Six More Favorite Bossy Mystery Reads I love looking over my favorite reads from the past twelve months in every genre. Something about the post-holiday cold gray of January lends itself to stories that chug along and keep me guessing. I've been in a mystery-reading mood lately, and I thought you might be too, so I'm sharing more mystery reads I've enjoyed for you to check out. You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overal

The corruption and dark underbellies throughout, the lurking folklore figure that seems to signal death and destruction, and the despairing community history of missing women set a brooding, ominous tone, yet Salt Bones often felt like a young-adult mystery. The reveal is immensely disturbing and makes various characters' sinister suspicions feel more than warranted. Jennifer Givhan's mystery-thriller-horror novel Salt Bones  made it onto multiple best-of lists for 2025, and

The past and present storms added thrills and chills to the dual-timeline coastal Alabama story. Predicting a few elements of the mystery didn't diminish my enjoyment of the fast-paced tale in which a young woman digs to understand a suspicious death and ends up coming to terms with her legacy and her future. St. Medard's Bay, Alabama, seems to attract the strongest of hurricanes, and the only building that's withstood every storm for a century is the charming Rosalie Inn. Bu

I was surprised by how interested I was in the implosion of Burden's privileged life. She captures the universality of heartbreak; the chilling notion that a partner in a decades-long marriage could wake up and leave without warning or remorse; and her emergence from the trauma as a stronger version of herself. It was a great love story, one for the ages. The speed of our beginning and the speed of our ending felt like matching bookends. They both came out of nowhere. He want

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Belle Burden's upcoming memoir about the abrupt end of her marriage, Strangers ; I'm listening to Listen for the Lie author Ashley Elston's upcoming mystery Anatomy of an Alibi ; and I'm listening to Jennifer Givhan's mystery-thriller-horror story featuring Indigenous and Latina folklore, Salt Bones . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden It was a great love story, one for the ages. The spee

Six Four-Star Bossy Mystery Reads We've reached the point in the year--the very beginning--when I obsess over my favorite reads from the past twelve months in every genre and share them with you each Friday. Because I've been in a mystery-reading mood lately, I thought you might be too, so we're starting with six four-star mystery reads for you to check out. You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads fro

Cate Kay is a bestselling author--and a pseudonym used by a woman who's been running from her past for decades. Cate is at times a young dreamer, a haunted lover with a hardened heart, a wildly successful author dipping her toe in the world of Hollywood, and an imperfectly healed friend ready to face the future. My friend Jenny mentioned this book to me, and I'd never heard of it but loved the premise. I was hooked the whole way through as I read. The reclusive author Cate Ka

Set in 2022 Ukraine as war begins to break out, this oddball, zigzagging story explores broad themes of interconnectedness as well as revenge fantasies made real and renegade ecology preservation. With dark humor and sobering truths, Reva presents it all through the lens of the scruffy Ukrainian marriage industry. It's 2022, and roving, passionate scientist Yeva is only dating in the Ukrainian marriage industry to earn money to rescue and preserve her precious snails. After a

The first in Holland's ocean-focused young adult fantasy series leaves much of the story for later books, and I was left wanting more. I was intrigued by the curse, the ocean quest, and the explorations of moral quandaries around the use of the ocean's resources, but I was less interested in the extensive swooning over a likely enemy. The people of Kirkrell have always hunted magical whales--it's the only way to protect themselves from the finfolk, water fae who threaten thei

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Rachel Hawkins's upcoming suspense novel, The Storm ; I'm listening to Kate Fagan's intriguing novel The Three Lives of Cate Kay ; and I'm reading Charlotte Wood's meditative novel set in Australia, Stone Yard Devotional . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 The Storm by Rachel Hawkins St. Medard's Bay, Alabama, seems to attract the strongest of hurricanes, and the only building that's withstood every storm for a century is the charming

I feel Grinch-like panning this widely beloved story, but for me the sweetness was cloying; the tale slowed to a snail's pace as Allen explored every thought, possibility, and detail; and the twist felt jarring and was revealed too late to carry emotional weight. Theo, an elderly stranger, appears in the small town of Golden, Georgia, recognizing and appreciating locals' gifts and making them feel seen, sometimes for the first time. He admires the various portraits of locals

Bossy Excitement about Upcoming Books I’m looking forward to so many January books, I’m not sure I’ll have time to do anything else with all the greedy reading I have planned. If you were counting on me to do something besides sit and read in my January coziness, thank you in advance for understanding my priorities here. I've recently mismanaged my library holds so I picked up a stack of books yesterday. And I have advance copies of almost all of the titles I list here, so I

My very favorite reads of 2025! It makes me so happy to survey the many books I've loved reading, thinking about, writing about, and talking about this year, and I adore highlighting my very favorite reads. Out of the 141 titles I read in 2025, these are the twelve I loved the most. Every month I post my favorite reads , and last spring I posted Ten Bossy Spring Favorites (all recently published titles at that time). In the summer I posted My Six Favorite Reads of the First

Bossy Favorites of the Month These were my six favorite reads of December--a nonfiction wonder, a bonkers fever dream, a heartwarming tale, an intriguing mystery that ticked all of my boxes, a funny and poignant story about living fully into oneself, and a solid installment in a great mystery series. I hope you've been able to take some time for yourself this holiday break and read some great books. Have you read any of these titles? What were some of your favorite reads this

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to my book club's January read, Richard Powers's sweeping story Playground ; I'm reading and listening to Allen Levi's novel Theo of Golden ; and I'm savoring Niall Williams's gorgeous Irish tale This is Happiness . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Playground by Richard Powers Four people are connected across time and geography in Richard Powers's sweeping story of their lives and unlikely interconnectedness. Evie Beaulieu becomes o

This is not my best graphic design work! :D Wishing you and yours very happy holidays—and great reading! I’m going to take a Bossy break from posting this week, but I hope to have time to read some books that have been staring me down from my bedside stack! Are there any books you’re excited to have time to read, or any books you’ve asked to receive as holiday gifts? 🎁 📚 If you're looking for last-minute gift ideas, please check out my book gift idea lists from this season

Bossy Book Gift Ideas As I finish sharing my book gift idea lists for the season, I thought I'd offer a full list of giftable fiction published in 2025 that I've loved reading this year. I've also included additional book ideas within each genre or theme so you'll be stocked with plenty of ideas for your loved ones. The good news about book gifts and looming holiday deadlines: your local bookstore can get you set up with last-minute slam dunks for everyone on your list! You c

This second and final installment of Faizal's young adult duology emphasizes on the power of found family over blood ties; reveals chilling, ambitious, ruthless plans for creating a horde of vampires; and pushes characters to sacrifice for love. The first installment in Hafsah Faizal's young adult Blood and Tea series offered intriguing secrets, a swirling mystery, terrible betrayal, heartwarming found family, steady action, and vampires. That book ended with the city reeling

This bighearted novel holds a mystery, but its main focus is  neurodivergent main protagonist Denny and his dogged persistence, ambitious acts, decisiveness, wisdom, and loving kindness as he gets into increasing trouble, touches lives, faces loss, and establishes just who he is and wants to be. “I guess that’s just how life works. Some days it’s like a fast-moving TV show and some days it’s not, and when things go sideways—like they usually do for me—you might find yourself

The author of The God of Small Things recounts her path from life with her volatile, emotionally and verbally abusive, strong mother to her own artistic expression, romantic partnerships, activism, and fierce guarding of her creative space. In Mother Mary Comes to Me , the author of The God of Small Things shares a memoir that in part explores her fierce, tough mother, her verbal and emotional abuse, her admirable causes and passion for them, and their complicated relationsh