Books I Read in January {2026}

Welcome to the beginning of this year’s books read! Last year I managed an incredible 113 books… whilst it wasn’t quite the 150 I’d hoped for, I was still very pleased. I wasn’t going to carry on with my list this year as I’m in the final year of my master’s so felt I probably wouldn’t have time to read. However, I’ve got to the end of January and I seem to have read a decent amount of books. Soooo…here are the books I read in January.

Fiction Books I Read in January

The Story of Gilgamesh by Yiyun Li

Yiyun Li’s The Story of Gilgamesh retells the world’s oldest known epic for a modern, younger audience. It follows Gilgamesh, the proud king of Uruk, whose cruelty leads the gods to create Enkidu as his rival. The two become close friends and share heroic adventures, but Enkidu’s death leaves Gilgamesh grieving and fearful of his own mortality. Driven by loss, he sets out on a quest for eternal life, confronting themes of friendship, death, and the search for meaning in a clear, accessible narrative.

This is a clear, engaging retelling of the 4,000-year-old epic that makes its themes of friendship and mortality accessible to younger readers. With lively pacing, gentle simplification, and engaging illustrations, it preserves the emotional core while offering thoughtful reflections on loss and meaning. Though simplified for adults familiar with the original, it remains a warm and effective introduction to a foundational myth. I wrote a full review of this book here

Coraline: An Adventure Too Weird for Words by Neil Gaiman

Coraline by Neil Gaiman follows a curious girl who discovers a hidden world behind a locked door in her new home. At first, the world seems better than her real one, but it soon reveals a dark and dangerous side. To save herself and her parents, Coraline must rely on her bravery and cleverness.

Coraline is a creepy, imaginative tale that blends fantasy and horror in a way that’s apparently perfect for young readers. Honestly? I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as a youngster! Neil Gaiman’s eerie atmosphere, sharp writing, and strong heroine make it both unsettling and empowering in equal measures. It’s a strange, memorable story that shows courage can exist even in fear. Oh, and I don’t think I’ll ever look at buttons in the same way again!

By Rowan and Yew: Moss, Book 2 by Melissa Harrison

In By Rowan and Yew, Moss and the Hidden Folk return to Ash Row as autumn begins to uncover why their kind is fading from the Wild World. As the seasons shift, they face danger, wonder, and human encounters, relying on friendship, courage, and humour to prove that nature’s guardians are still needed.

Melissa Harrison’s sequel blends adventure with a lyrical love of nature. Its gentle environmental message, vivid seasonal imagery, and charming characters make it a warm, hopeful, and enchanting read for children. Intertwined, are short lessons to build character and understanding. This is a lovely series.

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Katabasis is a dark fantasy in which Cambridge postgraduates Alice and Peter descend into Hell to retrieve their late advisor’s soul, hoping to secure their futures. Amid myth-inspired courts, philosophical trials, and academic satire, the journey forces them to confront their ambitions, fears, and fraught relationship.

Katabasis blends dark academia, myth, and intellectual fantasy with sharp academic satire. Kuang’s rich prose and inventive ideas are thought-provoking and clever, though the dense concepts can feel slow or overly cerebral for readers wanting a more action-driven story. Having homeschooled for the past quarter of a century, I was quietly impressed by how many references I knew and understood.

Memoir Books I Read in January

And Then? And Then? What Else? by Daniel Handler

And Then? And Then? What Else? is an unconventional memoir by Daniel Handler that unfolds through reflective essays rather than a linear life story. Blending personal anecdotes with literary musings, Handler explores reading, writing, creativity, and the uncertainties of identity and art.

This funny, thoughtful memoir blends playful wit with offbeat candid insights into writing and (all) creativity. Handler, author of the Lemony Snicket A Series of Unfortunate Events, continues to feed my adoration of memoirs. Ironically, it was not his writing that was at the forefront of my enjoyment but his experience with ill health. As a young man, Handler experienced hallucinations and seizures…if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you will know that Charlotte, my youngest twin, experienced these and more during her teen years. It was very interesting to me to hear how, in the end, he turned his back on all psychiatric help and managed them himself. He knew the hallucinations weren’t real, just like Charlotte. And he knew that stress brought on the seizures…just like Charlotte. And he’s a writer…just like Charlotte. Of course, this means very little in reality. But, as her mum, this was…just…interesting to me.

Well, that’s it for this month. I’m kinda pleased (and astonished!) to see so many fiction books. I think this is the first month ever that I haven’t read any of my most favourite genre – non-fiction. It may be that I am reading so much non-fiction for my Master’s degree in the form of research papers that fiction simply feels very relaxing. Plus, I LOVE R.F. Kuang!