Cate is at times a young dreamer, a haunted lover with a hardened heart, a wildly successful author dipping postapocalyptic trilogy (which is about to be made into a series of movies; meeting the star is a key part of the story Cate's stories aren't front and center in the book, but through key references to them we find that the She shapes thrilling postapocalyptic stories around pieces of her own young, small-town, everyday life

new book by one of my favorite authors, Peter Heller, which picks up after the events of his book The River 01 Red Notice by Bill Browder The subtitle of Browder's nonfiction book Red Notice is A True Story of you'll join me in my adoration of Peter Heller's varied books, including his thrilling, character-driven story The River, the meditative yet decisively action-oriented The Painter, and his post-apocalyptic story Solomon's Ex Talk, Seattle public radio producer Shay Goldstein is in her late twenties, she's put in her time

Desai weaves darkness, powerful superstition, and magical realism through a wide-ranging story about It's difficult to describe how bonkers this story is. I was surprised by how hooked I became on it. In this sliding-doors story, the three paths diverge dramatically, and the whole family's destiny is There was the time he kidnapped a neighbor's pet goose, the time he accidentally aided and abetted a I loved this story.

Cristina Fernandez How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) is a charming, irresistible young adult story Astrid is always on time. How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) is a wonderfully romantic story about finding your own true Cristina Fernandez has crafted an irresistibly charming story that I absolutely adored. Stories about Brave Women During World War II.

The young women cope with their pain in divergent ways, and while I was interested in the story, I wanted I also love a story involving a character's mysterious past, and I love a suspenseful story that I'm I blew through this novel, and the whole time I was reading Saoirse , I held my breath that it would This is not the story of how I died. But how I lived. and relationship with Caesar (and the partnership's political implications in the world), but by the time

Prize in 2019 for this novel, which I'm listening to as an audiobook for the full effect of having the story Girl, Woman, Other is a set of twelve interconnected stories about Black British women and their friendships Lucy feels disruptively restless at times, but really, she figures, who doesn't? She travels the country tracking lost women, moving into communities with little more than a change of

The three stories run along with plenty of steam, centered around violent battles, brutal revenge, extended The story is always shifting--shaped by betrayals and the flipped script when fate and destiny aren't Spoiler: a dragon appears at the very end of the book, laying the groundwork for more dragon page time

; chosen family; and the healing power of love--in this atmospheric, strange, beautiful, and tragic story Black Woods, Blue Sky is a cold-setting story--one of my favorites--in which the unforgiving weather, Unorthodox relationships lead to life-and-death matters of trust, and chosen-family is essential to the story A late portion of the story takes places in a time period years later than Birdie and Emaleen's foray into the wild; there are resolutions here, but the momentum of the earlier story felt lost to me.

and conflicts, The Fourth Consort ; and I'm reading Curtis Sittenfeld's soon-to-be-published short-story by Cher In the first of Cher's two-part memoir, she traces some of her select ancestors' intriguing stories Block's occasional emphasis on certain words and infrequent, but present, perplexing pauses is at times If you enjoy short story collections, you might like to check out Six Short Story Collections to Wow You and Six More Short Story Collections I Loved .

Take the time to stop and imagine or feel fully the things you already know. 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. Bringley and his wife have two young children by the time he ends his stint at the Met and shifts into

uneven pacing and tangents into bizarre scenarios in Trip made me feel somewhat disconnected from the story Sandra's son, who journeys during the novel (as does Sandra), but the psychedelic cover and zigzagging story whiplashed and steadily confused about what the heck was going on, but I pushed through on this bizarre story More from Amie Barrodale Amie Barrodale is also the author of You Are Having a Good Time and William

The pacing flagged for me throughout the middle of the story, during the slog through various avenues When the protagonists' journeys intersect, the story ramps up in intensity and in epic scope. This story felt smart, strange, and intriguing. I can't wait to read more books by this author. I don't love an overly swoony, melodramatic "romantasy" story in which characters' energy is spent on The story dives into the plot with little hesitation (we do have to get going, after all--we only have

The story is sectioned into disparate parts, and at times the sisters are privy to little or no information is never earnest-- Saltcrop is gritty, unrelenting danger balanced with adventure and layers of back story

Place Wrong Time; I'm reading Antarctica, a collection of short stories by one of my favorite authors Time plays with time (like some of my favorite books do). (The short story collection Walk the Blue Fields will be my next Keegan read.) In the stories of Keegan's acclaimed debut, Antarctica, a young wife leaves town to experience being the mystery of the code in deceased author Edith Twyford's largely condemned, simplistic, prejudiced stories

issues and opportunities with technology, suggest community resources for those who might benefit, run story times for littles, host book clubs, maintain pristine stacks (adhering, for now, to the satisfyingly answering a few questions about your tolerance for violence, rough language, and adult content; any desired time In fact, after remembering how fun it was the last time, I just submitted another request.

