My Favorite Books of January

There was a lot of therapy happening in my favorite fiction books of January, which is not all that surprising, given how much I love a thriller.

I read 16 books in January, which was a lot, even for me. Of those, I gave three fiction and two nonfiction books perfect grades.

Below are my reviews of my favorite books of January, fiction first.

We’ll Never Be Apart

Alice Monroe, 17, is in a mental hospital, but all she can think about is getting revenge on her sister, Cellie, who is the reason she’s there.

Cellie has always been a problem. Since their grandfather and sole caretaker died when they were little girls, Cellie has gotten the pair kicked out of foster homes and put into facilities. The final act was when Cellie convinced Alice and her boyfriend, Jason, to escape from Savage Isle mental hospital. That same night, Cellie set fire to the barn they sought refuge in, killing Jason.

Now all Alice can think about is getting access to Cellie in another part of the hospital and exacting revenge for Jason’s death. Chase, another patient at the hospital, agrees to help Alice, but soon discovers there may be more to the story.

Dear Child 

Lena disappeared 14 years ago. Now she is in the hospital after being hit by a car as she claims to have been escaping her captor. The woman even has Lena’s forehead scar, but Lena’s parents say it isn’t her.

Lena’s parents are even more baffled by the strange little girl who showed up at the hospital with the woman claiming to be Lena. She actually looks like their daughter and is about the same age Lena was when she disappeared.

Does this little girl know the truth about what happened to their daughter? If so, how do they get her to tell them? And who is this woman claiming to be Lena?

Invisible Girl

Saffyre Maddox can’t handle it when her psychologist, Dr. Roan Fours, decides she’s had enough therapy. Saffyre doesn’t think she’s ready for their sessions to end, and she begins stalking Dr. Fours, outside of his office, restaurants and home.

Following Dr. Fours results in Saffyre learning way more than she ever wanted to know about her doctor’s personal life. Then she disappears.

What happened to Saffyre? Could Owen Pick, the odd 30-something teacher who lies across the street from the Fours family be involved? The police seem to think so.

A lot of people’s secrets will need to come out to discover what happened to Saffyre, including Dr. Fours’s.

Content Rules

I’m a little (lot?) late to the game in reading Content Rules, for which I apologize to Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman. This book sat in my TBR pile for entirely too long.

Better late than never applies when it comes to reading the book on content. While some of the platforms mentioned in the text have changed, the fundamentals for content development and execution — from identifying strategy to finding your unique voice — are still relevant and worthwhile to read.

Anyone who writes content, for a living or for your personal brand, would benefit from reading this book and keeping it on hand to reference.

Laziness Does Not Exist

How could you not read this book after seeing the title?

But laziness actually does exist. It just isn’t real for most of the overachievers who think they’re lazy. In short, people who actually are lazy, probably don’t realize it or care.

For those of us who feel bad giving ourselves a break. Dr. Devon Price says STOP IT!

People today do more than any others in history, but we still feel like it’s never enough. Dr. Price wants readers to understand that your productivity does not define your worth and it’s time for you to embrace doing enough before you make yourself physically ill, as she once did.

Happy Reading!

There they are! My favorite books of January. I hope you find something on the list to read and love.

What have you been reading and loving lately? You know I’m always up for a good recommendation.

As always, happy reading!