I always set the goal to read 52 books a year, and I’m off to a great start in 2025 after reading 10 books this January, much thanks to my beloved Kindle Unlimited subscription.

As someone who wants to create more than I consume this year and forevermore, taking the time to reflect on the books I read feels like a perfect companion to my reading hobby.

With that being said, here is a breakdown by genre of my January Reading Wrap-Up:

Thrillers

I discovered the best-selling thriller author Freida McFadden last year when one Kindle Unlimited book turned to reading nine of her stories in a row.

I like to describe Freida McFadden thrillers as “the TikTok of books” with their addicting nature, short chapters, and page-turning plots that you can binge-read in a few hours.

I read three of her books this month:

The Locked Door
Want To Know A Secret?
Ward D

Of the three, Ward D was the one that shocked me (and perhaps disturbed me) the most with its secret reveals and twisty ending. The other two were not my favorites of her works.

While her writing style is not the most impressive craft-wise, the stories are easy to digest and perfect as a palette cleanser or to pull you out of a reading slump.

I’m excited to discover new authors in this genre now that I’ve discovered my love for the thriller reading experience.

Non-Fiction

The first non-fiction book I read this year was a dive into the life of one of my favorite creatives, Mindy Kaling, called “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns.”

Consuming media about the lives of writers is one of the most inspiring micro-niches for me, and this hilarious collection of stories was no different.

As a superfan of The Office, there was no way I wouldn’t love this book.

I also read “The Power of Discipline” by Daniel Walter, a motivating self-help book I found on Kindle Unlimited. I don’t have many comments other than that I enjoyed reading a few pages whenever I needed a push to take action.

Magical Realism

Kindle Unlimited led me to many enjoyable reads this month, including Evie Woods’ “The Lost Bookshop.”

I adored this sweet tale, especially the historical fiction element where you lived through the lens of rare book collectors.

Young Adult Mystery

I’ve been a fan of Jennifer Lynn Barnes ever since I devoured her Inheritance Games series and heard her speak on writing panels at YALLFest back in 2022, so when I saw that the first two books in her 2010s young adult series “The Naturals” were on Kindle Unlimited, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.

I read “The Naturals” and “Killer Instinct” over a few days, and the adventures of seventeen-year-olds with talents for hyper-observation working for the FBI were as fun as the premises sound.

My only downside is that the last two books of the series aren’t also on Kindle Unlimited! Although I’m sure I’ll get around to reading them eventually.

Dark Academia

The wintertime feels like the perfect season to read books that allow you to pretend you are a student at a gothic university full of aesthetic campus settings, morally grey students, and an eerie mystery, so Dark Academia novels are the perfect genre to fit the mood.

The first Dark Academia book I read this month has been intimidatingly haunting my shelf for years: “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt. This story was brilliantly written, and it amazed me how much of a page-turner it was despite its density and sometimes 100-page-long chapters. I can’t wait to read more of Donna Tartt’s works, but I’m going to give my brain a rest before I do so.

“If We Were Villains” by M.L. Rio was the other novel of this genre I loved in January, especially due to the murder-mystery premise based around actors in a Shakespeare conservatory. As an avid lover of theatre, academic settings, and twisty endings (I’m still thinking about the last few pages of this story!), this read checked all the boxes for me.

If you can’t tell, these were my favorite two reads of the month.

Strangely, sharing my thoughts about every book I read this month feels a little like letting someone read my diary, but I am nosey enough to wonder what other people are reading, so figured I’d let others in on my secrets too.

My TBR list is endless, and I can’t wait to knock down a few books in February!

The 10 Books I Read In January