The Books I Read in January: Cozy Escapism With a Thinking Cap
January asked a lot of us.
Less light. More quiet. A nervous system that needed somewhere safe to land.
This month, reading wasn’t about productivity or self-improvement. It was about repair. Some books helped me laugh and fully escape. Others made me think deeply about power, history, and who gets to tell the story. Together, they created the exact balance I needed: cozy escapism with a thinking cap.
If you’re someone who reads as a form of self-care, you’ll probably recognize yourself somewhere in this list.
Here’s what I read in January and how each book left its mark.
1. The Mad Wife – Meagan Church
This was an uneasy, disturbing read and I mean that as a warning and a compliment.
I read this alongside The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, which I ultimately had to put down. The combination was… a lot. Together, they stirred up a deep sense of overwhelm around society’s control over women, then and now. This book doesn’t let you look away. It sits with discomfort and asks you to do the same.
Best for readers who want to be challenged, not comforted.
This felt like a long-awaited, truthful retelling of a classic American story. Welcoming, sharp, and deeply intentional.
It genuinely changed how I think about American classics and the perspectives we’ve historically centered. Reading this felt like someone finally saying the quiet part out loud, and doing it brilliantly.
A must-read if you love literature but are ready to interrogate it, too.
Making Success Look Effortless.
Ina has a way of making life feel both aspirational and oddly practical. My biggest takeaway? Luck is great, but having money to back you up is the real ticket to success. Realizing how much courage, risk and hard work actually went into her journey really gave me a new view on being brave enough to say yes when opportunity knocks. But again, having access to cash is awesome lol.
This is the book equivalent of a cozy kitchen, good lighting, and a calm voice telling you it’s okay to build things slowly.
Snarky as heck and pure escape.
I laughed out loud more than once, which honestly felt medicinal. This book doesn’t pretend to be serious, but it’s smart, fast-paced, and wildly entertaining. Time disappeared while reading it.
I’ll absolutely be reading book two.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
I know this devastates a lot of people.
For me, it landed softer. Winter exhaustion might have dulled my emotional response, because while I appreciated the beauty of it, I didn’t feel wrecked in the way others describe. This feels like a book I might revisit someday with fresher eyes and a fuller emotional tank.
Tense, unsettling, and deeply creepy.
This one stuck with me after I finished it, which is always the mark of a strong thriller. It starts grounded and relatable, then the tension creeps in until you’re questioning everything alongside the main character.
Read this if you like your suspense smart, socially sharp, and just paranoid enough to make you side-eye your neighbors.
Mental. In the best way.
I needed an easy, fast read and I love a good psychological thriller. The main character is completely cuckoo, and it made the book wildly fun. The prose feels very current, very now. Honestly, the vibe is extremely 2025.
This one flew.
A comfort reread, through and through.
I first fell in love with this book last summer and came back to it because I needed something familiar and emotionally satisfying. The second read was just as good as the first. It fully satiated my need for lesbian vampire love and reminded me why rereading can be such a powerful form of care.
Sometimes you don’t need new. You need known.
Why This Kind of Reading Matters
January’s reading gave my nervous system exactly what it needed: a safe place to land. Some books challenged me. Some made me laugh. Some simply held me.
That balance is what Books & Bloom is all about. Reading without pressure. Showing up as you are. Talking about what moved you, confused you, or made you feel a little more human.
If you’re craving that kind of space, you should probably come to the next one.
You’re already reading like you belong there.
📚🌿
Wander to Bloom – The Day Spa
Bridgewater, MA
📞 508-802-6986