30 Must-Read Books for January

Student Holding Books
Student Holding Books / Dirima/Depositphotos.com

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS, WHERE WE MAY RECEIVE A PERCENTAGE OF ANY SALE MADE FROM THE LINKS ON THIS PAGE. PRICES AND AVAILABILITY ACCURATE AS OF THE TIME OF PUBLICATION.

We’ve got 30 great ideas for January must-read books! Keep scrolling! 

1. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry 

In Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, one of television’s most beloved actors reflects on love, his struggles, and what it was like to be part of the classic sitcom FriendsOriginal Price: $29.99; Current Price: $14.00 (-53%). Get it here on Amazon!

2. The Bronte Sisters Boxed Set

Some works never go out of style! Whether for a first-time reader or a loyal fan, this four-book box set makes for a great start to the new year. Original Price: $93.00; Current Price: $62.49 (-33%). Get it here on Amazon! 

The Bronte Sisters
The Bronte Sisters / Image by Amazon

3. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover 

Colleen Hoover has dominated the bestseller lists this year. It Starts With Us, one of her most popular titles, tells the story of two past lovers whose reconnection is stalled by one of their exes. Don’t forget to pick up the book’s sequel, It Ends With Us, too! Original Price: $17.99; Current Price: $10.98 (-39%). Get it here on Amazon!

It Starts With Us
It Starts With Us / Image by Amazon

4. Fairy Tale by Stephen King

Stephen King’s long-awaited Fairy Tale follows 17-year-old Charlie as he inherits the keys to a parallel world in which good and evil are at war. Original Price: $32.50; Current Price: $16.25 (-50%). Get it here on Amazon!

5. The Boys From Biloxi by John Grisham

John Grisham’s newest legal thriller, about two sons of immigrants who find themselves on opposite sides of the law, was released in October 2022 and instantly hit the bestseller lists. Original Price: $29.95; Current Price: $14.00 (-53%). Get it here on Amazon! 

The Boys from Biloxi
The Boys from Biloxi / Image by Amazon

6. From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke

The Netflix adaptation of this tearjerker was such a hit the memoir by Tembi Locke became an overnight bestseller. In From Scratch, readers get another look at this beautiful story about love in Sicily. Original Price: $18.00; Current Price: $10.39 (-42%). Get it here on Amazon!

From Scratch
From Scratch / Image by Amazon

7. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Sapiens has spent half of 2022 on the New York Times bestseller list! At nearly 600 pages, this “brief history” explores humankind’s incredible creation and evolution.  Original Price: $24.99; Current Price: $15.50 (-38%). Get it here on Amazon!

Sapiens
Sapiens / Image by Amazon

8. Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page

Perhaps one of the most anticipated books of 2023, Pageboy is Elliot Page’s personal story of discovering himself as a trans person in the hell that is Hollywood. Original Price: $29.99; Current Price: $25.99 (-13%). Get it here on Amazon!

Pageboy: A Memoir
Pageboy: A Memoir / Image by Amazon

9. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 

This creative retelling of David Copperfield takes place in the Appalachians of the American South and was an instant bestseller upon its release in October 2022. Original Price: $32.50; Current Price: $19.90 (-39%). Get it here on Amazon!

Demon Copperhead
Demon Copperhead / Image by Amazon

10. And There Was Light by Jon Meacham

In his newest bestseller, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham chronicles the life of Abraham Lincoln. Specifically, Meacham explores how and why Lincoln chose to spearhead secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery. Original Price: $40.00; Current Price: $22.99 (-43%). Get it here on Amazon!

And There Was Light
And There Was Light / Image by Amazon

11. The Mirror & the Light (Wolf Hall #3) by Hilary Mantel

Celebrated author Hilary Mantel’s death in 2022 rekindled an interest in her award-winning Wolf Hall trilogy. In the series’ third installment, The Mirror & the Light, Thomas Cromwell continues to fight for survival in the post-Boleyn Tudor Court. Original Price: $18.00; Current Price: $20.70 (-29%). Get it here on Amazon!

The Mirror & the Light
The Mirror & the Light / Image by Amazon

12. Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Jojo Moyes, the popular author of novels like Me Before You, is releasing her newest book in February 2023. In Someone Else’s Shoes, Moyes tells the story of the globetrotting Nisha, who must learn to stand on her own two feet when her wealthy husband files for divorce.  Original Price: $29.00; Current Price: $23.99 (-17%). Get it here on Amazon!

Someone Else's Shoes
Someone Else's Shoes / Image by Amazon

13. The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments Box Set by Margaret Atwood 

You’ve watched the show, so now immerse yourself in the literary world. This beautifully presented boxed set includes Margaret Atwood’s original classic, The Handmaid’s Tale, plus the long-awaited sequel, The TestamentsOriginal Price: $32.90; Current Price: $26.49 (-19%). Get it here on Amazon!

The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale / Image by Amazon

14. Cinema Speculation by Quentin Tarantino

Celebrated filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has been talking about writing a book for years. In Cinema Speculation, published in November 2022, Tarantino finally delivers a funny, interesting report of the most iconic films of the 1970s. This book is perfect for movie lovers! Original Price: $35.00; Current Price: $21.86 (-38%). Get it here on Amazon!

