Chapter 3 - The Great Unknown

I can never remember a time when I didn't read or love books. I started reading pretty young and my interests grew from fairy tales and children's classics to children's historical fiction and more adult books. As an English major in college, this love was merely accelerated with the likes of Austen, Dickens, Twain, and Hemingway. Even as a young married woman with a fulltime job and baby, I still found time to read. The opportunity to own a bookstore was a miracle for me filling my days with the sweet scent of books and the wonderful wisdom of other book lovers.

In retirement I have not lost my desire to read or my love for books. I still research books which are being published soon and pick out those I want to buy. I often get Advanced Reader Copies of books to read and review. I put book festivals on my calendar and read books whose authors will be in attendance. Here are a few books which are on my radar for the first few months of the year.

Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica - If you've never read Mary Kubica before, she is an American author who writes psychological thrillers. Her latest, which released January 10, is about a husband who goes missing, a wife who is trying to find him, and a neighbor who just might have been the last one to see him alive.

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict - I have mentioned this author before as she is definitely one of my favorites. I received an ARC for review and Marie Benedict has once again hit historical fiction out of the park. Nancy Mitford was an acclaimed British novelist and the oldest of six children including 4 sisters who all made names for themselves. Benedict's novel tells the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Mitford women. This book was released January 17.

Exiles by Jane Harper - I fell in love with Jane Harper's writing with her first book in the Aaron Falk series, The Dry. Her second book in the series, Force of Nature was also a terrific thriller. Exiles is the third in the Falk series and centers around Aaron Falk, a Federal investigator, going to a small town in Australia for a christening and finding a mystery even on vacation. Exiles will be released January 31.

Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka - This wife/husband team met in high school and, after going to different Ivy League schools, decided to write together. While their genre is new romance, it is not sappy sweet. This latest is about a couple celebrating their 5th anniversary at a California resort. A stranger at the resort, who believes the couple are both single, introduces them to each other and they go along with the charade. I read The Roughest Draft by the same authors and I'm looking forward to this one which will be released on January 24. Seems like it could be a good winter at the beach read!

Are there any books you are looking forward to in 2023? Let me know!