What are we reading in January?

Happy New Year, everyone! What are you reading this month? I've decided to start my challenge with a book I just bought today, The Widening Stain by W. Bolingbroke Johnson. Please share your January reads below!

I finished up a December read today - Martha Gellhorn's The Face of War. Now I'm moving on to The Ride of Her Life because I need to finish it for a book club meeting next Sunday.

I finished up A World Undone (by G. J. Meyer; narrated by Robin Sachs) this morning - Non-Fiction; Overview of WWI;
Queuing up Leonardo's Brain (by Leonard Schlain; narrated by Grover Gardner) next - Non-Fiction combo of history, biography and, neuroscience;

Am currently in the middle of The House of Special Purpose (by John Boyne) - Yes, Still! - Historical Fiction with 1915-1918 czarist Russia at its heart;;
Road to Fire (Broken Crown #1; by Maria Luis) - Action/Spy Thriller/Romance set in an alternate present-day England

I need to read our book-club pick, so I'll start with that: Matrix by Lauren Groff

I just finished Crimes Against Magic earlier today.

I'm still reading Flesh House which is really really noir (Tartan noir). It does have a lot of gallows humor and crazy ass cops.

I finished The Catch by Alison Fairbrother for my first audio of the year and have started The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. In print, I'm reading A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly and I have To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey started for my ebook.

I'm currently trying to finish off a couple of books I started in 2022 - H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (which I really like, but I just overcommitted on all the books I started!) and Know My Name by Chanel Miller (which is harder work, because of the subject matter). I've also just started Black Square by Sophie Pinkham for the GeoCAT.

I'm starting Foster by Claire Keegan.

Still reading Kenneth, by Nigel Tranter. It would be nice to have my first book of the year be historical fiction; I haven't read as many books in that genre recently but still keep buying them :D

I’m reading Cold Earth and enjoying it.

I'm starting with Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben. The first in the Myron Bolitar series. Am hoping to finish today already! (But I need to get off the computer and go read!)

Up next for me is Lauren Willig's The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, kicking off my year-long reread of the series.

Buckled down and finished Kenneth, by Nigel Tranter, and was inspired to add a few books to the on-deck shelf to read later in the year.

I will probably go for a radical change of pace next and read either The Widow of Bath, by Margot Bennett, or All Systems Red, by Martha Wells.

I went to the library today to pick up The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka for my RL book club in Feb and decided I might as well take When the Emperor Was Devine at the same time. They're both relatively short so should be easy to fit into my reading plans.

I'm starting the year with The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.
Not sure what to read on audio yet, I'll probably make that decision in a blur as I head for the car on Thursday morning.

I am currently reading a couple of historical novels set in the American West--Coming from California which is about a school teacher, and A Marvelous Merry Christmas by Cassidy Hart which is a mail-order bride novel.

I just finished my first book of the year A Catalog of Birds by Laura Harrington, a story whose focus is on the damage that the Vietnam War did. I am also reading The Heroic Garrison by V.A. Stuart and am about to start Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard. After these, I will be on the lookout for some happy stories!

I finished listening to Leonardo's Brain (by Leonard Shlain; narrated by Grover Gardner) An interdisciplinary Non-Fiction mix of history, biography, neuroscience and crackpot speculation

Also finished Road to Fire (Broken Crown #1; by Maria Luis)— An angsty, dark, Action/Spy Thriller/Romance set in an alternate present-day England

Just started The World Remade (by G. J. Meyer; narrated by Rob Shapiro) this morning - Non-Fiction overview of the US participation in WWI

Started listening to Rebuilding Coventry. So far the main character is heartily annoying.
Still reading The talented Mr Ripley.

I've just begun Lia Louis's latest novel, The Key to My Heart. I really liked her debut, Dear Emmie Blue, but wasn't impressed by Eight Perfect Hours, so I'm hoping this one will be a winner.

I'm reading Hyperion and Over Sea, Under Stone.

Finished All Systems Red. I may throw some non-fiction onto the pile: Fatal Rivalry, about the battle of Flodden, is speaking to me.

I'm reading Odd Man Out: James Mason - A Biography by Sheridan Morley. I'm planning to count it for the memoir bingo square. We're not being rigid about biography vs memoir?

Unfortunately, Morley seems to think that if he'd been James Mason he would have lived his life differently.

I had to drop everything and devour Legends and Lattes, by Travis Baldree, in a single sitting. What a delightful warm hug of a book. I needed it! I also now need cinnamon rolls.

I finished reading The Talented Mr Ripley next up is Light Perpetual.
Still listening to Rebuilding Coventry

Finished Mrs. Jeffries and the Alms of the Angel by Emily Brightwell. I immediately picked up another one in the series Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans. It is a large print edition that I picked up at a library sale, which makes it easier to read.

