Friday Fives - January TBR

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This is the first Friday in January so I'm picking out five books I hope to read this month.

1.  Haunting and Homicide by Ava Burke - This is the start of a new cozy that looks very entertaining.  I do love some ghosts mixed in with my mysteries.

2.  Written Off by E.J. Copperman - This book has been on my review shelf for far too long and looks like an interesting read.

3.  Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea - This is the first book off my priority reads list and I'm very excited about it.

4.  Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams - I've heard good things about this series and have enjoyed other books by this author, so this looks like a good cozy to start the year off with.

5.  A Darkness Absolute by Kelley Armstrong - I read and loved the first book in this series at the beginning of 2024 and am really looking to continuing it.

What are you hoping to read in January?

Reading What I Want - My 2025 Priority List

The last few years I've made a list of 10 books - 5 books off my shelf, 5 books from the library - that I'm really wanting to read.  There's no real rhyme or reason.  I just go through my library list and my shelves and pick the books that are calling to me.  Here are my 10 top priority books for 2025.

Library Books:

1.  Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley - I've enjoyed everything I've seen from Lucy Worsley but I've never read any of her books.  Now that she has a biography of Christie I need to fix that!

2.  The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews - I've read one book by this author that I really enjoyed and I've seen great reviews for her books. 

3.  The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi Kashiwai - This just sounds fantastic and I've been wanting to read it since it came out.

4.  Long Time Gone by Charlie Donlea - I absolutely love the premise of this one and loved the only book I've read by this author.

5.  Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Fairies by Heather Fawcett - Fawcett wrote one of my top ten books that I read in 2024 and this sounds just as wonderful.

Books From My Shelves:

1.  Wild Ride: A Memoir of I.V. Drips and Rocket Ships by Hayley Arceneaux - Hayley was Will's PA when he was first diagnosed with Leukemia in 2020.  She was us through some of the toughest times and I was so excited to get her book - though I think this is the first year I'm really able to read it.

2.  Seeing Darkness by Heather Graham - I really enjoy the Krewe of Hunters series but somehow I stopped reading a number of books ago.  This is the next book in the series that's just been sitting there for quite some time and is starting to give me dirty looks.

3.  Nosy Neighbors by Freya Sampson - I've heard great things about this one and it looks like a fun read!

4.  Murder on Mustique by Ann Glenconner - This one looks gorgeous and has been sitting on my shelf for far too long.

5.  The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West by Sara Ackerman -  I love the look of this one and couldn't resist buying it.  I can't wait to read it!

Have you read any of these?  Thoughts?  What are you hoping to read this year?

First reads of 2025

 

My first book for 2025 is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  But not just any copy of the book.  I'll be reading this gorgeous Chiltern edition that I picked up on a book shopping binge in December.  It's one of those books that just feels nice to hold and while it is a reread it's one of my very favorite books.  When I picked it up at the store I just knew it would be my first read of 2025.

First Ebook:  

Shattering Dawn by Jayne Ann Kretnz - My first ebook read last year was the second book in the Lost Night Files series so it seems like the third book is the right pick!

First Audio Book:

Funny Story by Emily Henry - The library made the decision for me when this audio book on hold arrived just in time for this to be my first audio book of the year.

First Slow Read:  

The Comfort Food Diaries by Emily Nunn - This one has been sitting on my shelf for awhile and looks like a good choice for a slow read.

My theme for the year is cozy.  I'm going to work on enjoying my time and feeling cozy and content and focusing on the little things that I neglect that make life so much better.  

What are your first reads of 2025?