After the World Falls Apart I have a fascination with postapocalyptic and dystopian books, and I think it's for the same reason I'm captivated by wartime stories: the books are about characters being pushed to their limits by an incredibly challenging situation, and in coping with that situation, they discover and demonstrate their true selves and abilities. I hope you'll also check out the books on my first Greedy Reading List of Six Fantastic Dystopian and Postapocalyptic N

Do you enjoy a character-driven Western? I appreciate an unflinching reflection of our nation's complex history--which includes the atrocities visited upon the indigenous peoples of our continent because white people explored and settled in the West. I'm also fascinated by the optimistic explorer spirit--and I love reading about strong female characters in a time when the world around them didn't typically support women's strength and determination. One of these books is narr

Bossy Favorites of the Month Bookworms, I present to you: my six Bossy favorite reads of August. This list is a varied collection: historical fiction, a couple of rom-coms, a nonfiction journey, contemporary fiction, and a fantasy sequel. Have you read any of these titles? What were some of your favorite reads this month? 01 Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan This nearly perfect rom-com hit all the right notes for me. Monaghan's tone was spot-on, and her fake-dating story

Bossy Historical Fiction Standouts Summer's oppressive heat and humidity feels like the perfect inspiration to immerse myself in another place and time. These varied historical fiction reads have been some of my favorites this summer. I omitted two other titles that likely deserve to appear here as well: I left off Calamity Club because I recently included it in my Is This the Perfect August Reading List? post, and I'm taking a while to get through Maggie Shipstead's wonderfu

Soaking Up Summer with the Perfect Reads I present to you: a little of this, a little of that, and a list that may collectively be the perfect array of books to get you through the end of the summer: a practically perfect rom-com; the immersive memoir you didn't know you needed; weird, funny, wonderful nonfiction; a doorstop of a book all your friends are talking about; a lovely, quiet story with depth--and a 2026 Booker Prize nominee; and a perfect summer read about strong w

Bossy Favorites of the Month Here are my six Bossy favorite reads of July. I was already in love with five of these six authors' other books before I read these newest works, and I'm thrilled that the sixth is a new-to-me author with a backlist I can now explore. Have you read any of these titles? What were some of your favorite reads this month? 01 Country People by Daniel Mason Mason plays with the tone of his newest literary fiction, offering vast rural expanses, claustrop

Book club love! My OG book club has been together in some form for almost twenty years, meeting monthly to talk about life and--particularly if we are split or generally dislike a title--talking about a book, and for a good while I've been lucky enough to (surprise!) be the Bossy Final Decider of the books on our annual book list. I ask for book suggestions from my fellow book clubbers, add my own ideas, make sure early reviews look solid enough for us, establish when an intr

Brutality and Bravery in the American West These books explore the brutality of pioneer times, when indigenous peoples were killed and abused at the hands of white people who explored and settled in the West, while also offering characters of all stripes who show bravery and unbreakable spirit. Historical fiction set in the West also lends itself to stories of strong female characters in a time when the world around them didn't support women's abilities, independent thinking,

My Favorite Bossy Reads I've read about 70 books so far this year, and these are my six favorites. They vary in genre, in tone, in plot, and in style, but they all delighted me, made me want to keep reading, took me inside another place and time, and made me feel invested in what happened to the characters and their situations. I love to look back and take stock of my reading, and I'm always curious about whether my year-end overall favorites will include the titles on my fav

Bossy Favorites of the Month I had a solid reading month, including a five-star read by one of my all-time favorite authors. Spoiler alert: that title will also appear in my Bossy Favorite Reads of the Year So Far, a list of six books I'll post next Friday. Meanwhile, here are my six favorite reads of June. I like to post my Greedy Reading Lists on Fridays, and this one is a little early (the month doesn't end until Tuesday, after all) so that I can schedule the aforementione

Great Rom-Com Reads I've been highlighting recently published romantic novels as well as those I've read in the past year, many of which are still highly in demand. If the library waitlists are feeling interminably long, you might want to check out these great novels published a little longer ago--so they'll be easier to check out. If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think! Have you read any other rom-com or romantic novels that you loved? 01 Betting

Six Favorite Nonfiction Reads These were my six favorite nonfiction reads from last year: a behind-the-scenes peek into the life of a paramedic; a horrifying look at a cluster of serial killers; the fascinating story of a couple shipwrecked and fighting for survival; a charming glimpse into the world of dog shows; a timely and illuminating book for young people (and those with limited knowledge on the subject, like me) about the Constitution; and a shockingly compelling and p

Six Favorite Memoir Reads These were my six favorite memoir reads from last year. If you like to read memoirs, you might also like to check out some of my Bossy memoir reviews, or some of my Greedy Reading Lists of favorites: Six Fascinating Memoirs to Explore Six More Fascinating Memoirs to Explore Six Musicians' Memoirs that Sing Six Illuminating Memoirs to Dive Into Six Illuminating Memoirs I've Read This Year Six More Illuminating Memoirs to Lose Yourself In Six Foodie Me

So many promising books are being published this month, I had to highlight my most Bossily anticipated titles. I'd love to hear if you plan to read any of these, or if other upcoming books have grabbed your attention! If you're curious about the basics, please look below for these June books' genre, tiny synopsis, and publication date!

Bossy Favorites of the Month I had a great reading month! Here are my six favorite reads of May. There's some overlap with my overall favorite reads of the spring; you can find that post of ten books here. Have you read any of these titles? What were some of your favorite reads this month? 01 Wolvers by Taylor Brown Taylor Brown offers up a suspenseful, adventure-filled story in Wolvers. Trace is an angry young man who sets out on an ill-advised, illegal revenge journey, but

Spring Bossy Book Favorites On Fridays I love to post Greedy Reading Lists of my favorite books. I recently gave a talk for the second year in a row to a wonderful group of book lovers who wanted to hear about newly published books they might want to check out, and I thought I'd share that list of ten books with you Bookworms as well. Talking about books and showcasing my Bossy favorites is one of my favorite bookish things to do, and for this talk I chose recent favorites in

Six Bossy Sci-Fi Favorites I'm still mining my reading for favorites from the past year, and this is my only science fiction roundup. If you've missed my prior lists, take a look on the blog! You can also explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from the past year. If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think! What are some of your favorite science fiction reads, whether from the past yea

Six Bossy Romance Favorites I've got a few more lists up my sleeve as I continue taking stock of my reading for the Bossy best of the best from the past year. If you've missed my prior lists, take a look on the blog! Some of the books in this post are written by the usual romance-standout suspects--and many of these authors have new romance titles out now or coming out soon, just in time for summer reading. Please keep an eye out for my upcoming reviews of those! If you want

Bossy Favorites of the Month Here are my six favorite reads of April: a contemporary novel about family and identity; a debut novel about characters with disabilities from a nonspeaking author; a creative fantasy novel that's a book within a book; a story about loss and a love of books; a darkly funny book about loss and grief; and the third and final mystery in a series from a favorite author. Have you read any of these titles? What were some of your favorite reads this mont

Six Bossy Literary Fiction Favorites I'm still mining my reading for the Bossy best of the best from the past year. If you've missed my prior lists, take a look on the blog! You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from last year. If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think! What are some of your favorite literary fiction reads, whether from the past year or beyond? 01 What We Ca