January Reading Wrap-Up

 

Photo by Janine Martin (Birds and Blooms.com)

January has been a cold and sunny month, which is typical for my area.  Many mornings a pair of Cardinals alights in the Crabapple tree just outside my window.  The male makes such a contrast against the white snow.  

As far as reading goes, I read 8 books in January.

Here's the breakdown:

Mystery: 1

Cozy Mystery: 3

Suspense: 1

Historical Fiction: 1

Non-fiction: 1

Fiction: 1

Mystery:

Woman in Shadow by Carrie Stuart Parks - Darby Graham is a forensic linguist.  She has recently completed a program for law enforcement experiencing PTSD.  Her first assignment on leaving the program sends her to a ranch in Idaho.  She is given instructions to keep a low profile and see if she can learn something about the strange things going on there.  And there are strange things going on - accidents, thefts, attempted poisoning, horse stampedes and eventually murder.  Everyone at the ranch is a suspect and Darby will need to work with local law enforcement to discover what is going on before it is too late. 

Cozy Mystery:

The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax (Mrs. Pollifax #2) by Dorothy Gilman - This time Mrs. Pollifax is headed to Istanbul, Turkey to try to make contact with a spy being accused of being sympathetic to Communists.  The spy, Magda Ferenci-Sabo, is a woman near Mrs. Pollifax's age, whose whereabouts have been unknown for quite some time.  Mr. Carstairs is taking no chances and sends a bodyguard with her that she is not to speak to under any circumstances.  Well, things do not go smoothly once they arrive in Istanbul.  Mrs. Pollifax won't give up until she has rescued Magda and returned her to safety.

Reserved for Murder (Booklover's B & B #2) by Victoria Gilbert - A famous romance author is staying at Chapters along with some fans that have won the privilege of spending time with the author. One of the fans is the head of a large, fanatical fan club. When she is found dead, Charlotte starts snooping around. Suspects abound and secrets are uncovered.

Death at High Tide (Island Sisters #1) by Hannah Dennison - Sisters Evie and Margot plan a weekend trip to visit an old hotel on the Isles of Scilly. The hotel was put up as collateral on a loan Evie's deceased husband made.  If the loan has not been repaid, the hotel belongs to Evie.  The sisters are both surprised when they arrive at the hotel to find that their reservation was never recorded.  The hotel is able to accommodate them, but they do not feel welcome.  In fact, they feel uneasy.  As Evie and Margot try to discover whether the loan was repaid, they are met with anger and denial.  When a murder occurs, all the sisters want to do is leave the island.  Unfortunately, the high tide prevents their leaving.  All that is left to do is discover who the murderer is before it's too late. 

Suspense:

Sunrise (Sky King Ranch #1) by Susan May Warren -  Dodge left Alaska ten years ago to join the military and swore he would never return. But, his dad has a flying accident. At the urging of his sister, Dodge returns to help his dad heal and to take care of the family ranch. Echo has never left Alaska, although she always thought she would. She spends her days raising sled dogs, helping her dad and guiding research teams. When a fellow researcher goes missing in the middle of a storm, Dodge and Echo must work together to save her. 

Historical Fiction:

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - The story follows Marie-Laure, a young, blind girl who lives with her father. She accompanies him to his job at the National Museum of Natural History where he is a locksmith. When war is imminent, they must flee Paris to stay with an eccentric uncle in Saint Malo. The second story line follows Werner, a young boy living in a mining town in Germany. He has taught himself radio technology. He enters a Nazi grooming school and eventually becomes a soldier for the army using his radio skills. The ending left me unsatisfied, but the characters and story will stick with me for a while.

Non-fiction:

Simplicity at Home: Japanese Recipes, Rituals, and Arrangements for Thoughtful Living by Yumiko Sekine - Yumiko Sekine is the founder of Fog Linen Work, a home goods brand that focuses on linen housewares and clothing.  She wrote this book to give readers a glimpse into the way Japanese people really live.  It is common in Japan to have a lifestyle and aesthetic of simplicity along with a mixture of Japanese and Western influences.  The book is organized by season.  Each section includes thoughts on decorating, organizing, rituals, food preparation, simplifying and other things.  

Fiction:

Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico - Mrs. Harris, a widowed London charwoman, is on her way to Paris.  It was over two years ago that she first planned this trip.  One day while tidying up the bedroom of one of her clients, she was struck by the beauty of a dress hanging in the wardrobe.  Never had she seen such a dress and never had she imagined having such a dress for herself.  But she was overcome with desire for that kind of dress.  So, for two years she has scrimped and saved so that she can go to Paris, to Christian Dior and buy a dress for herself.  The path to the dress is fraught with difficulties and in the end she finds much more than a beautiful dress.  (Review coming soon.)

I hope your January has been filled with good reads!

~ Gretchen

I am linking up with The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight. 

I'm also linking up with The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb @ Readerbuzz.