#booksinourhands: January
From pet rabbits to bathroom raunch
Over on Instagram I have a little old account that haphazardly tracks some of the books I read. It’s called booksinourhands and it’s a love letter to the joy of holding books, smelling them, feeling their pages, and spending time curled up in armchairs, away from screens. The thing I love most about it is when people occasionally use the booksinourhands hashtag to share what they are reading with me. If you’re over on Instagram, please feel free to use it and tag me (or comment below).
I’ve stumbled across many a monthly reading post on Substack, which motivated me to trial extending the #booksinourhands vibe over here1.
Let’s get started. Here are the books I read in January, albeit sharing this nearly at the end of February…
#booksinourhands: January
Dusk by Robbie Arnott | A phenomenal, mythical tale half way between here and there. This story is full of nature at its most ominous and darkly beautiful - both human and other. Loved it.
All Fours by Miranda July | Second read of the year, All Fours by Miranda July. POW! I felt stressed, enlightened, confronted, amused, embarrassed, informed - all at once. (Hint, this is where you’ll find the aforementioned bathroom raunch, and more.)
The Burrow by Melanie Cheng | A quiet book that packs a punch, exploring themes of grief and connection with an exquisite eye for the complexities of familial relationships. I loved this book for the humans, but more so for the rabbit. Having owned four rabbits, he was perfect.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert | This was a perfectly timed re-read. I first shelved Big Magic almost ten years ago, according to my Goodreads. I remember enjoying it, but it wasn’t until writer Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder mentioned it again in her recent class I took that I thought to take another look at it. I listened to it on audio this time while I was hanging out the washing, cooking dinner, pottering around, and it was the perfect accompaniment.
What did you read during January?
I’d love to hear about it, either here or on the gram.
Apologies to those of you who diligently read my newsletter and have already read one or two of the above short reviews. I will try not to double up in future!
You've done well! January was a white-out for me, a chaotic and lovable blur of family. But I did manage to finish Shankari Chandran's Chai Time At Cinnamon Gardens and get a fair bit of writing done.