The holiday season is looming and it is casting its glittery, celebratory shadow across everything right now — including my reading life!
In less than a week, the 2023 Christmas Reading Guide will be available, which means right now I am cramming to include a few more books because there are so many good ones! I never include books I haven’t read and enjoyed and I’ve gotten derailed by an unusual number of stinkers this year that I had to DNF. But never fear, the guide will be filled with Christmas-themed reads that will most certainly get you in a holiday mood.
What this means for the list you’re seeing here is that it’s skewed toward the ‘up next’ category. Because I don’t want to spoil anything for you, I’m not including any of the Christmas books I’ve been vetting. So you’ll only see a few books in the ‘just finished’ and ‘in progress’ sections this time, but we’ll be back to normal next month!
And if you just can’t wait for the new guide, feel free to check out past guides here.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I might make some extra coffee money at no extra expense to you if you buy something through one of my links. Read more about that here.
Just Finished:
I would describe this Michael Crichton novel as a science fiction political thriller. I had mixed feelings about this one. I did end up enjoying it but it wasn’t my favorite Crichton novel, mostly because it took a while to set up the complicated plot and I had a hard time getting into it. I will say, the subject matter is fascinating and it will make you rethink everything you think you know about global warming.
A Million Little Choices earned an easy five stars from me. I was immediately drawn into this emotional story of a woman coming to terms with her husband’s ‘near infidelity’ and wondering if she can ever trust him again. Things get even worse for Claire when her husband, Stephen, accepts a job and buys a historic home for them in another city without consulting her. During the course of a renovation, Claire uncovers secrets that have been hidden for well over a hundred years, sending her on a journey of discovery that prompts a dive deep into her own past and the past of Charlotte Thursmann in 1863.
I thought Tamera Alexander did an excellent job crafting real and raw depictions of forgiveness and redemption after intense pain and grief in both timelines. The reader is able to see how Claire and Stephen are both struggling in their own ways and how problems that arise within a marriage are rarely one-sided. I found myself feeling sympathy for both Claire and Stephen as the story unfolded.
I loved the secondary timeline told through journal entries and the surprising truths that were revealed in this way. I also really loved that Claire encountered people who befriended her and came alongside her to offer wise counsel as she struggled to hold on to her marriage and her husband.
I’ve been a big fan of Tamera Alexander for years and as far as I know, this is her first contemporary novel. I was curious to see if she could pull it off, and she totally did. Loved it from start to finish.
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen my post from the past weekend about letting my daughters each choose a book for me on our last library trip. This is one of my older daughter’s favorite books and she couldn’t believe she got to press it into my hands. It’s a time travel story about a girl who goes back in time and meets another little girl who lived in her room about 75 years in the past. It’s whimsical and magical and a lot of fun. I wasn’t sure how the author was going to pull it all together in the end, but I think she stuck the landing. I can see why my daughter likes it so much!
In Progress:
I’m listening to this WWI novel on audio and it’s so good. The characters are compelling, the romance is swoony, and the story is fast-paced and propulsive. Elite secret operatives Ivy and Jack, along with a full cast of side characters, travel from Washington DC to Russia on a mission to take down a dangerous arms dealer. The mission is complicated by their feelings for each other and the unexpected perils they face on their journey.
Up Next:
Please see the note above about daughters choosing books. This one was selected by my younger daughter and apparently, her only criterion was that “it looked like a mom book”. Supposedly it’s a family story with drama and secrets. I’ve never read this author but she has good reviews, so I’m excited to jump in!
The cover of this book jumped out at me at the library, so I scooped it up to take a look. The description hinted at a young person trying to survive a devastating biological event with the help of an unlikely ally and that is pretty much catnip for me. As best I can tell, this is a YA mystery/suspense/thriller with possible low-key apocalyptic vibes. Fingers crossed that it’s a hit for me!
Literally all I know about this book is that it’s a super popular YA dystopian series and that sounds like my jam, so I picked it up. I think I’ve seen some comparisons to The Hunger Games and Ender’s Game, and those are pretty big shoes to fill so we’ll see!
I jumped right into the Sweater Weather series back in September and read the first two books, which I really loved. Then I fell off the wagon and got distracted by all those Christmas books I was telling you about. But now I’m ready to pick up the next book in the series and get back on track while it’s still fall-ish outside. I’m a big fan of Courtney Walsh and can’t wait to read this small-town, opposites attract, best friend’s brother romance about a relationship advice podcaster and a moody fireman who doesn’t believe in love.
If you’ve enjoyed this list, don’t forget to check out Modern Mrs. Darcy’s monthly quick lit post!
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