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The Music Book Gift Ideas Whose people love music and love reading about the behind-the-scenes wonder and drama? I have a lot of music lovers on my gift list, and these are the 2024 books about music that I'm most excited to give as gifts this holiday season. Six more that made my honorable mention list: Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell by Ann Powers Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna A Really Strange and Wonderful Time: The Chapel Hill Music Scene: 1989-1999 by Tom Maxwell George Harrison: The Reluctant Beatle by Philip Norman (published fall 2023) Sinead O'Connor: The Last Interview: And Other Conversations , edited by Melville House A Chance to Harmonize: How FDR's Hidden Music Unit Sought to Save America from the Great Depression—One Song at a Time by Sheryl Kaskowitz I'll be sharing my annual Bossy book gift ideas leading up to the holidays, and I hope you'll find a book or two in these lists to delight someone you love--or to give to yourself! You may want to check my past Bossy gift idea lists (linked below) for quirky books, perennial classics, modern favorites, nonfiction must-haves, or other new-to-you titles that might be perfect for the people on your holiday list! 2024 Bossy Book Gift Guides...So Far Bossy Holiday Book Gift Ideas: Cookbooks Bossy Holiday Book Gift Ideas: Sports and Recreation Nonfiction 2023 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Science and the Natural World Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Sports Nonfiction Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Cookbooks Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Books about Media, Movies, and Music 2022 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Holiday Cookbook Gift Ideas   Shhh! Coffee Table Bossy Book Gift Ideas   Shhh! Science and Nature Bossy Book Gift Ideas   Shhh! Bossy Nonfiction Book Gift Ideas   2021 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays Shhh! Six More Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays Shhh! Nonfiction and Hobby Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays Shhh! Kid and Teen Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays 2020 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Books I'm Giving as Gifts This Holiday   Shhh! More Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays   Shhh! Book Gifts for Kids and Teens   Shhh! More Book Gifts for Kids and Teens   Bossy Independent Bookstore Love A Bossy book-buying note: If you're buying books this holiday season, please support your local independent bookstore. They need and appreciate our business! (The book covers on Bossy Bookworm link you to Bookshop, a site that supports the beloved indies that keep us swimming in thoughtful book recommendations and excellent customer service all year round.) I love my local independent bookstore, Park Road Books . They have a fantastic selection of titles, staff members offer spot-on recommendations (and sparkling personalities!), and they can order almost anything they don't have in stock. 01 How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music How Women Made Music is pulled from the NPR series Turning the Tables and includes interviews, archive materials, essays, photographs, and illustrations from female musicians ranging from Dolly Parton to Beyonce, Joan Jett to Joan Baez, Taylor Swift to Odetta, and Nina Simone to Patti Smith. Turning the Tables began in 2017 as a multi-platform way of exploring the equal position of women in music and the ways women make music. How Women Made Music draws also on fifty years of NPR coverage of women in music, as well as newly commissioned work. 02 Brothers by Alex Van Halen "We shared the experience of coming to this country and figuring out how to fit in. We shared a record player, an 800-square-foot house, a mom and dad, and a work ethic. Later, we shared the back of a tour bus, alcoholism, the experience of becoming successful, of becoming fathers and uncles, and of spending more hours in the studio than I've spent doing anything else in this life. We shared a depth of understanding that most people can only hope to achieve in a lifetime." Brother s is seventy-year-old Alex Van Halen's tribute and love letter to his younger brother ("Edward" or "Ed," never "Eddie"), told with intimate reflections and details. Alex shares stories of the brothers' young lives spent in the Netherlands, to their family's move to working-class Pasadena; of their proper Indonesian mother and traveling musician father; of Van Halen band politics and complicated dynamics; and of the brothers' strong bonds. The book includes never-before-seen photos from Alex Van Halen's personal collection. 03 The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America by Larry Tye Based on over 250 interviews, The Jazzmen explores early 20th century America through the lens of three pivotal Black musicians who shaped its music. Ellington, the grandson of slaves, was named Edward Kennedy Ellington, and his music defied categorization; Armstrong was born in a slum nicknamed The Battlefield, and he turned a ten-cent horn of his childhood into the beginnings of a jazz movement; and Basie, the son of a laundress and a coachman, managed to escape his poor upbringing with the help of Fats Waller. The "kings of jazz," Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie overcame pervasive, powerful racism to become the most popular performers on the planet--and along the way created the background soundtrack for the Civil Rights Movement. 04 Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher The only woman to top Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, Cher is the winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, and an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who has been lauded by the Kennedy Center. In Cher: The Memoir, Part One , the singular force, a lifelong philanthropist and activist, outlines her childhood spent surrounded by artists and musicians, her difficult relationship with her mother, her young marriage to Sonny Bono, their split, and the shaping roles of her life--daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, ally...and unparalleled superstar. 05 The Name of This Band is R.E.M.: A Biography by Peter Ames Carlin In the spring of 1980, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Bill Berry played their first gig at a college party in Athens, Georgia. The Name of This Band Is R.E.M. traces their meteoric rise to success, with their heartfelt, rocking, defiant, tender songs on albums like Murmur , Reckoning , Fables of the Reconstruction , Document , Life's Rich Pageant , Reckoning , Out of Time , Monster , Green , and more. By continually evolving, pushing limits, and challenging the status quo, the four friends shaped the music world for decades, while sticking together through various challenges and difficulties. I'm surely dating myself by sharing that I won tickets off the radio to see R.E.M. almost thirty years ago--but that was an amazing show. In my yearly roundup of listening patterns, R.E.M. remained in my top five bands this year. 06 Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield "Every Swiftie is full of stories. The stories about the song that changed their life, the song nobody appreciates the way they do, the song they listened to on their fifteenth birthday. We go to these songs because they tell us our stories. We tell our secrets to these songs, and they scream our secrets back at us." In Heartbreak is the National Anthem, Rolling Stone contributing editor and music journalist Rob Sheffield delves into the magic of Taylor Swift. Sheffield draws on his years of covering Taylor's music, from her youthful, teenaged musical explorations to her explosion into an unparalleled superstar, exploring her life's path to cultural phenomenon and worldwide songwriter expressing our collective hopes, sorrows, and dreams. Rob Sheffield is also the author of Dreaming the Beatles ,  On Bowie, and   Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time .

Met Museum guard Bringley reflects on the decade he spent guarding priceless works of art, encountering a fascinating range of museumgoers, commiserating with his peers, reflecting on the works and his reactions to them, and searching for and finding peace after a terrible personal loss. Much of the greatest art, I find, seeks to remind us of the obvious. This is real. That's all it says. Take the time to stop and imagine or feel fully the things you already know. Patrick Bringley, a former New Yorker  staffer, after facing the tragic death of his beloved brother, spent ten years working as a guard in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The slow pace and straightforward duties of the job suited Bringley, who, along with his fellow guards, enjoyed having "nothing to do and all day to do it." For years, Bringley prevented careless, clueless, or overly passionate museumgoers from stumbling into priceless works of art; assured visitors that all of the works were real; and showed meditative appreciation for thousands of the 1.5 million works of art in the Met's permanent collection. Bringley offers glimpses into the sometimes-mundane, often intriguing behind-the-scenes processes and dynamics for the hundreds of employees who were and are daily surrounded by priceless works of art. His shared conversations with other guards illustrate a range of motivations for pursuing the work. But time, curiosity, emotional pain, and a desire to escape from it all added to his tendency to consider the intentions of artists, the stories behind the artwork, his own feelings about the works, and others' reactions, which he witnessed in real time. Yet the heart of the book feels like it's Bringley's observations of the thousands of museumgoers who cross his path--the strangers who enter this magnificent museum, who wander and take it all in or search for specific works of art, who greedily rush or take hours to contemplate, who are awed or dismissive, who walk the galleries and encounter a vast array of expression in the artwork and who develop their own unique reactions to it all. On a typical day, it is easy to glance at strangers and forget the most fundamental things about them: that they’re just as real as you are; that they’ve triumphed and suffered; that like you they’re engaged in something (living) that is hard and rich and brief. Bringley and his wife have two young children by the time he ends his stint at the Met and shifts into a different job, as a tour guide of the city, and the decade spent in full-time work standing and observing and contemplating seems to have allowed him some healing after the death of his brother. I listened to All the Beauty in the World  as an audiobook. I'd love to hear what you think of this book! If you like to read memoirs, you might 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 Memoirs to Whet Your Appetite Six Powerful Memoirs about Facing Mortality Six of My Favorite Memoir Reads Last Year

Ishida's offbeat, heartwarming story of unconventional "medicine" in the form of cats explores interconnectedness and new perspectives, inspiration, and familial bonds. “You know the old saying: ‘A cat a day keeps the doctor away.’ Cats are more effective than any other medicine out there.” In the charming story We'll Prescribe You a Cat , a winding, hard-to-find Kyoto alleyway leads to a strange building. Inside, the mysterious Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul prescribes medicine to those looking for support and help. Patients are given basic animal care instructions and "take" their unconventional cat prescriptions for a period of time. Ishida's offbeat story tells the tales of various characters, lost or in pain, who find themselves transformed by spending time with feline companions. Sometimes simply the act of giving in to care for another creature is the catalyst for change; in other cases the cat itself and its comfort or wild behavior shakes up things. Loneliness is thwarted, frustrations are softened, perspectives are broadened, families are drawn together, and new possibilities are inspired by time spent with various prescribed animals. Ishida in some cases overlaps names of cats, workers at the clinic, and others--causing protagonists to wonder at unexpected interconnectedness. The clinic is not always accessible--at times, the roads and alleys around the convoluted address do not appear to be the same and do not lead to the cats. Intention and need seem to be key to finding the source of cat comfort. I listened to this as an audiobook. My book club will be discussing this heartwarming novel next year. I'd love to hear what you think of this book! If you're looking for more heartwarming stories, you might like my Bossy reviews of books like these .

I love Liang's books, and this departure from her romantic comedies is inspired by the Chinese legend of Xishi. It's full of danger, deceit, noble sacrifice, bravery, and love. I would light the fire. I would heat up this whole room. And when that didn't work--I would burn this kingdom down to ashes, turn all its men into smoke. I would, I would. Xishi is a beautiful young woman who makes her village in the region of Yue proud, for she will almost certainly make a good marriage match. But she catches the eye of the well-known young military advisor Fanli, and as she becomes trained in playing music and hiding her emotions, she becomes the key to an elaborate, traitorous plan: to overturn the kingdom of Wu, empower her own people, and avenge her sister's death. She rises through the ranks of palace concubines and gains almost unfettered access to the king, all the while well aware that if she is revealed to be a traitor, not only she and Fanli but their homeland will be destroyed. "The men will fight for their thrones and their power and their legacies, but to them we are nothing more than crickets and ants, insignificant, expendable. We will continue to worry over the rice and soy sauce and oil, three meals a day, how to escape the cold in the winter and the heat in the high summer, the holes in the roof and the bedding and the taxes. What does it matter, who wears the crown, if they will not change any of this for us?" This story ticked so many of my boxes--a strong, young, underestimated female; an important quest; forbidden love; great dialogue; heart-stopping tension; and fierce revenge. The Eastern mythology, Xishi's deep link to her heritage, and her reluctant moments of affection for her enemy, who is foolish but vulnerable, added depth to the heart of the story. I love Liang's characters and their voices, and I was intrigued that A Song to Drown Rivers was a reworking of an early writing piece of hers. The ending is fanciful and strange; the tone of the book doesn't seem to be leading to a too-convenient happy ending, and as expected, Liang provides a complex set of conflicts to consider at the story's close: duty, corrupt power, the suffering of the common people, regret after retribution, and life-and-death struggles that don't always end well. I received a prepublication edition of this title, which was published earlier this fall, courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Check out my Bossy Ann Liang love! I fell in love with Ann Liang's fake-dating young adult novel This Time It's Real , read it in one rainy afternoon, and included it in my Greedy Reading Lists Six of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads from the Past Year , Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading , and My Bossy Favorite Reads of Summer  the year I read it. And you can find my review of her great young-adult rom-com I Hope This Doesn't Find You   here .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Our Evenings , Alan Hollinghurst's novel of a young man in boarding school; I'm listening to the quirky Japanese story We'll Prescribe You a Cat ; and I'm listening to Patrick Bringley's memoir about working as a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, All the Beauty in the World . What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 Our Evenings by Alan Hollinghurst Did I have a grievance? Most of us, without looking far, could find something that had harmed us, and oppressed us, and unfairly held us back. I tried not to dwell on it, thought it healthier not to, though I'd lived my short life so far in a chaos of privilege and prejudice. Young Dave Win, the son of a Burmese father he never met and a devoted, kind seamstress mother, attends a prestigious boarding school on scholarship. His social position is fragile because of his heritage and his modest background. He dodges unwelcome attentions, begins to love to act in plays, and explores his feelings about other boys. Alan Hollinghurst is the author of The Swimming-Pool Library; The Folding Star; The Spell; The Line of Beauty ; and The Stranger's Child . 02 We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida “You know the old saying: ‘A cat a day keeps the doctor away.’ Cats are more effective than any other medicine out there.” In the charming Japanese story We'll Prescribe You a Cat , a winding, hard-to-find Kyoto alleyway leads to a strange building. Inside, the mysterious Kokoro Clinic for the Soul prescribes medicine to those looking for support and help. Patients are given basic animal care instructions and "take" their cat prescriptions for a period of time. Ishida's offbeat story tells the tales of various characters, lost or in pain, who find themselves transformed by spending time with feline companions. I'm listening to this as an audiobook. 03 All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley Patrick Bringley, a former New Yorker staffer, after facing the tragic death of his beloved brother, spent ten years working as a guard in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The slow pace and straightforward duties of the job suited Bringley, who, along with his fellow guards, enjoyed having "nothing to do and all day to do it." For years, Bringley prevented careless, clueless, or overly passionate museumgoers from stumbling into priceless works of art; assured visitors that all of the works were real; and showed meditative appreciation for thousands of the 1.5 million works of art in the Met's permanent collection. I'm listening to All the Beauty in the World as an audiobook.

My very favorite Bossy November reads! This month my favorite reads were a playful, poignant novel set during the week leading up to an ill-fated wedding; the memoir of a beloved cooking show personality; a dark academia story that centers around feminism and building new perspectives; historical fiction about a traveling librarian in 1930s Appalachia; a luminous story of astronauts on the International Space Station; and a novel about the power of books. If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think! And I'd also love to hear: what are some of your recent favorite reads? 01 The Wedding People by Alison Espach Espach layers complex emotional challenges like suicidal thoughts, grief, and loneliness with funny, quirky, poignant moments in this charming, heartwarming novel. Phoebe arrives at the decadent Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, wearing a green dress and heels, and she's quickly mistaken for one of the "wedding people." But Phoebe is having a crisis, and she's latched onto being at the site of her former dream vacation--which she'd envisioned visiting with her now-ex-husband--as the answer to her problems. Lila has planned her million-dollar wedding down to the last detail, and Phoebe's depression and her very presence are throwing her for a loop--only the wedding people  were meant to have rooms at the inn, and Lila isn't used to having her plans go awry. Phoebe and Lila are unlikely confidantes and even more unlikely friends. But as the wedding week goes on, each woman is surprised by what she discovers about herself and the truths she is forced to confront. I loved the tone of this novel. Espach writes a playful, poignant, often funny novel while anchoring the characters in complex emotions: suicidal thoughts, grief, loneliness, and despair. I was struck by the balance of depth and humor, and I was hooked throughout. For my full review of this book, please see The Wedding People . 02 Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten Ina's memoir is personal and thoughtful. Her charm comes through in candid reflections about her fascinating life, and her young life's adventures and missteps are as intriguing as the accounts of her eventual success. Ina Garten, often called by the name of her former specialty food shop in the Hamptons (and television show), Barefoot Contessa, offers a personal, charming memoir in Be Ready When the Luck Happens . Ina shares her life story, beginning with a difficult, abusive childhood, continuing to her marriage to Jeffrey while she was still in college, to her government job writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers under President Ford and President Carter, then a flight of fancy that changed everything when she bought and learned to run the Hamptons store Barefoot Contessa--necessitating extended time apart from Jeffrey and, eventually, a very real scare that the relationship wouldn't survive. I looked forward to getting back to this book each time I could, and I was as charmed by Ina's guileless storytelling as by her blend of delightful spontaneity, creativity, practicality, and stubbornness. I listened to Be Ready When the Luck Happens as an audiobook. Click here for my full review of Be Ready When the Luck Happens . 03 Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang I loved the dark academia setting, Sciona's bid to become the first female in the High Magistry, and her rethinking of long-held assumptions and prejudices. Wang doesn't shy away from a dramatic reckoning for the story's main characters in the end. For twenty years, Sciona has single-mindedly set out to learn enough complex, intuitive, precise, powerful magic to become the first woman to be accepted into the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.   But after Sciona blasts the competition at her entrance exam and is admitted, she finds that not all of her dreams have come true. The misogyny and contempt of her peers means she faces a lack of respect and resources at every turn. For example, instead of a lab assistant, she is assigned a janitor without magical training. The janitor is a cultural outsider with a complicated history, and what he lacks in training he makes up for with the desire to learn more about the forces that may have long ago destroyed his family. When he and Sciona uncover an enormous magical secret, it could not only mean the undoing of the magical hierarchies that many have come to take for granted--it's dangerous enough that those in power want to silence the two of them for good. I loved the dark academia setting, Sciona's sassy spirit, and the outsider-becoming-an-insider theme. Sciona's fight to pursue magic and her oft-frustrated ambition, her personal journey of reconsidering her assumptions about the Tiranish culture and its people's intentions, and an immense reckoning for all. Please click here to see my full review of Blood Over Bright Haven . 04 Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blaylock Blaylock's story centers around a packhorse librarian in 1930s Appalachian Kentucky and adds layers like a complicated past, second chances, mining tragedy, a bad guy who's pure evil, mountain justice, and the promise of a happy ending. In Bonnie Blaylock's Light to the Hills , it's 1930 in the Kentucky Appalachians, and Amanda Rye is a traveling packhorse librarian, a widowed young mother, and somewhat of a local to the region, albeit estranged from her pastor father and her mother due to past scandal. Amanda makes a special connection with a mountain family on her route that's facing tough times despite their double work at the coal mine and their small farm. The MacInteers--tough yet tender mother Rai, her clever daughter Sass, playful young adult Finn, and a hardworking father as well as the family's younger children--are hesitant to accept any semblance of help. But Amanda brings them reading materials, apples for treasured pies, and some joyful company, and a deep friendship develops. Blaylock celebrates tough women, stand-up men, and never-ending hard work. Mining's dangers aren't glossed over, and tragedies abound. But Light to the Hills  seems destined to provide happy endings. Blaylock offers up second chances at love, avoidance of punishment for our heroes' missteps when they tell the truth about others' wrongdoings, and a heartwarming chosen-family element (one of my favorite themes). The story showcases a love for books and the power of the written word. The bad guy in the story is pure evil, and there's little doubt he'll get a comeuppance by the story's end. The mountain justice that's carried out by the women was thrillingly shocking. Please click here for my full review of Light to the Hills . 05 Orbital by Samantha Harvey The luminous novel Orbital tracks six astronauts in the International Space Station for one day as they goggle at the majestic beauty of earth, feel emotional distance from those they've left behind, forge bonds with each other, and reflect on their lives while racing past sixteen sunrises and sunsets . Samantha Harvey's astronaut-focused novel Orbital  traces a single day in the lives of six astronauts orbiting the earth at seventeen thousand miles an hour, clinging to Coordinated Universal Time as they pass through sixteen sunsets and sunrises in twenty-four hours. Their mission necessitates physical and emotional distance from their typical everyday, earthly concerns, forcing intimacy with their fellow astronauts--their only company, and in close quarters, for many months--and inspiring reflections on life, death, loss, the past, the future, family and loved ones, and purpose. The story within the space station is emotionally full but quiet plot-wise in contrast to the workings of the typhoon, which the book begins to detail as it unfolds and wreaks destruction across a swath of earth. An occasional omniscient view of the earth, the universe, the past, and the future keeps all in perspective for the reader. Harvey's language is often luminous and poignant. This is beautiful. For my full review, check out Orbital . 06 How to Read a Book by Monica Wood This novel about the power of books takes a tough situation that ends in a death and allows for a fresh start--which might push the bounds of realism but offers a hopeful, heartwarming tale of chosen family and friendship. The book opens in a prison, with female inmates participating in their weekly book club in rural Abbott Falls, Maine. Main protagonist Violet Powell is being released after 22 months' imprisonment for the drunk-driving accident in which she killed an older woman. Harriet Larson is a retired English teacher who leads the prison book club, and her forays into the local bookstore catch the eye of handyman Frank Daigle, who is still coming to terms with the loss of his wife in a car accident (the accident caused by Violet). When the three cross paths out in the messy, unexpected, heartbreaking world, their encounters change them all forever. The tone of Wood's novel feels reassuring that all will work out in the story, and despite the manslaughter, betrayal, guilt, prison, and some truly questionable choices, it does. Harriet's fraternizing with the imprisoned women--both in and out of jail--seems particularly ill-advised, but this ultimately works out fine. Not everything can be resolved, but much is forgiven, and considering the sticky situation at hand and the death at its heart, this is quite something. For my full review, please see How to Read a Book .

