Books Read in January 2024

January 2024 was a great reading month for me. I am sharing 12 books, most of which I can recommend. This is a list of the books in the order of my preference starting with my favorites.

Chenneville by Paulette Jiles. Civil War Union soldier John Chenneville suffers a traumatic head injury from which it takes him over a year to recover. Upon returning home to his plantation near St. Louis, he learns that his beloved sister, her husband, and their infant child have been murdered. Even though Chenneville is a good-hearted decent man, he is determined to revenge his sister's family's death and embarks upon a saga to find their killer. His travels take him through an unforgiving landscape in the lower part of the US. Give me a Western, historical fiction, an odyssey, a revenge story, and excellent writing and I am all in. This was a fantastic book and Paulette Jiles' writing is exceptional. 5 stars

 Search by Michelle Huneven. I was totally surprised by this book and never would have picked it up, except that it was highly recommended by a reviewer whose choices I generally like. The book is about a search for a new minister for a Unitarian church in the LA area. The book is not religious at all but deals more with group dynamics and what happens when a decision has to be made and the group is too diverse to come to a consensus. The book is fictional but is based on the author's real-life experience. The descriptions of the personalities on the search committee are just too realistic. You will want to throttle several of them. I know this one sounds kind of out there, but try it, you will be surprised at how good it is! 5 stars

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See. This author is just excellent and has a long backlist of great books. This one is set in 15th-century China and is based on the actual life of Tan Yunxian, a noblewoman who became a physician specializing in women's illnesses. When she marries, her mother-in-law puts a stop to her doctoring, but Yunxian prevails against the suffocating traditions of her time and develops remedies that continue to be used for centuries. And if you ever were curious about the practice of foot binding, you will learn more than you ever wanted to.  4.5 stars

Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper. This was a gritty novel in the genre "LA Noir". Think LA Story, but set in the present day. Mae Pruett works for a crisis PR firm and her job is to suppress scandals concerning Hollywood personalities and other people in the public eye. No matter how depraved or outlandish the actions of her clients, Mae puts the lid on the stories and protects those individuals. The city of LA is as much a character as the people depicted in the book. It is kind of an "anti-hero" novel, where you find yourself wishing our main character would just let her clients face the music and take responsibility for their actions. It was an interesting look at how Hollywood spin doctors can transform a monumental screwup into a non-news event. Of course, there is a mystery involved that our main character is trying to solve. Short chapters, compulsive page-turner. A bit violent. 4.5 stars

Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati. If you love Greek mythology retellings, don't miss this terrific take on the life of Clytemnestra. One of the most notorious villainesses ever, Clytemnestra gets a different treatment in this book that tells the story from her point of view. Yes, she killed her husband Agamemnon, but believe me, she had her reasons. Give it a try, this book reads in a very modern fashion and even though we know the basic story, you will be rivetted by her story of pain and vengeance. 4.5 stars

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston. This was a fast-paced whirlwind from the first page through the last. The genre is "con-artist thriller". Our main character Lucca Marino has been hired by the mysterious "Mr. Smith to get to know the "mark", Ryan Sumner, and learn more about his shady business. Now known as "Evie Porter", she not only makes a move on Ryan, but they end up falling for each other. Will Evie be able to escape from the evil Mr. Smith? What is Ryan really up to? Lots of plot twists, some a bit eye-rolling, but I really enjoyed this page-turner. 4 stars

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. This is a gothic-style thriller set in an Italian villa in the town of Orvieto. The villa may be haunted by the spirit of a rock star who was murdered there in the 70s. Our main character Emily, an author, is persuaded to go on vacation there by her childhood best friend Chess, an Instagram influencer, from whom she has been estranged for some years. Once at the villa, Emily starts to dig into the history of the murder and uncovers some new information that could be an inspiration for her next book. However, her friend Chess is acting odd, and secrets and betrayals come to light. The timeline switches from the present to the 1970s when the murder took place at the villa. Lots of tension between the two current-day female "friends". 4 stars

