Books Publishing This Week
The late January evening wraps around you like a quiet, dark cocoon, the kind of night that calls for staying in and sinking into the comfort of home. Outside, the air is frigid, the kind of cold that crystallizes on windows and turns your breath into clouds. The sky is an inky navy, scattered with stars that twinkle faintly above the sleeping world. But inside, there is warmth, light, and the promise of escape waiting within the pages of a new book.
You’ve been looking forward to this all day. The house is peaceful, the hum of activity winding down into stillness. Maybe the soft crackle of a fire or the low hum of a heater fills the silence, blending with the occasional creak of the house settling against the cold. You pull on your coziest socks, wrap yourself in an oversized sweater, and make your way to your favorite spot—a corner of the couch, perfectly situated under the soft glow of a lamp.
Tonight, you’ve prepared a little ritual to accompany this new book. A mug of hot tea sits on the table beside you, its steam curling into the air, carrying the faint, soothing aroma of chamomile or spiced chai. A blanket, thick and plush, is draped across your legs, cocooning you against the chill that still lingers from the day. Everything feels just right, as though you’ve created the perfect stage for this moment.
The book is there, waiting patiently for you. Its cover gleams under the warm light, and you run your fingers over it, feeling the smooth texture beneath your touch. There’s something special about starting a new book on a quiet evening like this. The world outside feels distant, muted, and all that exists now is the anticipation of stepping into a story that’s about to unfold.
You settle in, adjusting the blanket and propping a pillow behind your back, before finally opening to the first page. The initial words greet you like an invitation, drawing you into a world that’s both unknown and full of promise. You take your time with the opening sentences, savoring the way they set the tone, laying the foundation for what’s to come.
The night stretches out before you, unhurried and calm. You turn the pages slowly, letting the story take root in your mind. Outside, the cold presses against the windows, but it only serves to deepen the contrast with the warmth that surrounds you. The soft light of the lamp creates a halo over your book, the shadows in the room deep and restful.
Every so often, you pause, lifting your mug and letting the warmth seep into your hands. The tea is soothing, a perfect counterpoint to the chill of January. You glance up for a moment, noticing the way the shadows flicker on the walls or the faint shimmer of frost on the windowpane. The world outside feels so far away, and you’re grateful for this cozy refuge.
The story begins to pull you in, its characters and setting becoming more vivid with each turn of the page. It’s the kind of book that feels right for a winter night, something that matches the quiet introspection of the season. You lose yourself in its rhythm, the minutes slipping by unnoticed as the plot unfolds.
Eventually, you glance at the clock, surprised to see how late it’s gotten. The tea in your mug has cooled, the blanket around you feels even cozier, and the book has become an extension of the night. You could keep reading—your heart pulls at you to stay with the story—but you decide to savor it instead, stretching it out over the coming days.
You close the book softly, running your fingers along its spine as you set it down beside you. For a moment, you sit there, still wrapped in your blanket, letting the peace of the evening settle over you. The story lingers in your mind, the warmth of the tea still on your lips, and the quiet hum of contentment in your chest.
As you rise to turn off the light, you glance back at the book, a smile playing at the corners of your mouth. It’s the perfect companion for nights like this, and you know it will be waiting for you tomorrow.
I want to note that I do not get paid to do these posts, I just love authors and the book industry. However, they do take time and energy to create. If you want to donate a few dollars to my coffee fund, which keeps this blog going, you can do so here: https://venmo.com/AshleyHasty or here: http://paypal.me/hastybooklist.
Books Publishing This Week: January 26 - February 1
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson
Author Interview with Carter Wilson
She gets people to confess their crimes for a living. He knows she's hiding a terrible secret. It's time for the truth to come out…
Poe Webb, host of a popular true crime podcast, invites people to anonymously confess crimes they've committed to her audience. She can't guarantee the police won't come after her "guests," but her show grants simultaneous anonymity and instant fame―a potent combination that's proven difficult to resist. After an episode recording, Poe usually erases both criminal and crime from her mind.
But when a strange and oddly familiar man appears on her show, Poe is forced to take a second look. Not only because he claims to be her mother's murderer from years ago, but because Poe knows something no one else does. Her mother's murderer is dead.
Poe killed him.
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Dead Girl in 2A and The New Neighbor comes a chilling new thriller that forces the question: are murderers always the bad guys?
Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration by Amy L. Bernstein
Wrangling the Doubt Monster is the little book of encouragement every creative person needs right now. Through a potent combination of short, poetic bursts of text, inspirational quotations, and joyful illustrations, Bernstein positions self-doubt not as an adversary to be vanquished, but as a companion to be managed.