Thankful for Five-Star Bossy Favorites I'm always thankful for books and reading, so I wanted to reshare some of my five-star reads from the past in case you need a great long-weekend read or a book gift idea. A five-star Bossy read is rare; it often makes me feel all the feelings, it's typically intriguing and makes me think, and it's usually tough for me to put down. You might also like the books on my past Greedy Reading Lists Thankful for Five-Star Bossy Reads and Six Five-Star Bossy Reads to Check Out . Or you can search the site for my Five-Star B ook Reviews . Which books have been standouts for you? Do you have all-time favorite reads that you often recommend to others? 01 The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin Cronin's debut novel explores mortality, vulnerability, surprising moments of joy and reflection, an irresistible young protagonist, and a wonderful array of friends who are like family. Lenni and Margot  was one of my top twelve reads the year I read it. Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives in the terminal ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital. Her life expectancy isn't long, but Lenni still has a lot she wants to do and be. In the hospital's arts and crafts class, she meets 83-year-old Margot, a spirited, rebellious new friend. Collectively they've been around 100 years, but this just doesn't feel like enough, and they each want to leave their mark on the world. With the help of Father Arthur, the hospital chaplain, and a kind palliative care nurse, the friends make a plan to create one hundred paintings, one to represent each of their years of life. This goal adds structure to the novel, but the story is far richer than the characters' mission to create art. I don’t usually read books again, but I could use a copy of my own to highlight upon rereading. The Sparrow took a little time to get going for me, but then I was blown away. If you're interested in books that explore mortality, you might want to check out Six Powerful Memoirs about Facing Mortality . Another novel I loved that involves a precocious, wise, reflective, tough young protagonist is This Is All He Asks of You . For my full review of this book, please see The One Hundred Years of Lennie and Margot . Marianne Cronin has a new book coming out in December 2024, Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love . 02 White Houses by Amy Bloom White Houses  is gorgeously written, exhaustingly researched historical fiction about Eleanor Roosevelt and her love, Lorena Hickock, and it was a five-star read for me. Oh, this book! Bloom’s writing is exquisite. The characters in White Houses  are funny, heartbreaking, and feel alive. I loved the behind-the-scenes peeks at the residential rooms of the Roosevelt White House (which, Bloom recounts in interviews, functioned more like a not-very-fancy boarding house at the time). The dialogue is incredible, and the faulted main players are irresistible. The final paragraphs of the book in "first friend" Lorena Hickock’s voice were so gorgeous, they made me want to weep. What a satisfyingly rich world and story. Bloom is also the author of the heartbreakingly beautiful In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss , Away , Lucky Us , Come to Me: Stories , and A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You: Stories . Click here for my full review of White Houses . 03 The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason The Winter Soldier  is a World War I tale full of medical details and lovely, unlikely bonds. This is a five-star read from the author of North Woods . Lucius is a young medical student when World War I sweeps across Europe. With romantic notions in his head about noble work in a field hospital filled with brilliant surgeons, he enlists and heads to his post in the remote Carpathian Mountains. But there he finds one solitary nurse, Sister Margarite, bravely keeping together the makeshift clinic, which has been decimated by typhus. The other doctors have all left. Lucius is surrounded by grave injuries but has never even wielded a scalpel He'll learn more from Sister Margarite--who he's falling for--than he ever could have in his classes. She's been building an immense wealth of practical knowledge while trying to save the broken soldiers. This was wonderful. The details of World War I injuries and methods of treatment were fittingly grim and sometimes gruesome, but Mason's writing is beautiful and evocative, conveying the cold and brutal nature of war and loss, the chilling nature of acts done in coldhearted necessity, and the warm, promising hope of love. For my full review, please see The Winter Soldier . 04 Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You by Lucinda Williams Lucinda Williams offers a gritty, honest, captivating, spare yet fully developed memoir in which she explores her musical influences and influential high and low moments in her personal life. In Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You , songwriter, singer, and musician Lucinda Williams shares stories of her childhood, her musical influences, and pivotal moments in her career and personal life. Williams takes us along as she digs into her life's trajectory and the various conflicts, explorations, realizations, and challenges that have shaped her. Her insights into her mindset and her creativity are often offbeat, and they always feel thoughtful. She writes songs about "sex, love, and the state of the world," and in one instance describes musical freedom as feeling like everything is “uncorked." As she digs into the inspirations for her music she quotes her own lyrics--along with, occasionally, others' poems--and it all feels like truth-telling poetry--in her case, often set to music. Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You  was wonderful--spare yet fully developed, often surprising, and always intriguing. For my full review, please click here . 05 Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister McAllister offers a smart, intriguing, twisty story that plays with time and offers second chances, revelations, betrayals, deep connections, and an unusual route to uncovering the truth. I loved it. Gillian McAllister's twisty mystery Wrong Place Wrong Time  plays with time, and I love books that play with time. The story begins with a mother awaiting her teenage son's return home late one night. She peers out the window to see him walking down the street--then she sees that he is armed, and to her horror, she sees him kill another man on the street. But when she awakens the next morning bracing to face the living nightmare her family has begun living in, she's relieved to find that her son hasn't killed anyone, he hasn't been arrested, and in fact, none of last night's events have happened after all. She must be losing her mind. But she knows that last night was real. Somehow she's reliving yesterday again. She really and truly is. She can't explain what's happened, but she quickly realizes that now she may be able to stop the murder before it occurs. Can she shift the future by changing the past? The story was fascinating and touching and chilling and sweet. I absolutely loved it. Please click here for my full review of Wrong Place, Wrong Time . 06 You Think It, I'll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld Sittenfeld shapes fully realized, fascinating characters that stuck with me in the ten stories of You Think It, I'll Say It . I loved it and rated the collection five stars. At the start of this collection I was concerned that this was going to be a short story collection about people making poor choices, and I have loooots of trouble and get verrrry nervous reading those situations. But Sittenfeld has a fascinating way of turning situations on their heads and making the reader sympathetic to absurd, heartbreaking, sometimes dramatic everyday situations, as she does here. The ten stories in You Think It, I'll Say It explore expectations related to gender and relationships while Sittenfeld builds characters whose lives are shaped by missed connections, coincidences--and the aforementioned faulty decision-making. After I finished reading, I kept thinking about the characters and their realizations, compromises, and sometimes their resignation in the face of imperfect circumstances. For my full review, please see You Think It, I'll Say It .

The luminous novel Orbital tracks six astronauts in the International Space Station for one day as they goggle at the majestic beauty of earth, feel emotional distance from those they've left behind, forge bonds with each other, and reflect on their lives while racing past sixteen sunrises and sunsets. He seems to know that something is ending, that all good things must go this way, towards fracture and fallout. Samantha Harvey's astronaut-focused novel Orbital traces a single day in the lives of six astronauts orbiting the earth at seventeen thousand miles an hour, clinging to Coordinated Universal Time as they pass through sixteen sunsets and sunrises in twenty-four hours, watching familiar geographic shapes come in and out of sight and tracking metropolitan areas and the darkness indicating rural life. Meanwhile each astronaut thinks of family members on earth, prepares dehydrated meals, exercises, engages with each other, and attends to the minutiae of an extended stay in small quarters in space. Why would you do this? Trying to live where you can never thrive? Trying to go where the universe doesn't want you when there's a perfectly good earth just there that does. Up here, nice feels such an alien word. It's brutal, inhuman, overwhelming, lonely, extraordinary and magnificent. There isn't one single thing that is nice. In Orbital , Harvey takes the ultimate locked-room setting of six people in a small space, orbiting 250 miles above earth. The astronauts' (literal) perspective on earth allows them to take in its beauty without considering borders or conflicts, to glimpse its majesty without any tainting by its messy human-caused complications, and to witness its raw power, as when they are the best observers of the building of a deadly, enormous typhoon in the Pacific. They are, adorably, unable to stop taking photo upon photo of earth with their telephoto lenses, as the gorgeous scenes of their ever-changing view never grow old. Their mission necessitates physical and emotional distance from their typical everyday, earthly concerns, forcing intimacy with their fellow astronauts--their only company, and in close quarters, for many months--and inspiring reflections on life, death, loss, the past, the future, family and loved ones, and purpose. They have talked before about a feeling they often have, a feeling of merging. That they are not quite distinct from one another, nor from the spaceship. Meanwhile, their location and purpose require potentially excruciatingly rote daily routines of mechanical surveying, precise clean-up, and blood and urine sampling. Some of those on the ground try to insist upon imposing barriers upon the space travelers. For example, the Russian cosmonauts are told to use their own designated bathroom, while the other astronauts are only "allowed" to use the second bathroom--a rule the six subversively ignore. Maybe we're the new dinosaurs and we need to watch out. But then maybe against all the odds we'll migrate to Mars where we'll start a colony of gentle preservers, people who'll want to keep the red planet red, we'll devise a planetary flag because that's a thing we lacked on earth and we've come to wonder if that's why it all fell apart, and we'll look back at the faint dot of blue that is our old convalescing earth and we'll say, Do you remember? Have you heard the tales? I loved the dynamic only relevant to the world's tiny population of astronauts, in which the space-station habitants wistfully track the takeoff, journey, and pending landing of a rocket of moon-bound colleagues. The six space-station astronauts are circling the earth without traveling anywhere, they reflect, while the astronauts headed to the moon are stepping onto another world. The space station and the shuttle headed to the moon both dodge the numerous items of space trash orbiting the earth--which seems to prove that humans just can't have nice things. And all the while, the astronauts are facing what feels like the inevitability of the winding down of human space exploration in light of the growing promise of robots' clean, streamlined space travel and ability to obtain information without emotional or physical needs. Maybe it's hard to shift from thinking your planet is safe at the centre of it all to knowing in fact it's a planet of normalish size and normalish mass rotating about an average star in a solar system of average everything in a galaxy of innumerably many, and that the whole thing is going to explode or collapse. The story within the space station is emotionally full but quiet plot-wise in contrast to the workings of the typhoon, which the book begins to detail as it unfolds and wreaks destruction across a swath of earth. An occasional omniscient view of the earth, the universe, the past, and the future keeps all in perspective for the reader. Harvey's language is often luminous and poignant. This is beautiful. Orbital recently won the 2024 Booker Prize. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Samantha Harvey is also the author of The Shapeless Unease: A Year Without Sleeping , The Western Wind , Dear Thief , The Wilderness , and All Is Song . You can find more Bossy reviews of books set in space here .

Blue Sisters explores three surviving sisters' messy paths into and out of grief after the loss of their fourth sister Nicky. They make self-destructive decisions but ultimately settle into more settled futures while holding their memories tightly. The Blue sisters are reeling from the death of their fourth sister, Nicky, from an overdose she experienced while attempting to cope with her longstanding endometriosis pain. But they're each making poor choices, and each is in danger of falling apart. Lucky, the youngest, a model, is losing herself in drugs and alcohol. Avery, the oldest, ten years sober, is a married lawyer (her wife is her former therapist, eek) making an impulsive, destructive choice to try to feel something again. And steady Bonnie seems to be throwing away her future as a boxer--and pushing down her deep feelings for her longtime trainer. Bonnie, Avery, and Lucky come together and push each other away throughout the story. The sisters' formerly close relationships with each other grew in reaction to their emotional distance from both their mother--who by all accounts was poorly equipped to offer the girls security, support, or affection and at any rate was uninterested in doing so--and their father, an abusive alcoholic whose dark, dangerous presence haunted the girls' lives and whose drunkenness overshadowed Nicky's funeral. I appreciated the exploration of grief and the many avenues the sisters take to cope with it, deny it, or wallow in it. I stayed very nervous while the three survivors made destructive decisions that seemed destined to cause them further pain, and as they railed against each other. I listened to Blue Sisters  as an audiobook, read by Kit Griffiths. I appreciated that Griffiths's New York accent was fitting for these New York characters, but the accent was such a departure from the non-accents of many of the narrators I'm used to, it took me some time to get used to it. Increased diversity in accents feels like an #audiobookgoal. A note: at my preferred 2x speed, Griffiths's speech felt distractingly halting, with what felt like hard stops between each word. When I slowed down the speed, this speech pattern wasn't noticeable, so I'll take the blame for listening at a faster speed than the book was designed for. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Coco Mellors is also the author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein . To find more Bossy reviews of books about grief, check out this link .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Creation Lake , Rachel Kushner's noir, dark humor mystery; I'm reading Lex Croucher's soon-to-be published sassy young adult medieval romance Not For the Faint of Heart ; and I'm listening to Coco Mellors's novel about sisters coping with grief, Blue Sisters . What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner "Sadie Smith" is an American secret agent sent to France to infiltrate a subversive commune. She has made her young lover Lucien believe they met by chance, but "Sadie" is milking him for information. When she meets Bruno, a mysterious figure who trains the young activists, she believes she's manipulating him for information. But Bruno is telling his own stories and reshaping history, sharing his tragic past and garnering sympathy from Sadie, whose shadowy bosses in government and business are directing her actions. Kushner brings dark humor and noir mystery to the story of Creation Lake . Rachel Kushner is also the author of The Mars Room , The Flamethrowers , and Telex from Cuba , as well as a book of short stories, The Strange Case of Rachel K . 02 Not For the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher "You aren’t merry," Clem said to her captor. "And you aren’t all men. So there’s been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line." Mariel is the bristly new captain of the Merry Men and is anxious to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, Robin Hood. Clem is a jovial healer from the country who has only noble intentions of helping others. But when the Merry Men capture Clem in retribution for her help healing the Sherriff of Nottingham, things get complicated for both Mariel and Clem in this sassy, fun, queer historical fiction young adult romance. I received a prepublication edition of this book, to be published November 26, courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Lex Croucher is also the author of Gwen & Art Are Not in Love . 03 Blue Sisters By Coco Mellors The Blue sisters are reeling from the death of their fourth sister, Nicky, from an overdose she experienced while attempting to cope with her longstanding endometriosis pain. But they're each making poor choices, and each is in danger of falling apart. Lucky, the youngest, a model, is losing herself in drugs and alcohol. Avery, the oldest, ten years sober, is a married lawyer (her wife is her former therapist, eek) making an impulsive, destructive choice. And Bonnie seems to be throwing away her future as a boxer--and her deep feelings for her trainer. I'm listening to Blue Sisters as an audiobook, read by Kit Griffiths.

