At the beginning of the month I decided on 7 titles to read, shown below. The only one I didn’t read was Whispers at Midnight, the latest FBI thriller by DD Black, because the release date changed from January 6 to January 31, so there’s no time left to finish it.
So, what did I think of them?
- The NFL Gameday Cookbook, by Ray Lampe
I looked at it closely and in the end, decided to unhaul it. I saved a few recipes from it, including a wonderful lamb chili that we tried (I did use beef in the end, but I will used lamb next time) for a playoff game. This cookbook was good in theory. I love the idea of tailgating or party food paired to your NFL team. But it didn’t work in practice for me. There’s just not enough recipes that I would use given my family’s eating restrictions and because I rarely entertain for crowds, though I recommend it for those who do a lot of football party food.
- Eat to Beat Disease, by William W. Li, MD
I picked this up to help me with my healthy eating goal. What I found most useful was the description of 5 systems of the body that contribute to avoiding disease and the lists of foods to add into your diet that support those systems. It’s practical and has lots of good information. It also reassured me that I am already eating more healthy foods than I realized.
- One by One, by Ruth Ware
Ruth Ware is a favorite thriller writer. This book didn’t disappoint. It has a thriller trope that I don’t enjoy as noted in my recent review, but she handles some other things better than recent books I have read by her which made up for that.
- You Only Live Nine Times, by Gwen Cooper
This was the fictional follow on to Gwen’s hugely popular bestselling memoir about her blind cat (Homer’s Odyssey). In this new story, Homer is a detective. This was a delightful cozy mystery read, and I’ll drop a full review soon.
- Casters and Crowns, by Elizabeth Lowham
I met Elizabeth recently at a book event and I was excited to pick up her fantasy book, because of the fairytale retelling aspect, even though I am not that into romantasy. It’s a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty. This was my sleeper hit for the month. You can read more about it in my full review, but this was wonderful, award winning, no spice, fantasy romance.
- Remnants of a Scarlet Flame, by Cindy L. Sell
I had grabbed this one because I thought it might be a comp for my own novel. It has some similarities and differences that I outline in my full review already posted, but I really enjoyed this award winning indie epic fantasy. Definitely a solid hit for me. I can’t wait for book 2 in the series.
In addition to the books above, I read six more, so I am well on track for my total goal of 52 books read this year. What did I add on this month?
- Home Before Dark, by Riley Sager
I grabbed this one because one of my book challenge prompts was to read a book outside my comfort zone. This is a thriller with horror overtones. Horror is absolutely not my genre, so it fit the prompt well. It has two parallel stories. One is set in the past that is written like a horror memoir about a haunted house. The other is set in the present where the main character is renovating the house written about, and it reads more like a thriller. This book wasn’t as scary as I had feared, thank goodness. If this is horror, I can handle it. That said, I suspect given the heavy thriller component, Sager was playing nice. I am hoping I will get a review done soon.
- Legends and Lattes, by Travis Baldree
I picked this one up because I have been interested to read some books in the cozy fantasy genre. It’s about Liv, an orc who has retired from adventuring to open a coffee shop. There’s some low stakes drama, but it’s mostly about found family and redefining yourself. I doubt I will do a full review as it’s pretty widely known, but I did like it and do recommend it. I found some difficulties with pacing, but not serious enough to matter for me in the end. It was a solid hit for me.
- This Year I Will…, by MJ Ryan
I first read this about a dozen years ago and loved it. It was on my list to reread for 2026, and January seemed like the perfect time given the content. I doubt I will do a full review, but it is a nice little self-help book (which is one of my favorite nonfiction genres) that covers lots of hacks for hitting your goals. I think I can use some of these reminders right now.
- The Byzantine Cross, by Dena Weigel
I chose this novel for a couple of reasons. It’s in one of my favorite genres, the archaeological thriller. It’s also by an author whom I know through an online writing group, so it has been on my list to read for a while. I am going to do a full review for sure on this one, so I won’t say too much now, but I loved it. It’s like 007 meets Indiana Jones with a female CIA agent protagonist set right after WWII. (visualize a chef’s kiss) I highly recommend it!
- Maze of Spies, by Vin Strong
Like Weigel’s book, this also features a female CIA agent. I guess I was in the mood for spies this month. This was definitely a mood read. I got the book as a promo freebie and the premise was intriguing. The main character’s skillset includes parkour, and she’s out to catch an assassin. In the end, this book was not for me. It’s book 1 in a series, but the series is in an episodic, serialized format, very like a television show. I haven’t read a series like that before and didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t find it as satisfying as a series where the stories wrap up more cleanly so each book can stand alone if necessary. Now that I know I don’t enjoy the serial format, I can keep that in mind for future acquisitions. If you like that format, and/or you like a spy thriller where the clues drop like they do in a TV show, this might be for you.
- Kaua’i in Haiku, by the Kaua’i Live Poets’ Society
This is an anthology with the writers offering the essence of Kaua’i in haiku. I attended a writer’s conference in Kaua’i in November and it was one of the books I picked up in the bookshop. I promised myself I would read more poetry in 2026, especially since one of my favorite presentations at the conference spoke about how reading and writing poetry can inform and enhance your writing. My favorite variety of poetry is haiku because it packs such a visual punch into such a short word count. I find that instructive for my writing. This collection is fresh, sparkling, and colorful, just like the island. If you love haiku, Kaua’i, or both, I’d highly recommend it.
To wrap up, here’s the final list of January reads.
I’ll be putting out my February TBR list shortly. If you have any recommendations, let me know!
Thanks for reading!
