Reading Ahead: January 2013, part 5

Anyone else ready to hang up the holiday craziness already, and just settle in with a good book for some down time?  I know I am, although, I'm always ready for some quiet time and great reading material.  Here is the last of next month's list of big titles, with a bit of something for everyone. 

A Memory of Light, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

Battle of Kings, by M.K. Hume

Dream Eyes, by Jayne Ann Krentz

News from Heaven: The Bakerton Stories, by Jennifer Haigh

Until the End of Time, by Danielle Steel

Easter Bunny Murder, by Leslie Meier

Robert Jordan has been gone for five years, but his legacy of The Wheel of Time series lives on.  A Memory of Light, written by Brandon Sanderson using Jordan's notes, is the final installment of the series, and fans will most definitely want to check it out.  

Now, if you're a fan of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones who watched the show before starting the books), you may be in the winter doldrums, waiting for season three of the series (03/31/13, by the way) and, longer still, the next book (to be titled The Winds of Winter, tentatively slated for release in...2015.  I hate waiting.).  Looking for something in a similar vein to fill the void?  M.K. Hume's Battle of Kings has been getting rave reviews.  I know I've got it on my reading list.

Finally, News from Heaven, by Jennifer Haigh.   Volumes of interconnected short stories are becoming more popular lately, and this is a must-read for fans of Haigh's 2005 novel, Baker Towers.  Haven't read it yet?  Get on that.  I'll wait.

Done?  Excellent.  News from Heaven picks up the threads of several characters readers met in Baker Towers, following how one's roots affect how we grow, the constant ties to home, and the desires to both escape and remain connected. 

I'll be back after the first of the year to talk about new books, what I've been reading, and take a look at the last year's reading challenge.  Wishing all of you happy and healthy holidays, and as always, Happy Reading.

(Note: Edited to update the last three title links to reflect entries in the library's catalog.)