Twice a year I peruse the descriptions and publishers’ notes for new releases to find the books I’m most excited to read. If you have stumbled across my website, I hope we have some of the same tastes in books, and you will also find something in this list to read this winter.
While putting together this list, I realized I am becoming extremely particular about what I want to spend my time reading….when I finish a book I love, I want to pick up a book I’m going to love just as much; I don’t have time (who does??) to read bad books or books that are just not for me. So all of these books below offered me that hope.
Publishers notes are in block quotes. You can click on the titles or images to purchase from Amazon or just find out more before purchasing from your local bookseller or borrowing from your local library. (Even though I am obviously an Amazon affiliate I also support both these institutions).
I will update this post with new links as I read through this list like I did for my summer reading list. Or go straight to my favorite books of the summer.
Happy winter reading and please let me know which ones interest you and if you end up loving any of these books!
A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts
The riveting novel of iron-willed Alva Vanderbilt and her illustrious family as they rule Gilded-Age New York, from the New York Times bestselling author of Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald.
This reminds me of two other books I’ve loved this year, one about FScott and his mistress and the next one on this list.
A captivating novel following the exploits of Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy, the forgotten and rebellious daughter of one of America’s greatest political dynasties.
I can already attest to how great this book is; see my previous post here.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis
In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren’t meant to have a voice—and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn’t know they had. At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer’s life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story—a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all.
From the author of Our Endless Numbered Days and Swimming Lessons, Bitter Orange is a seductive psychological portrait, a keyhole into the dangers of longing and how far a woman might go to escape her past.
I am limiting the “disturbing” books aka psychological thrillers on my list this season but here’s at least one that seems like it will be…
“One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.”
Sometimes I just feel like reading something light and romantic!
In the romantic tradition of The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks returns with a story about a chance encounter that becomes a touchstone for two vastly different individuals — transcending decades, continents, and the bittersweet workings of fate.
Not surprisingly this is already topping the bestsellers list thanks to being by the same author of The Notebook, which honestly I never read, but I think I will try this one.
The Dream Daughter is a rich, genre-spanning, breathtaking novel about one mother’s quest to save her child, unite her family, and believe in the unbelievable. Diane Chamberlain pushes the boundaries of faith and science to deliver a novel that you will never forget.
The first novel in ten years from award-winning, million-copy bestselling author Leif Enger, Virgil Wander is an enchanting and timeless all-American story that follows the inhabitants of a small Midwestern town in their quest to revive its flagging heart.
Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, a spellbindingly suspenseful novel set in the moneyed world of the Hamptons, about secrets that refuse to remain buried and consequences that can’t be escaped.
“Inspired by Rebecca” is what caught my attention here.
Another book I read this summer I called a throwback to Rebecca.
UPDATE: My post on this new book is here.
“Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever.”
I’m ending my list with a book that seems to encompass everything I attempt to promote with this website.
UPDATE: My post on this book is here.
Please know that these links are affiliate links and if you make a purchase using these links you will not pay any extra but I will make a small commission. Thank you for reading and supporting Leslie’s Bookcase.
If you know someone who would enjoy this list please forward it on. Happy reading, Leslie