2. Pearls and Poison by Erin Lindsey—This is the fourth installment in the always entertaining Rose Gallagher series. Rose is a former housemaid who works with a team of investigators with special abilities to solve mysteries of the supernatural kind in Gilded Age New York City. Now a legit Pinkerton agent, Rose is on her own to investigate a case of missing jewels and a mysterious murder.

3. Atomic Habits by James Clear—I reread this inspirational book every January to motivate myself to set and achieve personal goals. 

4. Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson—On a visit to my local indie bookstore, Changing Hands, yesterday, I picked up this mystery novel. It's about two warring, cantankerous residents of a dilapidated apartment building. When they're informed their home will be demolished and another resident is subsequently being harrassed, the two join forces to find out who is behind the attacks and save their home.

5. The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans—Estella Ecker never intended to return to Rockfall House, but now that her father has died and her mother has disappeared, she feels she has little choice. As Estella begins unearthing Rockfall's secrets, she discovers shocking truths that throw into question everything she thought she knew about her parents and herself.

6. Coach by Jason Reynolds—I have really enjoyed Reynolds' middle-grade series about an inner-city track team. Each novel is told from the perspective of a different member of the group. As indicated by this book's title, it is the story of the team's leader, Coach. 

If you decide to give this series a go (and you really should), try it on audio. Actor and singer Guy Lockard, who is a close personal friend of Reynolds, does an excellent job narrating the books.

7. We Are All Guilty Here by Karin Slaughter—This is the first book in a new mystery series. It's about a small, close-knit town that is rocked to its core when two local teenage girls disappear. As the police investigate, it soon becomes clear that they were both hiding terrible secrets. Did those secrets lead to their deaths? I've never read anything by Slaughter, so I'm excited to check her out.

8. An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly—In this series opener, an American medical doctor trades in her chaotic existence in Seattle for the quiet life of a country doctor in a quaint Scottish town. She gets more than she bargains for when she discovers a dead body—and then finds out that in addition to being the town's doctor, she's also its coroner! Determined to find out what happened to the victim, she begins digging into the town's secrets, stirring up all kinds of trouble among its residents.

9. The Star Society by Gabriella Saab (available January 6, 2026)—After fighting the Nazis with the Dutch Resistance during World War II, Ada Worthington-Fox fled to the United States and has reinvented herself as a rising Hollywood starlet. When the sister she thought was dead turns up in California, Ada fears all the secrets from her past will be exposed, especially as it becomes clear that her sister has her own secrets and a mission that could destroy the new life Ada has worked so hard to build for herself. 

10. Bluebird by Sharon Cameron—Like #9, this YA historical novel deals with World War II refugees grappling with the aftermath of the atrocities of war. Eva, who knows the truth behind Project Bluebird, a monstrous experiment conducted in the concentration camps, has come to the United States seeking one thing: justice. She will stop at nothing to hunt down the Nazi behind it all. 

I've already read—and loved—Bluebird, but my book club just chose it as our January pick, so I'm going to reread it sometime in the next month. 

How about you? What's on your Winter TBR? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

Even though I've lived in the Arizona desert for over 20 years, it's still hard for me—a Pacific Northwest native—to feel like it's Christmastime when the temperature is in the 70s and 80s and people are wearing shorts and t-shirts instead of coats and gloves. It just doesn't feel right! The answer? Travel somewhere that does. A bunch of people I know are in Germany enjoying its famous Christmas markets right now, but I couldn't venture that far. Instead, my husband and I took advantage of some cheap domestic flights and headed back to the Motherland (aka Washington State). After visiting family in the southeastern part of the state, we headed north to check out Leavenworth. If you've read Ellie Alexander's cozy mystery series starring Sloan Krause, you're familiar with the quaint Bavarian-inspired mountain town. It's the quintessential Christmas village at this time of year, decked out with twinkling lights, enthusiastic carolers, old-fashioned sleigh rides, bustling shoppers, and laughing children sledding in the center of town. We enjoyed strolling through its postcard-perfect (albeit slushy) streets and soaking in the festive holiday atmosphere. Wandering through the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum was especially fun since I've collected the charming wooden figures since I first saw the ballet as a child. (We saw lots of bookish nutcrackers, but my husband photographed me with these particular ones so we could show them to my sister, who's a huge Potterhead. If you look closely, you'll spy other literary characters besides Harry and Hermione.) To continue the spirit of the season, we listened to A Christmas Carol (narrated by the incomparable Tim Curry) as we drove back to Portland, Oregon, to catch our flight home. The trip infused me with some much needed Christmas spirit and, since it was bookish in nature, I thought I'd share it with you!  

These seasonal lists are my favorite, so I hope you'll join in the fun. All you have to do is make your own list and link it up at That Artsy Reader Girl. Easy cheesy.

Top Ten Books On My Winter 2023-2024 TBR List

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear—I re-read this motivational book at the beginning of every year. It's a quick read that teaches sound, easy-to-apply principles. Clear's advice always helps motivate me to actually make and keep New Year's resolutions as well as other short-term goals throughout the year.

2. The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss by Gary Foster—Another self-help book, this one has been recommended multiple times at the Weight Watchers meeting I attend. I've lost 30 pounds so far this year by creating healthy habits, something I will continue in 2024. I'm always looking for motivation, especially when it comes to becoming healthier, so I'm excited to see what this popular guide is all about. 

3. Homecoming by Kate Morton—Since I'm always racing to meet my Goodreads goal during the last months of the year, I haven't yet picked up Morton's newest. She's one of my favorite authors so I'm always excited when she publishes a new book. This one is about a journalist who's researching an old mystery and is surprised to learn that she has a personal connection to it.

4. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan (available March 12, 2024)—Ryan is another one of my favorite writers. I'm always eager to read her World War II novels and am especially so with this one since it's about books. Yay! 

5. Murder on the Christmas Express by Alexandra Benedict—What are the holidays without a little murder, amirite? The generous folks at Poisoned Pen Press just sent me a copy of this mystery. It concerns a sleeper train that derails in the Scottish Highlands, stranding travelers in the snowy middle of nowhere. As passengers start dying one by one, it becomes clear that a ruthless killer is onboard. Can they be stopped before more people die?

6. The Women by Kristin Hannah (available February 6, 2024)—I'm thrilled to have an e-ARC of Hannah's forthcoming novel. It's set in 1965 and tells the story of a woman who joins the Army Nurse Corps on a whim after her brother is shipped out to Vietnam. Not surprisingly, what she sees during the war changes her life irrevocably.

7. Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda (available April 29, 2024)—I also have an e-ARC of this thriller, which concerns a woman who is drawn back to her hometown and its many long-buried secrets when she unexpectedly inherits her childhood home. 

8. More Than a Body: Your Body Is An Instrument, Not An Ornament by Lexie and Lindsay Kite—My book club selected this non-fiction offering as our January read. Written by identical twin sisters, both of whom have PhDs in the study of female body image, the book sounds absolutely fascinating.

9. Artifice by Sharon Cameron—I've talked about this YA WWII novel multiple times. It's written by another one of my favorite authors. Santa will likely be sending a copy of this one down my chimney in a couple of weeks. It's uncanny that he always knows exactly what I want. It's almost like we share a brain...

There you go, the first ten books I'm planning to read in 2024. Have you read any of these? What did you think? What's on your TBR list this winter? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.

Happy TTT!