I hope your month is off to a great start and if you are like me you are probably trying not to get distracted by shiny new books but we can’t help it right? Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, I have some new review copies to tell you about.

Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez, translated by Megan McDowell. A young father and son set out on a road trip, devastated by the death of the wife and mother they both loved. United in grief, the pair travel to her ancestral home, where they must confront the terrifying legacy she has bequeathed: a family called the Order that commits unspeakable acts in search of immortality. Sounds quite exciting! Published 2/7/2023

The Love Scribe by Amy Meyerson. What a perfect read for Valentine’s Day – a story about a woman who writes stories that help others fall in love. Published 2/7/2023

Of Manners & Murder by Anastasia Hastings. Violet takes on the role of the best-loved agony aunt in Britain in 1885 but the she’s not only going to receive letters from desperate readers but may make some enemies along the way and murder ensues. Sounds like a fun mystery with a dash of romance. Published 2/7/2023.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton. A gothic thriller about a father on the run with his two daughters. In order to remain untraceable, the father accepts a job at the most haunted house in Texas. How bad can things be? This is supposed to be set in the Hill Country which is where I live so I’m very excited about this novel. Published 2/7/2023.

The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane. In September 1883, a small town in the South Australian outback huddles under strange, vivid sunsets. Six-year-old Denny Wallace has gone missing during a dust storm, and the entire community is caught up in the search for him. Published 2/14/2023

It’s One of Us by J.T. Ellison. A thriller about career woman, Olivia Bender, who desperately  wants to be a mother. Fertility treatments and IVF keep failing. And just when she feels she’s at her lowest point, the police deliver shocking news to Olivia and her husband, Park. DNA results show that Park’s son is a suspect in a murder investigation but how can that be? Published 2/21/2023

All of these sound so good but I’m sort of leaning towards The Love Scribe right now possibly due to Valentine’s Day and wanting a sweet romantic story. Anyway, let me know if any of these sound good to you or what new releases do you have your eye on!

We’re welcoming the month with very cold temps and icy conditions but luckily my husband and I worked from home. Granted all day yesterday I’ve been hearing the cracking and breaking of tree branches. We’ve lost some but luckily so far have avoided any major damages. I feel so bad for so many in our city who are without power or have a lot of damages. I remember the experience we had a couple of years ago when we were without power and water for a week!

Anyway, let’s move on to something a lot more fun to talk about – books! I am enjoying some perfect seasonal reading with The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights. This is a collection of short stories set in the winter, some at Christmas, which are all about ghosts and haunted places. I’ve read four of the stories and they are quite fun and a couple have made me shiver a bit.

I’m also reading The Blue Window by Suzanne Berne a recent fiction release about a woman trying to connect with her young adult son and her estranged mother. The first couple of chapters were a bit difficult to get into but I’m glad I kept going because I’m intrigued by the grandmother.

Two other books I’m reading are The Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli and Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. Both are new to me authors but authors which I’ve heard about quite a bit so it’s good to finally get to read them. I’m not quite sure yet how I feel about these books. I’d say about at least 70 pages into both and they are interesting but so far haven’t wowed me.

Finally I do have some poetry to keep me company. I’m reading Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light by Joy Harjo, which is a collection of her poems since the beginning of her writing career.

Here’s a snippet from her poem “Remember” :

“Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their tribes, their families, their histories, too.
Talk to them, listen to them.
They are alive poems.”

There’s this beautiful rhythm to the lines that if you were to read it aloud you would feel as if you are chanting.

I’m also reading A Happy Poem to End Every Day. I’ve made note of several favorite poems already but my absolute favorite from January was Travel by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I think I need to get a collection of Edna St. Vincent Millay poems because I know I’ve read a few and I just adore them.

While I’m not anywhere close to finishing any of these books I probably will be adding a new book soon and that’s the February mystery selection for my book group.

Hope you enjoy a cozy and warm weekend filled with good reads.