Sports and Recreation Nonfiction Book Gift Ideas Where are my sports and recreation book gift-givers? I'll be sharing my annual Bossy book gift lists leading up to the holidays, and I hope you'll find a book or two in these lists of ideas to delight someone you love--or to give to yourself! Last week I posted about cookbook gift ideas that look delicious; you can check out that list here . Below you can find short snippets about the six 2024 sports-focused releases that sound so promising, I'm excited to give them as gifts this holiday season--plus six bonus books, listed below, that also look intriguing: Queen of the Court: The Many Lives of Tennis Legend Alice Marble by Madeleine Blais (2022) Macho Man: The Untamed, Unbelievable Life of Randy Savage by Jon Finkel (2024) Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know about Women by Maggie Mertens (2024) 1923: The Mystery of Lot 212 and a Tour de France Obsession by Ned Boulting (2023) The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 Into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg (2024) Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon by Mirin Fader (2024) Don't forget to check my past Bossy gift idea lists for quirky books, perennial classics, modern favorites, nonfiction must-haves, or other new-to-you titles that might be perfect for the people on your holiday list! 2023 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Science and the Natural World Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Sports Nonfiction Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Cookbooks Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Books about Media, Movies, and Music 2022 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Holiday Cookbook Gift Ideas   Shhh! Coffee Table Bossy Book Gift Ideas   Shhh! Science and Nature Bossy Book Gift Ideas   Shhh! Bossy Nonfiction Book Gift Ideas   2021 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays   Shhh! Six More Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays   Shhh! Nonfiction and Hobby Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays   Shhh! Kid and Teen Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays   2020 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Books I'm Giving as Gifts This Holiday   Shhh! More Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays   Shhh! Book Gifts for Kids and Teens   Shhh! More Book Gifts for Kids and Teens   Bossy Independent Bookstore Love A Bossy book-buying note: If you're buying books this holiday season, please support your local independent bookstore. They need and appreciate our business! (The book covers on this site link you to Bookshop, a site that supports the beloved indies that keep us swimming in thoughtful book recommendations and excellent customer service all year round.) I love my local independent bookstore here in Charlotte, Park Road Books . They have a fantastic selection of titles, staff members offer spot-on recommendations (and sparkling personalities!), and they can order almost anything they don't have in stock. 01 There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib In There's Always This Year , Hanif Abdurraqib, author of A Little Devil in America and They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us , offers a book about baseball and life that defies categorization. Abdurraqib grew up in the 1990s, the golden age of basketball and the period in which legends like LeBron James flourished. The author's obsession with the sport serves as a catalyst to reflect with personal, sometimes poetic reflections upon who makes it and why, the fraught nature of role models, the tension between expectation and achievement, how sports shape our culture's thinking, dreams, notions of success, and more. 02 Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments by Joe Posnanski From Patrick Mahomes's magic to the Ice Bowl, from Doug Flutie's Hail Mary pass to a plethora of football "miracles," Why We Love Football is an unforgettable, conversational masterpiece... Last year's Bossy sports-book gift roundup included Joe Posnanski's Why We Love Baseball . In Posnanski's Why We Love Football , 100 key moments from our nation's number-one sport include well-known tales and lore as well as hidden gems that even football's biggest fans might not be familiar with. Posnanski--who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina--is also the author of Why We Love Baseball , The Baseball 100 , Paterno , and The Secret of Golf. 03 In My Element: Life Lessons from the World's Toughest Solo Ocean Race by Pip Hare The boat picks up another wave and surfs again, faster this time, deafening. My eyes are streaming, sore from the icy wind that throws spray in my face. And over the top of it all I can hear my own laughter. I feel powerful, strong. I am a thousand miles from land in one of the world's most dangerous environments. Alone and free. In My Element includes Pip Hare's firsthand account of her experiences in The Vendée Globe Race, one of the world's most grueling sporting events, a singlehanded, nonstop loop of Earth, without assistance. The route carries sailors from the edges of Antarctica, through the dangers of the rough Southern Ocean and onward. Hare shares the mental fortitude, grueling physical challenges, and how she became a middle-aged woman defying all expectations--and living a thrilling life of adventure. 04 Narcoball: Love, Death and Football in Escobar's Colombia by David Arrowsmith Narcoball uncovers the incredible story of Colombian football during the early 1990s--shaped by drug lords, rivalries, and ambition. It uncovers a football empire backed by cartels--where victory was a currency of its own, and defeat, a matter of life and death. Pablo Escobar's number-one obsession was football, and in Narcoball , David Arrowsmith reveals the elaborate machinations that allowed Escobar to shape the Medellin football clubs, as told by players and politicians. From the murders of referees, to the untold influence of drug cartels upon football officials, to the killing of the defender Andres Escobar, who died after an own goal in the 1994 World Cup, the meticulously researched Narcoball offers details of the shocking lengths the drug lord and his biggest rival were willing to go to in order to control their favorite sport. 05 Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball by Keith O'Brien A page-turning work of narrative nonfiction chronicling the incredible story of one of America’s most iconic, charismatic, and still polarizing figures—baseball immortal Pete Rose—and an exquisite cultural history of baseball and America in the second half of the twentieth century. O'Brien tells the story of the legendary Pete Rose, a polarizing baseball figure who decades ago secured the record for most hits--a record that still stands--and who was also at the center of the biggest sports-gambling scandal of all time. Charlie Hustle also explores the many layers of complications, conflicts of interest, and potential influence related to the modern-day explosion of sports betting. 06 The Catch of a Lifetime: Moments of Flyfishing Glory by Peter Kaminsky With its tales of brown trout in Montana and bluefish at Montauk Point, smallmouth in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters and unforgettable adventures with giant taimen on the steppes of central Asia, bonefish in New Caledonia, white marlin in the Baja, and golden dorado in the tribal lands along the Amazon’s headwaters, this gorgeously illustrated anthology is a transporting testament to the call that all anglers heed—to get out there and be one with the water. Author Peter Kaminsky offers a beautifully illustrated set of first-person accounts of fly-fishing experiences they'll never forget. The authors, artists, poets, and guides who share their stories include Carl Hiaasen, Joan Wulff, Nick Lyons, Rachel Finn, Tom Colicchio, Rachel Maddow, Mark Kurlansky, Brittany Howard, Hilary Hutcheson, and John McPhee. Peter Kaminsky is also the author dozens of other books.

In the first book of Blake Crouch's haunting mystery trilogy, secret agent Ethan Burke tries to grasp the shifts in time, widespread conspiracies, and grand plans for Wayward Pines--while trying to avoid being killed by murderous small-town vigilantes or by mysterious, horrifying creatures lurking beyond the town's fence. In Pines , the first book in Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy, secret agent Ethan Burke wakes up in a strange place, by a river, horribly bruised and in pain--with no memory of his own name, his job, or his history--much less what has happened to leave him in such a state. As his memory comes back to him in pieces, he recalls that his mission--before the devastating car crash upon his arrival in town that left him reeling--was to locate two missing federal agents who were dispatched a month earlier to investigate a mysterious billionaire's potential financial crimes in Wayward Pines, Idaho. The agents haven't been heard from in weeks. Setting out on this job was hairy enough--one of the agents is his former lover, Kate, and Ethan's wife Theresa is not happy that Ethan is involved in the search for her. But as Ethan learns more about the car accident and about the strange town of Wayward Pines, he develops more questions than answers. He can't get through to his wife and family in Seattle or to his boss, no one in town seems to believe he is who he says he is, and he's not sure whether the electric fence surrounding the town is meant to keep something sinister out or to stop residents from leaving. Over a third of the beginning of the book is focused upon the dynamic in which Ethan asserts that he needs help, then is sidestepped or disregarded. No one listens to Ethan, cares about his concerns, or assists him. I began to tire of this ongoing frustration. Then Ethan finds the remains of Bill Evans (not the jazz pianist and composer of the same name), and he could swear he glimpses Kate. But the stakes for stepping out of line in Wayward Pines, asking uncomfortable questions, or asserting that problems exist are grave--and potentially deadly. And horrifying dangers lurk for those who seek to escape. Ethan has spent several days in the small town when Pines shifts to the point of view of Ethan's wife, who is in Seattle grieving her loss and the disappearance of Ethan...fifteen months earlier. Theresa's mysterious encounter with an odd man makes it even more clear that time is not passing in a normal fashion. Developments near the end of the book set up Ethan's complicity in the grand, nefarious conspiracy in Wayward Pines--but it seems doubtful that in the next book he will adhere to the rules of the ringleader of the elaborate plan. I was intrigued by the story's concept but wanted more character development to anchor me within the ever-evolving revelations surrounding the world of Wayward Pines , its shifting time, and the implications of these. I listened to Pines  as an audiobook. The two other titles in the series are Wayward and The Last Town . I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! You can find my review of Blake Crouch's Upgrade here , my review of his novel Recursion (mentioned in the Greedy Reading List Six Riveting Time-Travel Stories to Explore )   here , and my review of Dark Matter   here .

I loved the dark academia setting, Sciona's bid to become the first female in the High Magistry, and her rethinking of long-held assumptions and prejudices. Wang doesn't shy away from a dramatic reckoning for the story's main characters in the end. For twenty years, Sciona has single-mindedly set out to learn enough complex, intuitive, precise, powerful magic to become the first woman to be accepted into the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.   But after Sciona blasts the competition at her entrance exam and is admitted, she finds that not all of her dreams have come true. The misogyny and contempt of her peers means she faces a lack of respect and resources at every turn. For example, instead of a lab assistant, she is assigned a janitor without magical training. The janitor is a cultural outsider with a complicated history, and what he lacks in training he makes up for with the desire to learn more about the forces that may have long ago destroyed his family. When he and Sciona uncover an enormous magical secret, it could not only mean the undoing of the magical hierarchies that many have come to take for granted--it's dangerous enough that those in power want to silence the two of them for good. I loved the dark academia setting, Sciona's sassy spirit, and the outsider-becoming-an-insider theme. Sciona's fight to pursue magic and her oft-frustrated ambition, her personal journey of reconsidering her assumptions about the Tiranish culture and its people's intentions, and an immense reckoning for all. The final section of the book doesn't shy away from violence, end-of-days drama, and a nuclear option that means the end for a main character. I read Blood Over Bright Haven  courtesy of Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! M. L. Wang is also the author of The Sword of Kaigen  and the YA fantasy series The Volta Academy Chronicles.

Ina's memoir is personal and thoughtful. Her charm comes through in candid reflections about her fascinating life, and her young life's adventures and missteps are as intriguing as the accounts of her eventual success. Ina Garten, often called by the name of her former specialty food shop in the Hamptons (and television show), Barefoot Contessa, offers a personal, charming memoir in Be Ready When the Luck Happens . Ina shares her life story, beginning with a difficult, abusive childhood, continuing to her marriage to Jeffrey while she was still in college, to her government job writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers under President Ford and President Carter, then a flight of fancy that changed everything when she bought and learned to run the Hamptons store Barefoot Contessa--necessitating extended time apart from Jeffrey and, eventually, a very real scare that the relationship wouldn't survive. I looked forward to getting back to this book each time I could, and I was as charmed by Ina's guileless storytelling as by her blend of delightful spontaneity, creativity, practicality, and stubbornness. Ina is candid and thoughtful, offering business tips, personal reflections, and a wry sense of humor. She was and is organized, determined, and in constant search of new challenges. She defies logic at times when her inner voice tells her to jump into a new adventure, and Be Ready When the Magic Happens outlines various exciting moments (learning to fly a plane; diving into store ownership and taking initiatives to revamp the business) as well as personal decisions (the difficult choice to live in the Hamptons while Jeffrey lived in Tokyo for an extended period; deciding not to have children). I was most intrigued by her young life with Jeffrey; camping in Europe on $5 a day; her early adventures in business; her missteps and pivots; and examples of her relentless work ethic. I was less engaged by the later casual mentions of Ina's elite lifestyle--celebrity friends, elaborate remodeling--and her interjection of her television show's catch phrases. I did enjoy the book's ending, which focuses on the famous guests on her "Be My Guest" television show, but I loved Ina's personal stories the most. Ina reads the audiobook version of her story, and I enjoyed listening to her voice as she relates key elements of her life. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! If you enjoy memoirs, you can find Bossy reviews of my favorites here . And check out some of my favorite foodie memoirs here .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to the first book in Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines mystery trilogy, Pines ; I'm listening to Ina Garten's memoir, Be Ready When the Luck Happens ; and I'm reading Samantha Harvey's Booker Prize-winning novel Orbital . What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 Pines (Wayward Pines #1) by Blake Crouch In the first book in Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines trilogy, secret agent Ethan Burke wakes up in a strange place, by a river, horribly bruised and in pain--with no memory of his own name, his job, or his history--much less what on earth has happened to leave him in such a state. As his memory comes back to him in pieces, he recalls that his mission--before a devastating car crash left him reeling--was to locate two missing federal agents who had been dispatched to investigate potential crimes in Wayward Pines, Idaho, a month prior. They haven't been heard from in weeks. But Burke is developing more questions than answers. He can't get through to his wife and family in Seattle, no one seems to believe he is who he says he is, and he's not sure whether the electric fence surrounding the town is meant to keep something out or keep residents in. I'm listening to Pines as an audiobook. You can find my review of Blake Crouch's Upgrade here , my review of his novel Recursion (mentioned in the Greedy Reading List Six Riveting Time-Travel Stories to Explore )   here   and my review of Dark Matter   here . 02 Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten Ina Garten, often considered synonymous with the name of her former specialty food shop in the Hamptons, Barefoot Contessa, offers a personal, thoughtful memoir in Be Ready When the Luck Happens . Ina shares her life story, beginning with a difficult, abusive childhood and continuing to her marriage to Jeffrey while she was still in college, to her government job writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers under President Ford and President Carter, then a flight of fancy when she bought and learned to run the Hamptons store Barefoot Contessa--necessitating extended time apart from Jeffrey and a very real scare that the relationship wouldn't survive. Ina is candid and thoughtful, offering business tips, personal reflections, and a wry sense of humor. She reads the audiobook version of her story, and I'm enjoying listening to her voice as she relates key elements of her life. 03 Orbital by Samantha Harvey Samantha Harvey's novel Orbital is garnering attention as the winner of the Booker Prize 2024. The slim book traces a single day in the lives of six astronauts orbiting the earth at seventeen thousand miles an hour, clinging to Coordinated Universal Time as they pass through sixteen sunsets and sunrises, watching familiar geographic shapes come in and out of sight and tracking metropolitan areas and the darkness indicating rural life. Meanwhile each astronaut thinks of family members on earth, prepares dehydrated meals, exercises, engages with each other, and attends to the minutiae of an extended stay in small quarters in space.

Cookbook Book Gift Ideas Where are my cookbook gift-givers? These are the 2024 cookbooks that I'm most excited to give as gifts this holiday season. I'll be sharing my annual Bossy book gift ideas leading up to the holidays, and I hope you'll find a book or two in these lists to delight someone you love--or to give to yourself! Don't forget to check my past Bossy gift idea lists for quirky books, perennial classics, modern favorites, nonfiction must-haves, or other new-to-you titles that might be perfect for the people on your holiday list! 2023 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Science and the Natural World Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Sports Nonfiction Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Cookbooks Shhh! Bossy Book Gift Ideas: Books about Media, Movies, and Music 2022 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Holiday Cookbook Gift Ideas   Shhh! Coffee Table Bossy Book Gift Ideas   Shhh! Science and Nature Bossy Book Gift Ideas   Shhh! Bossy Nonfiction Book Gift Ideas   2021 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays Shhh! Six More Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays Shhh! Nonfiction and Hobby Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays Shhh! Kid and Teen Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays 2020 Bossy Book Gift Guides Shhh! Books I'm Giving as Gifts This Holiday   Shhh! More Book Gift Ideas for the Holidays   Shhh! Book Gifts for Kids and Teens   Shhh! More Book Gifts for Kids and Teens   Bossy Independent Bookstore Love A Bossy book-buying note: If you're buying books this holiday season, please support your local independent bookstore. They need and appreciate our business! (The book covers on Bossy Bookworm link you to Bookshop, a site that supports the beloved indies that keep us swimming in thoughtful book recommendations and excellent customer service all year round.) I love my local independent bookstore, Park Road Books . They have a fantastic selection of titles, staff members offer spot-on recommendations (and sparkling personalities!), and they can order almost anything they don't have in stock. 01 Justine Cooks: Recipes (Mostly Plants) for Finding Your Way in the Kitchen by Justine Doiron I follow justine_snacks on social media, and I love her small-kitchen, simple-ingredient, delicious-looking "snacks," prepared in lovely atmospheric lighting. Her first cookbook promises approachable, creative offerings to connect you and yours through food. Recipes include Baked Kale Salad with Chili Quinoa, Breaded Beans with Nutty Skhug, Whitefish Peperonata, Crispy Rice in Sungold-Miso Broth, plus simple breads like Sweet Potato Focaccia and Ripple Bread. The desserts chapter tempts with recipes like Tiny Salted Tiramisu Cookies and Butternut Squash Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream. 02 Does This Taste Funny? Recipes Our Family Loves by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert During Covid, the Colbert family enjoyed having all three kids under the roof of their South Carolina home again, and cooking and eating together became a collective past time. Does This Taste Funny? collects some of the family's favorite recipes, as well as banter between Stephen and Evie. ...from Party Food, to Seafood, to Poultry and Meat, to Desserts ("This is one of the largest sections of the book. Evie always reminds me that desserts are a great way to postpone clearing up."), to Drinks...with gorgeous shots of their food, family, and home. 03 Easy Weeknight Dinners: 100 Fast, Flavor-Packed Meals for Busy People Who Still Want Something Good to Eat by Emily Weinstein and New York Times Cooking In Easy Weeknight Dinners , editor in chief Emily Weinstein has curated some of the greatest hits--100 favorite dishes that you can make in as little as 10 minutes, from trusted writers Melissa Clark, Eric Kim, Yewande Komolafe, Ali Slagle, and more, served with mouth-watering photos and notes from the NYT Cooking community. My household's dinners are largely inspired by New York Times Food emails and recipes, and I'm all in for truly quick, delicious options such as "a standout meal for one, crowd-pleasers for picky kids, or something special for company...versatile, flavor-packed meals for busy lives." 04 The Great British Baking Show: Kitchen Classics: The Official 2023 Great British Bake Off Book by The Bake Off Team The Great British Baking Show is cozy winter watching for me and anyone else in this family I can get to watch alongside me. In The Great British Baking Show: Kitchen Classics , recipes by Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, and the 2023 bakers include 80 mouthwatering Signature Bakes. The joy of The Great British Bake Off is...this combination of old and new, classic and contemporary.... With biscuits and breads; pastries and patisseries, desserts, chocolate inventions, and, of course, cakes, these are all recipes you'll want to make at home. 05 Milk Street: Cook What You Have: Make a Meal Out of Almost Anything by Christopher Kimball I've mentioned several Milk Street and Christopher Kimball-conceived cookbooks in past book gift lists , and I'm dedicated to Kimball's Milk Street magazine, published every two months. Cook What You Have promises to transform your pantry offerings into "bright, bold meals from around the world." Got a can of chickpeas? It can become anything from a quick hummus to a curry spiked with sweet carrots, from a garlicky chickpea soup to a bowl of crispy canned beans with lemon and scallions. The 225 recipes in Cook What You Have offer practical methods for finding creative inspiration right under your nose--without a trip to the store. 06 Half Baked Harvest: Quick and Cozy by Tieghan Gerard I mentioned Tieghan Gerard's Half Baked Harvest: Every Day in a past cookbook gift list , and I own several of her cookbooks. Typically, everything Gerard dreams up appeals to me, and the recipes work out as designed. In her fourth cookbook, Tieghan Gerard returns with a collection of more than 120 recipes that reflect the way she cooks now: simple ingredients, easy to get on the table, short on time yet big on flavor. Recipes for promising, accessible comfort food with a twist include: Maple Bacon Pancakes with Bourbon Maple Syrup, Cheesy Roasted Shallot Bread, Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Bang Bang Sauce, Sheet Pan Mac & Cheese with All the Crispy Edges, and Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.

