If you are unaware of the term “Wrap Up”, it means to discuss all the books one has completed in a month. For this post, I will be discussing all the books I have read in January. Let’s go!

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The eye- Vladimir Nabokov

The first book I read in January was “The eye”. I have previously read Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and was enamoured by his writing. I loved how he discussed about such a taboo topic and its issues. In this book, I was promised the discussion of death and how people around you perceive you. I did get that but I was left confused in some chapters. I was not sure what was going on around Smurov (the narrator), whether the people were discussing about him after his death or before his death. Perhaps, I did not connect with the writing or missed the point of this book. Smurov is a rather unfortunate man. I did feel bad for him but I just did not understand the overall message of the book. The book did discuss about the differences between your own perception and other’s perception which I found intriguing but apart from that, I did not get this book. I wouldn’t say I would 100% recommend this book but if you are into classics, perhaps, give it a go and enlighten me on the message of this book!

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Beneath the stain- Amy Lane

“Beneath the stain” is a book I did not foresee myself ever reading. I read it because of a recommendation from a booktuber. I love rock music so when I found out that it was a book about rock stars grappling with fame and their life, I was ecstatic to read the book. I must say that this book really did not shy away from discussing about harrowing topics such as sexual assault, drug abuse, rehabilitation and homophobia. If you are triggered by these topics, perhaps, I would not recommend reading this book unless you are in the right headspace for it. I loved Mackey’s character. He was so unapologetically him. He went through so much and yet, I found him so strong for not forgetting his love for music and songwriting. I really admired his courage to want to be a better person. Though he did not handle all the situations well, I understood his actions. He was human after all and humans are not perfect. I love how supportive the band members and his mom was of him. (maybe not one of them at first) It felt really wholesome to see their relationship dynamic. Apart from that, I admired Trav for being such a supportive partner as well. He cared deeply for Mackey and always wanted the best for him. I think that is what love should be- unconditional, honest and supportive. Furthermore, I loved the descriptions of the rock and roll life- the songwriting process and tours. I am a sucker for rock music after all! My main gripes were that the book felt too stretched out- particularly, some scenes did not feel that necessary to me and the explicit descriptions. I am the type of person who does not like seeing too much explicit content so seeing descriptions such as “sexing the crowd” made me feel weird. I thought such descriptions did not need to be used. Well, according to goodreads, I am the minority with this opinion. Anyway, I did still love the overall message of the book and would recommend to those who enjoy reading hard-hitting contemporaries. I noticed that this is the first book in a series but I am not too sure if I will read the rest as I find that one book is enough.

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The mysterious Mr. Quinn- Agatha Christie

I went into “The mysterious Mr. Quinn” expecting an amazing mystery about Mr Quinn and who he was. (as the title suggests!) I really enjoyed “Murder on the Orient Express”. It was so witty and suspenseful. However, I did not get that in this story. There was nothing wrong with the characters, Mr Quinn and Mr Satterthwaite. They were charming in their own ways. What I found lacklustre was the repetitive nature of the mysteries in each chapter. Instead of a bigger mystery, we get a bunch of mysteries with the involvement of Mr Quinn and Satterthwaite. Initially, I did enjoy this format and I must say that some of the stories were touching but it got tiresome after a while. The big reveal of who Mr Quinn was also left me really confused. So, overall, I was rather letdown by this book but I would still highly recommend Agatha Christie’s works as they are outstanding! (Maybe just not this book as much as others) I look forward to reading more from her!

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I know you- Erik Therme

*** I was sent the ebook in exchange for an honest review via VoraciousReadersOnly ***

When I first read the synopsis, I was really intrigued as I wanted to know what had happened to Alissa and what Bree was going to do save her. I have to say that the plot twist in this book was unlike anything I have read before. Initially, I thought I saw what was coming from the first reveal but when everywhere was fully revealed, I was really shocked and this led me to wonder how far one might go for family. From reading this book, I understood the value of family. A real family is one that does not leave your back when circumstances get tough. I really admired Bree’s character. She was not the perfect sister which made her seem all the more raw and real. Her love towards her family was deep and she did everything she could to help her sister. She had bad experiences in her life and yet, her resolve was not shaken.

However, I was a little disappointed. I feel like this might be more due to my reading tastes. I felt like some of the descriptions were a little unnecessary and a few of the scenes felt a little dragged. I did not quite like Maggie’s character. I did not like how she was behaving. Perhaps, I do not know how it feels to be her given her situation.

I usually do not read that many thrillers which is something I am hoping to change! I am glad I got the chance to read this book. I hope more people would read this book and enjoy it.

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Frankenstein- Mary Shelley

After what seemed like so many three star reads, I finally read this beautiful gem of a book- “Frankenstein”. I have been meaning to read this book since several years ago but I never got around to it. Finally, upon seeing this book at the library, I knew I had to read it this year! I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The writing was gorgeous and so very compelling. It has been such a long time since I read such beautiful writing! I adore science/science fiction as well so this book was the perfect one for me. In this book, issues such as creation and “playing God” was questioned. (at least that is what I gathered from it) The larger concern was that does science go too far when it starts delving into creating another creature. What could be the consequence if the being that is created does not receive the proper upbringing. I love how these were handled! I loved all the characters. (perhaps not the creature as much) Though it was a short book, Mary Shelley made me root for the characters. I teared up when certain scenes happened as well. I think if a book can make me think as well as feel as much as this, it’s a winner in my heart for certain! My review does not do this book justice but I can for certain say that it is one of my favourite reads of 2020! 🙂

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Thank you so much for reading my second blog! I hope you have enjoyed reading through these 5 book reviews. Let me know what you thought about this post. I will try to make more fun content such as book recommendations soon! Till next time, take care 🙂