I am also reading Mr. Darcy Lands on His Feet which is a variation on Pride and Prejudice and is set at Christmas time. I like the way in which the author has portrayed Darcy as a much more likeable and friendly person than in some variations of the story.

>24 rabbitprincess: Oh, I've heard good things about that one! A non-fic reviewer I follow on TikTok was raving about it (I know it's fiction).

I'm reading a historical fantasy novel, The Midnight Queen by Sylvia Izzo Hunter, and loving it so far!

I finished Matrix and I started The Kraken Wakes, which looks short. I'm also picking up some holds at the library that I hope to read soon: All's Well and Motherthing.

I am reading When the Music's Over by the late, great Peter Robinson and about to start The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell.

Too many books going all at once here!
Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans
A biography of Queen Elizabeth II (Pocket Giants)
Round Dozen by Elizabeth Cadell

Finished listening to Rebuilding Coventry. Next up for the ears is Run by Ann Pratchett.
Still reading Light Perpetual

I'm reading Thalia by Frances Faviell. It was a Dean Street Press free book of the week. Thank you, NinieB.

Next up for me is Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen. Love the author and need to read the book soon because I can't renew it from the library!

>33 pamelad: I loved that one. Hope you enjoy it!

Took my time with the 24-panel illustrated The Great War: July 1, 1916: The First Day of the Battle of the Somme: An Illustrated Panorama (by Joe Sacco with an essay by Adam Hochschild) though I feel like I could spend hours upon hours with it and still not catch all the detail!

Just started The Lure of the Moonflower (Pink Carnation #12; by Lauren Willig)— the last in the series!

I managed to snag a copy of The Librarian Spy from the library after reading a review from another LT reader. Now I have 14 days to read it, along with finishing the other books I started. Yikes! I am not usually so scattered.

I seem to be in some sort of reading frenzy where I have four books I am working on. I have no current library holds to distract me, so I will be working on these Blanche on the Lam, Everybody Knows, Three Act Tragedy and Blonde. Work is nuts right now, so the books are calming me.

>38 lsh63: Ooh, I love Three Act Tragedy!

I've begun Hannah March's The Complaint of the Dove, a historical mystery set in 1760.

I've just finished A Nothern Light by Jennifer Donnelly my choice for the Random Kit this month.

I am reading Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Crosby, a heist thriller and, at a much slower pace, a family saga entitled A Daughter's Secret by Anne Bennett.

I finished Queen Elizabeth (Pocket Giants) which was a short read about Queen Elizabeth II. It was an interesting and factual read with footnotes and bibliography, although obviously written before her death. I can check off a box on BingoDog for this one too.

I am currently reading The Librarian Spy which was a BB from another LT-er, and Sun in the Morning by Elizabeth Cadell. Still trying to finish The Orient Express which is an anthology, as well as two western romances that I started in December.

Finished Light Perpetual which was an interesting read. Next up is The Eagle of the Ninth.
About to start Run on audio.

I am currently reading A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting from the library. Just finished Murder on Board for NetGalley.

I breezed through Jen DeLuca's Well Traveled over the weekend and am now starting Anne Gracie's The Autumn Bride.

I'm currently listening to The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson and reading The Art of Hearing Heartbeatsby Jan-Philipp Sender.

Currently I am reading Paper Wife by Laila Ibrahim and Chess Story by Stefan Zweig.

Finished Murder on Board and A Lady's Guide to Fortune-Hunting and currently getting back to The Librarian Spy.

I've begun Thief with No Shadow by Emily Gee, and I'm hoping it will prove to be a hidden gem, as it's been lingering on my TBR shelves for at least a decade.

>46 dudes22: I read The Art of Hearing Heartbeats almost 10 years ago, overnight. It the start of a bad luck year for me and I was an emotional wreck— so I was probably projecting a lot into it; but I loved it!

Just finished The Lure of the Moonflower (Pink Carnation #12; by Lauren Willig) -- sad to see it end!
About to start Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey (by Kathleen Rooney).

Finished The Librarian Spy and I am currently reading/slogging through The Age of Misadventure by Judy Leigh. I usually like her works because they make me laugh, but this one just seems to go on and on. It also is regurgitating themes from other books she has written. Maybe I will skip to the end . . ..

I'm reading A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Mayhem by Manda Collins. Meh so far, but we'll see!

>7 Jackie_K:

Know My Name is on my TBR list but I haven't gotten around to read it just yet, hope we both like it !

I'm reading Eclipse of God and The Safety of Objects, both very different books but both interesting so far.

