Long before I ever thought about being an author myself, I was a reader. I remember learning to read on the BOB books as a kid, little picture books that came in box sets and the box sets were color coordinated based on how advanced the reading level was.
I was in first grade when I read my first chapter book in a day, Junie B. Jones and the Stinky, Smelly Bus. That night, I was so excited to go back to school the next day to return it to the library and get another one. Maybe I wanted a little bit of a humble brag as a first grader, I don't know.
But without books, without being a reader, I wouldn't be an author. So, reading, having new books to read is critical to me as a person, I thought it would be fun to share some of the books that I'm super excited to read for the first half of the year.
Now, I get my books in a variety of different ways. I have monthly subscriptions to both Book of the Month and Aardvark Book Clubs. I utilize the heck of out of my library, borrowing books that I can then read on my Kindle (in fact I probably read more library books on my kindle than books I purchased - I have a real rant about the cost of e-books). I have a monthly subscription to Libro.FM for audiobooks.
I try to purchase ones I'm really excited about through bookshop.org to support my local indie book store, Lark & Owl Bookstore. While I might occasionally buy a book from Amazon, it's pretty rare. The point is, I think it's important to have multiple places to support when you read books. If you pre-order a book from the links in this email, I will make a tiny bit of affiliate money from it (it doesn't cost you extra).
That being said, there are so many books I'm excited for this year, even just this first half of the year, I made a page in my planner for it (note: I also made a page in my planner to track the Storm Prediction Center's daily convective outlooks because I am a nerd).
Anyway, I thought I'd share a few of them and why I'm excited.
January Reads
- Cross My Heart by Megan Collins. Confession, I've actually read this book (it was my Aardvark Book Club pick this month) but the premise was really interesting to me. The book follows a woman who has figured out who her heart donor was and she has a crush on her donor's widower, who happens to be a famous author.
- Beg, Borrow, Steal by Sarah Adams. This is a third book in a series I read last year and I read four books from Sarah Adams last year. Which was four more than I had ever read in my life. This series takes place in Rome, Kentucky and they're cute romances. This one is about two writers, how could I not be excited?
February Reads
- Bonded In Death by J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts). This is the 60th book in this series, which is wild to me, because I still feel like the books are different and unique and I think she does a great job of keeping up with details and continuity (looking at you, Janet Evanovich). After sixty books, there's something to be said about having characters you know and love and seeing them celebrate life. Even in books where murder and death are prevalent.
- Dream Girl Drama by Tess Bailey. I'm a sucker for Tessa Bailey and I'm a sucker for sports romance books. This gives me both.
March Reads
- This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead. Her last book fell a little flat for me, but this book has a true crime, internet sleuth aspect to it (at least it seems) and I really love books that include all those crime junkies trying to help out (though sometimes they cause more issues).
April Reads
- Enchantra by Kylie Smith. Romantsy (Romantic Fantasy) is not at all my cup of tea, my genre of choice anything like that. But I read the first book in the series, Phantasma, after getting bombarded by TikToks about it. That book was hot, and this is the sequel, so of course I have to read this one, too. I just hope it's also a Book of the Month pick because I like my series to match. If there are only two books, they should be the same size book, like hardcovers.
- Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. Emily Henry is another auto buy author because all of her books just hit me in the feels and then leave me happy. And I think we all deserve books that do both.
May Reads
- One Golden Summer by Carly Fortune. To me, Emily Henry and Carly Fortune write similar styles of books. Hit you in the feels, make you cry (usually in a pool) and then make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This one is actually a sequel to her debut novel, Every Summer After. So I'll probably read those back to back just to really do some emotional damage on myself.
June Reads
- With a Vengeance by Riley Sager. This book sounds like a long waiting game for revenge and takes place on a train, it sounds like. Gimme some transportation. Deserted or remote islands are a popular trope in mysteries and thrillers, but no, I'd rather have everyone stuck on a train or a boat (but not a plane).
Obviously this is a short list, there are so many books coming out this year. There are books that will come out at the end of the year we don't even know about yet. But I hope that maybe some of these books pique your interest as you hopefully wait for Project Whisper at the end of the year. Maybe I'll even do a part two in July for the second half of the year.
But with that, I'm off to go finish my current read.
Stay safe y'all.