The book is a source of hope and inspiration for any creative person who worries whether they’re good enough, talented enough, and brave enough to take creative risks—from starting a company to writing a book to opening a bakery.
Strike and Burn by Taylor Hutton
Honor Stone is all alone in this world. No family, no money, no future. So when she locks eyes with Strike Madden—in the morgue of all places—she’s not in the mood to be seduced. Sure, he’s drop-dead gorgeous, and the sizzle of attraction between them is undeniable, but she’s reeling from her identical twin sister’s murder. It’s the wrong time, wrong place, wrong everything.
Still, the enigmatic billionaire hires Honor as an artist to spearhead his carefully curated erotic animation studio—a job they soon find to be a dangerous mix of business and pleasure.
But when her twin’s obsessive killer targets Honor, the painful secrets of Honor’s traumatic past will finally be exposed with devastating consequences. Strike will stop at nothing to protect her, uncovering his own bone-chilling demons—a beautifully broken, dark side that doesn’t scare Honor… It consumes her.
Spiral by Bal Khabra
Elias Westbrook, a newly drafted hockey player for the Toronto Thunder, is facing the challenges of fame and media scrutiny. With a growing fan base and too many expectations on his shoulders, he’s struggling to make his first career goal. The tabloids are reporting on his every move, including which woman he was last seen with, but all he wants to do is escape the spotlight.
Enter from stage left Sage Beaumont, an aspiring ballerina with dreams of joining the Aurora Ballet Theatre, but her lack of popularity online leaves her at a major disadvantage for securing the lead role. When Sage finds herself with the perfect opportunity to make her dreams come true by fake dating Elias, she takes her shot.
Soon enough, the flimsy fake-dating rules they set in place fall away in the face of their sizzling connection. But before things spiral out of control, Sage and Elias will have to decide if they’re willing to take the leap together or if they'll call it quits.
Out of the Woods by Hannah Bonam-Young
“Absolute, utter perfection.” ―Chloe Liese, USA Today bestselling author of Only and Forever
A married couple joins a week-long wilderness expedition to help them reconnect in this heartfelt companion novel to the viral TikTok sensation Out on a Limb.
High school sweethearts Sarah and Caleb Linwood have always been a sure thing. For the past seventeen years, they have had each other’s backs through all of life’s ups and downs.
But Sarah has begun to wonder . . . who is she without her other half?
When she decides to take on a project of her own, a fundraising gala in memory of her late mother, Sarah wants nothing more than to prove to herself—and to everyone else—that she doesn’t need Caleb’s help to succeed. She’s still her mother’s daughter after all, independent and capable.
That is, until the event fails and Caleb uninvitedly steps in to save the day.
The rift that follows unearths a decade of grievances and doubts. Are they truly the same people they were when they got married at nineteen? Are they supposed to be?
In a desperate attempt to fix what they fear is breaking, Sarah and Caleb make the spontaneous decision to get out of their comfort zones and join a grueling hiking trip intended to guide couples through rough patches.
What follows is a life-affirming comedy of errors as two nature-averse people fight their way out of the woods in order to find their way back to their roots.
Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen
Also listed in Books Set in Ireland
After a case of mistaken identity and an almost one-night stand, two stranded wedding guests have to find their way to their final destination together, in this riotously fun debut romance.
Ada’s little sister is getting married. Which should be a happy thought, right? But the once close sisters have been in a year long fight, the wedding is all the way in Ireland, and Ada is so broke that she just barely managed to get a ticket on a budget airline. And as if things couldn’t get worse, said airline just cancelled her connection. Which means Ada is stuck in London with no way to make it to the wedding.
Surely she’s hit rock bottom?
So, there’s no reason for her not to spill her heart out about the over-the-top wedding, her sister’s worryingly quick engagement, and the womanizing best man she’s dreading meeting to a handsome also-stranded stranger at the bar. Until she realizes the stranger is headed to the same wedding. Oh, and he’s the infamous best man.
Now, Jack and Ada must put their simmering attraction behind them to make it to Belfast before they miss the nuptials. But between flat tires, missed trains, and suspect hostels, Jack and Ada start to question whether their feelings are worth going the distance, or just a distracting detour along the way.
Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade
Police Chief Jeep Mullane has been bounced back home to Long Island’s North Shore by a heartbreaking case that both earned him his NYPD detective’s shield and burned him out of the Job. Now heading up a small local police department, he finds himself navigating the same geography he did growing up there as the son of an NYPD cop. Jeep is a “have-not” among the glittering “haves,” a sharp-witted, down-to-earth man in a territory defined and ruled by multigenerational wealth and power and the daunting tribal codes and customs that come with it.
