One Week in January

If you remember being 25, and the uncertainty of everything, and also the seeming potential importance of everything, this book will ring will hit hard.

If you no longer remember being 25, this book will bring it all back in a rush: the confusion, the hunger, the excitement, the tedium, and always that undercurrent of hope through it all.

If you haven't yet experienced being 25, this will be a sneak glance into the future. Be neither concerned nor comforted by what you read here. Your own 25 will be exactly the same in some ways, and entirely different in others.

The simplicity (almost banality) of this book is what gives it its perfection. It's a week of journal entries in which nothing particular happens, but she writes it all down anyway, every humdrum detail, because it's that important to her to do so.
The entire thing is like this: "...went to Texaco and bought two packs of cigarettes and Pork Cup O' Noodles. I went to Colin and Stiv's and put water on for the Cup O' Noodles and checked my email one more time but still no one had written me."
And this: "I came back to my house and read "Narcissus and Goldmund" for an hour or so but decided I didn't like it. There was a loud scary rap at the door, and it was Stiv and Margery, on their way to a party. I put on my coat, and we grabbed Colin and left. When we got to the party, it was less than ten really high strangers sitting around in a living room, so we all felt weird and left quickly."
And: "I went back downstairs and checked the messages. Michael Hecht had called saying he was putting a check in the mail for me. Emmy and my mom had both called, asking me to call them back. I called Emmy and asked her to come to my housewarming party on Friday, but she didn't want to because she didn't know or like anyone coming."
It's absolutely perfect. If it were fiction, written by someone trying to be "authentic" as a made-up character, it would be insufferable. But it's real, and it's exactly what Carson Ellis wrote down as a record for herself, not as anything intended for anyone else to ever read, so it's not insufferable at all. It's honest. And that is what makes it absolutely perfect.

Don't forget about the beautiful illustrations that show Portland exactly as it was, that one week in January 2001. The two-page spread of the bridges is my favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for unbiased review. This review will be cross-posted to social media platforms closer to the publication date.

A cozy and delightful little read about a snapshot inside a young artist's diary. Filled with artwork, and a sense of warmth, this was a really nice read. It's so interesting to get to read someone's thoughts and their own diary, and the artwork was the perfect touch to the book.

*Thanks Netgalley and Chronicle Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Oh if I could travel back in time to my 25 year old self and read my every thought for a week! A fun and thought-provoking read brought to life with beautiful illustrations.

I absolutely loved this beautifully illustrated journal documenting a week in the life of Carson Ellis in 2001. I’m about 10 years younger but had a glimpse into the Portland / artist / indie scene through zines, so it was a bit of a nostalgic read for me in that way. And remember when checking your email meant more than just tapping your phone? Somehow Carson managed to perfectly balance the mundane and profound, and knowing that she ended up happily married to Colin made it such a sweet read. Highly recommend for fans of Carson’s work, the Decemberists, and early aught indie culture. Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for allowing me an advanced copy of this gem.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC for an unbiased review. This review will be cross-posted to social media platforms closer to the publication date.

This author created new illustrations for an old diary chronicling a week in her life when she moved to Portland, OR at 25 years old.

I thought this was a lovely little read, and the illustrations were gorgeous. I’m a handful of years older than this author and found this to be a really nostalgic book for me, taking me back to a much simpler time. I also live just outside of Portland, and the author/artist did an amazing job of capturing old Portland.

I really enjoyed this book and gave it 4.5 stars.

"One Week in January" is a treat to read, full of delightful artwork, and diary pages that make you feel you are glimpsing the world of an endearing 25-year old. Perfect for a friendship gift or to put on a reading table to peek at for inspiration. Thank to NetGalley for the ARC. #OneWeekInJanuary

Author and artist Carson Ellis has won awards for her work in children's books, and this is her adult debut, based on an old diary that she uncovered. At the time of writing, she was twenty-five and had just moved to Portland. This book features a week's worth of diary entries with accompanying illustrations, capturing a moment in the author's life and a lost era where new move-ins had to battle with the phone company to get landlines properly connected. The book is brief but poignant, particularly related to Ellis's artistic aspirations and unrequited feelings for her friend Colin, who has now been her husband for many years.

This book will be nostalgic and meaningful for many people who relate to the author's experiences, and who came of age at a similar time. However, it's quite short, and the entries themselves are just simple and mundane summaries. The blurbs for this book make it sound much wittier and more profound than it is. It's just a collection of ordinary diary entries that aren't particularly compelling in and of themselves, but reflect a unique time period and convey the experiences of a now-successful artist.

In another life, I fancied myself a creative soul. "One week in January" filled with the mundane of ordinary life, made me nostalgic for the late 90s, early 2000s. This book memoralizes a normal week of moving, setting up a new house, friendships, and a lifestyle. Entries are coupled with artwork that sets a beatnik feeling throughout. A quick read that's worth revisitng a snapshot in time.

I received a temporary ebook ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review coming soon!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Opinions are mine.