Top January Reads!

It is absolutely crazy to me that it is February since it feels like January was actually about eight months long. It has definitely been an...interesting time here in Minnesota, but I think we've prove we are a strong state. I am really proud to call Minnesota my home now. That being said, between the cold and the chaos outside I got quite a few books read (and then went into a reading slump...woo). Here are our (me and Allison's) favorite reads of the month of January! If you have any books you'd like to recommend, please leave a comment! We are always looking for new things!

If All The Stars Go Dark by S.G. Prince -Maggie

4.5 / 5 Stars

If All The Stars Go Dark follows Keller Hartman as he joins one of the most prestigious units of the Legion as their new gunner. Keller is ready to prove himself to the unit, especially once it seems like the pilot he's supposed to be working with wants nothing to do with him.

Lament Bringer has been through a lot, having lost his last gunner, and best friend, in an accident that the Legion refuses to investigate. When Lament and Keller are forced to work together, and find more and more things that prove the Legion knows more than it says, they start to push back on what they are being told.

Now both of them are forced to find the secrets of the Legion, or at least some its members, while learning that maybe their feelings for each other are more than frustration and friendly. I absolutely adored this queer sci-fi book and the plot itself definitely put me through it.

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall - Allison

5/5 Stars

Always doing better means taking time to listen and learn when you have a blind spot- like when black women are left behind in the feminist movements of white liberals. Intersectional feminism is the focus of this book, and the essays within it cover a variety of topics typically found in feminist conversations. But those unfamiliar with intersectional feminism will learn about why immigration, gun violence, homelessness, and much, much more are notably feminist issues but often not framed as such. Kendall's essays are educational as well as a call for white women to do better while at the same time not taking space away from the voices already fighting for their time in the conversation. They are the perfect balance of tidbits from her personal life and expertise as seen through a sociological lens. This is a must-read for everyone these days, especially with all the current weirdness in our country and Black History Month just around the corner.

Bound By the Sky by Megan G. Elisabeth - Maggie

5 /5 Stars

This may be a book that I never stop talking about. Bound by the Sky is a steampunk/Treasure Planet inspired romtansy novel that really blew me away.

Amaya is the daughter of the governor of one of the ground cities. She has spent her whole life on the ground and plans to stay there, even with all the floating cities and ships that decorate the sky. When she is kidnapped one night by a notorious Sky Lord, she loses her best friend and finds herself in a world she never expected. The Sky Lord Graven is convinced her necklace holds the key to the Aether Storm, where all the power for the floating worlds and relics comes from.

When she is recused by a different Sky Lord, William, she never expects to be pulled into an adventure that she doesn't want to leave. This plot was amazing, with a mix of steampunk vibes but also well thought out characters. I am truly obsessed.

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - Allison

4/5 Stars

Squid Game meets The Hunger Games in this dystopian future novel that, unfortunately, does not feel like it is out of the realm of possibility in this day and age. In a future America where prisoners fight to the death in gladiator-style tournaments to win their freedom, Loretta Thurwar seems to be only a few matches away from getting out of the prison system alive. Things get complicated by the millions of fans streaming matches in real time and packing stadiums to see her, causing the corporations in control of the controversial programming to place more hurdles in her path as they endeavor to make more entertaining matches. And when a newer, up-and-coming fighter becomes her teammate and lover, what will happen to Loretta's future?

Adjei-Brenyah's writing was haunting. This book was a hard one to get through while also being hard to put down. It is not a happy read, but HOLY COW is it well-written and visceral. Even in the chapters/characters that were fully asides from the main plot felt like they needed to be there to show the scope of this horrible system that was created. It has so many poignant reminders that we are a few choices away from something like this being our current day reality. You will walk away from this book calling for abolition, a complete rewriting of the rules for the prison industrial complex, and a healthy hope that love and forgiveness can attempt to heal the world around you.

Do any of these books sound good to you? What books are on your TBR for February?