The following review was published or updated in several Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia newspapers and magazines in November and December 2024:

Booking a full year of reading

Review by Tom Mayer

If only us readers could just spend our days … reading. What would a year look like? Here, the editors of Home for the Holidays present their yearlong list of books, culled from the past 12 months of reading and reviewing. A few of the titles you’ll immediately recognize, and you’ll likely have more than few in your own library. But just in case you missed a title or two, we’re showcasing the whole year’s worth of books that we’ve read and reviewed, month by month.

Except for the first title, the list is simply a list. To find the reviews of many of these titles, visit our newspaper parent, The (Athens) News Courier at enewscourier.com — with a slight caveat. Our newspaper webmasters are currently working overtime to improve our content management system, the foundation of any website, and while many of our archives are now found there, it may be a few weeks before everything is fully re-uploaded — including the most recent editions of Limestone Life and Home for the Holidays. For now, though, enjoy our literary stroll through 2024.

And about that first title: Not every college professor can make statistical analysis approachable, let along interesting to their students and the general population, but Athens State University emeritus professor of psychology Mark Durm is not every college professor. After spending nearly five decades teaching thousands of students, the “ol’ psychology professor” decided that he’d best get around to writing the one book out of his nearly 100 published pieces that’s he always wanted to write. Call it a legacy piece, but what it really is is a “best of” Durm’s peer-reviewed, book reviews, non-peer reviewed and magazine articles from his 47 years in higher education.

The result is “Professional Publications of an Ol’ Psychology Professor” (Dorrance) with full previously published articles ranging from studies on the effects of glasses on a child’s self-esteem to his ever-popular parapsychology pieces, Durm presents his internationally recognized efforts with a twist.

“It’s a different kind of book because it doesn’t talk about the research, it presents the research,” the professor says from his second-career office at Durm Properties in Athens, about a half-mile from where he first presented that research in person. “I’ve spent hours on all of these articles, especially in the peer-reviewed journal articles.”

And so, articles on divorce, sex, religion and other topics now populate the pages of Durm’s most recent book in an effort to both continue his teaching and satisfy what has been a lifelong wonderment.

“You know, most people don’t understand statistics, so it’s all in there,” Durm said. “What I’m trying to do is a more critical approach to ‘just don’t believe everything you’re told.’ … It’s things that were in my life that I wanted to see if they were so, by using a psychological analysis.”

And like any good professor, Durm didn’t do that research on his own — or take all of the credit. Among the co-authors of many of his articles in the book were students — many of who he’s lost touch with, but all of whom who he credits by name in his acknowledgements and for each of who, if they look up their ol’ mentor, he has a signed book ready to hand over. For the rest of us, you can find the book at any online bookseller — just as you can with the remainder of our list, presented by the month in which the book was published, read and reviewed.

JANUARY

Unbound (Blackstone) by Christy Healy NG/F

The Devil’s Daughter by Gordon Greisman NG/ARC

FEBRUARY

Almost Surely Dead (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar NG

The Chaos Agent (Gray Man 13) (Berkley) by Mark Greaney NG

The Lady in Glass and Other Stories (Ace) by Anne Bishop ARC

A Haunting in the Arctic (Berkley paperback) by C.J. Cooke NG

Ghost Island (Berkley) by Max Seeck

MARCH

Hello, Alabama (Arcadia) by Martha Day Zschock

The Unquiet Bones (Montlake) by Loreth Anne White

I am Rome: A novel of Julius Caesar (Ballantine Books by Santiago PosteguilloMarch 5: Murder Road (Berkley) by Simone St. James

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry (Holiday House) by Anna Rose Johnson

Ferris (Candlewick) by Kate DiCamillo

After Annie (Random House, Feb. 27) by Anna Quindlen

Crocodile Tears Didn't Cause the Flood (Montag Press) by Bradley Sides The #1 Lawyer (Little, Brown and Company) by James Patterson, Nancy Allen

Lilith (Blackstone) by Eric Rickstad

Life: My Story Through History (Harper One) by Pope Francis

APRIL

Matterhorn (Thomas & Mercer) by Christopher Reich

Friends in Napa (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Sheila Yasmin Marikar

City in Ruins (William Morrow) by Don Winslow

The House on Biscayne Bay (Berkley) by Chanel Cleeton

Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week (Peachtree) by Sarah L. Thomson

