Looking Back: January Recap

January was a great reading month for me in a lot of ways -- not least because of Andi's call to Read Our Own Damn Books. Of the twelve books I picked up last month, five were for assignments and six were books I already own. Not too damn shabby, if I do say so myself. Now if only I could get into the discipline of actually writing about those books of mine I've finally read... but perhaps that's a task for February.

In the world of January releases, I highly recommend that everyone who likes strange, creepy hotels and slightly confusing (but ultimately worth it) storylines check out Keith Lee Morris' newest novel, Travelers Rest (on sale now from Little, Brown). For those interested in historical fiction and/or Civil War history, look for Fallen Land by Taylor Brown (on sale now from St. Martin's Press).

From my own shelves, I read (and adored) Rules of Civility, a re-read for me (and an excellent selection on audio, for those of you considering it), Bitch Planet Vol 1., and The Queen of the Tearling. More formal reviews to come on all of these, I promise.

Writing-wise, I turned my attention from writing about books for a bit to write about engaging the next generation in the work I do. Though the article is specifically talking about philanthropy and grantmaking, I'd argue that a lot of the points here apply to engaging younger generations in many types of work. I'm also excited to be building a list of immersive books that pull you in, with the help of Twitter, Facebook and commenters like you!, and to have finally shared my favorite fiction picks from 2015.

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Here, there and everywhere, the best things I read on the internet this month:

• Andi's collection of Life Hacks was great -- and the ideas keep on going well into the comments section there. (A rare turn of events for internetdom...)

• Shannon had great suggestions for picking the right book club book. Number 1: don't pick something everyone will love. 

• Emily at Books, the Universe, and Everything had some great thoughts on curating our digital lives. (Also, congratulations to Emily, who just tied the knot!)

• A friend and local blogger has a list of eight (more) reasons why Frederick is just like Stars Hollow. She's so, so, so right.