January 2025 Reading List

I read 16 books in January plus one I put down 1/3 of the way through. Shooting for 150 this year. Here are a few:

Ashes Never Lie by Lee Goldberg, 2024

Goldberg is well known in the mystery world. He’s written more than 60 books, has been a finalist for several prestigious mystery awards, and writes for Hallmark Mystery and Monk. Ashes Never Lie unites characters from two popular series and involves several arsons and more than one mystery. I’d call Ashes a beach read and gave it 4 stars.

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter 2024

Two NYC mystery writers are invited to spend Christmas at an estate in England by an unknown person. Their hostess disappears not long after their arrival. the family and a few other guests all have a reason to want her dead. This is a romance first, with a mystery to hang it on. I enjoyed the book very much. Carter is a new author to me and I’ll check out more of her work. I gave this 5 stars.

Thyme of Death by Susan Wittig Albert 1992

I picked this book off the freebie shelf at our library and I’m glad I did. The main character is an ex-lawyer who gave up her practice to open an herb shop in a small Texas town where she solves mysteries with the help of a few friends. Obviously this is an older book (1992!) but it holds up well. I liked the characters and the mystery is well done. I will definitely read more of these as their is a whole series. I gave Thyme 5 stars.

The Blonde Identity by Ally Carter 2023

I would call this a Thriller Romance. A woman wakes up in Paris street during a blizzard with amnesia and her life goes downhill from there. She hooks up with a handsome spy and they spend all their time running from the bad guys. Fast paced and fun with a growing romance thrown in. I enjoyed the first book I read of Ally’s more, but I still gave this 4.5 stars.

By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie 1968 The title comes from Act IV, Scene I of Shakespeare’s MacBeth, spoken by the second witch.

“By the pricking of my thumbs

Something wicked this way comes”

This is a Tommy and Tuppence story, with the pair in middle-age. Tuppence becomes obsessed with finding a house in a painting, sure she has seen it before. Her search uncovers secrets that nearly get her killed. The critics felt Agatha could have done better with this. Even though dated, I appreciate the way Agatha tied several plot lines together. I rated this 4 stars.

Harvard Magazine Jan/Feb 2025 issue “Caring for the Caregivers” by Lidialyle Gibson

There are a couple articles in this issue that caught my attention. The first concerns the cost of looking after loved ones with dementia. This hit close to home. Nearly everyone I know has a family member with dementia. The emotional and financial cost to the caregivers is staggering. Thankfully, there are agencies looking for ways to help.

Harvard Magazine Jan/Feb 2025 “The Immunity Engineer” by Veronique Greenwood

This is the stuff of science fiction. Teaching T-cells to kill cancer and other biomedical feats, including new ways to seal wounds, staunch bleeding, and deliver drugs. There are some truly innovative minds out there looking for ways to help our bodies with whatever ails us.

Katherine Center. Okay, this is a little different. Instead of a book title, I’m giving you an author’s name because I read five of her books last month and enjoyed every one. Center is a new-to-me author and obviously I love her because–hey–I read FIVE of her books in two week’s time. Center writes romance, but what makes her special is that she puts her female characters in tough situations and then immerses the reader in those situations. Her research makes the plot lines believable and interesting. I think one of the things that hooked me is that the character growth carries more weight than the romance, although she gives us a Happily Ever After in each story. I highly recommend her. 5 stars.