Welcome friend! It is time for the very first wrap up of 2025 and life has changed so much with a newborn that it was inevitable for this wrap up to evolve too. Deviating a bit from last year’s statistic focused approach, we will continue to highlight just a few choice titles that stood out to us through the month. Also included are some updates from the bookish community at large. Let’s dive into how January went for us!
Buddy Read of the Month
The Legend of Meneka by Kritika H. Rao | Goodreads
We loved Kritika’s The Surviving Sky and were thrilled to be on tour for a brand new duology from her. Looking forward to sharing our discussion! Check out our tour posts on Instagram – Ariel, Kriti.
Ariel’s Highlights for January
Favorite read
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer | Goodreads
It’s been easy to feel discouraged under the onslaught of the news. The Serviceberry was a quiet contemplation of how we can rethink a profit-minded world, and work within our sphere of influence to ground and connect ourselves deeper to the community.
Noteworthy
Road to Ruin by Hana Lee | Goodreads
This was such a cool worldbuilding idea that felt fresh and unique while also not having a huge learning curve of the magic system, and I liked the overall story and premise. The ending left off on a rushed cliffhanger, so I’m very much interested to see how the next book will go!
Game
Preserve is a puzzle game I’ve been enjoying quite a lot in between the busy and nonstop chaos that is the start of a calendar year. I find it so satisfying to build little biomes and complete the puzzles, plus the art and animations are so fun!
Kriti’s Highlights for January
Favorite read
The Gifts of Imperfect Parenting by Brené Brown | Goodreads
I love Brené Brown and her book, The Gifts of Imperfection had a huge impact on me. As I finally emerged from the haze of the first few weeks of postpartum and needed some spiritual direction, I was excited to find this audiobook! Building on the concepts in The Gifts of Imperfection, this short book has guideposts for parenting with a number of stories from Brené’s life. It helped me become kinder to myself.
Noteworthy
The Widow’s Husband’s Secret Lie by Freida McFadden | Goodreads
This was my first book by Freida McFadden and it was so much fun! The story of a widow who is seeing her dead husband everywhere. I loved the satirical tone and the references to self, books like Harry Potter and Pet Semetary and the situations themselves. This was a novella and I would be interested to pick up a full length book by the author.
Anticipated Reads
Other Updates from January
Five books, five champions, one winner: CBC’s annual Battle of the Books has been getting people listening, watching and, of course, reading, for the past 18 years.
Canada Reads is a “literary Survivor,” with celebrities championing books. Each day, panellists vote to eliminate one book, until a single title is chosen as the title the whole country should read this year.
2024’s winner was The Future by Catherine Leroux, championed by Heather O’Neill.
- Article from Editor’s Alchemy: An Overview of Book Genres for Writers
Learn about seven major book genres that are popular today, including some questions you can ask yourself when you are writing or revising in that category.
Allison Alexander is a freelance book editor, writer, and artist. Her monthly newsletter, Editor’s Alchemy, explores writing, querying, publishing, and how to mix a little magic into your story. She also shares book recommendations from Ariel and I there! Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.
- Upcoming Anthology from WriteHive: Rescuing Curiosity
In seeking hope, we rediscover forgotten loves.
Rescuing Curiosity is love rekindled, a vibrant resurgence of what makes us human. Curiosity drives change, a desire to know, learn, and discover. As life changes, we can become trapped by the mundane, being caught in the trap of things that are. Yet when we look beyond, we can discover the things that could be. Within that realm lies the magic of change and progress. We can delve into the things that were and bring forth the beauty of the past in a new, reimagined light.
Pick up this anthology releasing on March 4, 2025. Follow the links above to learn more.
- Nominations for the Small Spec Book Awards (SSBA) have officially closed.
The mission of the Small Spec Book Awards is to recognize and promote independent and small press authors writing exceptional speculative fiction. We also hope our efforts will aid readers in finding superb books. The inaugural competition has attracted 24 small and independent publishers and 48 books have been nominated for the 2025 awards season. Head to the award website for the list and stay tuned for features of the books on Armed with A Book in the spring.
Thanks for joining up for this wrap up!
Tell us your favourite and noteworthy read from January in the comments. What are you excited to read in February?
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