At The Snail on the Wall bookstore, owners Lady Smith and Christina Tabereaux know that
January reading looks different for different people: it could be curling up with a feel-good book
on a dreary day, delving into something educational, or maybe just trying something out of the
ordinary. Whatever your idea of New Year’s reading is, we have some new releases to start your year off well.
Looking For Love
If you like a cozy, feel-good story, look no further than Eddie Winston's Looking for
Love, by Marianne Cronin (December 31). You’ll be charmed by 90-year-old Eddie, a retired
professor who now spends his time working in a charity shop and caring for other people’s cast-
offs. When a young woman named Bella comes in to donate the clothes of her lost love, she and Eddie form an unlikely friendship. He encourages her to find joy in everyday life again, while she helps him realize that it is never too late to search for love. This book doesn’t just have a happy ending; it ends with a message about what happiness really means. https://snailonthewall.com/book/9780063383500
The Life of Herod The Great
A new, never-before-published book from an Alabama author Zora Neale Hurston is
reason to celebrate. The Life of Herod The Great (January 7) is a follow-up to Moses, Man of the
Mountain, which Hurston published in 1939. A decade later, in the 1950s, she penned this novel
about Herod but died before it was released. Now, we get to discover Hurston’s hidden treasure, which looks at an infamous figure from the Bible in a different light — not as a villain but rather as a philosopher and even beloved king who was more interested in peace than violence. Readers will travel back to the 1 st century BCE, encounter such historical heavyweights as Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony, and, in the end, decide how Herod should be remembered. https://snailonthewall.com/book/9780063161009
Good Dirt
Book clubs everywhere read Black Cake, the highly discussable debut novel from Charmaine Wilkerson. Now she brings us Good Dirt (January 28), another saga about family and the inescapable ties between present and past. Ebby Freeman was 10 years old when she lost her brother, along with a stoneware jar that had been handed down through generations. Eighteen years later, she attempts to leave her New England home behind and start fresh in France. But her past haunts her through that shattered jar, and she has to learn about her family inheritance in order to discover herself. https://snailonthewall.com/book/9780593358368
Presumed Guilty
If you remember reading Scott Turow’s blockbuster Presumed Innocent back in the
1980s, or you’ve recently watched a new version streaming on TV, then you’re going to be
thrilled to learn that Turow has a new sequel sure to make the bestseller list. Presumed Guilty
(January 14) also stars Rusty Sabich, now a retired judge looking forward to lake life with his
new wife. But his idyllic plans shatter when his stepson is accused in the death of his girlfriend
and Rusty has to step back into the courtroom. https://snailonthewall.com/book/9781538706367
Onyx Storm
And we can’t highlight January books without including one of the most anticipated
books of 2025: Onyx Storm, the third book in the mega-hit fantasy series by Rebecca Yarros. The Snail on the Wall won’t make readers wait an extra minute to find out what happens to the
characters who have been competing for their lives in Iron Flame and Fourth Wing. We’ll be
handing out copies when the clock strikes midnight on January 21. https://snailonthewall.com/book/9781649374189
You can order any of these books at
www.snailonthewall.com or find them at the bookstore in the Five Points neighborhood of downtown Huntsville.