I was hooked on the story of a team of young women fighting for admittance to a guild, their bonds, and their adventures. But the extremely specific, frequent mentions of body parts and the mechanics of sex became distracting, and I didn't respond to the experienced, relentless male/naive, wowed female dynamic. Ruby Dixon's paranormal, interspecies-romance novel Bull Moon Rising  begins with privileged heiress Aspeth Honori's unlikely pilgrimage to the gritty city in a desperate attempt to try to save her family's legacy. Her father's gambling means the family's artifacts have been lost, and Aspeth is determined to join the Royal Artifactual Guild, become an underground adventurer, find artifacts, and secure her own future and those of her family too. But achieving her goals isn't going to be easy. As a woman, she won't be accepted into the guild without a chaperone, and her most likely candidate is a grumpy minotaur (who's also her teacher, oops) who also needs a favor. He's about to go into rut, and despite her ignorance of minotaurs and of sex in general, she's pledged to pair with him, and she enters into a rushed marriage. The next day, she begins classes with her female-only group of misfits, who are each hoping to earn their way into the guild. The cover is arresting, and the sparkles and art are a nod to the novel's fantasy genre. But the cotton-candy-rainbow palette somehow didn't prepare me for the steaminess and frank sexual discussions that begin to hit early in the book and ramp up from there. I listened to Bull Moon Rising in audiobook form, and hearing it all read to me may have exacerbated my distraction and eventual irritation at the prominently featured and often-discussed instances of specific body parts, excretions, planned particulars, and sex itself. The minotaur character (he's strong, with a heart of gold) is beastlike in his urges and relentlessness, and his "must-mate" bossiness made me uncomfortable, especially set against Aspeth's inexperience and wondrous admiration for him (she's the naive young lady being taken in hand). The "rutting moon" build-up and his Neanderthal-like single-mindedness grated on me as well. The world-building felt a little unfinished, but the adventure story was compelling, with women fighting for recognition--often by subverting the rules and making their own way; the exploration and danger; the quickly developed and strong bonds; and, ultimately, moral reckonings about the search for, sale, and amassing of ancient artifacts. I loved that Aspeth is a plus-size woman who loves books and wears glasses and is the irresistible object of affection for the main male character. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Dixon is the author of 21 Ice Planet Barbarians novels and dozens of other steamy-romantasy books.

Blaylock's story centers around a packhorse librarian in 1930s Appalachian Kentucky and adds layers like a complicated past, second chances, mining tragedy, a bad guy who's pure evil, mountain justice, and the promise of a happy ending. In Bonnie Blaylock's Light to the Hills , it's 1930 in the Kentucky Appalachians, and Amanda Rye is a traveling packhorse librarian, a widowed young mother, and somewhat of a local to the region, albeit estranged from her pastor father and her mother due to past scandal. Amanda makes a special connection with a mountain family on her route that's facing tough times despite their double work at the coal mine and their small farm. The MacInteers--tough yet tender mother Rai, her clever daughter Sass, playful young adult Finn, and a hardworking father as well as the family's younger children--are hesitant to accept any semblance of help. But Amanda brings them reading materials, apples for treasured pies, and some joyful company, and a deep friendship develops. The bond between Amanda and the family tempts her to share a dark secret from her past--one that caused a deep rift between Amanda and her parents when they (against all logic, but when faced with the threat of scandal) believed outlandish, harmful rumors without discussion, then cut ties with her. When a haunting figure from the past shows up in town again, Amanda's history not only threatens to shake up her future, but turns out to be intricately linked to some of the MacInteers's emerging complications. Blaylock celebrates tough women, stand-up men, and never-ending hard work. Mining's dangers aren't glossed over, and tragedies abound. But Light to the Hills seems destined to provide happy endings. Blaylock offers up second chances at love, avoidance of punishment for our heroes' missteps when they tell the truth about others' wrongdoings, and a heartwarming chosen-family element (one of my favorite themes). The story showcases a love for books and the power of the written word. The bad guy in the story is pure evil, and there's little doubt he'll get a comeuppance by the story's end. The mountain justice that's carried out by the women was thrillingly shocking. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! I love a historical fiction story set in Appalachia , and I also love to read books about books . You can check out some of my Bossy favorites at the links here. Other books I've loved about traveling librarians include The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and The Giver of Stars .

This novel about the power of books takes a tough situation that ends in a death and allows for a fresh start--which might push the bounds of realism but offers a hopeful, heartwarming tale of chosen family and friendship. The cover art and title of How to Read a Book  gave me the impression that Wood's novel was likely going to be cute, sweet, and neatly wrapped up. But the book opens in a prison, with female inmates participating in their weekly book club in rural Abbott Falls, Maine. Main protagonist Violet Powell is being released after 22 months' imprisonment for the drunk-driving accident in which she killed an older woman. Harriet Larson is a retired English teacher who leads the prison book club, and her forays into the local bookstore catch the eye of handyman Frank Daigle, who is still coming to terms with the loss of his wife in a car accident (the accident caused by Violet). When the three cross paths out in the messy, unexpected, heartbreaking world, their encounters change them all forever. A found/chosen family element brings tons of heart to the tale, and the new start for Violet is satisfying and hopeful--although I wasn't sure it was particularly realistic. But the tone of Wood's novel feels reassuring that all will work out in the story, and despite the manslaughter, betrayal, guilt, prison, and some truly questionable choices, it does. Harriet's fraternizing with the imprisoned women--both in and out of jail--seems particularly ill-advised, but this ultimately works out fine. Not everything can be resolved, but much is forgiven, and considering the sticky situation at hand and the death at its heart, this is quite something. The summary of Violet's future at the end felt unnecessary to me, but readers may like the neat closing of the loop. I love reading a book that takes place in Maine, but I didn't get a significant Maine feel to the characters or setting while reading the story despite the mentions of the state and of towns in it. I listened to How to Read a Book  as an audiobook. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Check out these links for more Bossy reviews of books about books or books set in Maine .

The Books I'm Reading Now I guess this list is an Escape from Reality attempt, as I have three fantasy novels going right now. I'm listening to Ruby Dixon's sassy fantasy novel, Bull Moon Rising ; I'm reading M. L. Wang's recently published dark academia novel, Blood Over Bright Haven ; and I'm reading Frances White's fantasy story about mysterious deaths on a magical ship journey, Voyage of the Damned . What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 Bull Moon Rising (Royal Artifactual Guild #1) by Ruby Dixon Ruby Dixon's paranormal, interspecies-romance novel Bull Moon Rising begins with privileged heiress Aspeth Honori's unlikely pilgrimage to the gritty city in order to try to save her family's legacy. Her father's gambling means the family's artifacts have been lost, and Aspeth is determined to join the Royal Artifactual Guild, become an underground adventurer, find artifacts, and secure her own future and those of her family too. But achieving her goals isn't going to be that easy. As a woman, she won't be accepted into the guild without a chaperone, and her most likely candidate is a grumpy minotaur (who's also her teacher, oops) who also needs a favor. He's about to go into rut, and despite her ignorance of minotaurs and of sex in general, she's pledged to pair with him, and she enters into a rushed marriage on the eve of the first day of classes with her female-only group of misfits. They're each hoping to earn their way into the guild. The cover is arresting, and the sparkles and art are a nod to the novel's fantasy genre. But the cotton-candy-rainbow palette somehow didn't prepare me for the steaminess and frank sexual discussions that begin to hit early in the book and don't show any signs of letting up. However, if I had realized that Dixon is the author of 21 Ice Planet Barbarians novels and dozens of other steamy-romantasy books, I might have pieced this together sooner. I'm listening to Bull Moon Rising as an audiobook. 02 Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang For twenty years, Sciona has single-mindedly set out to learn enough complex, intuitive, precise, powerful magic to become the first woman to be accepted into the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry. But after Sciona blasts the competition at her entrance exam and is admitted, she finds that not all of her dreams have come true. The misogyny and contempt of her peers means she faces a lack of respect and resources at every turn. For example, instead of a lab assistant, she is assigned a janitor without magical training. The janitor is a cultural outsider with a complicated history, and what he lacks in training he makes up for with the desire to learn more about the forces that may have long ago destroyed his family. When he and Sciona uncover an enormous magical secret, it could not only mean the undoing of the magical hierarchies that many have come to take for granted--it could be dangerous enough that those in power might want to silence the two of them for good. So far I'm loving the dark academia setting, Sciona's sassy spirit, and the outsider-becoming-an-insider theme. I'm reading Blood Over Bright Haven courtesy of Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley. M. L. Wang is also the author of The Sword of Kaigen and the YA fantasy series The Volta Academy Chronicles. 03 Voyage of the Damned by Frances White To honor Concordia's thousand years of peace between its twelve provinces, the emperor's ship sets out on a voyage to the sacred Goddess's Mountain. The twelve heirs of Concordia are aboard, each with a special magical power (a Blessing). All except one, that is. Ganymedes Piscero is, as always, a general disappointment: a class clown lacking in magical ability. When a magical heir is killed and other deaths follow, Ganymedes is suspected of foul play. He's innocent, but without magical protections, he is in terrible danger of being picked off next. Can Ganymedes become the hero he'll need to be to save the future of his people?

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby is a historical fiction art-focused mystery told in two timelines. I found the story immensely satisfying. ...I realized I too had seen terrible sights, lived through awful things, and began to wonder if getting them down on canvas might help to exorcize them from my own nightmares. In The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby , Ellery Lloyd (the husband and wife writing team of Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos) offers a gorgeously wrought historical fiction mystery in two timelines. In 1938, runaway heiress and aspiring artist Juliette Willoughby gives up her inheritance (and dark family history) for love, then disappears into Europe with surrealist painter Oskar Erlich. She works tirelessly on a painting that garners significant interest, while Oskar's work doesn't get the attention he was hoping for. The tension between Juliette and Oskar begins to drive them apart, and Juliette begins to fear that her family has tracked her down in Paris. Then Juliette and Oskar perish in a Parisian apartment fire--along with Juliette's brilliant painting. Fifty years later, Caroline and Patrick, two Cambridge students who are falling in love, are also on the hunt for dissertation topics. They stumble upon a treasure trove of items belonging to Juliette Willoughby--and indications that the famous Paris apartment fire was no accident at all. The modern-day timeline follows Caroline and Patrick through twists and turns, through the ins and outs of the art world, to the eventual collapse of their relationship (minor note: this occurs off page, and I found it somewhat unsatisfying). The mysterious appearance of what seems to be a Juliette Willoughby original, followed by a tragic death within Caroline and Patrick's circle, bring the two back together, fueled by their knowledge of Juliette's motivations and their desire to understand the past more fully. I was intrigued by the structure, and I liked the gradually revealed elements of Juliette's painting and of her past. This was immensely satisfying historical fiction. I listened to The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby as an audiobook. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Ellery Lloyd also wrote The Club  and  People Like Her . You can click here for lists of more historical fiction novels and historical fiction mysteries I've loved.

The Robot Books I love a good artificial intelligence- or robot-focused story, and these six (plus, in several cases, their sequels) really captivated me. Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear what you thought! Which other books should I add to my to-read robot book list? 01 The Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells You can click the links here to find my full Bossy reviews of Murderbot books 1 through 3 ( All Systems Red , Artificial Condition , and Rogue Protocol ), book 4, Exit Strategy , book 5, Network Effect , book 6, Fugitive Telemetry , and book 7, System Collapse . SecUnit is a company-supplied security android who accompanies corporate forays into planetary exploration. Unbeknownst to its clients, SecUnit has hacked its governor module--and secretly refers to itself as Murderbot. Privately disdainful of the weak, inefficient humans it protects, Murderbot is exploring who it is and what is possible. SecUnit is a fantastic main character; it's grumpily and charmingly obsessed with keeping its people safe and with not being touched or talked to about feelings. It gleans tips about holding conversations and functioning around others by watching its favorite show, The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon . Murderbot befriends other AI beings; it's constantly and cleverly problem-solving; it sulks and likes to veg out with its media; and it grudgingly becomes attached to certain humans in its orbit. The Murderbot series is funny and poignant and odd and wonderful. Click here for my glowing reviews of the first three books in this series and click here for my reviews of Exit Strategy and Network Effect . 02 Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson This story features supporting AI and robot characters in an intriguing futuristic setting. Lora Beth Johnson hooked me immediately with the premise of Goddess in the Machine and with main protagonist Andra's voice. Teenage Andra wakes up after being cryogenically preserved for a century-long journey to a new planet. She's a little creaky and sore, sure, but she's ready to be reunited with the team, which includes her mother and the rest of her family, plus many others involved in the complex project. They'll begin the work of bravely populating and building a society on this new planet. But Andra soon realizes she wasn't sleeping for 100 years. She was asleep for 1,000. The people, terrain, and language are not what she studied for or expected, everyone she once knew has already lived and died--oh, and the general population, whoever they are, thinks she's a goddess, and they've been waiting excitedly for her to wake up and save them. There's a twist/double twist in Goddess in the Machine that I didn't see coming, and I found the whole story compelling. For my full review, please see Goddess in the Machine . The sequel to this book is Devil in the Device . 03 Machinehood by S. B. Divya In her debut novel, Machinehood , S. B. Divya sets the scene in the world of 2095. Humanity around the world is reliant on homemade and commercially manufactured pills--for health, for work focus, for managing bots, for healing, for sleep, and for transitioning between all of the above. The economy runs on robots, partially augmented humans, and humans desperately trying to compete with artificial intelligence and survive in the gig economy. Space! Robots! Artificial intelligence! I wished for more page time spent on everyday tasks and activities (cooking, shifting household modules, travel, and communicating), which were all carried out in Jetsons-level, fascinating, futuristic ways. But Divya is too busy crafting strong female main protagonists (complete with working mother guilt, which exists in the future too) as they: navigate ethical considerations such as pressures on workers and workload expectations; consider modifications to the body to enable faster or more strenuous work; manage the implications of a backlash against artificial enhancements; and face society's inability to extricate itself and the worldwide economy from a reliance on pills. The management of many large-scale issues and their side effects are shown in shades of gray rather than black-and-white, including the meaning and value of personhood; the definitions of health, autonomy, and freedom; sometimes-necessary compromises; and the promise for the future of the world. For my full review of this book, please see Machinehood . 04 Skyhunter by Marie Lu In Skyhunter , Lu offers a story about refugees desperately trying to escape becoming conscripted into the Federation army; elite Striker fighters trying to salvage their society despite the Federation's widespread and evil efforts; and the demonization of the "other." A mysterious prisoner from the front arrives who could be friend or foe, and our main protagonist Talin must figure out whether to destroy him or trust him with her life--before things unravel irrevocably for her and her fellow warriors. The surprising ending made my heart stop. Then I remembered that this was the first in a series and that the story would continue past the final complications and shocking events, so I did not hurl the book through the window. Complex motivations are at work here, as well as clashes between idealism and realism and editorialization about class and race. There is plenty of substance and depth in this young adult title to captivate adult readers. Skyhunter  made it onto this list because of the augmented humans in the book. For my full review of this book, please see Skyhunter . And check out my Bossy review of the sequel, Steelstriker . 05 An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green “We are each individual, but the far greater thing is what we are together, and if that isn't protected and cherished, we are headed to a bad place.” Green's An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a gloriously oddball book with lots of heart. In the middle of the night on a New York City street, April and her friend Andy stumble across something truly weird--a giant metal soldier sculpture that reminds them of a samurai. They happily record a video with the sculpture, which they call Carl, and upload it to YouTube. The next day, the world is changed. Carls have cropped up in cities throughout the world. What is the meaning of these robotlike creatures? Are they neutral, are they sinister, or might they be here to save humanity? The faulted character of April May was wonderful, and I was fascinated by the way her actions and hopes allowed a peek into a fame- and attention-seeking existence. Also: Robin! And: Carl—! For my full review of both books in the Carls series, see An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor . 06 Sleeping Giants (Themis Files #1) by Sylvain Neuvel A girl named Rose in rural South Dakota falls into a hole that has intricate carvings covering the walls and wakes up in the palm of an enormous robot hand. Where did it come from? What do the carvings mean? What is the purpose of any of this? Years later Rose is a world-renowned physicist working to unlock the secrets of the hand and the curious artifacts, but the mysteries persist. The interview structure keeps the characters at a distance from the reader, yet Neuvel allows their spoken-only participation in the book to express their growth, hopes, and fears. The characters are relating events that have already happened through the lenses of their own points of view, creating the potential for unreliable narrators, characters who are hiding important information, and many resulting twists and turns. Neuvel explores concepts of personal responsibility, how the possibility of life beyond Earth affects everything, and how manipulation and observation--potentially by other beings in the solar system--shape behavior. Also: the ending--! The next books in this series are Waking Gods and Only Human , and I enjoyed them both.

This slim book tells the story of a small crew of astronauts in the twenty-second century who are searching for alien life--and who must come to terms with their purpose and their uncertain future when they lose communication with Earth. I could not have predicted each version of me that I shifted into, but through my history, one constant has always remained true: change itself. It's the twenty-second century, and in Becky Chambers's novella To Be Taught, If Fortunate , Ariadne O'Neill and her three crewmates are exploring a planetary system many light years from Earth. They're working to determine whether human life can be sustained on one of the four planets there. Through a technique called somaforming, human space flight has been revolutionized; synthetic supplementations allow humans to travel to otherwise deadly environments. Nothing was ever enough on Mirabilis. Every discovery made, every hour spent in someone else's sheets, every conversation and collaboration and new vista taken in made me want more, more, more. We were alive on that world. We were kings without enemies, children removed from time. As Ariadne documents the dangers and promise of her mission, she and her crewmates consider their impact on the worlds they visit; lament a disruption in communication from earth and wonder at its causes and impact; and wait and wonder about who has the authority to determine their next steps--and what they should be. This book is quite short, and I wished for more time with and development of the characters. The ending felt somewhat abrupt, and the story is without a clear resolution. This fits the dilemma that faces the crew near the close of the book, yet I found it unsatisfying. The book's unwieldy title comes from this quote that Chambers provides within the book, from former UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim in 1977, as recorded on the Voyager Golden Record: "...We step out of our solar system into the universe seeking only peace and friendship--to teach, if we are called upon; to be taught, if we are fortunate...." I love a space setting (feel free to check out these other Bossy reviews of novels set in space ), and I really enjoyed the glimpses of this space crew working together, coping with setbacks, and making discoveries. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Becky Chambers is also the author of A Psalm for the Wild-Built , the wonderful The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet , and other books.

