In keeping with the spirit of a “new year,” I’m trying a few new things on the blog – including with these monthly recap posts. Formerly known as a “Reading Recap,” the focus was the books I read, presented in a list format. I’m going to try expanding that some this year: sharing my reads {and their format} but including a micro review/response. Additionally, I’m going to include whatever we happen to be watching, and maybe even what I’m listening to {aside from audiobooks}. With a title like “Bookmarked,” chances are also good this will become a digital bookmark of sorts, with other things discovered {or posted} during the month.

📱 The Starlight Heir | Amalie Howard | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to NetGalley for the early access to this one: an excellent first read of the year and what a way to start a series! Love the world building and the writing is as gorgeous as the cover. Very much looking forward to the next installment.

📖 The Favorites | Layne Fargo | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was my BOTM pick, and I absolutely devoured it. The skating. The drama. The way the narrative was interspersed with the transcript from the documentary. Feels like a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel, and since it’s apparently a nod to Wuthering Heights, I’ll need to read that one soon.

🎧 Getaway with Murder | Diane Kelly | ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
I saw this mentioned on someone’s blog a while back {I think it was Erin’s}, and finally got around to listening to it. This is such a fun start to a cozy mystery series, set in my beloved North Carolina mountains. The characters and setting are engaging, and my favorite part was the addition of chapters from the POV of a fluffy white cat: Yeti.

📱 Playing Flirty | Shameez Patel | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy of this one! I came for the romance and stayed for the found family; the enemies/gaming rivals to lovers; the slow burn; the unabashed celebration of all things geeky. Has some serious moments, but overall a fun read.

📱 A Five-Letter Word for Love | Amy James | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Y’all. This was ridiculously cute. I loved the way Wordle featured in the story, and the wordplay between Emily and John. There were moments Emily read very young {younger than her 27}, and I wanted to sit her down for some “big sister tough love,” but it wasn’t enough to make me stop reading. And the overall story is cute.

📖 Pride and Prejudice | Jane Austen | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A long overdue reread, and the perfect start to A Very Jane Year. Absolutely loved revisiting this story and spending time with old friends. As mentioned, I read this time with pen in hand, and marked so many passages and lines – Jane simply has a way with words. Also, the older I get, the more I am diverted by Lady Catherine; she is such a fabulous character to read {though in life would be insufferable I’m sure}.

🎧 Beautiful Ugly | Alice Feeney | ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
This one was a little weird, even by Feeney standards. Upon further reflection, it’s almost as if it took the best parts of Rock, Paper, Scissors blended with elements from Daisy Darker to generate this one. It was definitely twisty, and while I figured out aspects of what was going on, the final twist-reveal did get me. My favorite part of this was listening to Richard Armitage narrate the audiobook {even though I have the BOTM print edition}. Also the cover, which is stunning.

Watching:
Winter nights are long and dark {not to mention cold}, perfect for curling up with a book – or binging television shows. In December, I watched an incredible amount of baking shows {actually running out of episodes from the shows I like, ha}. Here’s what we’ve been watching in January …

• 📺 The Diplomat (Season 2) | Netflix
  Y’all. We watched Season 1 in 2023, and a rewatch would probably have worked in our favor, but we dove in anyway and what a wild ride. This show excels at crazy twists and unbelievable cliffhanger endings. When will Season 3 be available? I need to know.
• 📺 The Big Bang Theory (Season 6) | Library DVDs
  Continuing my slow rewatch of the series, which started last spring. {I get seasons from the Library to watch at night during Mr.’s busy times at work}. It’s a show that benefits from multiple viewings, to really appreciate the inside jokes and subtle connections, but I do think it could lose some of the crasser “humor” and still be funny. Some things go a bit too far, ha.
• 📺 Supergirl | Netflix
  I was browsing Netflix one night and realized they had Supergirl available. I watched the first season when it aired originally, but haven’t seen any of the others – and did not realize it made it to six. I’m only a couple episodes in {and what I remember versus what I have forgotten is comical}, so we’ll see how far I make it through the series.

Listening:
I listened to my first ever podcast, y’all! Jane Austen’s House, the museum in Chawton, released the January episode in their new podcast A Jane Austen Year, and it was such a lovely listen.

On the Blog:
January on the blog was busy, with wrap-up posts to do and a year in review. There was not a Glimpses post, because during the month I shared our ice and our snow, which were definitely the highlights of January. And there was much excitement as I made the first garden post of the year. I have many hopes and big plans for the blog this year, and feel like we’re off to a great start.

How was your January? What reads/watch/listens did you discover?

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