When the corpse of Jeep’s childhood friend Johnny Chambliss—born into privilege and known as “Johnny Careless” for his reckless, golden-boy antics—surfaces in the Bayville waters, past collides with present, and Jeep is pulled into a treacherous web. He is challenged by Johnny’s wealthy and secretive family and his beautiful, enigmatic ex-wife as he untangles a knotted mystery fraught with theft, corrupt local moguls, and decades-old secrets, all while grappling with his own deep-seated grief for his lost pal.
True Gretch--Young Adult Edition by Gretchen Whitmer
The young adult edition of the unconventionally honest, deeply personal, and sharply funny account from Michigan governor and rising Democratic star Gretchen Whitmer is packed with remarkable insights for young people wishing to make a difference in the world.
When Gretchen Whitmer was growing up, her beloved grandmother Nino taught her that you can always find something good in other people. “Even the meanest person might have pretty eyes,” she would say, a piece of advice that Gretchen carries with her today in her role as the governor of Michigan. (And one that resonated more than another her grandmother offered: “never part your hair in the middle.”)
From navigating a kidnapping and assassination plot in which she herself was a target to facing monumental challenges during a global pandemic, Big Gretch (as she’s now known) shares the key pieces of wisdom that have shaped her trailblazing career and personal experiences in this often hilarious, always uplifting book. Along the way, she tells stories about growing up gutsy in the Midwest, the wild comments she’s encountered as a public figure, and how to neutralize high-profile bullies with a fearless sense of humor.
Told in her famously straightforward and slyly funny voice, this young adult edition of the governor’s story not only offers an intimate insight into the life of a politician with an astounding journey, but also affords extraordinary lessons for young people everywhere who wish to make a difference in the world.
With All Her Heart by Kelly Irvin
Elijah Miller is a quiet and painfully shy man with a talent for carving the handmade toys and furniture that tourists in the Amish shops love. The large, boisterous Miller family is anything but shy. With a thriving auction business, they want him to do what he hates most: taking the stage and calling the auctions. He loves his family and wants to support them, but will they allow room for Elijah to follow his own dream?
Bonnie Yoder began the Homespun Handicrafts with her friends, Sophia and Carol. Each has a physical disability to overcome but together they prove that wheelchairs and rollators will not stop them from building a business and a craft community. Bonnie, with her chestnut curls and pretty face, yearns for a husband and family of her own but fears her spinal condition will keep any Amish man from choosing a life with her. Can a man like Elijah see past her walker to the woman behind it?
With the support of his beloved dog, Slowpoke, Elijah finds the courage to bring in samples of his handcrafted toys for Bonnie to consider for display in the shop. Through her advice, Elijah begins to see a possible new life doing what he loves best. Bonnie, in reconnecting with this old school friend, fears that the hope for a relationship that she feels may be another disappointment.
Can Elijah and Bonnie help each other find the lives they want and the love they desire?
Unruly Human Hearts by Barbara Southard
Elizabeth Tilton, a devout housewife, shares liberal ideals with her husband, Theodore Tilton, and their pastor and close friend Reverend Henry Ward Beecher, both influential reformers of the Reconstruction Era who promote suffrage for women and former slaves and advocate for the spiritual power of love rather than Calvinistic retribution.
Elizabeth is torn between admiration for her husband’s stand on women’s rights and resentment of his dominating ways at home. When Theodore justifies his extramarital affairs in terms of the free love doctrine that marriage should not restrict other genuine loves, she becomes closer to Henry, who admires her spiritual gifts—and eventually falls passionately in love with him.
Once passion for her pastor undermines the moral certainties of her generation, Elizabeth enters into uncharted emotional and ethical territory. Under what circumstances should she tell the truth? If she does, will she lose her children and her marriage? Will she destroy her own reputation and the career of the reverend who has done much good? Can a woman accustomed to following the leadership of men find her own path and define her own truth?
A Gilded Redwood Coffin by Ceceila Tichi
Western silver heiress Val DeVere expects nothing but joy at an elegant Newport picnic in 1899, only to be abruptly summoned to New York by a close friend's urgent and cryptic plea: "PLEASE HELP...THEO B."
In New York, Theo confides in Val, begging her to save his lively cousin Phoebe from a cunning Irish manservant who, he claims, is plotting her "accidental" death in the Rocky Mountains—just as he allegedly orchestrated the death of her twin sister in Boston a year earlier.
