I read. A lot. I mostly choose fiction, and I have loved mysteries for most of my life. Here are quick reviews of the four books I read in January of 2019:

This is one of the best murder mysteries I have ever read. There are actually two different mysteries in the same book! One of the main characters is a mystery author with a style similar to Agatha Christie. You get to read his book in the middle of this modern day thriller. Either story on its own would have been great, but the two together are uncanny. Read this book! (finished January 8, 2019)

Okay, here is where I make a confession. In addition to reading books, I also listen to audiobooks. I include both in my reading lists for the year. I listened to The Wise Man’s Fear in January, the second in Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles series. I enjoy fantasy novels, but I have a hard time picking out the good from the bad. And, the titles all tend to be terrible! This series is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. The author builds a fascinating world with magic that feels so real you will be shocked it doesn’t work in our world. Start with the first book, The Name of the Wind. WORD OF WARNING: Rothfuss has not finished Book Three of this trilogy yet. You will get to the end of The Wise Man’s Fear and be very disappointed that you can’t pick up the next chapter. (finished January 9, 2019)

I don’t read many memoirs, but this one jumped out at me. Jeff Tweedy is the singer and creative force behind the band Wilco, and he was the bass player in one of my all-time favorite bands, Uncle Tupelo. Yes, he’s a rock star, but he’s also a great writer. In addition, he has been crippled by anxiety in the past, and he describes it in a way that will make many people relate. It’s also very clear he’s a huge nerd and he adores his wife and children. Even if you have never heard his music, you will like him by the end of the book. After reading it, I wanted to give him a hug and take him out for coffee. (finished January 13, 2019)

Imagine a book where four teen sleuths and their dog grow up with a hidden secret and go back to the scene of their last mystery, only to discover that the monsters were real. Now, imagine the book being written in English by an author who is not a native English speaker. That is Meddling Kids. This is the second mystery I read in January, and it was surprisingly good. The story is clever, but what made me enjoy it so much was Edgar Cantero’s writing style. He took a simple (and kind of silly) premise for a book and turned it into literature. I can’t wait for Book Two in this series! (finished January 20, 2019)