Read With Keri: Books I Read in January

Another year, another month, another book recap!

I debated whether or not to keep my monthly book roundups separate from my monthly favorites or combined. I love talking about books and sharing the ones I’m reading, so I decided to keep my Read With Keri posts separate again in 2024.

January ended up being a great book month and a mix of a few different genres. I finished 6 books, including my first 5 star read.

{ONE} Counting the Cost — Jill Duggar (5/5)

I requested this from the library months ago and it just so happened to be available at the start of this year. I COULD NOT stop listening to it. Jill narrated it and is a fantastic storyteller and communicator. She details her childhood, relationships with her parents, “growing up Duggar,” and the aftermath of a complicated legal battle with her dad and the TV network. I have a whole new respect for Jill and the things she has endured. Highly recommend reading this.

{TWO} Competitive Strategy: What is Strategy — Michael E. Porter (2/5)

This is an informative short read on leadership and marketing strategy. I will be honest; it isn’t very memorable to me even a few weeks later. It consisted of general/”obvious” best practices and provided examples of brands who executed great business strategy throughout the years.

{THREE} Love of My Life — Rosie Walsh (3.5/5)

I joined a book club, and Love of My Life was this month’s pick. I enjoyed reading it but at the end, couldn’t figure out what genre it was trying to be: Thriller? Romance? Chick Lit? General Fiction? I originally gave it a lower rating because there were parts that felt slow and unnecessary, but after discussing it in book club, I grew to appreciate it more. It had more complex themes than I had originally realized and the thought-provoking questions made me think about the characters in a different way.

{FOUR} Winter Storms — Elin Hilderbrand (3/5)

Winter Storms was the original end to the Winter Street trilogy, and I’m going to be honest, if that was the case, I would’ve been frustrated. It continues following the main characters but ended abruptly with a lot of loose ends.

{FIVE} Winter Solstice — Elin Hilderbrand (4/5)

A lot of people felt the same way about Winter Storms as me, apparently, because Elin Hilderbrand later released a fourth and final book to the series: Winter Solstice. Thank goodness. This book was the ending to a cozy story and provided answers to questions that I had at the end of Winter Storms. I liked this one the best, but highly encourage you to read the others or else it will be confusing. The ending is a bit sad (not a spoiler) but I grew to love the characters and was satisfied with how everything resolved at the end.

{SIX} The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music — Dave Grohl (4.5/5)

I listened to this because Dave Grohl narrates it. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would! Admittedly, I didn’t know much about Dave Grohl before this book (other than he was Nirvana’s drummer). Now, I really respect him and loved hearing his story in his words. Just a heads up: This isn’t an audiobook you can listen to with little ears around (lots of language). Do your research if this might not be for you.