January 2021 Reads

Welcome back to "Reading with Carlie!" It's been a bizarre year for us all, but I'm ready for 2021 and excited to get back into reading for fun. Here are a few of the books I've read this month.

The Thursday Murder Club 

    This is a charming mystery novel about a group of seniors who live in a retirement village and solve cold cases as a hobby. The text jumps around between multiple characters' points of view which is to its credit as the cast of characters is an eccentric and entertaining bunch. Though the novel does offer poignant moments, it is, for the most part, a very pleasant escape from the real world and I would highly recommend it to anyone who could use such a break. 

A Deadly Education 

    This novel is an interesting take on the "magic boarding school" sub-genre. This school, called the Scholomance, is overrun by monsters and has no faculty or staff. The main character, El, is just trying to survive when she catches the eye of class-hero Orion Lake. The novel follows El as she navigates this new relationship during her penultimate year at the school. This book is oddly paced - it throws you right in with very little explanation, almost like there was another novel that was meant to come before this one. However, though the narrative arc seems a little off, this was an entertaining read and I'm very excited for the sequel which is set to come out later this year. If you miss getting your yearly Harry Potter fix, this is a great alternative. 

Piranesi 

    I read this for my book club and I have a feeling that will be the case for many as this novel was highly anticipated before its September 2020 release. The novel's protagonist lives in a large museum-like house, filled with statues and flooding halls. His only companion is the "Other," a man who hopes to channel secret knowledge from the house with the protagonist's help. I can't really explain too much without giving anything away, but my biggest takeaway was that this novel was odd. It was perhaps the most unique thing I've read in a very long time, but in the end, I wasn't a fan.  For me, the novel tried to do too many things at once, which made it seem a little too 'intellectual' and left me feeling adrift. However, that doesn't mean it isn't a good book. I think you will enjoy this novel if you are looking for something original and philosophical, which doesn't fit neatly into any one genre and sits with you for a time after you put it down.