I am reading The Silent Land by Graham Joyce and finding it very intriguing. I am also just going to start Deadly Friends by Stuart Pawson, from his DI Charlie Priest series which I really enjoy.

>54 icallithunger: I'm reading it very very slowly, the subject matter is quite harrowing so I only read a chapter every so often. She's a good writer though, and has certainly conveyed how frustrating and claustrophobic the justice system is for victims of rape and sexual assault, and how stacked against them it is.

I'm reading The Butchered Man, which is the first book in Harriet Smart's The Northminster Mysteries. This Kindle bargain is looking promising.

This box set of the first three mysteries is no longer free on Kindle, but it is available on Kindle Unlimited. They're historical mysteries set in the 1840s in a city in northern Engand.

Currently reading Ithaca, by Claire North.

Finished The Age of Misadventure by Judy Leigh which was not one of her best and included a batch of bumbling activities by cops that seemed unbelievably stupid. In addition, the trope of middle aged women going off on adventures/trips is common in her books and getting a little old.

Currently finishing A Trip With Trouble by Diane Kelly which I am enjoying quite a lot. This second book in the series features a group of biker gals, adding an interesting twist to the murder mystery setting at a mountain lodge.

I've begun Rachel Bloom's memoir, I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are.

Finished The Eagle of the Ninth. Now trying to read library books so it's Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss.
Still listening to Run by Ann Patchett.

Still reading Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey (by Kathleen Rooney). - nothing wrong with it, just a slower read than I was expecting;
Started The Riddle of the Sands (by Erskine Childers; narrated by Anton Lesser) - spy fiction written in 1903 and very prescient of WWI. Had to slow the audio down to .9x and am having to look a up a couple sailing terms and nautical maps; but engaging nonetheless.

Finished A Trip with Trouble which I thoroughly enjoyed. Now finished Muffin but the Truth and slogging through many descriptions of how to make various foods. Seems to me like filler, since the recipes are included, but some readers probably like these descriptions. This one is taking a long time to get to the point. I liked some of the early ones in the series much better.

ETA--No recipes in this one, sorry, at least not in the ARC.

I'm reading The Summer of the Danes, book #18 in the Cadfael series. I'm sad I only have a couple more books to go, but it's always a pleasure to spend some time in the gentle (despite the murders) world of this series.

>65 christina_reads: They are lovely, aren't they?

I finished Ghost Wall. Next up is The Bone Clocks.
Still listening to Run.

I'm reading Ruined by Rumor by Alyssa Everett, and so far I am really liking it...hopefully I've discovered another good historical romance author to follow!

Just a few more pages in Maigret and the Old People and I have not a clue who dunnit!

I just finished Celia's House by D.E. Stevenson (a lovely, gentle Mansfield Park retelling) and am now reading a contemporary romance, Birds of California by Katie Cotugno.

I just finished The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson as an audiobook and I can't recommended it enough. It was fabulous.

Started Playing Under the Piano, by Hugh Bonneville.

I am finishing up the month with Bats in the Belfry by E.C.R. Lorac and The Scent of the Night by Andrea Camilleri. I don't usually read two mysteries at the same time, but I wanted to squeeze in the Lorac.

Finished The Riddle of the Sands (by Erskine Childers; narrated by Anton Lesser) - a bit dense with nautical terms but managed to get through by googling stuff! Would like to return to this one sometime in the future now that I know what to expect;
Started To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 (by Adam Hochschild narrated by Arthur Morey) - NF about the the pro- and anti-war personalities of the British Expedition Force involved in the Great War efforts

I'm reading Murder on the Leviathan by Boris Akunin, which could fit in: January GeoCAT, Russia; February SeriesCAT, Translated; BingoDOG, Set on a ship; Historical Fiction Challenge. I was going to postpone the January GeoCAT read because all the books I started were too intelligent, but at the last minute remembered this Erest Fandorin series of historical mysteries.

I just finished Poison is not Polite by Robin Stevens and started Knot a Game which is part of the yarn retreat mysteries by Betty Hechtman. My library hold of When in Rome by Sara Adams just arrived too, so I will need to get onto that one.

I'm ending the month on the high seas by reading about Canadian Pacific Ships, by Ian Collard. This book has a low page count but lots of information crammed into those pages. And photographs, of course!

I'll be riding out the week in finishing up To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 (non-fiction by Adam Hochschild; narrated by Arthur Morey) and Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey (historical fiction by Kathleen Rooney).

Finished listening to Run by Ann Patchett. Next up for the ears is Dearly by Margaret Atwood.
Still reading The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell, which at almost 600 pages in hardback is far too heavy for a reading in bed book.

I'm reading Artists in Crime by Ngaio Marsh -- hoping to finish it today, but we'll see!