It’s so nice to be back here talking about new books. Despite my slow reading year last year, I was still adding new books to my Kindle and TBR list. Always hoping to find a bit of extra time to fit in all of these new books. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for these advance review copies:

Definitely Maybe Not a Detective by Sarah Fox. Emersyn Gray is not a detective but she becomes involved in a fake murder investigation when her fake detective agency is enlisted to solve it! This sounds like a fun rom-com. On sale 1/6/26.

The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara. In 1869 Tibet is closed off to Europeans but in order to continue explorations, Britain begins training Indians to undertake these sometimes dangerous missions. One person in particular, Balram, is determined to go and find his friend who went missing on a previous exploration. On sale 1/13/26.

The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead. If you are fans of musical group stories, this one about a music executive who is trying to bring a rock band back from the brink may be one not to miss. On sale 1/20/26.

The Society by Karen Winn. Vivian Lawrence was born into old-money Boston, but when her family fortune vanishes so does her carefully curated life. What can she do but turn to the Knox, an elite club, but there are secrets that surround this group. On sale 1/20/26.

Just Watch Me by Lior Torenberg. Dell Danvers is barely keeping it together. She’s behind on rent, she’s plagued by perpetual stomach pain, and her younger sister, Daisy, is in a coma at a hospital that wants to pull the plug. Dell decides it’s time for drastic measures and starts a 24-hour livestream to help fund private life support for her sister. On sale 1/20/26.

The Infamous Gilberts by Angela Tomaski. Thornwalk, a once-stately English manor, is on the brink of transformation. Its keys are being handed over to a luxury hotelier who will undertake a complete renovation—but in doing so, what will they erase? Through the keen eyes of an enigmatic neighbor, the reader is taken on a guided tour into rooms filled with secrets and memories, each revealing the story of the five Gilbert siblings. On sale 1/20/26.

Any of these sound good to you?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hello friends – I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and your year has started off with some great reads. Thank you again for your kind words on my last post. I really do miss being here in this space so I hope I can at least check in a bit more regularly this year.

We had a very nice and quiet holiday. Believe it or not, the only new books I got were two books from Seth’s Christmas Ghost Stories collection. For the past several years, it has become a tradition for me to read one of these on Christmas. They are quick and with some really striking black and white artwork.

I really wanted to read a holiday story for the wintery atmosphere as here in Austin I was in shorts and t-shirts for both Christmas and New Year’s. Unfortunately one book I started in December was just not the one for me and so I DNFd it. Let me tell you last year I must have DNFd at least seven books. I think I was just really having a hard time focusing.

Now a new year and I’m excited about what new books I’ll discover. I’m carrying over one read, Among the Wicked by Linda Castillo. This is the eighth book in the Kate Burkholder series. I’m half way through and it’s really good. Typically I wouldn’t read another mystery at the same time but for my new book of the year I started With No One As Witness by Elizabeth George. I’ve read several of the first books in the series and wanted to read in order but this is a book for my February book group so making the exception. I needed to start this one too as it’s quite a chunkster at 774 pages.

I also have my new reading journal ready! Someone had asked me if I do graphs and all other kinds of trackers but this is just a simple notebook where I keep track of reading notes. For example, characters, quotes, etc. I do add a picture of the book cover and a sticker or two just for fun. I have found that keeping notes helps me remember the books much more which is great as I’m so behind on my book reviews! We’re not going to talk about just how behind I am!

So that’s a bit of the start to my new year. Let me know if you got any bookish presents or what new books you’ve started. I hope you have a great weekend!