side, I live in the southern United States where we don’t get much snow. The second storm of the month meant even the beach (even further south than I) got snow, which was wild! Cue Taylor Swift’s song, “Snow on the Beach.” We several inches in my neck of the wood that lasted a couple days. We made snow angels, built a snowman, and managed some “southern sledding” with a laundry basket, haha. On the second day of the snow, we managed a snowy walk over to our local independent bookstore. It was pure magic to enjoy a snowy walk over and grab a new book!
Books I Read This Month
Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild
Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this title to read and review! It will publish June 10, 2025.
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
I was very intrigued by this book because of the buzz it got last year and the synopsis seemed right up my ally. Unfortunately, it was not. I really enjoyed parts of it, but overall it was not for me and I should have embraced not finishing.Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton-Harris
This was my book club pick of the month. I was unfamiliar with heir property prior to this book, and am thankful for the introduction to this very important matter. From what I understand, there are people who still use the law to take property away from people who have inherited through heir property, which is awful and should be stopped. That said, there were a lot of side storylines and I wished it had a bit more focus.
Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker
Chris Whitaker has grown a lot as a writer since his debut novel.
Don’t Believe Everything You Think by Joseph Nguyen
I am about halfway through Real Americans by Rachel Khong (which I am loving!!), and it will be rolling over into February. Recently I also started Drinker of Ink by Shannon Castleton, but I’m not hooked yet. Should I keep reading?
Surprise Author Meeting
Late last month, my public library posted about an upcoming event with Chris Whitaker. Yes, THAT Whitaker who wrote We Begin At the End and All the Colors of the Dark — two favorite reads from each of the respective years I read them. I absolutely love how he weaves a heartbreaking, tender, and hopeful story. And then I missed getting a ticket. Talk about disappointing! Then, 40 minutes before the talk started, a friend contacted me and said she had an extra ticket. I think I enjoyed the conversation that much more because it was such a spontaneous addition to my day! In my haste to get to the event, I did not grab any books for him to sign, but I did greatly enjoy talking to him (about kids and sleep deprivation as our 8 week old attended with me, haha). Chris Whitaker was so kind and personable, and I greatly enjoyed hearing some of his story and his inspiration. Did you know he writes the dialogue of his characters first, and then fills in the rest? This was very intriguing to me as I’ve not heard another author describe their writing process in this way. As he’s filling in the setting, he often has pictures and sounds pulled up next to his manuscript in order to be fully immersed and translate that to the page. It seems to work well for him as his novels always have such a strong sense of place and authentic feeling characters! If you haven’t experienced his writing yet, I’d highly recommend starting with We Begin At the End to fall in love with his writing. Then make sure to read All the Colors of the Dark, too. Duchess, Patch, and Saint all live rent free in my brain, and I cannot wait to see where Whitaker takes us next!
REVIEW: Finding Grace
Honor has everything. Until she doesn't.
I picked this up randomly knowing absolutely nothing about it simply because a favorite author blurbed it. And y'all. Wowowowow. Chapter one left me in shock, while chapter two had me almost in tears. I spent the rest of the book in morbid fascination eating metaphorical popcorn as the drama played out on the page. Loretta Rothschild's debut is a love story, but it's unlike one I've ever read. I don't want to say more without giving spoilers, but you should read this book! It will likely be a favorite of the year!
I highly recommend Finding Grace. If you're looking for an emotional ride with themes of family, resilience, and forgiveness, this might be a book for you.
Content Warnings: sex, miscarriage, infertility, gaslighting, death of spouse/child
Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy to read and review! Finding Grace will publish on June 10, 2025, and I think it needs to be on your pre-order list!
What I’m Loving
We went on a snowy hike after the winter storm earlier this month, and it might be one of my new favorite things to do! I’m very interested in traveling somewhere specifically to hike in the snow now. Any recommendations?
It’s soup, sweater, and cosy sock season!! It’s amazing how investing in appropriate cold weather attire helps me enjoy the winter season — dare I say it’s becoming a favorite?!
Snuggles and book reading with my three little ones has been such a bright spot this month — especially on some really cold days!