For Worse (Blackstone) by L.K. Bowen

A Killing on the Hill (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoini

The Clock Struck Murder (Poisoned Pen Press) by Betty Webb

The Book That Broke the World (Ace) by Mark Lawrence

The Forgetters (Heyday Books) by Greg Sarris

Lost to Dune Road (Thomas & Mercer) by Kara Thomas

Warrior on the Mound (Holiday House/Peachtree) by Sandra Headed

Pictures of Time (Silver Street Media) by David AlexanderBare Knuckle (Blackstone Publishing) by Stayton Bonner

Murder on Demand (Blackstone Publishing) by Al Roker

Home is Where the Bodies Are (Blackstone) by Jeneva Rose

MAY

Matterhorn by Christopher Reich

The Hunter's Daughter (Berkley) by Nicola Solvinic

The House That Horror Built (Berkley) by Christina Henry

In our stars (Berkley) by Jack Campbell

Freeset (book 2) (Blackstone) by Sarina Dahlan

Southern Man (William Morrow) by Greg Iles

Camino Ghosts (Doubleday) by John Grisham

JUNE

Specter of Betrayal by Rick DeStefanis

Lake County (Thomas & Mercer) by Lori Roy

Serendipity (Dutton) by Becky Chalsen

Shelterwood (Ballantine) by Lisa Wingate

The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra’s Needle (Holiday House) by Dan Gutman

Jackpot (Penguin) by Elysa Friedland

The Helper (Blackstone) by M.M. Dewil

Winter Lost (Ace) by Patricia Briggs

Shadow Heart (Blackstone) by Meg Gardiner

Lake Country (Thomas & Mercer) by Lori Roy

The Out-of-Town Lawyer (Blackstone) by Robert Rotten

Love Letter to a Serial Killer (Berkley) by Tasha Coryell

Sentinel Berkley) by Mark Greaney

JULY

Three Kings: Race, Class, and the Barrier-Breaking Rivals Who Redefined Sports and Launched the Modern Olympic Age (Blackstone) by Todd Balf

The Night Ends with Fire (Berkley) by K.X. Song

Echo Road (Montlake) by Melinda Leigh

It’s Elementary (Berkley) by Elise Bryant

You Shouldn’t Be Here (Thomas & Mercer) by Lauren Thoman

Back In Black (Blackstone) edited by Don Bruns

The Recruiter (Blackstone) by Gregg Podolski

AUGUST

You Shouldn’t Be Here (Thomas & Mercer) by Lauren Thoman ARC

Not What She Seems (Thomas & Mercer) by Yasmin Angoe NG

Fatal Intrusion by Jeff Deaver/Isabella Maldonado

Death at Morning House (HARPERTeen) by Maureen Johnson

Fire and Bones (Scribner) by Kathy Reichs

Some Nightmares Are Real (University of Alabama Press) by Kelly Kazoo

The Brothers Kenny (Blackstone) by Adam Mitzner

Blind to Midnight (Blackstone) by Reed Farrel Coleman

The Wayside (Blackstone) by Carolina Wolff

Enemy of the State (Blackstone) by Robert Smartwood

You Will Never Be Me (Berkley) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice (W.W. Norton) by Adam Kirsch

We Love the Nightlife (Berkley) by Rachel Koller Croft

Talking To Strangers (Berkley) by Fiona Barton

An Honorable Assassin (Blackstone) by Steve Hamilton possible interview see email

Dungeon Crawler Carl (1 of 6 but see next two months) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

SEPTEMBER

Fatal Intrusion (Thomas & Mercer) by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

When They Last Saw Her (Penguin) by Marcie Rendon

American Ghoul (Blackstone) by Michelle McGill-Vargas

First Do No Harm (Blackstone) by Steve Hamilton

A Quiet Life: A Novel (Arcade) by William Cooper and Michael McKinley

One More From the Top (Mariner) by Emily Layden

No Address (Forefront Books) by Ken Abraham.

