Are you the kind of reader who keeps a close eye on all the new releases coming out? Or are you one of those who couldn't care less? Maybe somewhere in between? I love keeping tabs on the up-and-comers so I know when my favorite authors are releasing new titles and which others I don't want to miss out on. It's not necessarily that I'm going to read them all right away; I just like knowing what's coming down the pipe. This week's TTT prompt is right up my alley: Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2023. Mine includes my usual blend of historical fiction, mystery/thriller, and a couple middle-grade reads to round things out. I can't wait to see what's on your list this week. My TBR list is going to be in trouble this week, I can already tell!

If you want to join in the TTT fun (and you do!), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Top Ten Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2023  

- in order of publication date - 

1. The Stranded by Sarah Daniels (published January 3)—Dystopian fiction might be passé, but I'm still a fan. This first installment in a planned series sounds compelling. It's about a luxury liner-turned-refugee ship that's been confined to the oceans since a devastating war turned the world into a post-apocalyptic nightmare. The passengers are getting antsy, desperate to see what's left of civilization on dry land, and they're about to take drastic action in order to escape the Arcadia, which has become—to them—a floating prison.

2. All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham (available January 10)—Isabelle Drake has barely slept a wink since her toddler was snatched from his crib one year ago. Even suffering from severe insomnia, she has only one purpose: finding her son. Desperate for any lead, she agrees to be interviewed by a true crime podcaster. His disturbing obsession bothers her, as does the paranoia and doubt that seem to be taking over her mind. Is she slowly going insane? Is she misremembering something from the night her baby disappeared? Where is Mason and how far will Isabelle go to bring him home?

3. Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies by Stacey Lee (available February 7)—I love Lee's Chinese-themed YA historical fiction, so I'm intrigued by her newest, a middle-grade fantasy. It's about a 12-year-old boy who prevents a robbery at a curiosity shop in Chinatown and is gifted an item from the store as a reward. Winston's disappointed when he gets a perfectly ordinary broom and dustpan, until strange things start happening and he wonders what exactly he's gotten himself into...Sounds fun!

4. The Woman With the Cure by Lynn Cullen (available February 21)—This historical novel tells the true story of Dorothy Horstmann, a woman from humble, immigrant beginnings who became a medical doctor when it was almost unheard of for females to do so. In the 1940s and 50s, she's at the forefront of the race to find a vaccine for polio. When push comes to shove, she has to decide what she's willing to sacrifice in order to save the world from a devastating disease.

5. Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen (available March 7)—I enjoy Nielsen's historical middle-grade novels as well as books about maritime disasters, so I'm excited to read her newest. It's about a young stowaway on Titanic. One minute, Hazel's marveling at the great ship; the next, she's fighting for her life as the mighty vessel sinks into the sea.

6. All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay (available March 7)—In 1975, Jane Larkin disappears from her home without a trace, leaving behind her husband and three children. There are no signs of a struggle and her pocketbook remains in its proper place. Although authorities suspect Miranda's husband of murder, they can't prove it, and he remains free to raise his trio of traumatized children. When Miranda's body is found two decades later, the family is forced to reexamine what happened to Jane and who is at fault.

7. A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon (available April 1)—Deborah Samson, a penniless indentured servant, longs for freedom and adventure. The Revolutionary War provides a surprising opportunity for liberation. Deborah disguises herself as a boy and joins up. Will fighting for her country finally give her life purpose? Is she brave enough to be a hero? Will she be able to conceal her secret long enough to find out?

8. Camp Zero by Michelle Min Sterling (available April 4)—Camp Zero is an American building project located in Canada's frozen tundra. In an effort to help her mother, a Korean immigrant displaced by climate change, Rose agrees to work as a spy to uncover Camp Zero's many secrets. What is the building project really about? And why is there an army of elite women soldiers camping nearby? Rose won't stop until she finds the answers, however dangerous the investigation might be.

9. Homecoming by Kate Morton (available April 11)—Of all the books on my list, this is the one I'm most looking forward to. Morton is one of my favorite authors and she only publishes every 2-3 years, so I always get excited when she announces a new book. This one concerns a horrifying crime in Australia that has remained unsolved for many years. When Jess, a journalist living in England, gets a call summoning her to her grandmother's home in Sydney, she discovers a shocking connection between her family and the long-ago crime. What really happened on Christmas Eve 1959?

10. The Only Survivors by Megan Miranda (available April 11)—I'm a fan of Miranda's propulsive thrillers, so I'm excited for this one. It's about a group of friends who reunite on the tenth anniversary of a terrible accident. When one of them disappears, it casts a whole new light on the decade-old tragedy.

