I don’t know about you, but there’s just something about snuggling up with a good book and being transported to the world the author has created that just makes my day. Reading has always been one of my favorite activities and I thought it would be fun to keep track of my favorite books each month and share them with you!
As I finish each book, I’ll share a mini review on Instagram Stories and I’ll share the full list here at the end of the month. Without further ado, here are my favorite books that I read in January 2023.
| Book Title and Author | Mini Review |
The Keeper of Happy Endings, Barbara Davis | An interesting tale of loss, magic, and finding your true path in life, no matter the circumstances. The book jumps between 1941 and 1985, sharing the stories of Soline and Rory and their unexpectedly interconnected lives. |
| The Candid Life of Meena Dave, Namrata Patel | This beautifully written tale follows Meena, photojournalist, and world traveler, as she accepts a surprise inheritance that comes with enough strings to tie her down if she lets it. As Meena seeks to understand why she inherited a home in historic Back Bay, Boston, she explores the ideas of family, belonging, and finding a home within yourself. The book is full of rich characters, vivid descriptions, and is a delightful read! |
| The Witch of Tin Mountain, Paulette Kennedy | Prepare yourself – this historical novel threatens to sweep you away as you follow three generations of women who live deep in the Ozark Mountains as they struggle with evil through the ages. Full of suspense, magic, and strong women, this book’s characters and setting are nuanced and haunting, making for especially thrilling late-night reading! |
| A Holly Jilly Christmas, Emma St. Clair | I love Emma St. Clair’s Sheet Cake series of closed-door romance novels and this Christmas novella is a perfect jaunt through a favorite fictional town. If you love humor, memorable characters, and rom com novels that focus mostly on character development and less on the hot and heavy stuff, this book and series are for you! |
| Five Winters, Kitty Johnson | This book follows Beth Bailey through five winters as she confronts repeated loss and works towards finding a partner and becoming a mother. Beth takes a winding journey to finding herself on her search for love, a journey that feels at once familiar and unique. A lovely cozy read, with a wealth of characters to love and loathe. |
| Night Angels, Weina Dai Randel | Doing what’s right, what’s kind, and what’s generous was never more complicated than when the Nazis were marching across Europe. That’s where we find the Chinese consul general of Vienna, Dr. Ho Fengshan, in the late 1930s. Night Angels is a fictionalized depiction of the decisions and actions taken by the real-life Dr. Ho to help Jews escape Vienna through the granting of visas, even when faced with incredible pressure from the Nazis and his own country. Dr. Ho’s story will capture your heart and provides a unique look into WW II. |
| Book Lovers, Emily Henry | This light-hearted, funny story about sisters Nora and Libby’s escape to small-town North Carolina from their busy lives in NYC was exactly the joyful escape that I needed this cold, rainy January. While the book primarily focuses on Nora’s relationship with Charlie, an editor from NYC that appears in NC, I love the way Nora and Libby’s sibling relationship is explored throughout the book. A great read for book lovers everywhere! |
| Spare, Prince Harry | Woah, what a book! Spare is a personal reckoning of sorts and lays out Prince Harry’s tortuous relationship with the British tabloid press and its impact on the lives (and deaths) of his immediate and greater family. While much can be said about the specific and detailed revelations within, Spare provides an interesting look into the British aristocracy and the gilded cage that the monarchy can be. While I would have loved a greater focus (or acknowledgment) of Prince Harry’s immense privilege and how that shaped his life and his charitable works, this book clearly was written and edited as a judgment call on the British tabloid press and the impact it has on the nation and world. Fascinating read. |
| The Rose Code, Kate Quinn | One of the most fascinating, and least told, stories of WW II is the story of the codebreakers of England’s Bletchley Park. Tucked away in the countryside, chess masters, crossword aficionados and other brilliant minds gathered away from the prying eyes of the world and worked together to crack German military codes. While this book is historical fiction, it provides a fabulous peek into the secretive and mysterious work of BP, the men and women who poured themselves into the work, and the impact their contributions made on the world. BP is now a historical site that welcomes visitors and I can’t wait to see it in person! |
| Merritt and Her Childhood Crush, Emma St. Clair and Jenny Proctor | Emma and Jenny have created such a vibrant cast of characters for their Oakley Island series that you just can’t wait for the newest release. As the title says, in this book we find Merritt (one of three sisters who inherited their grandmother’s home and are turning it into a B&B as required by the will) confronting her childhood crush, Hunter, who not only is still on the island but who is happens to be her contractor. Throughout the book, it’s Merritt’s journey of self-discovery and processing the trauma and grief in her life that really sings. Her relationship with Hunter helps her explore these things in new ways and there are joyful and silly moments throughout. Another fantastic novel from this fabulous writing team! |
As you can see, I read a TON in January, 24 books according to Goodreads, but these are my favorites. I find that most of my books come from Amazon First Reads, Kindle Unlimited (I love this so much) and borrowed from the local library.
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