ICYMI: This series by Naomi Novik introduces vain, strong-willed, talking dragons, their complex, wonderfully faulted handlers, and wartime conflicts demanding bravery and loyal bonds between the beasts and their humans. “It seems very strange that the ocean is full of things that one can eat as one likes, and on land everything seems to be spoken for,” Temeraire said. In the first of Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, we're introduced to Captain Will Laurence, a young, upstanding seafaring captain fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. When his ship captures a French frigate carrying an unhatched dragon egg, Will finds himself in uncharted territory--and suddenly finds that he has a strange new future ahead, in the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire. Novik's dry humor comes through through the novel's irresistible Will-Temeraire interactions. Temeraire is young, greedy, vain, and outrageously loyal to Will, and Will is attempting to civilize Temeraire, while being inspired to reconsider traditions and expectations with new eyes because of Temeraire's fresh, disruptive point of view. “I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on.” I've read seven of the nine books in the Temeraire series, in which the dragons are haughty and greedy and intensely loyal to their riders; Novik explores world politics and the intricacies of nations' relationships and airborne dragon battles within the books' alternate history; and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Naomi Novik is also the author of richly wrought fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted  and Spinning Silver  as well as the Scholomance series, A Deadly Education , The Last Graduate , and The Golden Enclaves . The stories in her book Buried Deep revisit some favorite Novik worlds as well as introducing the world where Novik's future series takes place. For more Bossy reviews of books about dragons, please check out the titles at this link .

Espach layers complex emotional challenges like suicidal thoughts, grief, and loneliness with funny, quirky, poignant moments in this charming, heartwarming novel. Phoebe arrives at the decadent Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, wearing a green dress and heels, and she's quickly mistaken for one of the "wedding people." But Phoebe is having a crisis, and she's latched onto being at the site of her former dream vacation--which she'd envisioned visiting with her now-ex-husband--as the answer to her problems. Lila has planned her million-dollar wedding down to the last detail, and Phoebe's depression and her very presence are throwing her for a loop--only the wedding people  were meant to have rooms at the inn, and Lila isn't used to having her plans go awry. Phoebe and Lila are unlikely confidantes and even more unlikely friends. But as the wedding week goes on, each woman is surprised by what she discovers about herself and the truths she is forced to confront. I loved the tone of this novel. Espach writes a playful, poignant, often funny novel while anchoring the characters in complex emotions: suicidal thoughts, grief, loneliness, and despair. I was struck by the balance of depth and humor, and I was hooked throughout. Espach leans into the concept of chosen family, a favorite of mine, and offers up second chances with realistically messy fallout and life-changing consequences at stake. The Wedding People explores mortality, trust, layered connections, expectations, and love. Characters struggle to find their true selves and then to be true to themselves, and while I felt confident that things would work out, I loved cheering on the characters through the fits and starts and imperfections along the way. I listened to The Wedding People  as an audiobook. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Alison Espach is also the author of T he Adults  and Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to a story about redemption, forgiveness, and books, which is set in Maine, How to Read a Book ; I'm listening to Alison Espach's playful and poignant novel about second chances, The Wedding People ; and I'm reading Bonnie Blaylock's Appalachian-set 1930s historical fiction about a traveling packhorse librarian and the family she becomes connected to in the mountains of Kentucky, Light to the Hills . What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 How to Read a Book by Monica Wood The cover art and title of How to Read a Book gave me the impression that Wood's novel was likely going to be cute, sweet, and neatly wrapped up. But the book opens in a prison, with female inmates participating in their weekly book club in rural Abbott Falls, Maine. Main protagonist Violet Powell is being released after 22 months' imprisonment for the drunk-driving accident in which she killed an older woman. Harriet Larson is a retired English teacher who leads the prison book club, and her forays into the local bookstore catch the eye of handyman Frank Daigle, who is still coming to terms with the loss of his wife in a car accident (caused by Violet). When the three cross paths out in the messy, unexpected, heartbreaking world, their encounters seem destined to change them all forever. I'm listening to How to Read a Book as an audiobook. 02 The Wedding People by Alison Espach Phoebe arrives at the decadent Cornwall Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, wearing a green dress and heels, and she's quickly mistaken for one of the "wedding people." But Phoebe is having a crisis, and she's latched onto being at the site of her former dream vacation--which she'd envisioned visiting with her now-ex-husband--as the answer to her problems. Lila has planned her million-dollar wedding down to the last detail, and Phoebe's depression and her very presence are throwing her for a loop--only the wedding people were meant to have rooms at the inn, and Lila isn't used to having her plans go awry. Phoebe and Lila are unlikely confidantes and even more unlikely friends. But as the wedding week goes on, each woman is surprised by what she discovers about herself and the truths she is forced to confront. I'm listening to The Wedding People as an audiobook. Alison Espach is also the author of T he Adults and Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance. 03 Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blaylock I love a historical fiction story set in Appalachia , and I also love to read books about books . In Bonnie Blaylock's Light to the Hills , it's 1930 in the Kentucky Appalachians, and Amanda Rye is a traveling packhorse librarian, a recently widowed young mother, and somewhat of a local to the region. She makes a special connection with a mountain family facing tough times despite their double work at the coal mine and their small farm. The MacInteers--tough yet tender mother Rai, her clever daughter Sass, playful older son Finn, and a hardworking father as well as the family's younger children--are hesitant to accept help. But Amanda brings them reading materials, apples for treasured pies, and some joyful company. The bond between Amanda and the family tempts her to share a dark secret from her past, and secrets have a way of revealing themselves. Amanda's history may not only shake up her future, but affect the MacInteers as well.

My very favorite Bossy October reads! This month my favorite reads were a missing-person camp story in two timelines; literary fiction set in Belfast during The Troubles; literary fiction about two brothers coping with the death of their father; an exploration of fate and mortality; a serial-killer story based on real-life events; and a collection of fantasy stories. If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think! And I'd also love to hear: what are some of your recent favorite reads? 01 The God of the Woods by Liz Moore I loved this summer-camp setting, the slow build of mystery in two timelines, the privilege and working class disparities, the eventual revelations concerning the disappearances of both Van Lear children, and the beautifully wrought tragedy and redemption. In August 1975, a teenage girl disappears from her Adirondack summer camp. But the girl isn't just any camper. She's Barbara Van Lear, the daughter of the owners of the camp where many local residents work. Oddly, her brother Bear, beloved by all who knew him, disappeared fourteen years earlier. He was never found. A frantic search takes place, and as the locals look for Barbara, various Van Lear secrets come to light. The split between the largely blue-collar area and the privileged Van Lear family is shown to be stark and significant . I love love love a summer-camp story, and I loved The God of the Woods . I was intrigued by the mysteries and their layers, which are continually revealed, and while I usually feel more invested in one timeline over another, with The God of the Woods , I was equally interested in both timelines. Liz Moore is also the author of Long Bright River  as well as Heft and The Unseen World . For my full review of this book, please see The God of the Woods . 02 Trespasses by Louise Kennedy Kennedy writes poignantly about the Irish Troubles through the point of view of Cushla, a young adult stretching her wings despite her limits--her mother's alcoholism, her father's death, and her small outer Belfast community, where violent Protestant-Catholic tensions are threatening to rule every act, thought, and dream. Cushla is a young teacher (who also fills in at the family pub) living through growing violence outside of Belfast. Along with her alcoholic mother and her impatient barkeep brother, she grieves the loss of her father while going about her day and living her modest lifestyle. But Cushla--along with many other citizens--is more and more astounded by the increasing conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and the violent acts stemming from the growing schism. Kennedy draws the reader into the specific place and time of the story, vividly building the constant undercurrent of tension, the twinges of fear, the devil-may-care affair, the sickening reckonings. This is beautiful and heartbreaking, but Trespasses is never maudlin or too easy. Both the world and the characters' personal lives are complicated, messy, wonderful, and fragile. I listened to Trespasses  as an audiobook. Click here for my full review of Trespasses . 03 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney Intermezzo is one of my favorite Rooney novels yet, exploring complicated families, grief, unconventional relationships, forgiveness, and possibilities that once seemed impossible. In the wake of their father's death, two brothers reel from the loss in his own way. They clash, hurt each other deeply, and wonder if they can ever reconcile. The men's methods of coping with their grief often test the line between hopelessness and possibility. Each of their romantic relationships is unconventional, and various players involved struggle to let go of societal expectations in favor or what feels real and meaningful and what makes them happy. Through it all, both Ivan and Peter are repeatedly forced to consider their place in the world and what the future might hold. But wars are being waged, and Rae quickly figures out that she's not the heroine of the story. She's the villain. And only she can organize the rest of the plotting, dark, moody, sometimes exasperating bad guys (and girls) in an attempt to change all of their futures. I'm such a greedy reader, it's been a while since I've slowed down to savor a book the way I felt compelled to do while reading Intermezzo . I was invested in the characters and their messy methods of coming to terms with death and with seizing control of their own lives. The prose in Intermezzo is gorgeous and often feels poetic--in fact, many of the notes in the back matter credit poems as the source of some of the references on these pages. Rooney is also the author of Normal People , Conversations with Friends , and Beautiful World, Where Are You . Please click here to see my full review of Intermezzo . 04 Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty I loved this dive into the repercussions of a seemingly psychic woman's predictions of demise for her fellow passengers on a flight. Characters scoff, become resigned, or work to control their futures as they face issues surrounding their mortality. An elderly woman is causing a major disruption on an airline flight. She's going through the plane as if in a trance, announcing expected ages of and causes of death for each person aboard. From the overworked dad trying to make it home in time for his daughter's musical, to the mother of two young, crying children, to a spry older couple, to Allegra herself, the Death Lady (as she is later called) announces a prediction of each person's age of and cause of demise. Here One Moment  traces what begins to happen as the first of the Death Lady's predictions seem to come true and each passenger considers the prospect of their own immortality--and for some, what seems to be their imminent death. Here One Moment tracks many characters' subsequent dilemmas and decision-making, in a few cases delving back into their past to set a stage for current-day events--and building a rich story of the life of the Death Lady herself. I love a book that considers life and death and inspires me to do the same, and Moriarty shapes each character's path forward in varied ways. They are thoughtful, dismissive, daring, resigned, afraid, negligent, or determined; they defy their prediction, or try to control their fate, or recognize how they most want to live out their days and make new choices. I listened to Here One Moment as an audiobook. Please click here for my full review of Here One Moment . 05 Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Knoll's novel was inspired by real events; Bright Young Women  traces a serial killer targeting young women and in the character of Pamela, offers a no-nonsense, brilliant nemesis who won't let up until she brings the criminal to justic e. Jessica Knoll's novel Bright Young Women  is inspired by real-life events: the targeting of a sorority by the first "celebrity serial killer" in his final killing spree. But when the studious, responsible Pamela stays home from a party and investigates a strange noise in the sorority house, she discovers a horrible tragedy--two of her sisters (one, her best friend) are dead and two others are maimed. And in her shock and horror, Pamela spied the culprit as he skulked away. In Seattle, Tina Cannon is trying to figure out what happened to her dear friend Ruth, who disappeared from a nearby state park. When she hears about the horrifying events in Tallahassee, she becomes convinced that what happened to Ruth is linked to the Florida sorority attack, and she travels to Florida, determined to get to the bottom of the crimes. I expected the novel to feel more salacious, and I was thankful that it did not. I found it satisfying to read about Pamela's growing contempt for The Defendant, her long-term commitment to prosecuting him, and her mission to find peace for his victims. The friendships and love interests--which were powerful enough to overshadow the book's dysfunctional families and painful relationships--were welcome distractions from the horror at the heart of this story. I read Bright Young Women  for my book club. For my full review, check out Bright Young Women . 06 Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik Novik never seems to make a misstep, and the thirteen stories here revisit favorite fictional worlds, delve into never-before-revealed adventures, and offer a glimpse into the author's newest world-building adventure--which I already love. I love reading Naomi Novik's books without exception. Novik's newest work, Buried Deep , is a collection of thirteen stories that span the worlds of her fantastic novels--and hint at new works to come. When I read a collection of short stories, I inevitably develop favorites, and while reading Buried Deep  I enjoyed all of the stories but particularly loved three. "After Hours" allowed me to delve back into Novik's Scholomance series, which I adored. I hated for this one to end, because what I actually wanted was the impossible: to read another full-length work taking place in the world of El and Orion. "Dragons & Decorum" is a glorious mashup of Novik's dragon stories (see my mention of the Temeraire series, below) and Pride and Prejudice , and it made me grin with glee the whole time I read it. And "The Long Way Round" is a tantalizing peek into Novik's next world, with a savvy, gruff female captain at sea, her beloved, artistic, romantic brother, and a big adventure. I'm already obsessed with this story and can't wait to read the full-length version. I received a prepublication copy of Buried Deep and Other Stories  courtesy of NetGalley and Ballantine. For my full review, please see Buried Deep .

Novik never seems to make a misstep, and the thirteen stories here revisit favorite fictional worlds, delve into never-before-revealed adventures, and offer a glimpse into the author's newest world-building adventure--which I already love. I love reading Naomi Novik's books without exception--just check out the links to my many rave Bossy reviews at the end of this post to find out how much. Naomi Novik's newest work, Buried Deep ,  is a collection of thirteen stories that span the worlds of her fantastic novels--and hint at new works to come. When I read a collection of short stories, I inevitably develop favorites, and while reading Buried Deep I enjoyed all of the stories but particularly loved three. "After Hours" allowed me to delve back into Novik's Scholomance series, which I adored. I hated for this one to end, because what I actually wanted was the impossible: to read another full-length work taking place in the world of El and Orion. "Dragons & Decorum" is a glorious mashup of Novik's dragon stories (see my mention of the Temeraire series, below) and Pride and Prejudice , and it made me grin with glee the whole time I read it. And "The Long Way Round" is a tantalizing peek into Novik's next world, with a savvy, gruff female captain at sea, her beloved, artistic, romantic brother, and a big adventure. I'm already obsessed with this story and can't wait to read the full-length version. I received a prepublication copy of Buried Deep and Other Stories  courtesy of NetGalley and Ballantine. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Naomi Novik is the author of richly wrought fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted  and Spinning Silver  as well as the Scholomance series, A Deadly Education , The Last Graduate , and The Golden Enclaves . Novik has also written a series of nine fantastic books about dragons, the Temeraire series. The dragons talk and are haughty and greedy and intensely loyal to their riders, Novik explores world politics and the intricacies of nations' relationships and airborne dragon battles within the books' alternate history, and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic. I've read seven of the nine installments, and I'm dreading reaching the end of the series.

Kennedy writes poignantly about the Irish Troubles through the point of view of Cushla, a young adult stretching her wings despite her limits--her mother's alcoholism, her father's death, and her small outer Belfast community, where violent Protestant-Catholic tensions are threatening to rule every act, thought, and dream. Cushla is a young teacher (who also fills in at the family pub) living through growing violence outside of Belfast. Along with her alcoholic mother and her impatient barkeep brother, she grieves the loss of her father while going about her day and living her modest lifestyle. But Cushla--along with many other citizens--is more and more astounded by the increasing conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and the violent acts stemming from the growing schism. A pub visitor, married barrister Michael Agnew, intrigues Cushla with his intelligence and his attention. He entreats her to teach him and his friends Irish, and after the two begin having an affair, she finds out that he's been defending IRA members and may be in danger. After one of her students' fathers is beaten almost to death, a snowball of events causes secrets to be revealed, hearts broken, lives lost, and everything turned on its head. Kennedy draws the reader into the specific place and time of the story, vividly building the constant undercurrent of tension, the twinges of fear, the devil-may-care affair, the sickening reckonings. This is beautiful and heartbreaking, but Trespasses is never maudlin or too easy. Both the world and the characters' personal lives are complicated, messy, wonderful, and fragile. I listened to Trespasses  as an audiobook. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! You can click here to find more Bossy reviews of books set in Ireland, including the nonfiction book Say Nothing , Claire Keegan's fiction, and others.

Booth cushions the blow of the main protagonist's early-onset Alzheimer's with a zany romp, lots of love for books, and heartwarming, unexpected friendships. Elaborate mythology swirls around the mysterious author of the blockbuster fantasy series The Falling Children, which was written under a pen name, F. T. Goldhero, and fans dream up fantastical stories about the writer and his life. He is often assumed to be living in outrageously wealthy fashion in a European castle. But the real-life author behind the books is unassuming Libby Weeks, holed up in her apartment with her dog. She is private, isolated, lacking in self-esteem--and when she was starting out, she naively signed away most of her rights to the millions the series later garnered. Now Libby has hit a writing wall. She's allowed the falling children to work themselves into a seemingly impossible conundrum that is sure to lead to their deaths, and she can't determine how to extricate them. She's months late delivering the newest installment of the series, and her publisher and fans are losing patience, to the point that online message boards, then newspapers, begin printing threats and promises to unveil the author's true identity and force a conclusion to the books. But Libby receives a devastating diagnosis that changes everything: early-onset Alzheimer's. As she's reeling from the news and considering her potential legacy and the fate of the falling children, she becomes obsessed with finishing her book...but she's going to need some help. Enter superfan Peanut Brixton--who may be even more familiar with The Falling Children books than Libby herself. Libby sets out with her dog on a quest to seek Peanut's wisdom...but she's starting to lose the plot of her own life, and the loner is in need of support that's far greater than writing inspiration. The cover of Libby Lost and Found struck a light-fiction chord for me. The tone of the book is often playful--but dark humor often surrounds Libby's diminishing memory, and countless who's-on-first types of conversations occur as a result. This is a zany romp, as Libby's determination to push on to an ending for her series combines with her lack of commanding details around the mission she has set out on to cause upheaval at every turn. The story is a quick read and somewhat of whirlwind. It often felt like a young-adult story because of the significant focus on young Peanut and her own challenges. Libby Lost and Found holds a tragic illness at its center, with lots of heart and redemption softening the blow. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! I received a prepublication copy of Libby Lost and Found courtesy of NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark. Libby Lost and Found is Stephanie Booth's first book.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Naomi Novik's book of stories, Buried Deep ; I'm listening to Colm Toibin's Long Island ; and I'm listening to Louise Kennedy's poignant novel set during the Irish Troubles, Trespasses What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik Naomi Novik is the author of fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted  and Spinning Silver  as well as the Scholomance series, A Deadly Education , The Last Graduate , and The Golden Enclaves . Novik has also written a series of nine books about dragons, the Temeraire series. The dragons talk and are haughty and greedy and intensely loyal to their riders, Novik explores world politics and the intricacies of nations' relationships and airborne dragon battles within the books' alternate history, and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic. Naomi Novik's Buried Deep is a collection of thirteen stories that span the worlds of her novels. I received a prepublication copy of Buried Deep and Other Stories courtesy of NetGalley and Ballantine. 02 Long Island by Colm Toibin It's 1976, and Irish Eilis Lacey lives in Long Island, married to Tony, an Italian American plumber who's one of four brothers. The enormous extended family lives in houses scattered all over the neighborhood, with cousins racing all over. But one day a man visits Eilis, explains that his wife is carrying Tony's baby, and vows to drop the baby upon Eilis's doorstep when it is born. I'm listening to Long Island as an audiobook courtesy of Libro.fm and Simon & Schuster Audio . Colm Toibin is also the author of The Master , The Magician , and other novels. 03 Trespasses by Louise Kennedy Cushla is a young teacher (who fills in at the family pub) living through growing violence outside of Belfast. Along with her alcoholic mother and her impatient barkeep brother, she grieves the loss of her father and is astounded by the increasing conflict between Catholics and Protestants. A pub visitor, married barrister Michael Agnew, intrigues Cushla with his intelligence and his attention. She finds that he's been defending IRA members, and the two begin an affair. But when one of her students' fathers is beaten almost to death, everything turns on its head, and nothing will ever be the same. I'm listening to Trespasses as an audiobook.