Determined to help her friend, Val, now Mrs. Roderick DeVere, tries to convince the headstrong Phoebe to delay her trip to the Rockies. Yet the Irish servant, whom Theo accuses of murder, reminds Val of her beloved late father, an Irish immigrant and "Silver King," whose charm and brogue are unsettlingly familiar.
When Phoebe is found murdered in her New York apartment, suspicion falls squarely on the Irishman, appearing to wrap the case up neatly. But for Val, the truth feels far more elusive. Is she blinded by sentiment, or is there another killer lurking in the shadows? As doubt creeps in, Val faces a race against time to uncover the real culprit, all while risking arrest as an accessory to murder.
Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree
Author Interview with Robert Dugoni
From Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree comes an epic and inspiring novel―based on true events―about love, heroism, and resilience during the darkest chapters of World War II.
Sam Carlson is a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, where fantasies unspool in glorious black and white―for him and for his sweetheart, college-bound math whiz Sarah Haber. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines and captured as a POW. Brutalized but unbroken by the Bataan Death March and POW camps, Sam is one of eighteen hundred starved and weakened prisoners herded into the cargo hold of a barbaric hell ship called the Arisan Maru, his survival doubtful.
Determined to use her math skills on the home front, Sarah is recruited to Washington, DC, into the covert field of code breaking. When Sarah intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, the US Navy’s mission is clear: sink the Arisan Maru and send it to the bottom of the South China Sea. Now, the lives of the two young lovers are about to inadvertently collide in one of the most shocking acts of World War II.
Anchored in an extraordinary true story and breathlessly re-created, Hold Strong is a one-of-a-kind novel that explores faith, courage, survival, and coming home against insurmountable odds.
The Sun's Shadow by Sejal Badani
Celine’s life is unraveling. She’s in danger of losing her beloved equestrian farm and childhood home. Her husband, Eric, grows more distant with each passing day, and now her young son, Brian, has been diagnosed with a life-altering illness. It feels like everything is slipping through her fingers.
Felicity has uprooted her career and teenage son, Justin, to be closer to Eric. She’s tired of keeping his secrets and is determined to get her happily ever after, even if it means confronting Celine.
As their paths are about to collide, both women are forced to face difficult choices. Felicity must decide if the life she's chasing is truly worth the cost, while Celine clings to the hope that someone, somewhere, can save her son.
In a different world, Celine and Felicity might have been friends. But now, they must find a way to put the hurt between them aside—for the sake of their children and their own futures.
The Oligarch's Daughter by Joseph Finder
Set against the years before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and deeply informed by the author's expertise in Russia, this propulsive novel is a breakneck thriller about a young hedge funder who falls for an attractive woman he meets at a party who turns out to be the daughter of a Russian oligarch. It marries the dynastic opulence of Succession with the tense and disorienting spy craft of The Americans.
It's a Love/Skate Relationship by Carli J. Corson
Fans of Rachael Lippincott, Elise Bryant, and Dahlia Adler will love this joyful debut novel, a sapphic enemies-to-lovers romance between a hotheaded hockey player and the ice princess at the figure skating rink next door.
Charlie Porter is a force to be reckoned with, both on and off the hockey rink. When she accidentally starts a brawl after a game, she’s suspended from school, meaning no hockey this season—and no chance to play in front of college scouts.
Alexa Goldstein’s pairs skating partner was hurt in the fight, and with only four months until their next competition, pickings for a replacement are slim. So she strikes a deal with Charlie—skate with her at the competition well enough to place, and her Olympian mother will use her formidable connections to get Charlie in front of scouts at D-1 schools, even without her team.
It seems impossible, and not just because Charlie has never figure skated before. Where Charlie is powerful, Alexa is elegant; where Charlie is quick to blow up, Alexa is cold as ice. But as the frostiness between them starts to thaw, they begin to wonder if they’ve found a partner for more than just skating.
I Am Not Jessica Chen by Ann Liang
Jenna Chen has spent her life in the shadow of her flawless cousin. Jessica Chen is so smart she gets the top score on every test. Jessica Chen is so beautiful people stop in the hallway to stare at her. Jessica Chen is so perfect she got into Harvard.
And Jenna Chen will only ever be a disappointment.
So when Jenna makes a desperate wish to become her cousin, the last thing she expects is for it to come true—literally. All of a sudden she gets to live the life she’s always dreamed of . . . but being the model student at cutthroat Havenwood Private Academy isn’t quite what she’d imagined. Worse, people seem to be forgetting that someone named Jenna Chen ever existed. But isn’t it worth trading it all away—her artistic talent, her childhood home, even the hope of golden boy Aaron Cai loving her back—to be Jessica Chen?
