My January To-Be Read List

I normally don't create a to-be read list for the month because I am such a mood reader. I'm picky and I get bored easily and I also get distracted...a woman in the modern age, am I right?

Well this month I thought I'd get a little bit more organized and intentional with my reading and this is what I've chosen to read.

1. The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner

   
   

   

   Blackbird Book Club Pick for January 2025

   
   

Summary: 1873. At an abandoned château on the outskirts of Paris, a dark séance is about to take place, led by acclaimed spiritualist Vaudeline D’Allaire. Known worldwide for her talent in conjuring the spirits of murder victims to ascertain the identities of the people who killed them, she is highly sought after by widows and investigators alike.

Lenna Wickes has come to Paris to find answers about her sister’s death, but to do so, she must embrace the unknown and overcome her own logic-driven bias against the occult. When Vaudeline is beckoned to England to solve a high-profile murder, Lenna accompanies her as an understudy. With shared determination, the women find companionship that perhaps borders on something more. And as they team up with the powerful men of London’s exclusive Séance Society to solve the mystery, they begin to suspect that they are not merely out to solve a crime, but perhaps entangled in one themselves…

Written with intoxicating suspense and sultry prose, The London Séance Society is an entrancing tale that blurs the lines between truth and illusion, and reveals the grave risks women will take to avenge the ones they love.

Thoughts: I read her book The Lost Apothecary in 2024 and absolutely loved it. This one sounds right up my alley as well. That's why I've chosen it as Blackbird Book Club's pick for January! I think there could be some interesting discussions with this one.

2. Inheritance by Nora Roberts

Inheritance by Nora Roberts

Summary: 1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…

Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about―and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast, which the will stipulates she must live in for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth―and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.

Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease―and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…

Thoughts: I read the first chapter to see if was for me and it was gripping. I wanted to know what happened next! However, Christmas was approaching so I had to shift to holiday reads. I have to admit Nora's books are hit or miss with me, but I'd like to give this a chance.

3. Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

   
   

   

   Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

   Summary: To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every day: “Can I go inside your heart?” 

   
   

   When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the question over and over, Bela understands that unless she says yes, her family will soon pay.

   
   

   Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe, but other incidents show cracks in her parents’ marriage. The safety Bela relies on is about to unravel. 

   
   

   But Other Mommy needs an answer.

   
   

   Incidents Around the House is a chilling, wholly unique tale of true horror about a family as haunted as their home.

Thoughts: Full Disclosure...I started this in October 2024 and got 70 pages into it and it freaked me out so I said I'd get back to it. Now's the time. Creepy AF!

4. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

   
   

   

   Coffee Milano January Book Club Pick

   Summary:

   
   

   Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.

   
   

   Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.

   
   

   Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.\

Thoughts: This the Coffee Milano Book Club Pick for January which I've never been to but I'd like to go to this month. If you'd like to join it's on Sunday January 26th at 2pm at Coffee Milano in Middleboro.

I would LOVE to know what you're planning to read this month or what you're currently reading. If you have any books recommendations that I should keep in stock also let me know! Happy reading!!