In her spare time, Enid loves true crime podcasts and dates a variety of women from dating apps. I was intrigued by the book's premise, and I loved the science facts Enid spouted off at times, but in general, the story's tone frequently felt oddly zany, and the pacing felt uneven to me. At times the novel was so absurd as to seem slapstick, so that the important issues underlying the story

By the time their sophomore year is half over, one of the fraternity boys from next door is dead, Lucy boys are presented as insufferable and ignorant dudes; the girls seem silly and flighty much of the time (These disconnected relationships are essential to the story, but they certainly didn't make me feel The twists didn't lead the story exactly where I thought they would, and I was surprised by several turns Yet I found myself not believing in the details and small moments that felt necessary to build the story

accompanying emotions, fears, and side effects--along with a road-trip journey following her New York Times a few highs; being ill and in love, then ending her long-term relationship, and writing a New York Times selfless work in Will's position and in his twenties, Suleika seems to consider seriously--for the first time The vast majority of page time in Between Two Kingdoms is spent on Suleika's struggle with her physical comparison, takes up far less space in Jaouad's memoir although it is an interesting bookend to her solo travel

01 Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean Emiko Jean's Tokyo Ever After is the story of Izumi (Izzy) Tanaka, The only thing more outrageous is that she's asked to travel to Japan to meet her father for the first time. After all, last time around, all kinds of horrible things happened as she dug into (and solved, thank

turns 50; I'm reading Niall Williams's literary fiction set in a small Irish village in the 1960s, Time Lorne as well as SNL and its past and present players, and in Lorne , she shares the deeply researched story Lorne , which is scheduled for publication February 18, courtesy of Random House and NetGalley. 02 Time Time of the Child is set in the same village as Williams's novel This Is Happiness . So far there's lots of action, some humor, healthy amounts of dragon page time, and far less angst and

When the story moved out of the woods, it felt more fractured to me and didn't hold together as well. When the story moved away from the wilderness, the story felt increasingly fractured to me. Jane is also buoyed by magical thinking, often expending emotional energy (and spending plenty of page time went to such extremes to save her from the perceived dangers of society, but the resolution to the story The premise of the story was fascinating, and I felt drawn into the part of the novel set in the woods

Katlia's story is based on actual events, detailing the displacement of Indigenous people and the devastating The story takes place in northern Canada, but the tragedy is uncomfortably and universally familiar and Ko is an Indigenous man who is taken advantage of time after time. purely evil here, and there are few subtleties, gray areas, or character complexities presented in the story grim story of the horrendous abuses of power and consistent disregard for Indigenous people which lead

But the shrouded girls begin to disappear, and Sybil doubts for the first time whether their purpose ; it's a balance I'm really liking. 03 Heartwood by Amity Gaige Amity Gaige's Heartwood offers the story I love a Maine setting, a missing-persons story, and a tale of brave women thriving in a traditionally This story is so engaging, I'm having trouble putting it down.

In this heartwarming story of wonderfully faulted characters who face tragedy and often make a mess of given away almost all of his money, while living in a hoarding-type home situation), he realizes his time While The Road to Tender Hearts is its own story, the same charming elements show up here: tough situations characters in The Road to Tender Hearts face sometimes devastating turns of events, the tone of the story Hartnett employs dramatic irony, as the reader knows the full story of protagonists' motivations, abilities

Quinn and Chang share an adventure- and danger-laden story of women artists, women of color, and women When the authorities require too much time and evidence to take control, the varied women he's left in At times the story felt as though it was shifting into overly dramatic soap-opera territory for me, and

Radden Keefe takes a complex, tangled situation and shapes it into an intriguing narrative nonfiction story I started, and Blake isn't incorporating any awkward hearkening-back moments in order to build the story Blake weaves in rich details of life in the time, shows privileged education coming up against gritty

I read this immersive story in a flash. author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves . 05 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry Henry's story-within-a-story Henry brings her signature warmth, great banter, and sultry romance to this story within a story. It was the right book at the right time for me: entertainment in the perfect combination of action and But I'm one of those who are eager for more time with these clever, sometimes grumpy, often spontaneous

as dark Harry Potter fan fiction; I'm reading Benjamin Wood's northern-England-set quiet, mysterious story Seascraper ; and for my book club I'm reading Lisa Ridz é n's story about a Swedish man aging and looking pages) tracks a healer and alchemist suffering from significant memory gaps through three periods of time The heart of this story was originally a work titled Manacled , and it was dark Harry Potter fan fiction

the abrupt breaks in action, and the tedious roadblocks that repeatedly halted the momentum of the story Leckie's story weaves together disparate timelines and storylines, and much of the repeated tracking When action occurs, the inserted odd, prolonged asides halt the progression of the story, often taking extensive page time, while the action at hand takes only a moment.