More Memoirs I've Loved I love a good memoir, one that offers a glimpse or a deep dive into the life and pivotal experiences of another person. For me, the best memoir makes you feel some of the author's feelings and understand their perspective. This is a genre of books I often like to listen to in the form of audiobooks read by the author, because I love hearing a person tell their own story. For more memoirs I've loved that you might want to try, check out the Greedy Reading Lists Six Illuminating Memoirs to Dive Into and Six Illuminating Memoirs I've Read This Year . Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear what you thought! Which other books should I add to my memoir to-read list? 01 A River in Darkness by Masaji Ishikawa Ishikawa, who is half-Korean, half-Japanese, and who lived under oppressive totalitarian rule for thirty-six years, tells a fascinating story of his life in North Korea--and of his gripping escape. The promise of better work and stronger education for the children lured Ishikawa's family from Japan to North Korea. But reality was a far cry from the promised utopia. The author traces a tragic cycle of bureaucratic ignorance and force, hunger and desperation, cruelty, and resignation. This short memoir digs into the author’s repeated experience with North Korean horrors and despair—and sets these experiences in contrast to his prior life and heartbreaking knowledge of the free, if difficult, world of his youth in poverty in Japan. The version of this book that I read was riddled with typos, which I imagine came about during the translation from the author's original Japanese account. For another set of accounts of life in North Korea, try Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea . My book club read this fascinating book, and I think Demick does an excellent job of exploring the brainwashing, isolation, and fear in North Korea, while building the stories of caring families and their everyday lives in which the madness is normalized. 02 This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps Celebrity memoir time! I first saw Busy Philipps acting on my beloved Dawson's Creek many years ago, and since then, I've remained vaguely aware of her best-friendship with Michelle Williams, her various acting roles, and her candid social media presence. In This Will Only Hurt a Little , Philipps conversationally takes us through her youth in Scottsdale, Arizona, her awkward years, her discovery of her comedic leanings, her friendships, and her loves, mistakes, victories, and joys. She's frank about her missteps and she embraces an active-work-in-progress approach to her personal growth and learning. I listened to Busy read this in audiobook form. It’s interesting to hear experiences a person believes has shaped his or her life, and in This Will Only Hurt a Little , Philipps offers tales from childhood and Hollywood that affected her positively or negatively, while never flinching from laying bare her own regrettable, brave, stumbling, or confident decisions, trials, and adventures. 03 Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood Lockwood is a poet, and her view of the world is entertainingly quirky and off kilter. Her father the priest is an outrageous real-life character in Priestdaddy , and Lockwood works to present him as appealingly so. Late in the book she openly laments at how difficult this is (she worries, “I️ can only write down what you say”). Her tone is loyal while remaining brutal and honest. Her mother is presented sympathetically while coming off as odd, and Lockwood herself takes on a somewhat unhinged tone while recounting off-kilter periods for the family. There’s silliness, dark humor, and life-and-death tragedy—for example, the discovery of a nearby toxic waste dump as a likely reason for widespread and devastating health effects in the community. Lockwood notes that she is not a Christian but is very much “of” the church because of her upbringing. Her exploration of rituals, abuses of power in she's witnessed, and her own present-day participation in traditions felt most interesting to me. Lockwood is also the author of No One Is Talking About This , a book that is odd, disturbing, and likely not everyone's cup of tea. But it's truly unlike anything I have ever read, and the second section, which is an enormous departure in tone from section one, brought me repeatedly to tears. Please let me know if you've read this one! 04 Inheritance by Dani Shapiro Shapiro shares her shock at discovering (via a DNA test taken on a whim in her mid-fifties) that her biological identity as the descendant of two lines of Orthodox Jews is not accurate. The parents who raised her are no longer alive to question, and with this discovery, Dani voraciously challenges her own sense of self and is shaken to her core. She wonders about whether she has a claim to beloved extended relatives who shaped her life but are not, after all, blood relations; she reflects on her religious and cultural integrity and identity; she worries about her predispositions to heretofore unknown genetic health issues; and she considers her potential legacy to her own child—all while panicking about who she is after all and how she can possibly trust what she has believed to be the truth about almost anything anymore. Through practical research, lengthy reflection, and delving into the grief and the increasing layers of loss she feels, Shapiro eventually allows herself to feel hope and a growing peace regarding the likely truth—as well as a sense of freedom in having a more fluid sense of herself as a person. I thought Inheritance was fascinating, thoughtful, jarring, and just lovely. 05 Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur Brodeur was always captivated by her mother and her magnetic personality. Her mother confided her darkest secrets to young Brodeur as though she was a friend, and she drew the teenaged Brodeur in as an accomplice to her longtime extramarital affair. I feared that reading this memoir was going to make me feel like the worst type of voyeur—that the details of the affair at the center of this story might make me feel uncomfortable at best and would feel tawdry at worst. But the story was ultimately more about an emotionally stunted mother, her codependence on her adolescent daughter, and how the author unraveled the many smothering ties to the woman whose conditional love and affection directed her life for too many years. Brodeur is a measured writer who thoughtfully considers her youth, her infatuation with and reliance on her mother (who throughout her life is only concerned with her own impulses and desires), and how her own eventual personal growth drove a rift between her and the mother she idolized, a shift that changed everything forever. Wild Game was really interesting and a quick, engrossing read that surprised me with its depth. I was given a copy of this book by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 06 My Life with Bob by Pamela Paul Pamela Paul, editor of The New York Times Book Review, writing in her mid-forties, recounts her dedication to a single book, one of her own making. She's carefully taken this book to Thailand, Paris, and London, shuffling it from apartment to apartment where it holds a place of honor and has for twenty-eight years. It's a book listing each of the books Paul has read to date. The Book of [Read] Books (which she affectionately calls Bob) reflects the author's hopes, dreams, adventures, and searches for meaning, while her life and the conditions within it affect the books she seeks out and dives into at different points of her life. My Life with Bob is also an examination of a reader's relationship with books, with reading, and with the paralyzing, never-ending, constantly expanding list of titles that make up a to-read list: “At this point, there is no human way that I could read even those books I've deliberately marked as absolute must-reads. . . . This is every reader's catch-22: the more you read, the more you realize you haven't read; the more you yearn to read more, the more you understand that you have, in fact, read nothing. There is no way to finish, and perhaps that shouldn't be the goal.” Paul delves fully into her meandering post-college years--during which Bob provides more structure in her life than anything else does. She dabbles in exploring her more recent life and reading habits as well in this thoughtful, unpretentious, gloriously nerdy, and lovable book.

Intermezzo is one of my favorite Rooney novels yet, exploring complicated families, grief, unconventional relationships, forgiveness, and possibilities that once seemed impossible. Peter Koubek is a thirtysomething attorney in Dublin, unshakeable, unsentimental, and highly successful. He's struggling to maintain two relationships--with Naomi, a playful and uninhibited younger woman, and with his intellectual and caring first love, Sylvia, who is coping with chronic pain and disability since a terrible accident a decade ago. Ivan Koubek is ten years younger, a competitive chess player, a loner, and, he has always thought, his brother's Peter's opposite. In the wake of their father's death, each brother reels from the loss in his own way. They clash, hurt each other deeply, and wonder if they can ever reconcile. The men's methods of coping with their grief often test the line between hopelessness and possibility. Each of their romantic relationships is unconventional, and various players involved struggle to let go of societal expectations in favor or what feels real and meaningful and what makes them happy. Through it all, both Ivan and Peter are repeatedly forced to consider their place in the world and what the future might hold. The choppy sentences and phrases that make up Peter's point of view were initially difficult for me to adjust to, but Ivan's thoughtful, measured viewpoint balanced it out. Along with the brothers' divergent paths forward after loss, their distinct voices--one machine-gun-like, one softly pensive--emphasized that while appearances might suggest that the older, responsible lawyer brother might be more steady than the just-out-of-college, contract-worker brother who feels socially awkward and is doubting his chess prowess after having built his young life around the pursuit, the opposite is often the case. I'm such a greedy reader, it's been a while since I've slowed down to savor a book the way I felt compelled to do while reading Intermezzo . I was invested in the characters and their messy methods of coming to terms with death and with seizing control of their own lives. The prose in Intermezzo is gorgeous and often feels poetic--in fact, many of the notes in the back matter credit poems as the source of some of the references on these pages. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Rooney is also the author of Normal People , Conversations with Friends , and Beautiful World, Where Are You .

The reality-show setting and LGBTQIA+ representation in Ever After flips the traditional fairy tale in satisfying, heartwarming ways in this romantic story. Dev has dedicated his career to the reality dating show Ever After , helping to shape it into the popular, long-running franchise it is. He's typically the handler for the "princesses" as they vie for the attentions of the show's star ("the prince"). But when his producers cast disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its newest eligible bachelor and assign Dev to be his handler, Dev isn't sure he can salvage the situation. Charlie is devastatingly handsome--but he's awkward, clumsy, private, and quiet...not exactly the most promising television presence. How will they capture enough usable moments to make a show? Dev spends countless hours with the bachelor, working to get him to loosen up and open up. Dev shares that he's recently broken up with Ryan, who also works on the show. And Charlie begins to realize he feels more of a connection to Dev than to any of the twenty beautiful women currently parading through his life. The story's romantic storyline depends heavily upon one character's never having entertained thoughts of the sexuality and desire that blooms dramatically within the book. This revelation opens the door to the discovery of and the discussion of various characters' newly realized or revealed sexual identities--as well as, in some cases, the expressed aim of not defining sexuality with traditional rigidity. Best friends play key roles in supporting the two love interests and in helping them realize their true feelings. I loved the open discussions of mental health, the characters' realistic imperfections, the LGBTQIA+ representation, and the deeply felt romance. I listened to The Charm Offensive  as an audiobook. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! If you like the sound of this book, you might also like the books on my Greedy Reading List Six Romantic Novels Set in the World of TV and Movies . For more Bossy reviews of books with LGBTQIA+ representation, please check out this link .

The gems of What I Ate in One Year are, as promised in the title, the food-related moments Stanley Tucci delves into over the course of a year--cooking, eating, appreciating, entertaining, and bringing together the people he loves around a table. Cooking, eating, and appreciating delicious food is an essential part of Stanley Tucci's satisfaction, and in the nonfiction book What I Ate in One Year , he allows the food and wine that he prepares, eats, or enjoys (and, occasionally, pans) over the course of a year to add structure to the passage of 365 days, while interspersing some personal moments and brief mentions of professional pursuits. The book is not particularly full of substance, but the moments that Tucci includes from his personal life help showcase the many atmospheric, cooking- and eating-focused entries, which are delightful. Tucci is irresistibly playful, confident yet humble; mesmerized by excellent food prepared simply and served with style; and he is also occasionally curmudgeonly. He loves what he loves, and he especially loves his people and his Italian food. I listened to What I Ate in One Year  as an audiobook. It's a joy to listen to Stanley Tucci read his books in his wonderful voice. The only downside to taking in the book in this format was not being able to jot down the few recipes he mentions. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Stanley Tucci is also the author of the cookbooks The Tucci Table and The Tucci Cookbook, as well as the memoir Taste: My Life Through Food .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Stephanie Booth's story of an author developing early-onset Alzheimer's who relies on a superfan to help her finish out her series; I'm listening to the wonderful Stanley Tucci's What I Ate in One Year ; and I'm listening to the reality-show-set rom-com The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun. What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 Libby Lost and Found by Stephanie Booth Libby Weeks is the author of the wildly popular fantasy series The Falling Children. She used a pen name, F. T. Goldhero, in order to protect her privacy. She's months late delivering the newest installment of the series, and her publisher and fans are losing patience. But Libby receives a devastating diagnosis that changes everything: early-onset Alzheimer's. As she's reeling from the news and considering her legacy, she becomes determined to finish her book...but she's going to need some help. Enter superfan Peanut Brixton--who may be even more familiar with The Falling Children books than Libby herself. I received a prepublication copy of Libby Lost and Found , which was published October 15, courtesy of Sourcebooks Landmark. 02 What I Ate in One Year (And Related Thoughts) by Stanley Tucci Food is an essential part of Stanley Tucci's life, and in What I Ate in One Year , he allows the food and wine he cooks, eats, and enjoys over the course of a year to add structure to the passage of 365 days--while interspersing personal moments and professional pursuits. Tucci is irresistibly playful, even when he's being slightly curmudgeonly. He loves what he loves, and he especially loves his people and his Italian food. I'm listening to What I Ate in One Year as an audiobook. Stanley Tucci is also the author of cookbooks and the memoir Taste: My Life Through Food . 03 The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun Dev has dedicated his career to the reality dating show Ever After , helping to shape it into the popular, long-running franchise it is. But when his producers cast disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its newest eligible bachelor, Dev isn't sure he can salvage the situation. Charlie is awkward, clumsy, private, and quiet...not exactly the most promising television presence. As Charlie's handler, Dev spends countless hours with the bachelor, working to get him to open up. Dev shares that he's recently broken up with Ryan, who also works on the show. And Charlie begins to realize he feels more of a connection to Dev than to any of the twenty beautiful women parading through his life. I'm listening to The Charm Offensive as an audiobook. If you like the sound of this book, you might also like the books on my Greedy Reading List Six Romantic Novels Set in the World of TV and Movies .

Fairy Tales and Retellings For this list, I focused on books with fantastical elements; clear good-and-evil conflicts; characters living as royalty or in poverty or both; traditional or newly imagined imagery; metamorphoses, enchantments, or magic; a concentration on wishes and dreams; and especially those with roots in fairy tales, fables, or folklore. Which other books would you include on this list? What fairy tales for grown-ups have you loved? 01 The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden The Bear and the Nightingale is an ancient-feeling, dark fairy tale of a story that takes place within a small Russian village and centers around an extended family. "True believers" are pitted against dark, feared forces, turning on its head what the village collectively believes to be good and pure. Those who triumph over destructive righteousness, blind obedience, and attempts at wielding selfish power do so by remembering the old ways, defying expectations, and showing limitless bravery. A few elements (tying the original appearances of the dark force to later more fully realized appearances, for example) meandered along and might've been shored up more fully. But the writing was ethereal and practically brought a chill to my skin as I read about the snow and cold danger. The main protagonist and conflicted priest were irresistible characters. The Bear and the Nightingale is the first book in the Winternight trilogy. The Girl in the Tower and The Winter of the Witch are the others, and I think Arden's stories get even stronger as the series goes on, with complex interpersonal relationships, court politics, mystical creatures, and wonderful character development. Katherine Arden is also the author of The Warm Hands of Ghosts . 02 The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey I'm a sucker for hardscrabble Alaska stories, but this book is much more than that. In The Snow Child , Ivey shares a luminous tale, based on a Russain folktale, set in the snow and unforgiving cold. In 1920s Alaska, Jack and Mabel are struggling. They desperately wanted children, but that part of their lives was not destined to be. They're getting older, and Jack buries himself in the backbreaking work on the farm while Mabel turns inward, driven to despair and hopelessness. In an impossible, magical turn of events, a moment of simple winter joy leads to renewed hope that they may be able to share their love with a child after all. Ivey intersperses fairy tale-like elements with evocative details of the cold, stark atmosphere in which they take place. I wasn't initially sure I was going to be able to suspend my disbelief as I dove into the story, but Ivey engrossed me fully in the world and its workings. I really liked this story and I still think about this book, years after reading it. My book club was not unanimously sold on this book, to the point that I'm tempted to include it in a future Greedy Reading List called "Books to Break Your Book Club." But if you like magical realism, this is a hauntingly lovely, wintry read. Ivey's book To the Bright Edge of the World was also wonderful. It appears on the Greedy Reading List Six Books with Cold, Wintry Settings to Read by the Fire . 03 Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik Miryem comes from a family of moneylenders who are on the verge of being unable to provide for themselves any longer. So Miryem sets herself the task of collecting the debts owed to her family, earning her the reputation of being able to spin silver into gold. When a foolish boast forces Miryem into a position of meeting the tsar's impossible challenge, she finds that the mysterious tsar isn't what he seems. The swirl of events draws other innocent young women into Miryem's complicated web and toward potential ruin for all of them. Spinning Silver is a creatively and fully reimagined version of Rumpelstiltskin, but Novik goes well above and beyond that fairy tale. The magical and irresistible tale includes protagonists with kickass girl power; multiple and haunting twists and turns I was eager to ride out with the characters; and a magic touch in telling a well-known story with more heart that I would have imagined. Novik's story offers endless odd, lovely, unexpected, and complex elements. 04 The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker In Helene Wecker's tale, which has roots in Jewish and Arab folk mythology, the lives of two outwardly human mythical creatures intersect in the dark Bowery of late 19th century New York. Chavia is a golem of clay brought to life by a desperate, disgraced rabbi, sent across the ocean to New York City, while Ahmad is a jinni, a being made of fire created in the ancient Syrian desert and trapped in a copper flask that makes its way to New York City as well. The two become linked and grow to be unlikely soul mates. The Golem and the Jinni explores issues of ownership, responsibility, and belonging, as Wecker simultaneously digs into the creatures' feelings, loyalty, and true affection. Wecker offers sentimental moments of discovery, yet the tone of the book often feels dispassionate, as though it is a study of such things, measured at a distance. This is magical realism, folklore, and historical fiction wrapped up in one very interesting read. 05 The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo The Night Tiger is a wonderful historical fiction mystery and love story shaped by superstition, fables, and tales. Ji Lin is a young girl who would have dreamed of becoming a doctor if society would allow it, but she's stuck working off her mother's Mahjong debts by being a lowly dance hall girl. She encounters a Chinese houseboy, Ren, on a bizarre mission, and their paths become intertwined around a superstition that men can turn into tigers. Ji Lin doesn’t fit the mold of a typical woman from 1930s Malaysia or that of the British colonists living there—in all wonderful ways. She’s itching for (and finds) adventure, knowledge, and much more in her life than the loveless match she was expected to make. She speaks her mind and ruffles feathers even as she exploits assumptions about women, sexual attraction, and power. There's magical realism at the heart of this book, and Choo also examines colonialism, superstition, and young love. I thought it was fascinating. I also listed this book in the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to Intrigue You . 06 Uprooted by Naomi Novik “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.” Agnieszka has grown up in a quiet village, surrounded by people she loves. But evil lurks in the nearby Wood, with the dark presence of the wizard they call the Dragon looming over all of them. The Dragon keeps them safe from the Wood, but at a high price: each year he demands one young woman from the village. She is taken for ten years to serve him. The next choosing is coming up quickly, and Agnieszka is sure that her best friend Kasia will be next to go. She considers every desperate plan she can to try to save Kasia from this horrible fate, knowing all the while that she cannot prevent what is to happen. This is the second Naomi Novik book on this short list because she reimagines fairy tales so captivatingly. Uprooted is a thoughtful, satisfying grown-up fairy tale with gloriously imagined details. I ate it up. Novik is also the author of the Scholomance series: A Deadly Education , The Last Graduate , and The Golden Enclaves . I feel compelled to also mention that Novik has a series of nine books about dragons, the Temeraire series, and the dragons talk and are haughty and greedy and intensely loyal to their riders, and the novels explore world politics and nations' relationships and airborne dragon battles within the books, and the human protagonists are wonderfully faulted and fantastic.

