January Reads

January! What a lovely reading month it has been! Somehow—not sure how—I finished three audiobooks this month! What? Probably because they were so good that I couldn’t stop listening! There were other great books, too. So let’s get to them. 

I read some seriously great fiction this month. You’ll find my only non-fiction read—which the history nerd in me loved—at the bottom of this post. 

Last Light Over Galveston by Jennifer L. Wright

Oh. My. I’ve always been fascinated by the hurricane in 1900 that devastated Galveston, but this book took that to a whole new level. What a great character with a great story. This is not a historical romance, though there is a light love interest. It’s a story of survival and identity and doing the right thing. This was one of my audiobooks this month, and I kept driving places so I could listen to just one more chapter! 

All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee

This book won the Christy Award for 2025 Book of the Year. Very well deserved! Even though I figured out the twist early on, the journey was still worth it. A heartbreakingly great story. 

Julia Monroe Begins Again by Rebekah Millet

Want a rom-com with a mature heroine? This is it! Julia Monroe, widowed and an empty-nester, runs into her first love from college—the man who broke her heart. A wonderful story of finding yourself and beginning again. Another audiobook, and I loved the light Louisiana accent that brought the setting of New Orleans alive. I will definitely listen to the 2nd book in the series for the same reason! 

Hope Beyond the Waves by Heidi Chiavaroli

Wow. I could not stop reading this one. The dual-timeline story held me captive in both storylines. I always love her New England settings and the unique history there. This one involves a leper hospital on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. 

A Worthy Risk by T. Elizabeth Renich

I’m thinking this series is a true series (not connected stand-alones) because the ending wasn’t so much a wrap-up as a lead-in to another story. The story starts in England in the 1760s and moves to the Colonies. I enjoyed these characters and will definitely revisit them as things heat up and race toward the war for independence! 

Long Trail Home by Lacy Williams

The ninth and final book in Wagon Train Matches, and this says it all: I cried at the end! This one doesn’t release until the end of February, but you really need to read every book leading up to this one to get the full impact. Lacy can tell a story! (This one doesn’t release until February!

Who Touches the Mountains by Deborah Raney

Contemporary, heart-tugging romance. A gentle story set in North Carolina, but with a brief move in the story to Texas, where I found my own town—Rockwall—as a setting! Isn’t that fun? Apparently, Deb has a long-time friend who lives here, too! Deb always writes compelling characters and stories that stay with you. 

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

A middle-grade WWII story set in Iran. I had no idea the history of Iran during WWII, so it was fascinating to read about. And while it took me a little while to understand where the story was going, I loved it so much when it got there! Well deserving of its National Book Award. Can’t wait until my grandkids are old enough to read it and talk about it!

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Clearly, it’s been a very long time since I read this book (High school? College?), because I did not remember the story. At. All. I remembered Gatsby and Daisy and outlandish parties, but that was it. And there is so much more to it. Really, it’s quite a commentary on a culture of self and living only to seek to gratify your own desires. This time, I think the story will stick with me. 

The Broken Heart Ranch by Leanna Ellis

Contemporary romance set on a ranch in Texas—right up my alley! A good story and a clean romance. And the first in a series. 

And for non-fiction: 

Nobody’s Mother by Dr. Sandra Glahn

I’ve known Sandi for years, and I so appreciated this thoughtful, historic approach to some of the more challenging parts of Paul’s letters by exploring the culture of Artemis and what that meant in that day. It helped those sections of scripture make so much more sense! I listened to this one, and I’m so glad I did. The names of places and people would have tripped me up in the reading. It was so much easier to listen to them pronounced for me! And I loved hearing her story as to why she wrote the book in the first place. It puts a lot of things in context and reveals so much of her heart for the Lord and her desire to know Him and walk rightly with Him. If you are not a history nerd, the extreme details might get tedious for you. But I loved every bit of it! 

February has a high standard to live up to, but I’m confident it will. 

Have you read any of these? What did you think?