This month’s bookshelf is brimming with intrigue and imagination. From a pawnshop that trades in regrets to the unravelling of an ancient Egyptian curse tied to a stolen artefact, these stories promise to captivate.
Plus, there’s romance and chaos as two stranded wedding guests race against time to make it to the altar. Here’s a peek at eight must-read books to dive into this January.
Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Hidden in Tokyo is a magical pawnshop for those who want to trade their regrets and make amends with their life choices. But not everyone can find this place. Most people just see it as a typical ramen restaurant. Hana Ishikawa’s first day as the pawnshop’s new owner gets off to a bad start when she finds out the shop has been ransacked and their most precious item has been stolen. And her father has gone missing. A stranger wanders into the shop and offers to help, unlike all the other customers who come for a favour. Together they journey through an ethereal world of rain puddles, paper cranes and a night market in the clouds.
Playworld by Adam Ross
Set in the 1980s, Griffin Hurt is a 14-year-old who has his hands full juggling his role on a hit TV show and his life as a high school boy. His wrestling coach’s demands are becoming too much for him, and the therapist that he shares with his father, mother and brother isn’t helping. A friend of his parents is more than willing to lend an ear but has a hidden agenda.
The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis
In 1936, young anthropology student Charlotte Cross is chosen to be part of an archaeological dig team in Egypt. There she makes an important discovery related to the pharaoh, but tragedy strikes leaving Charlotte to cope with a devastating loss. In 1978, Charlotte is now an associated curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Meanwhile Annie Jenkins is eager to start her job as the assistant of an iconic fashion editor as they prepare for the highly anticipated Met Gala, hosted at the museum. Consumed with her research, Charlotte wants nothing to do with the gala but when a valuable artefact goes missing, Charlotte has to team up with Annie to find the missing relic. That means going back to Egypt, the one place she swore she’d never return to.
Head Cases by John McMahon
FBI Agent Gardner Camden is a natural when it comes to solving puzzles. As a member of the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) Unit, Gardner works with a team of brilliant minds to work on cases that no one else can solve. When a serial killer is found murdered, the team springs into action investigating a trail of clues and riddles left behind by the culprit. The murderer is targeting serial killers and knows more about the FBI than anyone should.
Gardner works alongside his team members: a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader who’s a career agent to track down the culprit.
Wedding Dashers by Heather McBreen
Ada used to be close to her sister until they had a fight. Now her sister is about to get married all the way in Ireland and despite their strained relationship, Ada is determined to be there for her sister. Being broke, she barely manages to get a ticket on a budget airline. When her flight is cancelled, Ada finds herself stuck in London and bumps into Jack who’s headed to the same wedding. He’s also the best man. With flat tyres, missed trains and suspect hostels along their journey, Ada and Jack will do whatever it takes to get to the wedding on time.
Realm of Ice and Sky by Buddy Levy
This book chronicles the daring attempts of exploring the North Pole via airship in the early 20th Century. Among the brave adventurers was Walter Wellman who, despite his failure, paved the way for airship aviation in the North Pole. Another explorer Roald Amundsen picked up where Walter Wellman left off and found more success with his exploration. But this led to discourse with Umberto Nobile, the engineer who designed the very airship that Amundsen was on, who also embarked on a journey which took a disastrous turn.
The Enigma Girl by Henry Porter
An agent of the Security Service, Slim Parsons’s recent assignment goes horribly wrong and she’s been in hiding since then. To her surprise, she’s given a task to infiltrate a news website that has access to confidential information, posing as a journalist. She accepts the assignment on condition that the Security Service helps look for her missing brother. The threats from her previous and current missions begin to overlap, together with brother’s disappearance and her mother’s ailing health.
The Crash by Freida McFadden
Eight months pregnant and barely holding it together, Tegan decides to visit her brother while she figures out what to do next. But the weather soon turns into a blizzard and her car breaks down, leaving her in the middle of nowhere until she’s rescued by a couple. With her ankle broken and no other options, Tegan agrees to stay in their cabin for the time being. But the longer she stays, the more uneasy she feels. – Aqilah Rahman
