There are so many books I need or want to read that I’m just going to lay them all out here. No “priority” vs. “hopeful” January 2024 TBR list. I’ll just put it all on the table, especially since I am still behind on my ARCs. I did so well for most of 2023 and stayed on top of things, meaning reading most ARCs before their publication date. However, I’m not perfect, which is evident when you see this January 2024 TBR list!
I also have to read at least two of the novellas assigned to my SFINCS team by January 30. This sounds reasonable. I haven’t yet decided which ones to read, so they are not in the January 2024 TBR List.
Overall, I don’t have a ton of books in my January 2024 List. However, this doesn’t take into consideration what’s in the February pipeline. Ideally I like to start an ARC a month ahead of time. But I haven’t followed my own rules lately. Alas. Anyway, here is my list.
HOUSE OF SKY AND BREATH by Sarah J. Maas: What do you know, I didn’t start this in December, so I must read it in January. The third book will release at the end of this month and I have to be ready for it!! This is a “priority read” for me.
CHECK & MATE by Ali Hazelwood: This is a library hold. Unless I want to go to the back of the long holds line, then I have to read it. I told a friend I’d let her know if it truly is a YA book. I heard otherwise despite its categorization.
HIM by Geoff Ryman: This is a December 2023 ARC from Angry Robot. It is a gender-bent retelling of who is Jesus. The premise is so interesting. And if I had my ducks in a row I would’ve read it last month.
THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND SAVED A DEMON by Kimberly Lemming: This came out today and I have an ARC of it, thanks to Orbit. I’m not too worried about falling behind on this standalone series. The books are on the shorter side (<300 pages) and look fun. I anticipate reading this one fairly quickly.
THE TUSKS OF EXTINCTION by Ray Nayler: This is another January 2024 ARC, this time from Tor. It’s a sci-fi thriller of sorts in which human consciousnesses are downloaded into mammoths. The purpose of this is to help these resurrected mammoths establish a niche and evade poachers. I started this at the very end of December and felt confused at first. Then I reread the synopsis to confirm that, yes, I read that right: human consciousness in a mammoth. [Note: I ended up finishing this in December.]
THE CITY OF STARDUST by Georgia Summers: I wasn’t sure whether to accept an ARC of this because I already have plenty to read. However, I read a few reviews that convinced me enough to give it a shot. Frankly, I doubt I’ll finish it by its release date, but I will read it at some point.
WHAT THE RIVER KNOWS by Isabel Ibañez: This is a 2023 ARC that unfortunately I didn’t have time to get to. It looks like I will probably put it aside for a little longer. It is an “immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race.“
That’s a really interesting list of books for January. I hope that you enjoy them all. I try to read my ARCs in the month before they get published too but that doesn’t always work. That’s partly because books seem to come out in gluts rather than be evenly spaced. I’ve definitely got better at spacing my ARCs out though (and not requesting everything that appeals to me).
Yea, I guess it is! I hadn’t thought about it like that, but the books are all pretty different from each other as far as fantasy goes. And yes, you’re right…books do seem to come out in gluts! Why can’t they be spaced more evenly!!
I actually had to force myself not to request some January books, like City of Stardust, since I’m trying so hard to keep my review pile manageable, so I’ll look forward to your thoughts on that one. Also looking forward to comparing notes on Tusks of Extinction????
I was very close to continuing to “ignore” CITY OF STARDUST, but as you can see I caved. I definitely had some FOMO about that one. My TUSKS OF EXTINCTION review will go up on January 11, so we can compare notes soon!
Hope you have a good reading month this January! I really enjoyed Check & Mate.
Thanks, Amanda! I ended up reading CHECK & MATE at the very end of December and also really enjoyed it. 🙂
I adore the new covers for Lemming’s book! I read the first two in that series this year and enjoyed them but I think it’s also a possible re-read this year. I also recently got Check & Mate, which I’ve heard lots of good things about, so I’m excited to give it a try. I hope you enjoy all these reads 🙂
Same! The new covers are so fun! I’m half way through THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND SAVED A DEMON and finding it quite entertaining. You definitely can’t take the book too seriously, but I think that’s a given based on the title, lol. I ended up reading CHECK & MATE at the very end of December and really enjoyed it. For me it tied with her last book, LOVE, THEORETICALLY. I hope you enjoy it!
Good luck!! House of Sky and Breath is one that I just read last month and it was so good!!
Thank you! I think I’ll start that next after I finish THAT TIME I GOT DRUNK AND SAVED A DEMON.
I’ll be reading both Ray Nayler’s and Georgia Summers’ books soon.
Excellent! I hope you like them! I ended up reading Nayler’s book at the end of December. It was definitely different.
We have a few Orbit books in common! Enjoy your reading!
Thanks! 🙂 You, too!
This is an interesting mix of books. Some of those 2024 releases sound really good and I may need to get some myself once they are out. I hope you enjoy these.
Thanks, Sarah! There’s so many I doubt I’ll get around to a lot of these!! I can dream!