Tiger’s Tale (Blackstone) by Colleen Houck

An Academy for Liars (Ace) by Alexis Henderson

Rewitched (Berkley) by Lucy Jane Wood

Gaslight (Blackstone) by Sara Shepard and Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

Counting Miracles (Random House) by Nicholas Sparks

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society (Ace) by C.M. Waggoner

The Hitchcock Hotel (Berkley) by Stephanie Wrobel

In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (2 of 6 see next month also) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

OCTOBER

The Hushed (Blackstone) by K.R. Blair NG

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer (Berkley) by Maxie Dara

On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice (Norton) by WSJ Weekend review editor Adam Kirsch

Framed (Doubleday) by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey

This Cursed House (Penguin) by Del Sandeen

The Puzzle Box (Random House) by Danielle Trussoni

Two Good Men (Blackstone) by S.E. Redfearn

Dark Space (Blackstone) by Rob Hart and Alex Segura

This Cursed House (Berkley’s open submission)by Del Sandeen

Vindicating Trump (Regnery) by Dinesh D’Souza

The Book of Witching (Berkley) by C.J. Cooke

The World Walk (Skyhorse) by Tom Turcich

The Waiting Game by Michael Connelly  ARC, possible interview see email

Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoni

Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (3 of 6, with bonus material) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

Frozen Lives (Blackstone) by Jennifer Graeser Fronbush NG

Vincent, Starry Starry Night (Meteor 17 Books) intro by Don McLean

Paris in Winter: An Illustrated Memoir (PowerHouse Books) by David Coggins

NOVEMBER

The Waiting (Little, Brown) by Michael Connelly

The Teller of Small Fortunes (Penguin) by Julie Long

Shadow Lab (Blackstone) by Brendan Deneen

Trial by Ambush (Thomas & Mercer) by Marcia Clark

Devil Take It (Heresy Press) by Daniel Debs Nossiter

SerVant of Earth (Ace) by Sarah Hawley

All the other me (Blackstone) by Jody Holford

The Perfect Marriage (Blackstone reissue re-edit) by Jenny Rose

DECEMBER

Trial By Ambush (Thomas & Mercer) by Marcia Clark

The Close-Up (Gallery Books) by Pip Drysdale

The Silent Watcher (Thomas & Mercer) by Victor Methos

Leviathan (Lividian Trade HC) by Robert McCammon

The Silent Watcher (Thomas & Mercer) by Victor Method

Assume Nothing (Thomas & Mercer) by Joshua Corin

One example link:
https://enewscourier.com/2024/11/29/in-review-booking-a-full-year-of-reading/

This was such a unique, intriguing read with a slow burn romance and a twist that I never saw coming. It takes a bit to get into it because Eerie is a very closed of narrator, even in her own head, and the premise is so unique that it takes time to learn the rules of this world, but once it gets going you won't be able to put it down. History, dark magic, political intrigue and rebellion, a love story, and learning to forgive ourselves and others.

I cannot wait for the next book - while parts of this felt like full resolutions to smaller plots, the door was blown off the hinges for what could come next.

Imagine a world where, when you die, all your deepest, darkest secrets become manifest in the form of a person who mystically appears at the moment of your death. That’s the intriguing premise of The Hushed, a novel which takes its title from the name given to these supernatural creatures treated by most of humanity as shameful aberrations.

In appearance, the Hushed look like any ordinary human being. They always appear as adults and never seem to age. But a terrible compulsion drives each of them, even the ones trying to blend in with mortal society:

QUOTE
She smiled too much. Tucked the dark hair behind her ear and tilted her head, like if she tried hard enough, the world would forget she wasn’t human. But I knew that underneath all her warmth, it had already started. She wanted to tell. To utter the words that would erase her from the world. We’re secrets wound into human skin, after all. Telling secrets is what we were created to do. Once the thought starts, it grows. A sickness of syllables that plants an itch somewhere deep in the chest. From the tightness on her face, I could see that the sentence was starting to spin together like a ball of sparks in her mouth.
END QUOTE

Once a Hushed tells their secret to the person it affects the most – commonly referred to as their Wounded – the Hushed dies. Given that relatively few Hushed are suicidal, and that most humans would rather not hear the secrets that could upend their entire lives, you’d think that they’d work up a happy medium to keep Hushed and Wounded away from one another. Instead, most of humanity has adopted a grudging tolerance to the Hushed, registering them through a program called the Internment in an effort to provide them with basic humanitarian needs, even as an extreme faction calling themselves Gravediggers calls for their extermination.

Eerie Ashwood is a Hushed who’s trying to keep a low profile while attending community college classes and working at a small town diner. Unlike most Hushed, neither she nor her brother Fabian knows what their secrets are. All they know is that their secrets have something to do with nearby Ironbark Prison, where they both came to life one terrible night three years ago.

