Well here we are just a couple of weeks into the new year and I’m already two books behind on my GoodReads reading goal! haha… I love to set a number and think about the different genres I want to read over the year but it’s basically ideas. If I meet these goals or not, what matters is that I’m enjoying my reading and here’s what I’m reading lately.

Winter Solstice by Rosamund Pilcher. This was my first book of the year and it’s such a good and engrossing story but I had to put it aside to focus on a book for my upcoming book group.

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton. The protagonist is a young man who can’t speak after suffering trauma as a young child. He’s has quite a unique talent though in that no lock is a deterrent and of course bad things are about to happen.

The Librarianist by Patrick deWitt. Bob Comet is an older gentleman who was a former librarian and one day he decides to volunteer at a senior center. Honestly the first half of this was engaging but somewhere along the way I feel like I’m reading a totally different book. There’s a lot more focus on some other characters from Bob’s young age and the story is just dragging.

I hope to finish one of these books soon and given that we are expecting frigid weather conditions in the next few days then I’m planning to stay in with some warm drinks and my books. Hope you all stay warm and safe!

A new year and lots of new books are hitting the shelves. As usual, I’m grateful for the opportunity for the advance review copes from Netgalley and the publishers. I’ve got a bit of everything here so let me tell you what’s on my radar:

Split by Alida Bremer. It’s 1936. The seaside-resort village of Split on the Adriatic coast bustles with tourists and émigrés. But as war in Europe looms, Split is also a nest of spies, fascists, and smugglers. Then one summer morning it becomes the scene of a murder investigation when a corpse is found entangled in fishing nets in the port. On sale 1/1/2024.

The Ascent by Adam Plantinga. A thriller about a down on his luck ex-cop who is thrown in prison and is about to fight the most dangerous convicts in Missouri when the prison security system fails. On sale 1/2/2024.

The Silence in her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa. A psychological thriller about a young woman with a rare neurological condition who is convinced her neighbor is going to be murdered. On sale 1/16/2024.

The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James. The story follows a Mexican bandido as he sets off for Texas to save his family, only to encounter a mysterious figure who has come, finally, to collect a cosmic debt generations in the making. On sale 1/23/2024.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn. A thriller set in a remote rehab clinic on the Pacific Northwest coast, in which the death of a woman inside prompts her sister to enter the clinic as a patient in order to find the truth. On sale 1/23/2024.

Held by Anne Michaels. On a battlefield near the River Escaut, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory as the snow falls. A narrative that spans four generations. On sale 1/30/2024.

Which one to start with first? That’s going to be a tough decision. Let me know which one you’d choose.