Hey everyone!

How was your holiday?

Truth be told, this one knocked me out. Between the migraines and the recuperating from my migraines, I had a rough go of things. However, I am grateful to have had time with family and friends to celebrate the season and some down time to rest.

My reading has been slow over the past month with all that’s been going on, but I have set my Good Reads reading goal for 100 books in 2023.

I have never made such an ambitious goal before, but after having read 70 books between June and December, I feel I am up for the challenge. So, let’s do this! *I say to myself and whoever else wants to join me* (You also DO NOT need to read 100 books.)

A while back I bought myself a three tiered library cart from Amazon to house my TBR pile. As you can imagine the pile keeps growing, especially since I joined Book of the Month. I have found the service is totally worth it. You get hard covered books for $9.99, and the novels they release are a great mix of genres from popular and new authors. Click here to check it out!

Back to the TBR.

If anyone is interested in reading any of these books, I’d love to do a buddy read, read-a-thon, book club, or any other co-reading experience. You can also leave your recommendations, TBR lists, and opinions of the books here in the comments!!

I’m pretty excited about the book list for January. It’s a little thriller, a little historical fiction, a little romance. What are the books, you say? I thought you’d never ask. : )

Thriller

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager

I am currently in the middle of reading this book and am really enjoying it. It’s about a woman, Jules, who takes a job as a house sitter at the infamous Bartholomew luxury apartments in NYC after she loses her job and her boyfriend. But when her neighbor goes missing, Jules is on the hunt for the truth about the building. Is it haunted? Is it not? What’s the deal? It’s a fast-paced, ghost story akin to Rosemary’s Baby.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

I promise this is the last Riley Sager book on the list. This is a haunted house story about a family who flees from their home in the middle of the night. Twenty-five years later, the daughter of the family returns. I love a haunted house story, regardless of the season, and I enjoy the supernatural elements that Sager incorporates into their stories. So, I’m excited to get started on this one.

What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall

This was my Book of the Month pick for January. The story is about a girl who is the victim of a stabbing when she is a teenager. Her and her friends get the man who committed the crime convicted, but there is a secret they’ve been keeping about the event. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but I was intrigued by the concept. And, so far, I have been pleased with the Book of the Month thriller picks.

Historical Fiction

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

Over the summer I read The Lost Summers of Newport by this same set of authors and absolutely LOVED it! I am also obsessed with Newport, so that could have been another reason for my love of the novel. However, to their credit and not my bias, these three women are excellent writers who can weave a compelling tale. The Glass Ocean is about the past and present relationships of two women to the RMS Lusitania.

Fantasy

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I am a Silvia Moreno-Garcia fan after having read Mexican Gothic. And even though I am not really a fan of fantasy, this story is described as a mix of fairy-tale and mythology inspired by Mexican folklore set in Mexico during the 1920’s. This is literally a mix of all the things I love. Myth. Fairy-tale. History. The story is about Casiopea Tun, who is tasked by the Mayan god of death to help recover his throne from his brother. How good does that sound??

Romance

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas

I started reading this book in June when I got Covid, but the slow burn was a little too slow for me. I love anything set in Spain, and I can also get behind an enemies to lovers trope. So, I’m thinking now is the time to finish this. The story is about Catalina Martin, who needs a date to her sister’s wedding in Spain, so she invites her work enemy, Aaron Blackford, and love ensues. This is not a spoiler. This is always what happens in these books.

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

This novel is one of my all-time favorites. I read it when I was 20 and had such an emotional reaction to it that it still lives on in my memory. I haven’t read it in 17 years, but I am compelled to return to its pages to relive the feelings. It’s a “coming into one’s own” story about a woman named Cannie Shapiro who embarks on a path to make peace with herself after her ex-boyfriend writes a scathing article about her. I can’t wait to dive back into this story!

YA

When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle

Every Rebecca Serle book is a five star read in my opinion, I think because every one of her books has a little bit of magic in it. (If you haven’t already read One Italian Summer, go do that for yourself.) So, when I saw this on the YA table at Barnes and Noble over the summer, I immediately picked it up. It is a Romeo and Juliet retelling from the perspective of Rosaline. I’ve been saving this because I don’t want it to end…if that makes any sense. : )

Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch

I started reading this on my Disney World trip, but put it down. I loved Love and Gelato. I liked Love and Olives. I am feeling slightly lukewarm about Love and Luck. The story is about a girl named Addie who goes on a trip to Ireland with her family, but when she is supposed to go visit her friend in Italy, (our girl from Love and Gelato), things go awry. I’m halfway through the book and waiting for things to be revealed. It is a cute read.

Ok. Ok. I know. Nine books for January is a lot. But in my defense, January is a long, cold month.

Again, if anyone is interested in reading any of these books, I’d love to do a buddy read, read-a-thon, book club, or any other co-reading experience. You can also leave your recommendations, TBR lists, and opinions of the books here in the comments!!

And please feel free to share this list with anyone looking for book recs.

I’ll be reviewing these books for my first post of February, but in the mean time I’ll be back next week with a writing prompt post.

Happy New Year everyone! I wish you days of happiness, creativity, and many, many words!!