Good Reads for January: The Nonesuch and Written Together

I am still working my way through Desperate and Cleaning House (the two books originally on my list for January), but along with them I was reading a couple more books (have I mentioned that I usually have several books going at once? :)).  So I thought it would be fun to do a brief review of the two books that I read last month.

First, a fiction book: The Nonesuch, by Georgette Heyer

I was first introduced to Georgette Heyer's books by my sister-in-law, a few years back, and I thoroughly enjoy them.  The majority are regency romances, but she also wrote a number of mysteries, and a few other historical novels.  I have read maybe half a dozen or so of the regency stories and a handful of the mysteries, as well as one book of short stories that I picked up at a used bookstore.  Anyway . . . The Nonesuch has been sitting on my bookshelf for a year(!!) as I kept forgetting about it, with many other books in my to-read-and-review pile.  I'm so glad I finally remembered to take it off the shelf, as it was a really fun read.   The main characters are Sir Waldo Hawkridge (a confirmed bachelor) and Miss Ancilla Trent (governess to a high-spirited and spoiled charge, Tiffany Wield).  Both are "older" (Sir Waldo is around 35 and Ancilla is in her late 20s) and neither is looking for love, yet love finds them. :)  Of course, there are plenty of twists and turns along the way, and subplots involving Miss Wield, and Waldo's younger cousins.  (Side note: the cover illustration does not look AT ALL how I would picture Sir Waldo . . . who seemed to me more of a Mr. Darcy type. :))

The second book was non-fiction; part love story, part cookbook, part inspiration: Written Together: A Story of Beginnings, in the Kitchen and Beyond, by Shanna Mallon. I only recently heard of Shanna's blog, Food Loves Writing, and her book (which I downloaded for Kindle one day when it was free).  I really enjoyed her writing style, reading about her life and faith, and how she met and fell in love with her husband, Tim.  If you check out their blog, you'll see that they are very much into real foods--which is inspiring to me since we're working on moving in that direction too, as much as we are able.  Written Together was a fairly quick read, but I took my time and savored the story.  And thoroughly enjoyed it!   I definitely recommend this little book (only $4.99 for Kindle), and also recommend checking out Food Loves Writing for some real food inspiration and also beautiful photography and artwork.

So . . . what did you all read in January?  Any book recommendations for me? :)