One of the goals I set for myself this year is to read at least one book every month, which for a self-proclaimed bookworm seems like an easily-achievable feat, but with a toddler and full-time job, it can be difficult to find time to just sit and read, especially time that isn't normally spent sleeping. So, in an effort to keep myself on track, I've decided to do a monthly reading inventory. In January, I actually read two books (Go, me!), both on my Kindle (don't hate) through their unlimited reading option.

I started the year with Coercion by Tim Tigner. Set back during the Cold War, it's about a covert group in Russia that's trying to take control of that country and topple the U.S. as a world power. Former soldier and ex-CIA operative, Alex Ferris, finds himself in the thick of things when he begins investigating his twin brother's death. He uncovers a plot hatched by a KGB general, travels to Siberia, is hunted by a ruthless killer and interrogated, and in the end manages to survive, save the day, and get the girl. Coercion is a wonderfully-written alternative history of the downfall of the Soviet Union and the efforts of one man to save his country. This is definitely not a light read; it was one of the most complicated novels I've read, but so worth it.