Beneath the Book Club: It’s time to choose our January read; all 3 authors are new to me.

By SARA VANDEN BERGE

Beneath the Book Club: It’s time to choose our January read and I’m super excited about all three of these books because they are written by authors that I am unfamiliar with.

They are all a little different and come with positive reviews.  

1.  Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

Editor’s pick, Best Book of the Year 2025, Reese’s Book Club pick, instant NYT bestseller, Amazon’s No. 1 Best Book of the Year 2025

WHAT GOODREADS SAYS: “A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

“Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica.

"Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants.

“Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.“Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again.

“But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets.

:As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.

“A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.”

2. Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino

4.0 on Goodreads, A Good Morning America Book Club Pick, A Good Housekeeping Book Club Pick, An ELLE Best Mystery/Thriller of 2025, A BookRiot Best Mystery/Thriller of 2025

WHAT GOODREADS SAYS: “An insanely competitive housing market. A desperate buyer on the edge.

"In Marisa Kashino’s darkly humorous debut novel, Best Offer Wins, the white picket fence becomes the ultimate symbol of success—and obsession.

"How far would you go for the house of your dreams?

“Eighteen months and 11 lost bidding wars into house-hunting in the overheated Washington, DC suburbs, 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake gets a tip about the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, slated to come up for sale in one month.

"Desperate to escape the cramped apartment she shares with her husband Ian — and in turn, get their marriage, plan to have a baby, and whole life back on track — Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house before it’s publicly listed and the masses descend (with unbeatable, all-cash offers in hand).

“A little stalking? Harmless. A bit of trespassing? Necessary.

“As Margo infiltrates the homeowners’ lives, her tactics grow increasingly unhinged—but just when she thinks she’s won them over, she hits a snag in her plan.

"Undeterred, Margo will prove again and again that there’s no boundary she won’t cross to seize the dream life she’s been chasing.

“The most unsettling part? You’ll root for her, even as you gasp in disbelief.

“Dark, biting, and laugh-out-loud funny, Best Offer Wins is a propulsive debut and a razor-sharp exploration of class, ambition, and the modern housing crisis.”

3.  The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose

4.3 on Goodreads, Goodreads choice awards nominee, a No. 1 NYT best seller, a USA Today bestseller

WHAT GOODREADS SAYS: “Till death do us part. Yours. Not Mine.

“It’s been eleven years since high-powered attorney Sarah Morgan defended her husband, Adam, against the charge of murdering his mistress. Sarah has long since moved on, starting a family with her new husband, Bob Miller, and changing careers.

“Her life is back to being exactly how she always wanted … or is it?

“After discovering Bob engaged in a one-night stand, Sarah wastes no time filing for divorce. However, amid their ugly separation, new DNA evidence is uncovered in the case against Adam, forcing the police to reopen the investigation and putting Sarah right back in the spotlight.

"Everyone wants to know what really happened, most of all former deputy Marcus Hudson, who is hell-bent on finding the truth.

“But when the woman Bob slept with is reported missing, he and Sarah start to fight dirty, and a high-stakes game of cat and mouse ensues.

"Filled with thrilling suspense and Jeneva Rose’s signature twists and turns, this book will have listeners wondering, Can Bob and Sarah achieve the perfect divorce?

"Or will it be ‘till death do us part?’”

So Beneath the Book Clubbers, which one do we want to read in January?

Vote now on the Beneath the Surface News Facebook page.

We will host our online discussion on Thursday, Jan. 29.