There you go, ten new releases I'm eagerly awaiting. Are you familiar with any of them? Which up-and-comers are you looking forward to reading? I would truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Avis Montgomery's older brother goes off to war, he makes her promise to keep open the small, private library where he is head librarian. Avis is shocked by the charge. Not only is she a married woman (even with lots of women entering the workforce while all the men are away, it's still scandalous for a wife to labor outside the home), but she doesn't even like to read! Surely, Anthony has chosen the wrong person to replace him.

Anthony hasn't been gone long when Louise Cavendish, the steely heiress who owns the library, decides the place needs to be turned into something more useful. Desperate not to let her brother down, Avis invents a reason to keep the library open on the fly: she's started a town book club that needs to use library resources. Since she's actually done no such thing, she must pull off the impossible in a short amount of time—with Louise's narrowed eyes watching her every move. Gathering every warm body she can find, reader or not, Avis launches her tentative book club. Suddenly she is forced to start reading the novels she's always eschewed while also learning how to lead a club that is somehow becoming an essential part of her small Maine community.

The book club brings together Martina Bianchini, a single mother who works at the munitions factory to make ends meet and lives in fear of her estranged husband; Ginny Atkins, a spitfire who will do anything (including recruiting book club members) to earn the money she needs to buy back the land the Navy appropriated from her family on her beloved Long Island; Freddy Keats, a handsome one-eyed war vet with a mysterious past; and Louise, who watches the proceedings with a critical eye, determined to shut down the library despite Avis's efforts to keep it running. As the members meet regularly, what started as a wartime diversion becomes an important lifeline during a time of worry and upheaval. What will happen to the little group if Louise shuts it down? How will any of them survive the war without the one thing that's keeping them all sane?

As soon as I heard about The Blackout Book Club, Amy Lynn Green's newest offering, I knew I wanted to read it. The novel appealed on so many levels: an interesting World War II setting, bookish themes, and an author whose writing I admire. Since I really enjoyed Green's last effort (The Lines Between Us), I went into this one with high exprectations. Probably too high, because I didn't end up loving The Blackout Book Club quite as much as I wanted to. Still, I liked it overall. It's a gentle novel that is clean, uplifting, and heartwarming. That makes it sound like a cheesy inspirational read, which it's not. What it is is a good, wholesome book that's engaging and well-written. Our quartet of women narrators are all sympathetic and likable, with some being more memorable than others. My favorite is Ginny, who's got a whole lot of heart to go along with her spunky, fun-loving personality. Green's prose is warm and skilled. Plotwise, the novel gets a little slow at times, but there was enough going on to keep me reading. So, while The Blackout Book Club didn't blow my socks off, I still found it to be a pleasurable read that is touching, entertaining, and edifying. 

Note: Amy Lynn Green is a writer of Christian fiction. Although The Blackout Book Club technically falls into this genre, it's really not a religious book. There are references to church attendance, wearing a crucifix, and praying, but the mentions are brief. What I'm trying to say is, if you're not a fan of preachy religious fiction, you have no reason to worry!

(Readalikes: Reminds me of Jennifer Ryan's World War II novels, especially The Kitchen Front)

To the FTC, with love: I received a copy of The Blackout Book Club from the generous folks at Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Happy New Year! I've been working hard over the past few days to transition everything on my blog from 2022 to 2023. 2022 was kind of a ho-hum reading year for me. I'm hoping for better in 2023. May all of us find some great books to enjoy this year and share with each other.

For today's TTT topic, we're looking back at our favorite reads of 2022. I didn't read a lot of five-star, A-grade books last year, but I did manage to come up with ten that I loved. We'll get to that in a sec.

Before we do that, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give our lovely hostess, Jana, some love. While you're there, get all the details about TTT so you can join in the fun!

Welcome to the Bookish Books Reading Challenge! I'm so excited to be launching this challenge. It's going to be a good time. 

At the beginning of each month, I will make a post highlighting the books I plan to read for the challenge and providing a place for participants to link up our reviews. Reviews aren't required for the challenge, but it's always fun to see what everyone else is reading and which bookish books are/aren't worth reading. It's also nice to give some love to our fellow participants by interacting with them and their reviews. So, please link up those reviews. I, for one, will read every one that is posted.

My goal is to be "Living in the Library" by reading 30+ bookish books. In order to achieve that number, I'll try to read 2-3 a month. Here are the ones I'm planning to read in January: