Read in January

2025 began with the plan of reading something cheery and light-hearted, to set an upbeat tone for the rest of the year. That, um, did not quite happen...

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Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck - 5. Many thoughts and many feels; hoping to untangle my brain enough to make a post about this one day.

Cheese, Willem Elsschot - 2.5. An entertaining read, but it went a bit long for me, and I can't say that it's stuck in my mind. There were a couple of paragraphs that, as a modern reader, were a bit alarming, but probably harmless for the time.

You Don't Belong Where You Don't Belong, Kemi Ashing-Giwa - 3.5. A decent story, but I would really love to see this world and the story's themes examined in a longer work.

The Winter Queen, Boris Akunin - see here for thoughts.

The Ghost Bride, Yangsze Choo - 4.5/5. Beautifully crafted, and I enjoyed the Malaysian setting: it's refreshing to read something based off a non-European culture and religion, and this one kept me turning the pages, hoping Li Lan's efforts would be rewarded.

Simple Sabotage Field Manual, U.S. Office of Strategic Services - 4/5. Love this. Tips on running a saboteur in the front, specific acts in the back (I might want to rethink that phrasing). Practical all the way through, with psychological tips like not letting your saboteur feel too isolated and useless by, eg, telling him of this thing that worked for some other people. It's interesting reading the specific acts you can commit, not just because they range from 'act stupid' to simple explanations of how and why to sabotage this particular piece of machinery, but also because you have to wonder how much of this advice is now obsolete. It's a fascinating - and technical - peek into what was, but sometimes also very funny (you WANT us to do prank calls?). My personal favourite starts, 'Anyone can break up a showing of an enemy propaganda film by putting two or three dozen large moths in a paper bag..." Incidentally, I finished reading this just as it hit midnight.

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Usually I read more in January, but I surprised myself here... and except for The Winter Queen, these are all newish or new buys.

Looking forward to February, when I'll be tackling the romances on my TBR!*

* Not literally, though I did have a kitten once that tackled a pile of my books. He was so upset and confused when he smacked dead centre into them... which was right where he'd been aiming.