The Books I Got for Christmas

I want to start this blog by acknowledging I am very lucky to have a family who gift me books and gift cards to buy them for Christmas. I love my local library and use it frequently, but I also love collecting books (which I of course read) to own.

BOOKS I RECEIVED PHYSICALLY

1. The Road of Bones by Demi Winters (Adult Romantasy)

This novel is about Silla Nordvig who is fleeing a queen's assassin and joins a band of mercenaries known as the Bloodaxe Crew on a perilous journey along a treacherous road. I wanted this book for a couple of reasons. The first is the plot just sounds thrilling – the synopsis describes the titular road being haunted by warbands, creatures of darkness, and a mysterious murderer. Also, it’s apparently inspired by Viking fairy tales. I am a fairy tale lover and always get excited when I see that a novel is inspired by them. I also have never read a novel with a Viking inspired world before and I am perpetually on the hunt for fantasy worlds inspired by different cultures and histories.

2. Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber (Adult Urban Fantasy)

This is Garber’s debut adult fantasy novel after being a very successful YA fantasy/romantasy author. I am a big fan of her YA works – both the Caraval trilogy and its cousin trilogy Once Upon a Broken Heart. I’m always intrigued whenever a favorite YA fantasy author of mine steps into the adult fantasy realm. This book is about Holland St. James who tracks down a legendary man, the Watch Man, who tells her she’s going to die tomorrow unless she finds an ancient object known as the Alchemical Heart. I love novels that take place in the real world where there is a fantastical/magical underbelly (as a fantasy reader and writer I can only dream of such a thing). I anticipate the time limit making this novel feel high stakes and keeping me on the edge of my seat.

3. Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada (translated by Philip Gabriel) (Adult Magical Realism)

This novel takes place in a library that functions like a book museum featuring the books of deceased authors. I wasn’t aware this was a translated work when I put it on my Christmas wish list – I think I was just so charmed by the concept I didn’t pay attention to the author. I’ve only read a handful of translated works before, so I was actually enthused when I realized this. As an avid reader and all around book lover, I suspect I am going to love this novel as if such a library really did exist, I would be the first to put in my application.

4. The Marigold Cottages Murder Collective by Jo Nichols (Adult Cozy Mystery)

Every year my mom gets me a surprise book, typically a murder mystery as we’re both mystery readers. This year it was a cozy mystery about a neighborhood where an ex-con, Anthony, moves in. Shortly after his arrival, Anthony is accused of murder, but the landlady Mrs. B is convinced he’s innocent. The tenants band together to solve the murder. This kind of sounds like it will be a mystery version of a magical realism book I read a couple of years ago, Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen. I love a good cozy mystery book, and this one sound like one I’ll really enjoy. It’s probably the most excited I’ve been for one of her picks so far!

BOOKS I PRE-ORDERED WITH GIFT CARDS

1. The Knave and the Moon by Rachel Gillig (Adult Romantasy)

This is the sequel to The Knight and the Moth. This book doesn’t come out until September of 2026, but when I saw Barnes & Noble had a signed edition for pre-order, I immediately ordered it. Gillig is one of my favorite fantasy authors who I admire for her craft as a fantasy writer myself. She has a real talent for creating unique worlds that are accessible for all fantasy readers – from beginners to more experienced ones. The antagonist in this second book had a very well written arc in book 1, and so I’m anticipating how things will progress in this next book.

2. Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry (Adult Romantasy)

This is the sequel to Shield of Sparrows which is about a princess, Odessa, who is married off in an arrangement with a foreign prince. She finds herself in a land full of deadly monsters and falling for her husband’s guard, the Guardian. Odessa is one of my favorite protagonists I’ve read as she’s humble and kind but also tough and no damsel in distress. She and the Guardian have boiling hot chemistry. Despite my critiques of the world in the first book, I did think it did a good job of making the reader feel the threat the monsters posed. The ending of book 1 was a dramatic and wild cliffhanger and now I have to wait until April to find out what happens next!

3. The Velvet Knife by Maureen Johnson (YA Mystery)

This is the sixth book in the Truly Devious series. The first three books follow true crime aficionado, Stevie Bell, who is attending a remote boarding school where an unsolved kidnapping and murder took place. She solves the murder and then the following two books take place in different locations and focus on separate mysteries. As someone with a diagnosed anxiety disorder, this series was one of the first times I got to see anxiety representation that wasn’t offensive. This is also the series that made me start to fall in love with the mystery genre. It’s been four years since book five (the longest gap between books to date), so I’m extra impatient to get it into my hands upon its April release.