Shadow of the Eternal Watcher by Josh Mendoza
Shadow of the Eternal Watcher is a genre-bending debut novel from acclaimed filmmaker Josh Mendoza, one in which alternate realities and time travel blend together seamlessly in a thrilling tale of government corruption and personal redemption.
Private Investigator Duster Raines has demons. Some visit him in his dreams, reminding him of the choices he made in combat to survive. Others visit him while he’s awake, demanding he pay penance for those sins. But lately, he’s started seeing an alternate version of reality where he leads a life of importance, full of wealth and power. Visions so vivid, they seem more real than the life he lives as a private investigator, scrounging the gutters of Los Angeles for an easy buck. It’s enough to drive anyone insane.
Pulled into a missing persons case he never wanted, Raines finds himself framed and hunted by the government. But as he searches for answers to clear his name, he discovers a truth he never could have imagined: he possesses the ability to bend spacetime to accomplish incredible feats. With these powers, maybe he’s got a shot at the life he deserves.
There’s only one problem standing in his way: another Duster Raines.
The Gate to Kagoshima by Poppy Kuroki
Also listed in Books Set in Japan
In this exciting historical romantasy in the spirit of The Hurricane Wars and The Time Traveler’s Wife—Outlander set in Japan—a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last Samurai era, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time.
We Are Watching by Alison Gaylin
From USA Today bestselling and Edgar and Shamus Award–winning author Alison Gaylin comes a slick, riveting, and all-too-plausible tale of psychological suspense where a mother is desperate to protect her family as they become targets of a group of violent conspiracy theorists.
Sometimes the world is out to get you.
Meg Russo was behind the wheel when it happened. She and her husband Justin were driving their daughter Lily to Ithaca College, the family celebrating the eighteen-year-old music prodigy’s future. Then a car swerved up beside them, the young men inside it behaving bizarrely—and Meg lost control of her own vehicle. The family road trip turned into a tragedy. Justin didn’t survive the accident.
Four months later, Meg works to distract herself from her grief and guilt, reopening her small local bookstore. But soon after she returns to work, bizarre messages and visitors begin to arrive, with strangers threatening Meg and Lily in increasingly terrifying ways. They are obsessed with a young adult novel titled The Prophesy, which was published thirty years earlier. An online group of believers are convinced that it heralds the apocalypse, and social media posts link the book—and Meg’s reclusive musician father—to Satanism. These conspiracy theorists vow to seek revenge on The Prophesy’s author...Meg.
As the threats turn violent, Meg begins to suspect that Justin’s death may not have been an accident. To find answers and save her daughter, her father, and herself, Meg must get to the root of these dangerous lies—and find a way to face the believers head-on … before it’s too late.
There's Something about Mira by Sonali Dev
Also listed in Books I'm Looking Forward to Reading this Winter
Author Interview with Sonali Dev
Bestselling and acclaimed author Sonali Dev (The Vibrant Years, Lies and Other Love Languages, The Emma Project, Incense and Sensibility, A Bollywood Affair) continues to charm us with her tender and compelling stories about the intricate lives of the memorable Indian American women characters in her beloved novels. Brimming with family drama, culture clashes, laughter, and hearts broken and mended, her stories delight and stay with you long after the last page. Her beautiful novel The Vibrant Years was selected by Mindy Kaling as the first book published under Mindy’s Book Studio, her imprint with Amazon Publishing, and optioned by Amazon Studios to be brought to life on screen.
With her latest, THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MIRA (Lake Union Publishing; on sale February 1, 2025), Sonali Dev once again captives us with a heartwarming (and at times heartbreaking) relatable story about being true to oneself while seeking love and hope amidst the turmoil and confusion of everyday life—all with the help of a lost piece of jewelry.
Mira Salvi has the perfect life―a job she loves, a fiancé everyone adores, and the secure future she’s always imagined for herself. Really, she hasn’t a thing to complain about, not even when she has to go on her engagement trip to New York alone.
While playing tourist in the city, Mira chances upon a lost ring, and her social media post to locate its owner goes viral. With everyone trying to claim the ring, only one person seems to want to find its owner as badly as Mira does: journalist Krish Hale. Brooding and arrogant, he will do anything to get to write this story.
As Krish and Mira reluctantly join forces and jump into the adventure of tracing the ring back to where it belongs, Mira begins to wonder if she is in the right place in her own life. She had to have found this ring for a reason…right? Maybe, like the owner of the lost ring, her happy ending hasn’t been written yet either.
