In January I started my reading year off pretty strong with completing 8 books and I pretty much enjoyed them all. There were also 3 that I didn’t finish and put down, they just weren’t for me or the timing wasn’t right. I generally don’t mention my DNFs here as what isn’t right for me could still be a good pick for someone else, and I don’t wish to keep someone from trying particular books. I have a feeling this will be a year of a high number of DNFs, I just don’t have the patience or attention span to stick with anything I am not enjoying. My reading is going to make me happy this year, period.
Due to that, I also see myself being gravitated this year towards easier fun reads as well as suspense/thrillers. I have read a few more serious and character driven literary fiction novels lately and enjoyed them, but honestly – the world is so heavy right now that I see that my reading will probably stay on the lighter and less serious side.
One last thing before I get into it, I usually put together a goals list of about 24 books I plan on reading throughout the year. While I have sketched a list on my trusty Notes app, I haven’t yet decided if I will post it or not. I ventured pretty far from it last year and I am not sure yet if I will stick with it or not. As mentioned this is going to be a Mood reading type of year and I think I am just going to see where the wind takes me.
Here are the books I read, and enjoyed, in January.
The Favorites – Layne Fargo
While the news cycle started to burn to hell in an handbag, I was engrossed in the freezing cold ice rinks of The Favorites. Katarina Shaw has dreamed of becoming an Olympic champion since her childhood. Heath Rocha was a lonely foster kid that was introduced to the ice during a community hockey session and when they meet and become friends, their connection is instant. The story throughout their lives was exactly what I needed during these chilling times. A great escape romance with lots of drama.
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Three Days in June – Anne Tyler
This was a short quickie about the 3 days before, during and after Gail’s daughter’s wedding. It is a character driven dive into the lives of Gail, her ex-husband and her daughter and I found it very quirky and entertaining.
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Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone – Benjamin Stevenson
This first installment in Stevenson’s series is another quirky tale for this month. I was highly entertained by Ernest, and found his pretty far out there family quite delightful. The writing style is also a gem, as Ernest regularly addresses the reader and it just added to the story 100%. I did enjoy this on audio and wonder if the writing style would have the same effect on me on the page, but I do think it would. I plan on continuing the series.
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Kill for Me, Kill for You – Steve Cavanagh
This is a page turner for sure as two women seeking revenge against different men meet in a victim support group and make a pact to seek murderous revenge for each other. Meanwhile we meet a 3rd woman who has been attacked in her home while her husband is out, and is deeply traumatized knowing hr attacker is still out there. Many thrillers don’t carry their excitement and anticipation all the way through for me, but this one did. I had a hunch on how things would end up and I was mostly right, but that did not make it any less enjoyable.
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Be Ready When the Luck Happens – Ina Garten
This was a pick for my deeply cherished Sharon McMahon book club. I really wasn’t sure I would like it, I haven’t been a big Ina fan in the past for no particular reason – I didn’t dislike her. I just haven’t been exposed to her very much. I do have one of her cookbooks and have made a few things from it, but that was the extent and I wasn’t sure I was going to read this memoir. I am glad I did! I very much enjoyed getting to know her, and I especially loved the last 25% of the book. I am looking forward to “meeting” Ina on our zoom session in Sharon’s bookclub. Generally I save these meetings to watch on replay after the fact, but I plan to join this one live.
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The Quiet Librarian – Allen Eskens
The Quiet Librarian is not my first Allen Eskens’ book, I think I have read them all. Here we meet Hana, a “quiet librarian” in Minnesota from war torn Bosnia. I did know a bit about the war in Bosnia prior to this book, but I was glad to learn more about this horrifying historical event. This felt like a new path for Eskens and I hope he leans into it further in the future. Hana learns that her friend Amina has been murdered and it leads us to a dual timeline of her life in Bosnia and how she came to the U.S. Eskens has been known to me as an author with tragic loss themes while weaving in some suspense and mystery and this rang true here. The Quiet Librarian was entertaining, page turning and quite educational. If you are intrigued with my review and want to check out this author, you certainly can start with The Quiet Librarian, but another great place to start getting to know Eskens would be with The Life We Bury. Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for an early release digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Quiet Librarian will be released on 2/18/25.
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The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby – Ellery Lloyd
This is one that you just can’t say much about – you need to go in blind. This was a surprising treat and while it did start off slow for me, this multiple timeline historical fiction novel by Lloyd delivered.
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A Killing Cold – Kate Alice Marshall
Engaging mystery/suspense family drama. I chose audio for A Killing Cold and the narrator was great, likely enhancing the enjoyment. There are a few components that I didn’t care for, mainly the overly religious crazy family that Theo was adopted by and had me considering putting it down. But I didn’t and overall enjoyed the read. If you like family dramas with many, many secrets – then this one is for you. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. A Killing Cold will be available on 2/4/25.
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