As the cold winter weather continues to take its toll, I’m grateful to be able to stay warm and safe in my home with my husband. While I feel for those who have been affected by the icy conditions, I’m looking forward to some cozy reading this month!

The Haunting Season: Ghostly Tales for Long Winter Nights is a perfect fit for the season. This collection of short stories set in the winter, some at Christmas, are all about ghosts and haunted places. I’ve read four of the stories so far and they’ve been quite enjoyable and have given me a few chills.

I’m also reading The Blue Window by Suzanne Berne, a recent fiction release about a woman trying to connect with her young adult son and her estranged mother. The first couple of chapters were a bit slow, but I’m glad I kept going because I’m now intrigued by the grandmother.

Two other books I’m reading are The Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli and Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney. Both are new to me authors, but I’ve heard a lot about them so it’s great to finally get to read their work. I’m about 70 pages into each book and they’re interesting, but they haven’t quite wowed me yet.

I’m also keeping myself company with some poetry. I’m reading Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light by Joy Harjo, which is a collection of her poems since the beginning of her writing career. There’s a beautiful rhythm to her lines that makes you feel as if you’re chanting when you read them aloud. I’m also reading A Happy Poem to End Every Day, and my favorite poem from January was Travel by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I think I need to get a collection of her poems because I’ve read a few and I just adore them.

I’m not close to finishing any of these books yet, but I’m sure I’ll be adding a new book soon as it’s the February mystery selection for my book group.

I hope you all have a cozy and warm weekend filled with good reads!