I'm Excited for the New Reading Year, How About You?

New books in January to start you off on a great reading year

Happy New Year, readers,

Well, it’s been a minute; actually, an entire month of minutes since SoNovelicious landed in your inbox. I suppose I needed a break, a reset of sorts, to move forward into 2023. For those that celebrate any of the December holidays, I hope you had a great holiday season, and I hope everyone had a great end-of-year reading season.

The new year brings different things to everyone everywhere. For readers, it brings a new year of romance, family drama, mystery, thrillers, fantasy, and more, all from the author’s imagination in the form of books we can’t wait to read. I’m excited for what the new year holds in books from my favorite authors and, hopefully, some new-to-me authors that others have put on my bookish radar. Let’s look at some of the new books to add to your TBR for January 2023:

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (1-3-23) - With a backlist of many middle-grade and young adult books, Hawkins has recently started writing adult fiction in the form of psychological thrillers. From thriller author Heather Gudenkauf, “Hawkins brilliantly stitches together past and present, deftly luring readers into a deliciously dark tale filled with twisted secrets, suspect loyalties, and deadly encounters. I tore through this haunting thrill ride at breakneck speed and hated to see it end.” Since this seems to be my go-to genre of late, I’m excited to read this one.

Picture in the Sand by Peter Blauner (1-3-23) - From the publisher, “… is a sweeping, intergenerational saga told through a grandfather’s passionate letters to his grandson, passing on the story of his political rebellion in 1950s Egypt.” Historical in nature, told as a story in a story, a grandfather uses the tale of his past to influence his radicalized grandson, that has run off to the Middle East to fight the holy war. Terrorism isn’t my usual genre, but I’ve read several early reviews that put this on my radar. It sounds like it could be an excellent book with a current-day tie-in.

Spare by Prince Harry (1-10-23) - I have never been particularly interested in the British monarchy in the past, but I’ve been captivated since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle met, became engaged, married, and left England for the USA a couple of years ago. Some people love this couple, and others, not so much; but no matter which side you land on, this book is sure to provide reading pleasure for some and, for others, confirmation of whatever you previously believed about them. I’ve pre-ordered this through my Libro.fm subscription and can’t wait to listen to it. The Netflix documentary is also on my list of things I want to watch.

The Dream Builders by Oindrila Mukherjee (1-10-23) - Author Kevin Wilson says, “this book is such an impressive feat of storytelling; a novel that examines the constraints of class, gender, and history while showcasing the sheer expansiveness of the endeavor, skillfully shifting the point of view amongst a group of characters who each demand a claim on the story. It’s a marvel of a structure, built by a great talent.” I’m excited to read this as I want to read more literature from Indian authors and learn more about Indian culture. However, it’s written from the point of view of a cast of ten different characters, so it may take a little bit to learn who everyone is and to keep them all straight. Mukherjee is another debut author, and the reviews are excellent so far.

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester (1-10-23) - I don’t know much about this book, but when I read the description that says historical fiction (WWII), New York and Hollywood glamour, and the House of Dior in Paris, it immediately goes to the top of TBR. From author Christine Wells, “… sparkling and complex, like vintage champagne, Lester gives us a brilliant, fascinating and multi-layered heroine whose dangerous past as a spy in World War II comes to threaten her future in glamorous post-war Paris.” I’ve read another book by this author and enjoyed it so much; I hope to have the same result with this one too.

The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao (1-17-23) - Debut author Kyla Zhao tells the story of Samantha Song, an Asian woman who has dreamed of writing for a high society magazine in Singapore for years. Unfortunately, her social status doesn’t lend itself to that job, and that is what propels this novel forward. It’s been described as a book for fans of Crazy Rich Asians and The Devil Wears Prada, with plenty of hijinks and fun throughout to keep the reader turning the pages until the very end. Stay tuned to learn more about Zhao and her publishing journey in an upcoming author interview.

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict (1-17-23) - Author Alison Pataki writes that this book “plunges readers into a world of glamorous, charismatic young British debutantes and then turns that shiny world on its head...the most delicious storytelling.” Benedict takes real women from history that most readers have never heard of and weaves facts and her brand of creative fiction to tell a story that readers can’t put down. I’m a long-time fan of Benedict, and I can’t wait to read her latest book. She’s a favorite author for book club books, and I suspect The Mitford Affair will provide many readers with great discussions in their book clubs.

Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn (1-24-23) - I’ve read two of her previous books and enjoyed them quite a bit. I don’t read a lot of romance, but it seems to be a genre I go to when I need a break between difficult reads. If romance is your jam, the early reviews say that Clayborn’s newest book will hit the sweet spot in that department. I haven’t read this one yet, but it is going on my TBR for this year when I need something light and easy to read.

The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel (1-31-23) - I read her previous book, Musical Chairs, as an ARC during Covid, and it was exactly what I needed at that time. It was smart, sassy, comical, and just plain fun. I have high hopes for her newest one. From author Amanda Eyre Ward, “… is warm, witty, and big-hearted. I loved spending time in a Waverly Place brownstone with Lauren, a ceramic artist, and the women and men in her orbit as they each wrestled with work, family, and the price of love.”

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Those are just a few of the books hitting the shelves this month. Did you see any that you might like to read? There are some genres that I don’t read, so I’m sure there are some great books that readers are also looking forward to reading. What other books have caught your eye that readers might want to read that I didn’t mention above? You can tell us about those books in the comments below.

How was your reading year in 2022? Are you happy with what you read, or are you left wanting something more? I am not excited about my 2022 reading year. I read very few great books, too many mediocre books, and a few that I should have closed the cover on long before I got to the end.

I’ve been thinking about why I didn’t have a great reading year, and I’m still trying to figure that out, which may never happen. I have been thinking about changes I want to make for 2023, and next week, I’ll tell you about those ideas and what changes a reader can make to get more joy out of their reading.

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I’m excited about what the coming year will bring to my reading life, and I hope you are too. There are too many books and too little time, so here’s to reading your way through the year one magical, fun, satisfying book after another. Happy reading!

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