I did not set a reading goal for 2025, partly because I have successfully achieved the goal behind the goal: I added dedicated daily reading time to my schedule and I don’t see any circumstance that would change that. Be that as it may, January started off with a bang!
First up: three ebooks, domestic thrillers that are my favorite Amazon Prime perk. I get at least one for free every month. Sometimes if I enjoy a particular author’s style, I might even buy a couple more–which I suppose is the point. I did that two times this month, apparently.
Close Your Eyes by Teresa Driscoll
Matthew Hill is a private investigator facing his worst nightmare–his own child is missing. When I started reading this one I realized that I had read another book in which this investigator featured, so I got interested in him and that is why I read the next two books.
I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll
This is the story of a woman who witnessed something she failed to report because she did not want to get involved. When a young girl goes missing she is consumed with guilt and drawn into the mystery of the girl’s disappearance.
I Will Make You Pay by Teresa Driscoll
This one is about a woman who is being stalked by an unknown person. This one will keep you guessing and it turns out to be a really sad story. Honestly, now I feel like I want to read the rest of her books. These were all really good, and they have more to them than just the thrills.
Says Who? by Anne Curzan
I got this for Christmas upon request. The author writes about widely held grammar opinions and why they may not be as important as we think. Not my usual point of view, but perhaps good for me to read.
Light in the Darkness by Sterling Jaquith
This was the Advent devotional I fell behind on and finished in January. I always enjoy everything that Sterling puts out there.
Smoky Mountain Magic by Horace Kephardt
My daughter stumbled upon this one in the library and thought I would like it. She wasn’t wrong! First of all I learned some history about the author, who was an amazing man and great ambassador for the Great Smokies. And then the story, his only book, was so good! It’s one of those books that isn’t just one thing and is hard to explain, but it’s evocative of a certain place and time, with fascinating characters, great descriptions, a mystery, and a good story. Especially if you are familiar with the mountains, you should give it a look.
Here are three more ebooks I read because I got one for free and then really liked the author’s work.
When She Returned by Lucinda Berry
This was a fascinating and upsetting read about a girl whose mother disappeared and then reappeared many years later with the revelation that she had been indoctrinated by a cult. Since 1) her husband is engaged and his fiancee is living in the house and 2) the mother has arrived back with a newborn bay and 3) there are things she’s not telling, things are complicated. This one stuck with me.
The Secrets of Us by Lucinda Berry
Two girls, raised together in a foster home, consider themselves sisters. Now one of them is in a psych ward, accused of attempted murder, and the other one has to figure out what really happen, while confronting the past the two of them tried to hide.
The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry
This is a rough read. A young couple adopts a traumatized child and terrible things start happening. Is it the mother? Is it the child? Will the family be torn completely apart? There are no happy endings here.
Nine books this month! I feel that I should point out that the quality of the free Amazon ebooks has steadily increased. At first it seemed like they were mostly self-published books, poorly edited, by people who were giving them away free because no one would buy them anyway. But that is definitely no longer the case.
