Chelsey’s January Reads
Was it just me, or did January feel like it took years to get through?
Cold, snow, ice, wind…repeat. So many activities were cancelled and we found ourselves a little stir crazy more than once. Thankfully we did make it to the library and stocked up on plenty of reading options.
I am trying to stretch myself outside of my typical fiction/rom-com genres and I explored some “soft fantasy” as well as making my goal of one non-fiction book this month.
The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr (5 stars). I had this a 5 star review because it was a challenging read but it was written so well each section compelled me to read into the next. As a second generation Christian (meaning my parents were the first Believers of either of their families), I grew up in a very literal (and typical) evangelical Christian home in the 1990s and early 2000s. So many books and theologies molded my generation into what an excellent and submissive woman of God should be. This book did not just challenge what the traditional church has taken as fact, but offered more than sufficient evidence throughout historical documents and throughout the Bible itself that perhaps the narrative we’ve been told of “biblical womanhood” was not the correct cultural and social context in its original statements of Paul in the New Testament.
Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (5 stars). I absolutely loved this quirky book! I went into our January Book Club read really unsure as I am not a fan of fantasy - but was completely blown away how loveable and charming the characters are, the enchanting scenery described, even down the antidote of the Villains grumpiness. The weaving of backstories kept me turning pages to find out what happened before - and what was happening next! There could be some content warning based on the fact that the main character is in fact, a villain, and it does mentions torture and severed heads.
Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (5 stars). I dove right into this after finishing the first one! Just as entertaining and pleasantly surprising as their first. I was instantly transported back into Rennedawn and immersed into the soft fantasy storyline of my new favorite Villain and his newly promoted Apprentice. The plot thickens and more betrayals are revealed - both in the form of physical enemies as well as revealed feelings and wounds from the past. I am unsure why this series has me fascinated with rapt attention but I am willingly under the spell.
Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (4 stars). While I was fascinated by #1, intrigued by #2, I feel I only tolerated the third book in this series. The characters seemed just as charming, with more of their backstories exposed, and the banter between Trystan and Evie was endearing - I found the thickening plot to be less exhilarating and more burdensome to wade through. With that being said, it was still an enjoyable read and left a cliff hanger that will surely make me pick up the fourth when it’s available.
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (5 stars). This is a brilliantly constructed story that involved multiple points of view and seamlessly stitching them all together to uncover a murder. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling back in time to an era of civil unrest, a delicate balance of women’s rights, and the growing threat of Russian Communist spies. The women embody strength in their life choices, rising above various trials and somehow connected with one another in the Briarwood Boarding House in Washington DC. One of my favorite parts was the very end, when Kate Quinn described the creation of each character.