I felt like the story started off slowly, but once the world was built and the background established, I was hooked on the interpersonal relationships, the dramatic conflicts, the creatures' magical abilities, and their evolving quests. Various demons work as mercenaries in Nine Hells, and Bex trusts only them to protect her. Over time, some of these demons have evolved into grumbling lackeys for the Eternal King, or bound slaves. But when Bex and her demons team up with a new client--a powerful male witch who's got it in for the king--it could change everything. The first part of the book felt clunky to me, bogged down by explanations of how Aaron's imagined world works and the basic history of various conflicts and groups (gods, demigods, demons, free demons, witches, warlocks, East Coast/West Coast, heaven, hell--I was reeling a little bit). Eventually the story seemed to hit its stride, and the various demons, magical powers, dark histories, missions--and the Bex-Adrian friendship, client-bodyguard relationship, and growing attraction--made me wonder what would happen next. Neither Bex nor Adrian is exactly what they appear, nor are they following the scripts set out for them. Together, they are more powerful and capable and creative than alone, and they make a formidable team that reimagines reality for their kinds. Now that the world of the books has been built, I expect the second installment to move along at a nice clip; Aaron's dynamic battle scenes were a strength here. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Rachel Aaron is also the author of the DFZ Changeling series, the Heartstrikers series, the Crystal Calamity series, and other books. I listened to Hell for Hire  as an audiobook.

Knoll's novel was inspired by real events; Bright Young Women traces a serial killer targeting young women and in the character of Pamela, offers a no-nonsense, brilliant nemesis who won't let up until she brings the criminal to justic e. Jessica Knoll's novel Bright Young Women is inspired by real-life events: the targeting of a sorority by the first "celebrity serial killer" in his final killing spree. In 1978 Tallahassee, Florida, the serial disappearances and deaths of young women in the Pacific Northwest couldn't feel farther from the carefree, fun-loving sorority life president Pamela Schumacher's capable, savvy sisters are enjoying. But when the studious, responsible Pamela stays home from a party and investigates a strange noise in the sorority house, she discovers a horrible tragedy--two of her sisters (one, her best friend) are dead and two others are maimed. And in her shock and horror, Pamela spied the culprit as he skulked away. In Seattle, Tina Cannon is trying to figure out what happened to her dear friend Ruth, who disappeared from a nearby state park. When she hears about the horrifying events in Tallahassee, she becomes convinced that what happened to Ruth is linked to the Florida sorority attack, and she travels to Florida, determined to get to the bottom of the crimes. The abductions and deaths at the hands of the Defendant (as he is called throughout) are so disturbing, I welcomed the breaks from the immediate aftermath of the heinous crimes and time spent in the Tina-Ruth storyline--which later ties into Pamela's storyline. It was horrifying that the sorority girls in the story received so little guidance and support after their trauma--I chose to believe that the events were so unprecedented, everyone was in shock. The capable Pamela yet again must take charge despite her fear and rage and pain. When the police forces of multiple states seem unable to contain or prosecute the diminutive, self-aggrandizing, not-so-clever killer who seems to often stumble across his victims and also luck into an unlikely escape, Pamela takes on what is eventually a central role in trying to take down The Defendant. (At multiple points I imagined Pamela grumbling and shaking her head as she has to do the dirty work and do EVERYONE'S JOBS, UGH.) I expected the novel to feel more salacious, and I was thankful that it did not. I found it satisfying to read about Pamela's growing contempt for The Defendant, her long-term commitment to prosecuting him, and her mission to find peace for his victims. The friendships and love interests--which were powerful enough to overshadow the book's dysfunctional families and painful relationships--were welcome distractions from the horror at the heart of this story. I read Bright Young Women  for my book club. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Jessica Knoll is also the author of Luckiest Girl Alive , The Favorite Sister , and American Girl .

I loved this dive into the repercussions of a seemingly psychic woman's predictions of demise for her fellow passengers on a flight. Characters scoff, become resigned, or work to control their futures as they face issues surrounding their mortality. Flight attendant Allegra Patel loves her work--despite the sometimes-bossy passengers, their overstuffed baggage, and the fallout from someone's inevitable air sickness. But on today's flight, an elderly woman is causing a major disruption. She's going through the plane as if in a trance, announcing expected ages of and causes of death for each person aboard. From the overworked dad trying to make it home in time for his daughter's musical, to the mother of two young, crying children, to a spry older couple, to Allegra herself, the Death Lady (as she is later called) announces a prediction of each person's age of and cause of demise. Here One Moment  traces what begins to happen as the first of the Death Lady's predictions seem to come true and each passenger considers the prospect of their own immortality--and for some, what seems to be their imminent death. Here One Moment tracks many characters' subsequent dilemmas and decision-making, in a few cases delving back into their past to set a stage for current-day events--and building a rich story of the life of the Death Lady herself. I love a book that considers life and death and inspires me to do the same, and Moriarty shapes each character's path forward in varied ways. They are thoughtful, dismissive, daring, resigned, afraid, negligent, or determined; they defy their prediction, or try to control their fate, or recognize how they most want to live out their days and make new choices. I wasn't sure how Moriarty was going to tie up the many loose ends, but by the time the book ended, I felt like the story offered an appropriate amount of open-ended aspects, with more resolution and satisfaction than I'd anticipated. I listened to Here One Moment  as an audiobook, and I loved hearing the Australian accents. For more Bossy reviews of books about mortality, please check out the titles at this link . I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this story! Liane Moriarty is also the author of Three Wishes , The Last Anniversary , What Alice Forgot , The Hypnotist's Love Story , The Husband's Secret , Big Little Lies , Truly Madly Guilty , Nine Perfect Strangers , and Apples Never Fall .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Liane Moriarty's story of the aftermath a plane full of psychic predictions regarding conditions of each passenger's death, Here One Moment ; I'm reading Sally Rooney's newest novel, about young-adult brothers seeking love and hope after their father's death, Intermezzo ; and I'm listening to the first in Rachel Aaron's Tear Down Heaven fantasy series, Hell for Hire . What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty Flight attendant Allegra Patel loves her work--despite the sometimes-bossy passengers, their overstuffed baggage, and the fallout from someone's inevitable air sickness. But on today's flight, an elderly woman is causing a major disruption. She's going through the plane as if in a trance, announcing expected ages of and causes of death for each person aboard. From the overworked dad trying to make it home in time for his daughter's musical, to the mother of two young, crying children, to a spry older couple, to Allegra herself, the Death Lady (as she is later called) announces a prediction of each person's age of and cause of demise. Here One Moment traces what begins to happen as the first of the Death Lady's predictions seem to come true and each passenger considers the prospect of their own immortality--and for some, what seems to be their imminent death. I'm listening to Here One Moment as an audiobook. 02 Intermezzo by Sally Rooney Peter Koubek is a thirtysomething attorney in Dublin, unshakeable, unsentimental, and highly successful. He's struggling to maintain two relationships--one with Naomi, a playful younger woman, and one with his earnest and caring first love, Sylvia, who is coping with a health issue. Ivan Koubek is ten years younger, a competitive chess player, a loner, and, he has always thought, his brother's Peter's opposite. In the wake of their father's death, each brother tests the line between hopelessness and possibility, considering his place in the world and what the future might hold. Rooney is also the author of Normal People , Conversations with Friends , and Beautiful World, Where Are You . 03 Hell for Hire (Tear Down Heaven #1) by Rachel Aaron I love a playful fantasy book (see Hench and Starter Villain ), and I'm hoping Rachel Aaron's Tear Down Heaven series is one I'll love too. Various demons work as mercenaries in Nine Hells, and Bex trusts only them to protect her. Over time, these free demons have evolved into grumbling lackeys for the Eternal King. But teaming up with their new client--a powerful male witch who's got it in for the king--could change everything. Rachel Aaron is also the author of the DFZ Changeling series, the Heartstrikers series, the Crystal Calamity series, and other books. I'm listening to Hell for Hire as an audiobook.

The Civil War Books This painful, terrible time in our nation's history makes for some poignant, brutal, often beautiful storytelling. News of the World and Simon the Fiddler are two more by Paulette Jiles that I've waxed poetic about on this blog, and others on my to-read list include The House Girl by Tara Conklin, March by Geraldine Brooks, Old Abe by John Cribb, Widow of the South by Robert Hicks, Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy b y Karen Abbott, and Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles. If you like historical fiction, you might also like some of my many other Bossy Bookworm Greedy Reading Lists; here are just a few: Six Historical Fiction Books I Loved in the Past Year Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to Intrigue You Six Great Historical Fiction Books Set in the American West Six More Great Historical Fiction Books Set in the American West Have you read any of these books? I'd love to hear what you thought! And: which other books should I add to my Civil War historical fiction to-read list? 01 The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles This beautiful, heartbreaking book. It's set toward the end of the Civil War on the Texas plains, centering around the bare-bones but amazing basic facts known about the real life of a freed black man—with the details of his life imagined and elaborated on in fantastic form by the author, and many other richly created characters that make the story come to life. Absolutely horrific and vivid details of Native Americans’ physical brutality are depicted; naive and uninformed eastern urban white men’s ideas and outrageously rigid ideas meant to “civilize” western Indians are gradually undone; complexities and brilliantly laid out fundamental differences in white and Native American life views are gracefully explored; white-Indian friendships fraught with potentially lethal misunderstanding but incredible trust and humor are imagined; and the tragic and multilayered reasons for the undoing of any hope of white-Indian coexistence build slowly to a tragic end. The dreams of many of the key characters and self-reflections are lovely and illuminating and poignant. Jiles turns assumptions on their heads: untested characters find they are capable of incredible grit—and other idealist characters find themselves crushed and without any of the basic answers about justice and life they were once confident in. This book broke my heart and I just adored it. I reviewed it here . Jiles also wrote the wonderful News of the World and Simon the Fiddler as well as Chenneville . 02 Fallen Land by Taylor Brown Taylor Brown's debut novel is set in the final year of the Civil War. Callum, an Irish horse thief, fled to America an orphan at fifteen years old. Ava's family is gone, killed by war. The young couple find one another and bond to each other in their desperate run to escape the devastated South. They encounter the fiery ruin of Sherman's March on their way to safety and a new life, and their love is one beautiful light in the darkness of the country's ravaging war. I was stressed reading Ava and Callum's circumstances, but the preciousness of lives lived moment by moment (while the characters fight for survival--and also attempt to live as good people and find love and joy) was wrought beautifully by Brown. Their perspective of coming upon the devastation immediately after Sherman's March through Atlanta was particularly shocking and affecting. This is a rough yet sometimes tender story set at the end of the Civil War, amid the confusion and desperation and cruelty and kindnesses of that time. Brown also wrote the wonderful Gods of Howl Mountain , Wingwalkers , and Rednecks . 03 Wilderness by Lance Weller “I'm American. Like I told you. And I'm American and not something else because they failed that day. They couldn't do it and most of them probably knew they couldn't do it before they even started, but they went anyhow. There's honor in that. I don't reckon there's much honor left in the world now, but they had it that day and I honor them on both sides by knowing what I can about it. Much as I can.” Weller's Wilderness is set several decades after the Civil War, but the story pivots on Abel Truman's experiences in the Civil War's Battle of the Wilderness and how they shaped his life, led him to the wilds of Washington state, and set him on what is likely his final journey. This took me a while to get into, but I'm so glad I didn't give up on it. I loved the merging of stories and the luminous writing about tragedy, evolution of character, and boundless love--this is a gorgeous story. Weller has developed a graphic novel adaptation of this book. 04 Gilead by Marilynne Robinson “I wish I could leave you certain of the images in my mind, because they are so beautiful that I hate to think they will be extinguished when I am. Well, but again, this life has its own mortal loveliness. And memory is not strictly mortal in its nature, either. It is a strange thing, after all, to be able to return to a moment, when it can hardly be said to have any reality at all, even in its passing. A moment is such a slight thing. I mean, that its abiding is a most gracious reprieve.” Marilynne Robinson's Gilead chronologically precedes her novel Lila and takes the form of the aging Reverend's recollections and letters to his young son. The book spans generations of fathers and sons from the Civil War to the twentieth century, includes reflections about the war, and it's a beautiful book, so I decided that it's going on my Civil War list. Gilead is largely an exploration of the Reverend's complicated relationship with his troubled young namesake and the evolution of his faith and preaching. This is a gentle, slow-paced story from the heart-wrenchingly gorgeous writer. Marilynne Robinson is also the author of Home , Lila , Jack , Housekeeping , and other books. 05 Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen by Sarah Bird Bird's Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen is based on the story of a real-life female Buffalo Soldier, Cathy Williams, with many liberties taken for the sake of shaping a story. I was happy to suspend my disbelief at the many conveniently outlandish circumstances or coincidences—which led key characters to cross unlikely paths, caused characters to avoid making important discoveries until the timing was more convenient to the arc of the tale, or set events essential to a resolution in a magical otherworld to allow imagined outcomes. Bird does an excellent job of keeping up the tension and making clear the high stakes of Williams’s enormous secret and the destruction that would befall her if it came out. She explores in fascinating detail the hardscrabble life of a newly freed Black person—and the often desperate circumstances of women (especially Black women) without men to protect them at the time. The major and minor love stories are sweet and tragic on multiple levels. I also mentioned this book in the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Novels I Loved . 06 Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders “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 gift, the gift of being allowed, every day, to wander this vast sensual paradise, this grand marketplace lovingly stocked with every sublime thing.” The premise of Lincoln in the Bardo , which the reader quickly grasps, is that the characters are caught in limbo, somehow unaware of and in denial about their earthly demises, and they repeat the same patterns and manipulations while making mental excuses for their diminished or changed states, all the while waiting for (impossible) opportunities to "feel better" and return to their lives. The construction (short, often one-line passages followed by the speaker's name) of Lincoln in the Bardo could've been clunky, but the characters' voices were distinct enough to work. This is twisted, base, and funny, but sometimes also sentimental and poignant, with peeks into deceased characters' pivotal life moments as well as hypothetical looks into Lincoln's frame of mind and motivation as he struggled with his personal losses and feelings of responsibility for the significant loss of life on both sides during the Civil War. The character growth surprised me and felt in line with the tone and pacing of the story. This was unusual and fascinating all around.

ICYMI: My favorite Kate Quinn books center around strong young women proving their mettle during wartime crises, and The Alice Network offers the tales of two women whose stories span decades and who become linked forever. In this historical fiction novel by Kate Quinn, the stories of two women—an imagined World War I spy from the Alice Network (a network that actually existed) in France and an American socialite looking for her cousin in 1947—are brought together across the decades . I loved the strong female protagonists and seeing their fire and grit and growth. Both of the more modern-day storylines were wrapped up neatly as with a bow. I would have been in favor of having the romantic element be tied up without the Eve aspect, or having neither of them tied up at all, but the “end of movie”-type closure for both felt too convenient, and even a little dismissive of the complexities of the time and the specific difficulties of the characters' situations. But I was fascinated by the World War I focus and in many cases the spy details’ basis in reality. I wished I’d known the information from the author’s note as I read because of how much of the stories of the women’s lives was pulled from first-person records. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Kate Quinn is the author of the fantastic titles The Diamond Eye , The Huntress , The Rose Code , and, along with Janie Chang, The Phoenix Crown .

I loved this summer-camp setting, the slow build of mystery in two timelines, the privilege and working class disparities, the eventual revelations concerning the disappearances of both Van Lear children, and the beautifully wrought tragedy and redemption. In August 1975, a teenage girl disappears from her Adirondack summer camp. But the girl isn't just any camper. She's Barbara Van Lear, the daughter of the owners of the camp where many local residents work. Oddly, her brother Bear, beloved by all who knew him, disappeared fourteen years earlier. He was never found. A frantic search takes place, and as the locals look for Barbara, various Van Lear secrets come to light. The split between the largely blue-collar area and the privileged Van Lear family is shown to be stark and significant. I love love love a summer-camp story, and I loved The God of the Woods . I was intrigued by the mysteries and their layers, which are continually revealed, and while I usually feel more invested in one timeline over another, with The God of the Woods , I was equally interested in both timelines. The Van Lears' story draws in many of those who orbit around them; it's full of tragedy upon tragedy, emotional upset, gaslighting, and cover-ups--yet things are often not as they seem. Some questionable decisions seemed aimed at protecting the vulnerable, although their reality may have be achieved the opposite; some characters are presented as selfless but are shown to in truth be horribly selfish; some of those who seem strange and odd are hiding benign or heartfelt secrets, and have been deeply shaped by them. Many mysterious elements are cleared up at the end of the book in satisfying swirls of truth; all the pieces make sense, but after the slow build of the majority of the book, this pacing felt a little rushed to me. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! Liz Moore is also the author of Long Bright River  as well as Heft and The Unseen World .