Cinema Speculation
Cinema Speculation / Image by Amazon

15. The Maid: A Novel by Nita Prose

One of 2022’s most popular fiction titles, Clue-like The Maid, tells the story of Molly, a naive and lovable hotel maid who happens to walk in on a wealthy hotel guest dead in his bed. Original Price: $27.00; Current Price: $16.00 (-41%). Get it here on Amazon!

The Maid
The Maid / Image by Amazon

16. The Last Party by Clare Mackintosh

Clare Mackintosh’s DC Morgan series is bound to be the next big thing in detective mysteries! In The Last Party, Detective Morgan solves a murder that occurs near a lake on the border between England and Wales. Original Price: $27.99; Current Price: $22.99 (-18%). Get it here on Amazon!

The Last Party
The Last Party / Image by Amazon

17. Spare by Prince Harry

Spare is the book everyone is talking about, making it a must-read for 2023! Specific details are under wraps until the book’s official January 2023 release date, but we have a feeling it’s going to be royally mind-blowing. Original Price: $36.00; Current Price: $23.00 (-36%). Get it here on Amazon!

Spare
Spare / Image by Amazon

18. Never: A Novel by Ken Follett

Ken Follett is no stranger to the bestseller lists! Never, released in June 2022, is a high-stakes political thriller involving everyone from the U.S. President, to a spy working undercover with jihadists, to a brilliant Chinese spymaster. Original Price: $20.00; Current Price: $12.49 (-38%). Get it here on Amazon!

Never: A Novel
Never: A Novel / Image by Amazon

19. The Stories We Tell: Every Piece of Your Story Matters by Joanna Gaines

Joanna Gaines fans will love the insight they glean from Jo’s latest book, The Stories We Tell, in which she authentically shares her own story of growing up and becoming a force in the design world. Original Price: $31.99; Current Price: $18.48 (-42%). Get it here on Amazon!

The Stories We Tell
The Stories We Tell / Image by Amazon

20. The Terminal List by Jack Carr

If you’re watching the new The Terminal List series on Amazon Prime, you will definitely want to pick up your copy of Jack Carr’s novel that inspired the series. Original Price: $28.00; Current Price: $17.24 (-38%). Get it here on Amazon!

The Terminal List
The Terminal List / Image by Amazon

21.  The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

In The Marriage Portrait, a historical—and unputdownable—reimagining of the life and mysterious death of Lucrezia di Medici, author Maggie O’Farrell follows up on her incredibly popular previous novel, HamnetOriginal Price: $28.00; Current Price: $18.78 (-33%). Get it here on Amazon!

The Marriage Portrait
The Marriage Portrait / Image by Amazon

22. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Former child star Jennette McCurdy has caused quite the sensation with her book, I’m Glad My Mom Died, in which she recounts growing up as a pawn in Hollywood. Original Price: $27.99; Current Price: $17.28 (-38%). Get it here on Amazon!

I'm Glad My Mom Died
I'm Glad My Mom Died / Image by Amazon

23. Babel by R.F. Kuang

R.F. Kuang’s novel Babel tells the captivating story of Robin Swift, who in 1828 is sent to England to study to enroll in Oxford’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation. Original Price: $27.99; Current Price: $20.49 (-27%). Get it here on Amazon!

Babel
Babel / Image by Amazon

24. Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid 

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid seems to have the Midas Touch when it comes to writing bestsellers, and this 2022 follow-up to Malibu Rising is no exception. Original Price: $28.00; Current Price: $17.98 (-36%). Get it here on Amazon!

Carrie Soto is Back
Carrie Soto is Back / Image by Amazon

25. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Don’t go a single year more without reading Emily St. John Mandel’s stunning novel about a post-pandemic United States (no, not that pandemic), which has become the inspiration for the hit HBO series of the same name.  Original Price: $30.00; Current Price: $27.00 (-10%). Get it here on Amazon!

Station Eleven
Station Eleven / Image by Amazon

26. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

In terms of celebrity memoirs, Greenlights is one of the best, with more than 60,000 five-star Amazon reviews. In this bestselling book, actor Matthew McConaughey discusses growing up, acting in Hollywood, and the mystery of life. Original Price: $30.00; Current Price: $15.00 (-50%). Get it here on Amazon!

Greenlights
Greenlights / Image by Amazon

27. Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

Amor Towles became a household name upon the success of his beautiful novel A Gentleman in Moscow. His follow-up novel, Lincoln Highway, has been just as celebrated! Original Price: $30.00; Current Price: $16.94 (-44%). Get it here on Amazon! $16.3

The Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway / Image by Amazon

28. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Author Emily Henry has made a solid name for herself as the Queen of Meet Cutes. But in her newest novel, Book Lovers, she takes it to a whole new level of cute!! Original Price: $27.99; Current Price: $16.99 (-37%). Get it here on Amazon!

Book Lovers
Book Lovers / Image by Amazon

29. The Sporty One: My Life as a Spice Girl by Melanie C

$18Original Price: $29.00; Current Price: $20.70 (-29%). Get it here on Amazon!

The Sporty One
The Sporty One / Image by Amazon

30. Bridgerton: 9-Book Set by Julia Quinn 

Catch up on all things Regency romance with this complete set of Bridgerton books! Original Price: $149.99; Current Price: $89.90 (-40%). Get it here on Amazon!

Bridgerton
Bridgerton / Image by Amazon

Now that you’ve caught up on the must-read books for 2023, it's time to get started on that new To Be Read list!