January Reading Review

I have set a much more realistic goal of reading 60 books in 2016 – 4 down, 56 to go. On the first of each month, or as close to it as I can manage, I will review the previous month’s reads. As you can see below, I am an eclectic reader. January included titles from many genres—middle grade, young adult, romance, and suspense. 

Ruby on the Outside by Norah Raleigh Baskin is a sweet, sweet story for middle-grade readers on up. Ruby has a secret—a terrible secret. Her mother is in jail, and she is being raised by her aunt. Ruby navigates through her life with half-truths and outright lies until everything comes crashing down around her. While there’s no happily ever after when your mom is in jail, the book gives us a satisfying conclusion for this lovely girl. I adore this cover with the lines (bars) partially covering the silhouette of the main character.     

Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts is a great piece of magical entertainment from the prolific writer. Three goddesses of the moon create three stars to honor the birth of their new queen. Falling from the sky and remaining hidden for centuries, three men and three women now join forces to find the stars. Nora Roberts doesn’t disappoint with the quality of her characters. Intriguing details are expertly revealed, making each one of the searchers a uniquely powerful being. This is part one of a trilogy. 

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins is an excellent tale, woven intricately through the spectacularly intertwined lives of some very well-written characters. Although a more apt name might have been, Depressed Nearly Middle-Aged Stalkerish Alcoholic Woman on a Train, but that doesn’t sound as good, does it? Although the main character has some serious flaws, we are drawn into her story and want her to succeed (even as we cringe at her bad decision making.) What the reader learns as the story unfolds is based on the unreliable narrator’s shaky, alcohol-fogged memories and keeps us guessing as to who will be implicated in the disappearance of suburban London woman. The explosive conclusion kept me up well past my bedtime.  (And I love the blur of this cover giving us the feel of images speeding by.)

Sea of Memories by Kelly Risser is the novella compilation that concludes this wonderful young adult (and up!) Never Forgotten series. I was so grateful to the author for giving us just a little bit more to round out the lives of our favorite characters in this series. The magical components are fabulous and based on the Selkie lore of Scotland. Awesome!! Read the whole series. You won’t be disappointed.

Let me know what you've been reading so far this year. I'd love to add some more books to my reading list!