Fabian wants to figure out what his secret is so he can grapple with it head on, whereas Eerie wants to take the first chance she can get to spirit them far, far away from anyone who might trigger their deaths. But everything changes when she meets Logan Winsteade, the rebellious son of one of the prisoners who died at Ironbark on the night that birthed her. Their attraction is instant and, at least on her end, unwanted. Relationships between Hushed and humans are doomed to failure, even without the constant threat of lynch mobs looming over Eerie and her small community of fellow Hushed:

QUOTE
The sound of the chant wafted in, and Officer Waybourne finally turned, like it just dawned on her that she might be in danger too.

Eva and Seph ran down the stairs, rucksacks over their shoulders. Eva shoved past Officer Waybourne, and Seph and I followed. I handed Seph the bag I’d packed.

The chat sounded like a roar coming up the street. Once we cleared the high hedges at the end of the driveway, my heart clenched in my throat.

I’d thought there were a dozen, but there were at least fifty, with Jason Bell learning the group. I saw the hatred in his eyes, the rage etched on his features as he shouted the words. No deed nor look should crawl back up and sure as hell should never talk.
END QUOTE

As Eerie tries to survive both murderous humans and the possibility of finding the secret that could undo her entirely, she’ll have to contend with an ancient organization of Hushed who are determined to meet humanity’s violence with their own. Will she be able to protect both Fabian and Logan from the forces that imperil them, or will she be compelled to choose between her family and the man she’s growing to love?

I always enjoy reading about entirely original paranormal creations, and the Hushed are by far the most unique I’ve encountered in a while. This fast-paced urban fantasy novel raises interesting questions about guilt, culpability and how we treat minorities. Twists abound but there’s still plenty of room for more world-building and answered questions as this novel sets up for what’s sure to be an explosive sequel.

This book is absolutely fantastic. The mechanic behind the Hushed explores the universal human experience of wanting to be fully known and yet terrified of the consequences in a unique way. The writing is beautiful, the characters memorable and relatable (I will fight anyone who comes for Reed), and the plot is twisty. It feels cozy and thrilling all at the same time. If I could give a 10/10 I would, 5/5 will have to suffice. I can’t wait to read more!

The Hushed is such a fun and different premise: it's basically some kind of cabbage patch teens/adults who pop up whenever someone dies with a big ol' secret. And the Hushed's role is to... well, I don't know if they're supposed to tell or keep the secret, but if they let it slip, they vanish back into Xavier's Cabbage Patch or whatever. Problem is, they feel a pull to tell their secret, so... they often don't have long and prosperous "lives". I really enjoyed the main crux of the story, with Eerie's found Hushed family, the whole dynamic of being a Hushed, and of course, what secrets may lurk! And adding to the fun, Eerie does not feel the pull of her secret, because guess what? Our girl has no idea what it is! I loved that- added another fun layer to the Hushed lore and Eerie's story.

I had a few minor qualms, and they're as follows: One, the storytelling was sometimes nonlinear, which is usually not a problem for me. But sometimes, Eerie would tell things like we were supposed to know (we didn't), and then reveal the thing, like five pages later. Which admittedly was a little confusing. Then there are some "past dreamworld" parts and those I didn't super love either. Neither of these are dealbreakers, as I really dug the rest of the story, but worth mentioning.

So the characters were a win, and the plot was very engaging, especially all the contemporary current era stuff. The atmosphere was also incredibly on point, and the treatment of the Hushed folks provided a lot of very relevant real world commentary. Seems like this is meant to be a series, and I for one will definitely be picking up the next installment!

Bottom Line: High stakes not just for the Hushed, this book was atmospheric and full of secrets and a definite win for me!

This novel was difficult to follow. I was confused a number of times. While it became interesting it fell flat for me. I did not feel a thrill. It is not a convenientonal paranormal plot and I think that is a reach to label it as so. It may be for some but it was just not for me.

I enjoyed the unique concept of a person dying and their secrets materializing in the form of human-like beings called The Hushed. The Hushed feel the pull to disclose their secret to the living person it affects. The problem is if they confess said secret they will immediately die. The plotting kept me glued to the page with a great cast of characters led by Eerie Ashwood. I'm guessing from the unresolved issues by the end that there will be a second book and I'm eager to find out what will happen next.

What a unique premise and world! K. R. Blair’s latest noel, The Hushed, is a moving and atmospheric paranormal thriller combined with a forbidden romance. Eerie Ashwood attends the local community college and works part-time at a diner in Rearden Falls, North Carolina. However, she’s not a typical college student. She’s a Hushed, a living secret created by the death of a human who had something to hide. While they look human, they are compelled to tell their secret to the one that it would hurt the most. However, if the do, the Hushed will die immediately afterwards.

