3.5 bittersweet stars. Overall, I quite liked Januaries, but the problem is two-fold.

1) I'd read a short-story that would make me want to rate it 3 stars or less and then I'd read one that would make me want to give it all the stars. Then, I'd read one that would make me want to skip it altogether (and in fact, there are several that I did).

2) I think these stories are just not for me. Even the ones I liked were often too bittersweet or ambiguous for me - a romantic at heart - to really appreciate it for what it was - a literary masterpiece.

And this is why I've rounded up to 4 stars (on Goodreads) - this is beautifully written. It is, in fact, written so well that I would class this as literature. It's confusing and beautiful, but sometimes written in a way that would mean I'd have to analyze it to actually appreciate it. And to be honest, that's why I skimmed some of the ones I did. I just don't enjoy that kind of reading.

My fave short story: How To Dispel Friends & Curse People. It's a novel in verse (obviously very short, though), funny, fantastical, and romantical. I've wanted to read a novel in verse for a long while and am glad this was my introduction to the medium.

My least fave short story: Monsterlove. To be quite frank, I just didn't understand it. This is one of those one's I was talking about needing to analyze.