January Reads & What's Coming in February

The first month of 2022 has been a productive one for me so far, reading wise. I have read 3 books, and will soon start the 4th. The above painting might perfectly reflect my reading mood right now. Not that I read a lot at the cafe - I love that, but since Covid-19 I can't do that anymore *sigh.. - but I often read while it's raining outside (my office, my apartment, my online car). I don't know, but the sound of raindrops is really soothing, and perfect for reading. It's monsoon season here in Indonesia, and I expect to do the reading-while-raining a lot during next month! - (painting: Alicia en el cafe, 2012 by Antonio Varas de La Rosa)

📚 What I've Read in January

The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu - ⭐⭐⭐

Who would've guessed that the first novel ever written in the world was actually a work of a Japanese woman in 11th century? It's a romantic glimpse of court lives (and politics) in Heian period. My review will tell you more about this classic. It's my only entry for Japanese Literature Challenge # 15.

Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another gem I've rediscovered from Christie! It's more of a psychological thriller than a murder story. For once, I didn't even care of the whodunit! And the investigation seems only to make it eligible to be considered a crime story. Review will follow soon.

A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

After a slow start with a an Asian classic, then followed by a psychological thriller, I naturally craved for a comfort reading. And what's better than a children classic? I've never read Paddington before, and was instantly hooked by the first chapter! It's funny and warm. I just finished it yesterday, review will be following.

Statistics

📊 Total books read: 3
📊 Challenge progress:
* 2022 TBR Pile Challenge: 1
* Back to the Classics Challenge 2022: 2
* 2022 Chunkster Challenge: 0

And so, I am now ready to face the new month!


📚 What I Will Read in February

February is always special for me. No, it's not because of Valentine's and all the 'love is in the air' crap, no. See, my birthday is in February, and how cool is it that I get to share the same birth month with one of my favorite authors, Charles Dickens?

Therefore, every February I celebrate this special author's birthday with the coolest thing I can think of, that is, reading his book the whole month. And that's how #DickensInFebruary was born.

This year I will read Martin Chuzzlewit. That is one of the last two Dickens' I haven't yet read. Next year will be Barnaby Rudge's turn. After that, I plan to re-read Dickens novels every February.

My copy of Martin Chuzzlewit is of 762 pages, and I'm pretty sure I'd spend the whole month reading it... while raining. Jolly, isn't it?