THE SECRET OF SECRETS by Dan Brown

It’s no secret that I am a huge Dan Brown fan. I can vividly remember reading The Da Vinci Code in2003, skipping plans and staying up all night in my college apartment to finish it. Brown is back with his first novel in eight years, and it is a mind-blowing tour de force set in the mystical city of Prague. If you read one thriller this year, make it this one. It’s all about consciousness, and I for one was riveted by the extensive research, real-life experiments, places and mystery—plus the fast moving, can’t-put-it-down plot we have to come to expect and crave from Dan Brown

HEART THE LOVER by Lily King

I teased this book in the last issue, but I feel like it deserves its own separate review and recommendation. When I say fiction makes me a more empathetic and emotionally intelligent human, it’s because of novels like this one. Heart the Lover is like a warm hug and the perfect book to wrap up for a loved one this holiday. I felt so deeply for these characters as they levitated off the page and into my heart where they will now stay forever. Lily King is what I calla “writer’s writer.” She’s beloved by readers, but other writers famously appreciate her prose, stories and talents. This novel is ultimately about love in all its forms: first love, friendship and familial love. It’s best served on a cold day with a blanket and a cup of your favorite warm beverage.

WRITING CREATIVITY AND SOUL by Sue Monk Kid

The celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Book of Longings gives us an intimate look at the mysteries, struggles and triumphs of being a writer in Writing Creativity and Soul. I have always been a reader and obsessed with books since before I could even read, but the last few years I have been fascinated by a writer’s mind, their process and how they are able to craft these stories that mean so much to me. This is a memoir, a writing guide and a spiritual awakening for any writer out there, but also for the readers who adore and revere them

A SLOWLY DYING CAUSE by Elizabeth George

I have been an Elizabeth George fan for even longer than I have been a Dan Brown enthusiast, reading my first Lynley novel sometime in the ’90s. George returns with A Slowly Dying Cause, her 22nd book in the series. I love a long mystery with multiple red herrings, interesting backstory and settings, and intriguing suspects and motives—and George always delivers. After this many books, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers feel like old friends, or at least staples in my reading life. This addition to the series is truly one for the books. What these novels do best is immerse you into a community and criminal case where you work alongside the detectives to solve the crime.