The Books That I Read in January

The best way to read any book, with the last of the Christmas biscuits and a cup of coffee and the sun streaming in through the doors on a Winters morning.

For this first look at what I have read recently I'm including the books I read just before and over Christmas, this was before this blog had properly started, so doing this means that I have them here for posterity, then after them there will be this months books.

I really enjoyed this one, it had an unexpected twist at the end.  

I just love Dylan Thomas, and this little book was a lovely read with delightful illustrations.

I whizzed through this one, I love Brian Bilston's poetry.

I started this and then somehow moved on to another, so now it will be saved until next December.  I just can't read Christmassy books when it's not before, during or immediately after Christmas.

I just could not get into this book, it seemed to go on and on with a strange not much is happening vibe.  I'll give it another go next Christmas before I decide to let it go.

Nigel gets picked up every year at Christmas time, I just love this book.  I probably would have carried on reading it after Christmas had my new books not arrived ... I'm  so easily tempted by a new book. 😄

A really good first cookbook from Madeleine Olivia.  There are some good recipes and ideas, and if you can get it at a good price (as I did) it's well worth having.  Especially if you want to experiment with plant-based meals, treats and sides for the first time.

Then this one arrived and I'm afraid it blew Madeleines out of the water for me.  There are some brilliant recipes in it from Ella Mills, and as an plant-based author with seven cookbooks under her belt, this just seemed so much more of a professionally written and better put together book.   

(She has 8 books if you include the smoothies book.)

My penultimate read of the month was October, October.  

I have to say this was actually my favourite of the month too.  It's just a well written book with a really good story, and of course with illustrations from Angela Harding I had to have it.

My final read of January has been this book ... Unprocess Your Life by Rob Hobson.  

He has obviously invented a new work as spell check does not like 'unprocess'!  But the book is good, it has a good grounding for anyone wanting to learn about ultra processed foods, what to look for and how to avoid them, alongside lots of recipes for making meals, sides and condiments that should help you to free your life from the mass produced things available in the shops.

I see more homemade mayonnaise in my near future, why did I ever stop making it myself I wonder?  But this is the sort of book that can help get me back on track, as well as teaching me about UPF in more layman's language than Chris Van Tulleken's.  I think they should be read the other way around if you are interested in learning about UPF, first this and then if you want to delve much deeper and follow the research go on to Chris Van Tulleken's.

So that's my round up of my January books and here we are into February.  It's a whole new and cosy reading month with 29 days of books to read just lined up and waiting to be read.

Sue xx

I would just like to point out, that although I provide links to Amazon for all the books that I read each month, not all my books are bought from Amazon.  If they are some of them were bought from the Used section rather than full price.  

I share the links so that you can learn more about the books that I write about for yourself, or read reviews from others that have read them.  Of course most of the books I talk about would also be available from your local library, and if you are very lucky you might even find them in charity or thrift shops.  

There are so many ways to bring books into your home if you love reading. 📚