My 3 Most Anticipated Books For Winter
It's cozy season.
Over the last week, I’ve been reading the mystery/thriller The Puzzle Box by Danielle Trussoni, mostly because it’s set in Japan, it’s a fresh take on a propulsive-style Davinci Code story, and I wanted to read something in a completely different genre. (It’s really great, both the book and reading out of genre!)
There’s no shortage of great books to tackle in the New Year though, and I cannot WAIT for a few I’ve been waiting for. Fiona Davis (The Lions of Fifth Avenue), Patti Callahan Henry (The Secret Book of Flora Lea) and Christina Clancy (The Second Home) are all releasing new novels in the next few months. I have advanced copies of two of the three, and I have both stacked on my nightstand ready to grab next. I just have to finish The Puzzle Box.
The Stolen Queen
by Fiona Davis
30 Second Summary: Set in New York and Egypt, the dual timeline story is about Charlotte, who lands an exclusive spot on an architectural dig in the Valley of the Kings in 1936, and Annie, a 19-year-old intern for legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland who is planning the Met Gala in 1978. When one of the Met’s precious artifacts go missing in the latter timeline, Charlotte (now a curator at the museum) and Annie team up to find it and “a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt.”
What I’m Most Excited For: The scenery and time period. Take me away to Egypt in the 30s.
What Fiona Does Best: I love her characters because you always find yourself rooting for them. I’m already excited to get to know Charlotte and Annie!
Release Date: January 7, 2025
The Story She Left Behind
by Patti Callahan Henry
30 Second Summary: The book begins with 8-year-old Clara who loses her mother, Bronwyn, mysteriously off the coast of South Carolina in 1927. Her mother wasn’t just anyone either; she invented a secret language and wrote a landmark book using it, but her fame matters little to Clara who longs for her mother. Fast forward to 1952 when Clara is a mother herself (and an illustrator) who is visited by someone who claims he has a handwritten copy of her mother’s lost language. Intrigued but disbelieving, Clara sails with her daughter Winnie to England to investigate, just as the Great Smog descends on London. When they escape to the Lake District, Clara is forced to face the story her mother left behind.
What I’m Most Excited For: A story that echoes my 2022 favorite novel The Secret Book of Flora Lea but is entirely unique.
What Patti Does Best: The emotional connection between her characters — I find myself wrapped up in their relationships as much as I do the plot and storyline.
Release Date: March 18, 2025
The Snowbirds
by Christina Clancy
30 Second Summary: Kim and Grant have hit midlife in their marriage, and with their twin girls grown and gone, they’re faced with a question. What do we do next? After the college where Grant teaches philosophy is shuttered, they decide to escape the cold of a midwestern winter and move to sunny and glamorous Palm Springs. A perfect antidote, or is it? When they arrive, Kim slips into a new life and begins to reinvent herself while Grant falters in an unfamiliar landscape. When he goes missing on a solo hike, Kim is forced to “to consider two terrifying outcomes: either Grant is truly lost, or this time, he’s really left her.”
What I’m Most Excited For: A book that examines marriage at midlife while also explores the complication (and beauty) of longterm love.
What Christina Does Best: I was obsessed with Christina’s debut novel The Second Home because she’s so adept at writing quiet tender moments. I’ll never forget the characters in that book, and it’s because there is literally heart on every page. I expect it will be the same in this novel!
Release Date: February 4, 2025
HBD! Can't wait to celebrate with you on Nantucket this weekend!
Happy Birthday, Brooke! Enjoy Nantucket!