Back in December, I promised to finish my "year in reading" list of book suggestions in January. The New Year seemed to call for a reader's resolutions theme, however, so I am just now getting back to that earlier promise. I hope you'll find something in this eclectic list that sounds intriguing or maybe something for your "out of comfort zone" reading.

Unless you've been living in a cave or only watch PBS, you've probably noticed the proliferation of CSI shows on television lately. If the somewhat gory details of crime scene investigation intrigue you, then you may enjoy Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand by Dana Kollmann. A former Baltimore Police Department CSI, Kollmann doesn't candy-coat the unpleasant realities of her job. But, if like me you're intrigued enough by the title to give it a try, Kollman's witty prose and apt storytelling will keep you reading through the gory parts. Along with CSI shows, the television airwaves are awash in cooking shows. Celebrity chefs have gained the status of, well, celebrities, and their books are often bestsellers. But what about those less-celebrated restaurant employees-the waiters? In her book Service Included Phoebe Damrosch provides insight into the world of the wait staff in a high-end New York restaurant. It's an exuberant memoir full of fun facts about food and food service.

Lest you think all I read last year were memoirs, here are three works of fiction that kept me up late at night reading. Sight Hound is an unusual first novel by Colorado author Pam Houston. It is unusual in that it has twelve first-person narrators, including the main character, her housekeeper (and the housekeeper's cat), her veterinarian and her two dogs. One of the dogs is Dante, a three-legged Irish wolfhound, about whose treatment for cancer the book revolves. It's a tender and wise tale and definitely one to read with the hankies close at hand.

History was never a favorite subject of mine in school, but I'm still a sucker for a good historical novel. So when I discovered noted historian Alison Weir's book Innocent Traitor, I was hooked. Told by multiple narrators, it's the story of Lady Jane Grey, the "nine day's queen" whose ascension to the English throne was cut short literally when she was beheaded at the age of sixteen. It's a well-written and well-researched first novel.

Local historian and author Sandra Dallas has been a favorite ever since I read The Diary of Mattie Spenser, the fictional account of a woman homesteader on Colorado's eastern plains. Dallas' latest novel, Tallgrass, is also set in eastern Colorado, but the time frame is now World War II. Told through the eyes of 13-year-old Rennie Stroud, the story explores the impact a Japanese "relocation camp" has on a nearby farming community. Part mystery and part historical fiction, it's a fast-paced look at an unpleasant time in our nation's history.

You can check out these books and more at any Jefferson County Public Library location. Talk to your librarian for more recommendations.