The Paris Novel is the first novel by food writer, memoir author, food critic, and James Beard award-winner Ruth Reichl. It's a fairytale-like love letter to Paris in which a staid young woman has almost magical encounters with food, fashion, and kind strangers, which collectively and dramatically shape her future. Stella is practical, frugal, regimented, and independent. A copyeditor who lives by a careful daily schedule, she is thrown for a loop when her estranged, impulsive, selfish mother dies and leaves her an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket with the directive "Go to Paris." She's tempted to defy her mother by not following her bossy demands, but when Stella arrives in Paris, a series of fortuitous encounters with French fashion, food, caring characters, and her own past make for a sweet story. The novel's eating and vivid French food descriptions are, as one would expect from Reich, a fun highlight--and also a pivotal part of her self-discovery and her future. Fashion also turns out to be a key to Stella's fate, and French designs are highlighted within The Paris Novel and given an almost magical power. The relationships that seem problematic or fated to fail each turn out to be essential to Stella's happiness and part of a found family that propels her forward into a more rich, full life. With the exception of her fraught past relationship with her mother--as well as a haunting (and for me, surprisingly dark) element to the story, an occurrence in Stella's childhood that happened due to her mother's self-obsession and lack of supervision--there's no doubt everything is going to work out on all fronts for Stella in this novel. Convenient encounters, fairytale-like turns of events, and decadent experiences with food and fashion are fun, heartwarming, and light, and make for a satisfyingly clean wrap-up of all conflicts. I listened to The Paris Novel as an audiobook. I'd love to hear your Bossy thoughts about this book! This is Ruth Reichl's first novel. Her wonderful food-focused memoirs Garlic and Sapphires  and Tender at the Bone  were both listed in my Greedy Reading List of Six Foodie Memoirs to Whet Your Appetite , and you can find my review of Save Me the Plums , her memoir about heading up Gourmet magazine, here .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Jessica Knoll's novel inspired by real-life events surrounding a serial killer in the 1970s, Bright Young Women ; I'm reading Ann Liang's novel based on myth, A Song to Drown Rivers ; and I'm listening to the first novel by food writer and critic Ruth Reichl, The Paris Novel . What are you reading these days, bookworms? 01 Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll Jessica Knoll's novel Bright Young Women is inspired by real-life events--specifically, a sorority targeted by the first "celebrity serial killer" in his last killing spree. In 1978 Tallahassee, Florida, the serial deaths in the Pacific Northwest couldn't feel farther from the carefree, fun-loving sorority life president Pamela Schumacher and her sisters are enjoying. But when the studious, responsible Pamela stays home from a party and investigates a strange noise in the sorority house, she discovers a horrible tragedy--two of her sisters are dead and two others are maimed. In Seattle, Tina Cannon is trying to figure out what happened to her dear friend Ruth, who disappeared from a nearby state park. When she hears about the horrifying events in Tallahassee, she becomes convinced that what happened to Ruth is linked to the sorority attack, and she travels to Florida, determined to get to the bottom of the crimes. I'm reading Bright Young Women for my book club. 02 A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang In Ann Liang's A Song to Drown Rivers , Xishi is a beautiful young woman who makes her village of Yue proud, for she will almost certainly make a good marriage match. But she catches the eye of the well-known young military advisor Fanli, and as she becomes trained in playing music and hiding her emotions, she develops a traitorous plan: to overturn the village of Wu, empower her own people, and avenge her sister's death. She rises through the ranks and gains access to the king--but if she is revealed to be a traitor, not only she and Fanli but their home villages will be destroyed. I fell in love with Ann Liang's fake-dating young adult novel This Time It's Real , read it in one rainy afternoon, and included it in my Greedy Reading Lists Six of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads from the Past Year , Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading , and My Bossy Favorite Reads of Summer  the year I read it. And you can find my review of her great young-adult rom-com I Hope This Doesn't Find You here . I received a prepublication edition of this title, which was published October 1, courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. 03 The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl Stella is practical, frugal, regimented, and independent. A copyeditor who lives by a careful daily schedule, she is thrown for a loop when her estranged, impulsive, selfish mother dies and leaves her an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket with the directive "Go to Paris." She's tempted to defy her mother by not following her bossy demands, but when Stella arrives in Paris, a series of fortuitous and fairytale-perfect encounters with fashion, food, caring characters, and her own past make for a sweet, heartwarming novel. This is Ruth Reichl's first novel. Her wonderful food-focused memoirs Garlic and Sapphires  and Tender at the Bone  were both listed in my Greedy Reading List of Six Foodie Memoirs to Whet Your Appetite , and you can find my review of Save Me the Plums , her memoir about heading up Gourmet magazine here .

My very favorite Bossy September reads! This month my favorite reads were a retelling of a Mark Twain story; historical fiction set in North Carolina; contemporary fiction about an unplanned pregnancy; the real story of a beloved figure from stage, film, and song; a missing-person mystery; and a fantasy story within a story. If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think! And I'd also love to hear: what are some of your recent favorite reads? 01 What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway The historical fiction story about the building of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, had a romantic element that was bigger than I was anticipating, but I enjoyed Callaway's storytelling on building logistics, the power of class and society, complications of widespread TB infection, visionaries shaping the future, as well as the love story that for much of the book seems destined for failure. It's 1913, and Belle Newbold hasn't been into the mountains since her father died in a tragic West Virginia mining accident. In the seven years since, Belle's mother has reinvented herself as a society woman and has remarried, while Belle has learned to keep the family's past poverty, hunger, and struggles a secret. Belle is fearful--particularly for her mother's sake--that her father's true origins may be uncovered and be their undoing. All of this, along with her pain at the loss of her beloved father, keeps her closed off emotionally. For her intended husband Worth, his tragic family past and complicated present seem to be stumbling blocks that can't be overcome. The ins and outs of the Grove Park Inn's design and logistics of building were fascinating; Belle's research serves as an avenue for sharing this information, which feels thoroughly researched by the author herself. The romance aspect of the story became more of a focus than I was anticipating, and I enjoyed Callaway's realistically tangled obstacles that persistently thwarted the easy path to love. I listened to What the Mountains Remember  as an audiobook. For more North Carolina stories, check out the books on this Bossy list . For my full review of this book, please see What the Mountains Remember . 02 The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean I'm a big fan of Emiko Jean's writing. The Return of Ellie Black  was a disturbing setup followed by a somewhat too-easy-feeling reveal, but in between, I was captivated by the ride. I'm fascinated by a missing-persons story . In Emiko Jean's The Return of Ellie Black , Detective Chelsey Calhoun is shocked by the reappearance of Ellie Black, a young girl who's been missing for two years. Chelsey is especially invested in the case because her own sister Lydia went missing years earlier--before falling victim to a tragic murder-suicide carried out by her boyfriend. The story takes us inside the claustrophobic, twisted, abusive, extremely disturbing compound where Ellie is kept prisoner--and she's not the only girl being kept against her will. When she comes home alive, only Chelsey finds it strange that Ellie has left her captor and remains alive. Has Ellie been released, rather than escaped? The reveal of the true story behind the abductions, cruelties, and murders seemed far-fetched (every one of the elements--motivations, participants, delusions--were linked to close-to-home situations). But as always, I enjoyed Jean's writing, and I couldn't wait to find out who was behind the infuriating, extremely disturbing kidnappings and why. Emiko Jean is also the author of the great young adult stories Tokyo Ever After  and Tokyo Dreaming  and Tokyo Forever , as well as Mika in Real Life , Empress for All Seasons , and other books. Click here for my full review of The Return of Ellie Black . 03 Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan Sarah Rees Brennan offers a funny, dark, clever story within a story in which the heroes and villains are redefined, redemption is always possible, revenge is sweet, and rewriting the story doesn't always shift the plot in the way you'd expect. I love a story that flips a traditional setup, and Long Live Evil  is my newest favorite in the Villains Are People Too book trend (check out two of my other recommendations in this vein below). Rae has always taken comfort in books. But now she's dying, and in a panic, she makes a magical deal in which she lives on...in the world of her sister's favorite fantasy series. But wars are being waged, and Rae quickly figures out that she's not the heroine of the story. She's the villain. And only she can organize the rest of the plotting, dark, moody, sometimes exasperating bad guys (and girls) in an attempt to change all of their futures. When Rae begins tinkering with characters, trying to shift the plot--posing as a prophet telling the future--she figures out that she's not the only one who came from the "real world" and has infiltrated the story. And she also realizes she may not be helping; she may be making everything worse. This is so funny, sometimes dark, and it has lots of heart. I adore all of the twists on the heroine-villain setup. I listened to Long Live Evil  as an audiobook courtesy of Libro.fm. For other books that take a sympathetic, darkly playful view of a villain, check out Hench and Starter Villain . Sarah Rees Brennan is also the author of the fantastic character-driven young-adult fantasy In Other Lands . Please click here to see my full review of Long Live Evil . 04 James by Percival Everett Percival Everett's James is a fascinating retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  from the point of view of enslaved Black character Jim, who here demonstrates intelligence, ambition, defiance, unbridled fury, and the ability to wrest control of elements of his life. In James , Percival Everett's retelling of the Mark Twain novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , we hear a version of that novel's story told from enslaved Jim's point of view. James is secretly teaching other enslaved people to read; sneaking to delve into the library of books in the big house, including works of philosophy by John Locke (he also holds imagined arguments and discussions with noted philosophers during several delirious moments of the story); and is an expert code-switcher who tailors his language to follow white people's expectations of a submissive Black person. James is beleaguered by the ignorance, skewed power structure, and cruelty of the white people surrounding him. Through a stint as a performer in a minstrel show; a pivotal encounter with versions of the scam artists from Huckleberry Finn , the Duke and Dauphin; and the making and losing of allies and enemies, Everett turns multiple situations from Huckleberry Finn  on their heads, frequently empowering James to shift the course of events. Yet the true horrors of life as an enslaved Black person in the deep South at the time of Twain's novel are brutally evident, and Everett doesn't shy away from depicting the resulting abuse, casual cruelty, and, often, death of Black enslaved people at the hands of white people. The trauma on the page is difficult to read, but more difficult to consider in its origins, as it is rooted in horrifying fact and reality. I listened to James as an audiobook. Please click here for my full review of James . 05 Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe Thorpe's irresistible character of 19-year-old Margo discovers her strength, drive, creativity, and vulnerability after becoming pregnant. She defies societal expectations to provide for her baby and to find fulfillment in her personal and professional life. Margo is a 19-year-old community college student having an affair with her married professor. When she finds that she's pregnant, she begins a winding path to figuring out her life that mainly entails defying most of the stereotypes of a young single mother. She is told she will receive zero support from the baby's father; she loses two roommates due to the baby's crying; she receives little practical help from her mother; and she loses her job. Yet she finds a true friend in her last remaining roommate, who until then seemed primarily a source of rent; she finds a strange and fulfilling new relationship with her estranged father, a former professional wrestler; and she dives into an unorthodox new profession in order to secure a financial future for her family. Thorpe offers lots of joy and offbeat fun, yet doesn't shy away from weighty conflicts between classes, genders, ages, education levels, and levels of wealth or poverty. Margo butts up against--and at times, dismantles--frustrating societal expectations and double standards related to sex, desire, body autonomy, and freedom. The story and its characters feel unexpected and fascinating; Margo's Got Money Troubles  is an edgy contemporary novel with a wonderfully oddball premise and a captivating amount of depth. For my full review, check out Margo's Got Money Troubles . 06 Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran I was hooked on the behind-the-scenes feeling of Moran's historical-fiction conversations between Maria von Trapp and an assistant to Oscar Hammerstein. In Michelle Moran's novel Maria , she uses two timelines to shape the story of the real woman behind Julie Andrews's legendary depiction in The Sound of Music . In the past, richly built period, we track Maria's path from the nunnery to her position at the heart of the von Trapp family. In the 1950s timeline, Oscar Hammerstein is striving to bring Maria's story to life on the stage--but is tempted to rework some of the facts to heighten its impact. The demanding, exacting, elderly Maria insists that the depiction track more closely with her real life, and she furiously shares detailed notes with Fran, an up-and-coming young assistant in Hammerstein's office. I was fascinated by the script and production's departures from the facts within the story--most of which track with the movie version--which Maria highlights in her conversations with Fran. For example, the depiction of the Captain in the script at hand is as the family disciplinarian, but Maria asserts that she was the more strict and demanding parent. The family's singing is romanticized, but Maria reveals that one daughter had extreme anxiety about performing, and that while the singing was well received by the American public, the grueling touring schedule was rooted in a desperate bid to put food on the table for the family when few other prospects existed. This is compelling reading, and for all who consider The Sound of Music  sacred holiday viewing (and an essential singalong opportunity) like I do, it's irresistible to learn more about Maria through the "behind the scenes" feeling of the book. I listened to Maria as an audiobook. For my full review, please see Maria .

Sarah Rees Brennan offers a funny, dark, clever story within a story in which the heroes and villains are redefined, redemption is always possible, revenge is sweet, and rewriting the story doesn't always shift the plot in the way you'd expect. I love a story that flips a traditional setup, and Long Live Evil  is my most recent favorite in the Villains Are People Too book trend (check out two of my recommendations in this vein below). Rae has always taken comfort in books. But now she's dying, and in a panic, she makes a magical deal in which she lives on...in the world of her sister's favorite fantasy series. But when she dives into the book, wars are being waged, and Rae quickly figures out that she's not the heroine of the story. She's the villain. And only she can organize the rest of the plotting, dark, moody, sometimes exasperating bad guys (and girls) in an attempt to change all of their futures. As Rae falls into the role of the evil sister plotting against the beautiful, sweet heroine Leah, she feigns amnesia to cover her ignorance about how this new world works and how she fits into the story. But when Rae begins tinkering with characters, trying to shift the plot--posing as a prophet telling the future--she figures out that she's not the only one who came from the "real world" and has infiltrated the story. She wishes she'd paid more attention to certain plot points that are life-and-death important to her now. And she also realizes she may not be helping the cast of characters or securing her own safety; she may be making everything worse. If she can get to the magical flower that rarely blooms and could transport her back to her biological family, she'll be able to leave all of this complication behind. But she's begun to realize that her fictional family and chosen family in her new life have become precious to her, and it also dawns on her that she may be the key to saving them from the unforeseen evil that could destroy them forever. This is so funny, sometimes dark, and it has lots of heart. For two other great books that take a sympathetic, darkly playful view of a villain, check out Hench and Starter Villain . I'd love to hear your thoughts about this book! I listened to Long Live Evil  as an audiobook courtesy of Libro.fm. Sarah Rees Brennan is also the author of the fantastic character-driven young-adult fantasy In Other Lands .

Smith's historical fiction story in two timelines equally powerfully evokes the bleak Dutch winters of the 17th century and grimy, volatile 1950s Brooklyn, along with fascinating details of art and art forgery and a tense undercurrent that kept me hooked. The painting referenced in Dominic Smith's novel title is a rare landscape by a female Dutch painter--the first woman admitted as a master painter to Holland's Guild of St. Luke's. At the Edge of a Wood is a stark, arresting winter landscape, and the painting hangs over the bed of the descendant of the first owner of the work. Ellie Shipley is a struggling Australian grad student when she agrees to paint a forgery of the painting--and she does a fine job, if she does say so herself. But an inheritor of the work in 1950s Manhattan wants to show it in an exhibit. Ellie, now a celebrated art historian, is potentially facing a disaster in which her forgery comes to light on the world stage. The Last Painting of Sara de Vos twists through betrayal, love, lots and lots of art, loss, fear of discovery, and exquisitely detailed restoration and forgery processes. These richly built elements form a backdrop to two women's linked journeys, separated by 300 years. Smith equally vividly captures the harsh beauty of both grimy 1950s Brooklyn and 17th century Dutch bleak winters. I was totally taken in by the winding paths of the women's expectations and limitations, and by their ultimate breaks from the traps in which they find themselves. For more novels I've read and reviewed that focus on art, please check out this link . I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book! Dominic Smith is also the author of Return to Valetto , The Electric Hotel , The Beautiful Miscellaneous , Bright and Distant Shores , and The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre .

The historical fiction story about the building of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, had a romantic element that was bigger than I was anticipating, but I enjoyed Callaway's storytelling on building logistics, the power of class and society, complications of widespread TB infection, visionaries shaping the future, as well as the love story that for much of the book seems destined for failure. I love a North-Carolina-set story, and Joy Callaway's historical fiction What the Mountains Remember had me hooked: the novel traces the building of the famous Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina. It's 1913, and Belle Newbold hasn't been into the mountains since her father died in a tragic West Virginia mining accident. In the seven years since, Belle's mother has reinvented herself as a society woman and has remarried, while Belle has learned to keep the family's past poverty, hunger, and struggles a secret. Belle is set up to marry an eligible (and wealthy) bachelor who's a stranger to her, Worth Delafield, and since she and Worth have each sworn off love, they're sure to keep their heads on straight as partners, without drama or heartbreak. But when they meet, sparks fly. Belle is fearful--particularly for her mother's sake--that her father's true origins may be uncovered and be their undoing. All of this, along with her pain at the loss of her beloved father, keeps her closed off emotionally. For Worth, his tragic family past and complicated present seem to be stumbling blocks that can't be overcome. Belle is determined to write the stories of the extraordinary everyday men who are building the Grove Park Inn, and her unwelcome, growing affection for Worth is distracting her. Meanwhile, he's finding himself overwhelmed by the magic of Belle and rethinking his own desire to stay distant. The Asheville of the novel is on the verge of becoming a city of tuberculosis sanatoriums; those behind the Grove Park Inn project are working furiously to shift the city's focus into tourism and, they hope, a brighter and stronger future. The tuberculosis situation is a tricky one: bosses are worried about the Grove Park Inn timeline and potential slowdown due to worker illnesses; Belle is set on protecting the workers' jobs by keeping their illnesses a secret from supervisors; and having men go to work sick is likely to infect others with the potentially deadly disease. The complex moral and practical aspects of the TB raging through the area are not fully resolved. The ins and outs of the Grove Park Inn's design and logistics of building were fascinating; Belle's research serves as an avenue for sharing this information, which feels thoroughly researched by the author herself. The romance aspect of the story became more of a focus than I was anticipating, and I enjoyed Callaway's realistically tangled obstacles that persistently thwarted the easy path to love. The meddlesome, shallow, foolish character who repeatedly threatens to undo all of the good things that are being built in the book is a source of tension for the story, and one whose comeuppance felt welcome when it came. I'd love to hear your thoughts about this book! For more North Carolina stories, check out the books on this Bossy list . I listened to What the Mountains Remember  as an audiobook. Joy Callaway is also the author of The Grand Design , The Fifth Avenue Artists Society , All the Pretty Places , and Secret Sisters .