Saunders's strange, fascinating novel involves griping, sniping characters in limbo between life and death near the start of the Civil War, often in denial about their circumstances, with Abraham Lincoln's young son Willie at the center of a struggle for control of his soul. “Only then (nearly out the door, so to speak) did I realize how unspeakably beautiful all of this was, how precisely engineered for our pleasure, and saw that I was on the brink of squandering a wondrous

Jen Hatmaker's memoir explores her shock, grief, then growth after the end of her marriage, which she tells in her signature bold, frank, lionhearted manner while always displaying her deep love for her family and friends. Jen Hatmaker, who was married before she could legally have a drink and who built her identity as a woman dedicated to her family, her religion, and her community, found her world turned upside down when she discovered in 2020 that her husband of over 25 ye

Based on my two Bossy reads so far, T. Kingfisher writes my favorite kind of fantasy novel: a wonderfully oddball main protagonist, a strange adventure, a mystery to be solved, and simmering romance with No Swooning or Annoying Drama whatsoever. I loved this story about an expert in poisons, with banter and clever deduction in an imagined world. In Hemlock & Silver , Anja is a healer who since her young cousin's preventable death has obsessively focused on learning about, com

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Iida Turpeinin's upcoming historical fiction novel Beasts of the Sea ; I'm listening to Jen Hatmaker's memoir Awake ; and I'm listening to my newly discovered favorite fantasy author T. Kingfisher's novel Hemlock & Silver . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Beasts of the Sea by Iida Turpeinin Turpeinin's novel Beasts of the Sea spans three centuries, through continents and across oceans. In 1741, Georg Wilhelm Steller journeys with Ca

Six Great Australian Reads Fridays are for highlighting books I've loved, and I have a thing for books set in Australia (this is illustrated by my demonstrated Jane Harper obsession alone; two of her books are listed here and I stand by this wholeheartedly). Side note: Am I using "fair dinkum" correctly? I have a feeling someone will correct me if I'm wildly off base here. If you've read any of the books mentioned here, I'd love to hear what you think! Do you have any favorit

Desai's first novel in decades is a 688-page tale that meanders through India, New York, family and romantic relationships, and career false starts, with missteps, mysterious, powerful magical realism elements, and an undercurrent of darkness and despair. The messy resolutions felt appropriately hard-fought after the characters' extended struggles. Sonia is living away from her Indian family while she studies writing in Vermont, and after growing up used to having multiple fa

I can't stop thinking about this fascinating near-future climate-change story of desperation, loyalty, and determination in Kolkata, India, and how a tiny bit of empathy might have unraveled the increasingly devastating whirlwind of conflict between the two main protagonists, who are each both hero and villain. It was her duty, as a guardian, to put into action the beautiful ideal of hope. Ma thought harshly: This was what it looked like. Hope for the future was no shy bloom

Kauffman's story about childhood friends brought together by a tragedy in their circle inspires each of them to consider the past, their secrets, and their bonds to each other. Kauffman deftly shapes what could have been a treacly story about old friends reliving the past and coming back together after many years, inspired to be together by a tragedy in their group. As we witness memories from childhood and adulthood, each character considers how they might have remained more

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Sara Holland's upcoming fantasy novel Break Wide the Sea ; I'm reading Seth Haddon's debut fiction novel Volatile Memory ; and I'm reading Bruce Holsinger's novel Culpability . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Break Wide the Sea (Break Wide the Sea #1) by Sara Holland The people of Kirkrell have always hunted magical whales--it's the only way to protect themselves from the water fae who threaten their people and sink their ships. Anni

Aren't young adult books just the best? I was recently speaking to a group about publishing and books, and they asked for some young adult book recommendations. Which brings me to revisiting this post from a few years ago. I could have listed so many fantastic young adult titles here, but I picked these varied, wonderful six. Young adult is one of my favorite genres to read for fun and to edit. The main protagonists are often figuring out the world, their place in it, and who

Green's book is about tuberculosis, but it's also a view of our deep global interconnectedness, gross healthcare inequalities, the TB devastation that is still prevalent, and the possibility of both simple and comprehensive approaches that could eradicate the disease. The world we share is a product of all the worlds we used to share. For me at least, the history and present of tubercuosis reveal the folly an brilliance and cruelty and compassion of humans. Is it strange that

Immaculate Conception explores art and inspiration; how trauma shapes us; the fraught prospect of altering memories; and the blessing and curse of wealth, power, and necessary compromises in this tale of ambition, love, and deep envy spiraling into an out-of-control collective force. In an imagined near-future world, Enka is from a fringe family, with little exposure to ideas, art, creativity, or opportunity. Yet she secures herself a position at an art school, where she str

Grossman's reimagined Arthurian legend gives center stage to a ragtag band of misfits, celebrates diversity, and builds a patchwork of adventures, discovery, and widened horizons culminating in a satisfying new, reimagined path forward. Collum is an instinctually gifted, strong knight who has literally fought for sword training as a lowly ward; his family has little use for him; and his heart is set upon joining King Arthur's court. But when he finally makes his way to the Ro

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Meghan Majumdar's novel A Guardian and a Thief ; I'm reading Ling Ling Huang's speculative fiction novel Immaculate Conception ; and I'm listening to Kiran Desai's novel The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar In a near-future Kolkata, India, Ma is the manager of a food pantry for those in need. She's days away from bringing her daughter and father to meet her husba

Bossy Favorites of the Month In October I read a number of books that I liked but didn't love. Luckily, a few of my reads during the second half of the month were standouts. Here are my six favorite reads of October. What were some of your favorite reads this month? 01 Katabasis by R. F. Kuang I loved the dark--and often darkly funny--journey of Cambridge postgraduate magick students Alice and Peter to hell, a quest they undertake because their advisor has died and they reall

Gould's memoir of her life as a paramedic is frank, captivating, often revolting, and disarmingly honest. She takes the reader on ride-alongs so vividly described, it's as though we're in the ambulance. She shares her pride in caring for patients, her deep frustrations, and she is open about her mental health struggles. Sally Gould's memoir is named after a darkly humorous term of affection for paramedics in Australia (frog, because everything a paramedic touches croaks). Gou

The Everlasting involves jaunts through multiple versions of the same story, as our fantastic main protagonists shift and change, bravely outsmart those who would control them, dare to hope for a future together, and fight dark forces until the bitter end. This is adventure-heavy, sometimes tender, and always intriguing. I loved it. Sir Una Everlasting was a legendary knight in the kingdom of Dominion, an orphan who rose to greatness and died in service to her queen. Her bra

This faerie-centric reimagining of Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities offered a compelling story of redemption and self-sacrifice with a significant fantasy undercurrent that is key to the plot. I felt bogged down by the explanations of the workings of the faerie system, its punishments, and its policies. I feared this was the best of times; I hoped it could not get any worse. H. G. Parry's novel A Far Better Thing  is a twist on Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities , and Parr

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Sally Gould's memoir about being a paramedic, Frog ; I'm reading H. G. Parry's reimagining of A Tale of Two Cities as a dark, faery-controlled world with the French Revolution as a backdrop, A Far Better Thing ; and I'm reading a King Arthur novel by Lev Grossman, The Bright Sword . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Frog: The Secret Diary of a Paramedic by Sally Gould Sally Gould grew up in Australia the daughter of a paramedic, and s

Tough women, secrets and smarts, and sneaky spying! I love a peek at a secret world and books about spies specifically. My first Greedy Reading List on this topic was Six Books about Brave Female Spies . If you like stories about brave women during wartime, you might also like the titles I listed on the recent Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Brave Women During World War II . 01 Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees Rees does an excellent job of taking us t