Six More Favorite Contemporary Fiction Reads This is the third of three contemporary fiction lists I've put together as I've mined my recent-past reading for my favorite reads of the past year--you can find my first list of contemporary fiction favorite reads from last year here and my second list here . And you can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from last year, or you can read about past Bossy cont

The tone of The Secret Book Society is darker than I'd anticipated, but appropriate as Martin explores weighty issues for women in Victorian England. The power of books and of friendship ultimately triumph in Martin's historical fiction. The women in Madeline Martin's Victorian London exist within tightly constrained rules and at the whims of their fathers' or husbands' often controlling, sometimes abusive, always limiting requirements. But when three women, all strangers to

The initial installment of John McMahon's police procedural series follows a genius, socially awkward leader and a special team of FBI investigators who reinvent methods of finding their culprit in a smart, intriguing, and satisfying mystery. Head Cases  tracks FBI agent Gardner Camden (who has a brilliant analytical mind but is interpersonally awkward) and his group of agents in the Patterns and Recognitions (PAR) unit. A recent murder victim's DNA matches a long-dead serial

I love a book that explores issues around mortality. Vigil , by the author of the strange, wonderful novel Lincoln in the Bardo , introduces fascinating elements such as fate, responsibility, and forgiveness, yet Saunders doesn't dig into them, which left me feeling unsatisfied with this slim book. Vigil has been one of my most-anticipated reads of 2026. In Lincoln in the Bardo , Saunders explored the worlds of characters existing in limbo between life and death. His novel V

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to V. L. Bovalino's non-swooning romantasy novel (featuring a female knight, one of my current-favorite elements), The Second Death of Locke ; I'm listening to the first in Ariel Sullivan's futuristic sci-fi romance series, Conform ; and I'm reading both an electronic advance copy (oops--this one was published January 20) and a gorgeous hardcover edition of Linda Wilgus's intriguing debut novel The Sea Child . What are you reading, boo

Six More Favorite Contemporary Fiction Reads This is the second of three contemporary fiction lists I'll have for you as I mine my recent-past reading for the best of the best--you can find my first list of contemporary fiction favorite reads from last year here . You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from last year, or you can read about past Bossy contemporary fiction favorites here . If you've re

The Isle in the Silver Sea offers a medieval setting, magical elements, a story within a story, romantasy without swooning, and characters fighting to reimagine their futures. This fantasy novel about the power of storytelling was wonderful. In an alternate medieval England, an island exists because of stories. Those who play key roles in tales die and are repeatedly reborn into various versions of the characters they must play, and they are fated to reenact their own battl

Skylark gets off to a relatively slow start as the scenes are set, but then I quickly became hooked on McLain's dual-timeline historical fiction, which comes to life through incredible details of life in seventeenth-century and early World War II Paris and showcases characters pushed to their limits in the name of justice. Paula McLain's Skylark  is historical fiction set in Paris and told through dual timelines. In 1664, Alouette is the daughter of a master dyer at the famo

The premise of Missing Sam was a slam dunk for me, and I appreciated the couple's strengthened bonds after unimaginable trauma. But the story jumped around and told more than it showed, and I didn't feel an emotional connection. After married couple Sam and Ali have a silly jealousy-spawned fight after a party, Sam wakes up for a solo morning run instead of inviting along Ali, as she normally would. One unlucky circumstance leads to another for Sam, and when Ali wakes up, Sa

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Tasha Suri's rich story-within-a-story fantasy novel The Isle in the Silver Sea ; I'm reading Thrity Umrigar's recently published mystery about a missing woman, our political climate, the power of love, and the strength of assumptions, Missing Sam ; and I'm continuing my recent mystery mania by listening to the trusty, twisty Lisa Jewell's intriguing interconnected-story Don't Let Him In . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 The Isl

Bossy Favorites of the Month I've had a strong Bossy reading month. These were my six favorite reads of January--an intriguing memoir, a five-star literary fiction wonder, a contemporary novel about a novelist, a meditative story, a cozy fantasy, and a fascinating read (for my book club) about interconnected characters. I hope your January has allowed for some cozy reading time. Have you read any of these titles? What were some of your favorite reads this month? 01 Strangers:

This debut cozy novel showcases many of my favorite elements--magic, banter, a grumpy-sunshine hard-won romance, and a quest--within a charming, surprising story that I loved. The powerful dark lord Shadowfade is dead, and Violet Thistlewaite is determined to shed her identity as the Thornwitch, Shadowfade's right-hand woman, and start anew. She decides to settle in the nearby town of Dragon's Rest and open a flower shop, attempting to use her magical powers for good and to c

Newman's second charming novel centering around Rocky and her family demonstrates the characters' quirkiness, concerns, love for each other, and plenty of heart in a heartwarming, often funny, and poignant novel. Catherine Newman's novel Sandwich  focused on a family and its menopausal matriarch Rocky as its members navigated close quarters, health issues, life changes, complicated dynamics, and messy love, all while on vacation. Wreck  picks up with the same family two years

Charlotte Wood's literary fiction is quiet and meditative but packs a punch. Stone Yard Devotional concerns a woman who leaves her Sydney life behind to live among nuns as an unbeliever committed to the community. The past crops up in significant ways, and external judgment seems to be cast upon them all. The main protagonist (who is not named) in Charlotte Wood's literary fiction Stone Yard Devotional  is a middle-aged woman who leaves Sydney for some respite in her rural Au

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading George Saunders's upcoming novel Vigil , I'm listening to Madeline Martin's Victorian-London-set historical fiction novel The Secret Book Society , and I'm listening to the first in John McMahon's FBI-focused mystery series, Head Cases . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Vigil by George Saunders I'm so excited to read this book--one of my most-anticipated reads of 2026. In Lincoln in the Bardo , Saunders explored characters existing in

Six Favorite Contemporary Fiction Reads I love looking over my favorite reads from the past year and considering my favorite 2025 reads in each genre. This is the first of three contemporary fiction lists I'll have for you as I mine my recent-past reading for the best of the best. You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from last year, you can read about past Bossy contemporary fiction favorites here

Powers's novel is an exploration of the wonders of the ocean and also of the capacity of the human mind and imagination. The marching toward destruction of both of these makes for a nerve-racking, heartbreaking story. Playground 's final section held surprises I did not anticipate, and their exposure colors the entirety of the story that precedes them. We make things that we hope will be bigger than us, and then we’re desolate when that’s what they become. Four people are con

Anatomy of an Alibi pits privileged greed against savvy morally gray characters, and the women caught in the middle are left sorting out the truth. The bad guys are truly bad, and outsiders pay the price when those in power preserve outward appearances at any cost. I loved Ashley Elston's mystery First Lie Wins  (it was on my December favorites list ; it was one of my Bossy Fiction Ideas for Your Holiday Gift List ; and it was on my recent list of Four-Star Mysteries I Loved

This is gorgeous Niall Williams literary fiction, centering around an Irish country village, a young man searching for his path, and his unofficial mentor, zigzagging his way through life, embracing adventure, and bridging the gap between the old ways and modernity. Quiet connections and reflections make the story, with understated poignancy, humor, and heartbreaking moments that bring the book's world to life. We’re all, all the time, striving, and though that means there’s

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Paula McLain's newest historical fiction told in two timelines, Skylark ; I'm listening to the charming Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz; and I'm reading the wonderful Catherine Newman's novel Wreck . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Skylark by Paula McLain Paula McLain's Skylark is a historical fiction story set in Paris and told through dual timelines. In 1664, Alouette is the daughter of a master d