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney. I wanted a wintery book, and this one is set during a blizzard in Scotland. Husband and wife Adam and Amelia haven't been getting along, to put it mildly. They decide to see if their relationship can be saved by booking a weekend at an isolated AirB&B on their 10th anniversary. Short chapters, creepy atmosphere, and lots of twists. This couple got way more than the romantic getaway they imagined. Turns out they didn't know each other as well as they thought they did...4 stars

The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Lindon. The book is described as "An uplifting book about a heartbroken pie maker who is granted a magical chance to live the life she didn't choose". I have always loved "second chances" stories and was intrigued by this one. Our main character Lolly Blanchard is nearly 33 when her quirky aunt gives her three magical lemon drops that allow her to live one day in the life that could have been hers. If you like magical realism, you will enjoy this sweet book. 4 stars

One By One by Ruth Ware. Another wintery book about a group of colleagues who get trapped in a mountain chalet during a blizzard in Switzerland. They start dying one by one, as the title suggests, in this "locked room" style murder mystery. It doesn't take long for the co-workers to start showing their claws at this off-site company retreat. There isn't a single trustworthy character on this "team" of colleagues, and everyone has their own agenda for the future of their high-tech company. Ruth Ware is called "the queen of suspense" for a good reason. Pick up this book and find out why! 4 stars

A Better Man by Louise Penny. I have to admit, this is my least favorite Louise Penny book ever. The book was repetitive, derivative of her past books, and dragged on and on. The writing was weird with a lot. of. disjointed. sentences. There was a storyline featuring the artist Clara, who apparently is trying a new type of painting that is being completely panned by her former fans. People who bought her previous works want to return them to the gallery because they hate her new style so much. Seriously? Who does that? And Louise Penny needs to move on from the video of the scene in the warehouse where Gamache and Jean-Guy are injured. The video surfaces yet again to everyone's pain and anguish. The plot devices used to tell this story were implausible, and ones the author has used in previous books. Worst of all, I found the book overwrought, overly sentimental, and way too angsty. I want the Three Pines characters to be sitting in front of the fire at the Inn, having some kind of delicious meal, while solving a well-crafted mystery. This book was a complete mess. 2.5 stars

The Fury by Alex Michaelides. Oh brother. A famous movie star, a private Greek island: this book started out sounding promising. However, it went down in flames almost immediately. The narrator was not just simply unreliable, he was odious. The plot was all over the place, motives unbelievable or pulled out of a hat, and the characters flat and impossible to care about. This was a terrible book. I do not recommend it. 

So here are my books for January. Most were quite enjoyable and there were only two stinkers!

How did you do? Tell us in the comments what you are reading now!

 

Comments

[Mary]

Very interesting collection! Nothing appealed to me this time, but usually I do find something good to read from your recommendations. Looking forward to what you come up next month.

[Susan]

Thank you for the recommendations! I often find our tastes are quite similar.

[Anita]

I faithfully follow your book recommendations and appreciate them. I want to share a title I just finished which may go on my all time great list. Have you read “Whistling Past the Graveyard” by Susan Crandall. Think Lincoln Highway meets The Violin Conspiracy. I did listen to this book as an audible and that may have enhanced my enjoyment of the book, but it is outstanding - really gets into the heads and hearts of the characters. Highly recommend it.

[T Holzer]

Good morning, Nicole. I always appreciate your reviews and I'll start with Chenneville! I am reading The Orphan Sisters and so far so good, but I'm not far enough along to give a review. Before this, I read The Frozen River and Code Name Helene and loved them both so thanks for those recommendations! It is snowing, raining, sleeting here this morning so a great day to sew!

[Dianne King]

Chenneville was one of my favorite books of 2023...so glad you enjoyed it, too. I've added a few new ones to my Libby list using your great suggestions today. Thanks for your recommendations, Nicole. Always fun to see what appeals to blog friends!

[Jan]

I'm going to put Everybody Knows on my to-read list. Thanks for your honest in-depth reviews. It takes time to write them & your opinions are helpful when choosing a book. Hope you're staying warm with power on!

[Cathy]

I just finished reading Beyond That, The Sea by Laura Spence-Ash, which I think you recommended. It was terrific! I'm putting a few from today's post on my to-be-read list.

[Kerry L]

As always thanks Nicole for your reviews! I love Paulette Jiles and look forward to reading it!