However, Eerie and her brother Fabian aren’t like most Hushed. They can’t remember their secrets. They just know they’re connected to a local prison fire. Everything starts changing when Eerie meets Logan Winspeare, the son of one of the inmate fire victims. But as Eerie starts remembering things, the history of the Hushed starts to play a role in the plot.

The main characters have depth and experience growth over the course of the tale making them more dynamic and relatable. Readers get to see Eerie’s near-photographic memory in action as well as feel how frightened she is. Logan is strong and believes his mother was innocent and wrongly convicted of murder. There’s a vulnerability about him that makes him feel realistic and elicits empathy. However, I wanted more character depth for the secondary characters.

The plot is multi-layered and complex with some original world-building concepts. The premise is intriguing. Additionally, the first sentence grabs your attention and the story line keeps you engaged. The narrative gives insight into how people who are different are often bullied, segregated, and treated badly, even if there are laws protecting them. Being afraid of someone different leads to different actions from the tertiary characters.

The story is somewhat strange, twisty and atmospheric, as well as filled with suspense, danger, and action. It’s heartbreaking at times, and riveting throughout. However, the pacing felt off at times and the ending was a little too abrupt. Threads of fear, power, panic, hatred, trust, love, friendship, complex relationships, and found family run throughout the novel.

Overall, this was an intense, engaging, and emotional paranormal thriller with a science fiction vibe that was filled with surprises and twists. If you enjoy original thrillers, then I recommend that you check out this one. I am looking forward to finding out this author writes next. Will there be a sequel?

Blackstone Publishing and K. R, Blair provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for October 01, 2024. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Please do not think that this is in any way similar to A Flicker in the Dark. This is a strange story that is basically YA and very likely the start of a series about The Hushed.

The Hushed are a group of people who are created by the death of someone with a secret. The Hushed look like humans and live day to day lives, however, they know if they spill the secret, they will die instantly.

Eerie and Fabian do not remember their secrets, they just know they are somehow connected to Ironbark Prison and it's infamous fire. Eerie meets and falls for Logan, who is the son of one of the victims of the fire and who is also searching for the truth.

While she grows closer to Logan and to her secret, Eerie realizes that The Hushed are part of something greater, something older, something more sinister. And the truth just might kill her.
---
This needs some work. It's fairly juvenile and I found myself slogging to finish.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book

First off, thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was okay overall-nothing terrible, but nothing extraordinary either. Although it’s marketed as a paranormal thriller, I would categorize it more as science fiction due to its unconventional elements. I enjoyed the story, but I often found it challenging to follow. The Hushed is my first book by this author, and while it didn’t quite hit the mark for me, I’m still interested in exploring more of their work. I would definitely give the author another chance with a different book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a good book. I liked the story behind it. It was hard to follow along with and there were so many typos that it was hard to get through. I do feel that it should have been labeled as a ya fiction rather than it be labeled as adult because it did feel pretty juvenile in the writing.

I was so excited when I was approved for The Hushed! I ended up enjoying it but did find it a bit confusing and hard to follow at times.

The Hushed are a group of people who harbor a secret(s) of the human’s body they possess. They are pulled to share that secret, and if they share that secret with someone that isn’t Hushed, they immediately die. Not a lot if known about the Hushed and like many things - when they’re unknown, people fear them. The Government creates a federal group (The Internment) to track the Hushed. Being a tracked Hushed means you get free education, a job, and a place to live (with other Hushed), but it also means you are fundamentally advertising that you are Hushed.

eerie finds herself escaped from a burned down prison, as a Hushed. She has been battered and bruised by her escape and Fabian (who she now refers to as her brother), saves her. The two cross country on small change and luck, meeting others like them in their travels.

When they’ve settled down in a home with other Hushed, eerie and Rory are headed to work at the diner one morning and get pulled over by a police officer who is anti-Hushed. It’s a freezing cold morning and the officer has the girls out of the car and against the fence. A human passerby, Logan, intervenes, and everyone ends up in lockup at the local police facility. eerie is upset with Logan for intervening, but doesn’t know what might of transpired if he had not. No charges are filed and everyone is let go.

eerie and Logan cross paths a few more times in town and the two start to develop a friendly relationship. However, eerie quickly puts together that she was in prison with Logan’s mother, and he is investigating her death.

Will Logan’s investigation of Madeline’s death reveal some of eerie’s secrets or will eerie learn more about her past during Logan’s investigation?

This definitely should be labeled as science fiction. It was really out there and pretty hard to follow along with.