9 amazing books we can’t wait to curl up with this January

There's nothing quite as enjoyable in winter.

Now that the nights are getting darker quicker and it's gotten much, much colder, it's hard to resist the temptation of curling up on the couch with a good book - especially when it goes perfectly with a cup of hot chocolate. From mysteries to fantasy and everything in between, there's been a number of incredible books hitting the shelves this season - and there's even more to come. Here are 9 brilliant books that we can't wait to curl up with this January.

My Sister The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

One night, Korede's dinner is interrupted by a distress call from her sister, Ayoola - and immediately, she knows what's expected of her: bleach, rubber gloves, nerves of steel and a strong stomach. It's the third boyfriend that Ayoola has dispatched in 'self defence'; the third mess that her little sibling has left for Korede to clean up. And while she knows she should probably go to the cops for the good of the men in Nigeria, she loves her sister and, as they say, family always comes first. That is, until Ayoola starts dating the doctor where Korede works as a nurse. She's been in love with him for forever, and isn't prepared to see him end up with a knife in his back - but saving him would mean needing to sacrifice the other... Available January 3. 

Music Love Drugs War by Geraldine Quigley

The end of the school year is coming up, leaving siblings Paddy and Liz McLaughlin, Christy Meehan, Kevin Thompson and their friends having to soon decide what they will do with the rest of their lives. But it's hard to focus on when there's the allure of their favourite hangout place, the dingy 'Cave'. Through a fog of marijuana, beer and budding romance, the future is distant and unreal. But this is Derry in 1981, and they can't ignore the turmoil of the outside world. When one of their friends is killed, Christy and Paddy are stunned out of their stupor and decide to take matters into their own hands. However, choosing to fight will take hold of their lives in ways they never imagined.

Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus

The residents of Echo Ridge - a picturesque town nestled up near the Canadian boarder - were left reeling when high school senior, Sarah Corcoran vanished while she was walking home in 1995, never to be seen again. Five years later, Lacey Kilduff was found dead in the local (and since renamed) theme park, Murderland Halloween park. Now, another girl has disappeared. The last two people to see her alive? Ellery, the new girl at school (and Sarah's nice), and Malcom, the brother of the prime suspect. As they work to unravel what actually happened, they begin to realise they may be closer to the truth than either of them want to believe. Available January 10. 

The Binding by Bridget Collins

Emmett Farmer is working in the fields when a letter, summoning him to begin an apprenticeship, arrives. He'll be working for a Bookbinder, a role that sparks fear, superstition and prejudice - but not one that he or his parents could refuse. He'll hand-craft beautiful books, capturing something extraordinary within each of them: a memory. If there’s something you want to forget or erase, he can help. Your past will be stored safely in a book and you will never remember your secret, however terrible. In a vault under his mentor’s workshop, row upon row of books – and memories – are meticulously stored and recorded. Then one day Emmett makes an astonishing discovery: one of them has his name on it. Available January 10.  As the hours begin to turn into days, Clyde's world shatters as he begins to understand Paul's fate - and realises he is faced with a decision that no parent should every have to make. Available January 17. 

Darkest Truth by Catherine Kirwan