The book is fully epistolary, as the story is told in a book-long letter from Benjamin to Tot. Set in the American West and Six More Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American West. Six Short Story Collections to Wow You, and I loved his novel One Foot in Eden. author Charles Frazier offers historical fiction featuring a Great Depression-era painter, Val Welch, traveling Donoghue builds a rich story around the real-life figures of Eliza Raine and Anne Lister.

Molly found herself yearning for more time with her busy, glamorous mother. books in this series. 03 O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker I bought O Caledonia at Powell's Books the last time Boarding school leads to further ostracization and irritating demands upon her time, when she'd prefer This is darkly funny, with a surprisingly startling and tragic setup and an immersive, atmospheric story

and past tragedies in this examination of societal ills that doesn't offer easy resolutions for the story's examination of a group of minimum-wage earners and their inability to make ends meet--and, in this story that form throughout the book, both at the fictional fast-food chain HomeMarket and beyond, give the story The story ends with some satisfying resolutions, but other characters' lives remain suitably complicated Vuong Ocean Vuong is also the author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous , Night Sky with Exit Wounds , Time

Something about the post-holiday cold gray of January lends itself to stories that chug along and keep mystery series showcases Stevie Bell's instincts, doggedness, and ability to uncover the truth, this time is largely an atmospheric story of isolation and loss set against the drama of climate change, tragedy I love a Maine setting, a missing-persons story, and a tale of brave women thriving in a traditionally This story is so intriguing, I had trouble putting it down.

Taylor Brown Trace Temple is a disillusioned, angry young man whose family lost its ranch after hard times Fallen Land , a title I loved and included in the Greedy Reading List Six Great Historical Fiction Stories The real-life story of Brown's education, dedicated mother, and labored method of communication is breathtakingly

Damoff tracks back in time to how April and Leo first met, and to their courtship and early days. I was fascinated by the premise, but the story felt a little disjointed to me.

irresistible heroines; a girl-power science-fiction space exploration; and a gorgeous Peter Heller story Perfect for Summer Reading, and Six More Great Light Fiction Stories. 02 The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei Yume Kitasei offers plot and mystery, but this is primarily a wonderfully character-driven story--with Charlotte's various views on the world are absolute gems, and I love spending time in her point of view The True Love Experiment is Fizzy's story.

up elaborate stories about a magical, secret world alongside the water. Someone out there knows about the stories and the imaginary world she shared with her sister. The book involved some style choices that distracted me from the story--for example, dramatic shrieks Henry based the evacuation element of her story upon the real-life Operation Pied Piper, which swiftly in World War II-set historical fiction, you might like the books on my Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories

The fantasy-science-fiction novel Moonbound spans time and splits into several stories, for me never A young girl arrives, telling the story of her own timeline, and she and Ariel begin to figure out they feature heavily in this book, and I never felt as though this strange element gelled with the rest of the story

stage, film, and song; a missing-person mystery; and a fantasy story within a story. I'm fascinated by a missing-persons story . 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 Yet the true horrors of life as an enslaved Black person in the deep South at the time of Twain's novel

I included Lincoln in the Bardo  in the Greedy Reading List Six Fascinating Historical Fiction Stories But when three women, all strangers to each other, are invited to the reclusive, three-times-widowed But all of the women of the time have a great amount at stake: they could find themselves committed unvoluntarily

Robots, time travel, teen angst, and this gorgeous cover. Yes to all of this. It takes a little getting used to but doesn't take away from the story. At one point Andra calls her friend Zhade (who is from a time 1,000 years past her origin time) an insult

Bella is grieving, and as they spend time together, she puts her energy into renewing Eddie's potential I loved this sweet story of renewed hope, platonic love, and romantic promise.

The story comes alive through the little moments Keegan highlights; while she explores decisions often Keegan is also the author of the short story collection Antarctica and the novel Foster, which was one Mason's newest novel tells the story of a New England house in the woods by tracking those who live in The tone is spooky and the story moves at a measured pace. I was interested in the ultimate connections and outcomes and I appreciated the story and particularly

book was a funny, poignant, banter-filled, behind-the-scenes, realistically complicated, wonderful story Despite some of the questionable, haunting choices that are made at times in the story, I was so taken I loved The Rachel Incident--the story, the characters, and the vivid setting of 2010s Ireland. Click here for my full review of What Remains. 04 Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens Claudia Cravens's story But a young woman in that time has little say over her destiny.

ICYMI: The post-Depression-era city of New York is such a powerful presence in this story, it feels like I was taken by this Amor Towles story and blatantly neglected my responsibilities in order to read it The various "let me teach you about" types of asides regarding art and social constructs of the time, I was completely hooked and kept thinking about this story after I'd finished it.

autonomy, lack of power, and lack of say-so and constant fear of the enslaved, Eckstine builds a rich story of detail of life at the time. The slow pace of uneventful Alabama life shifts dramatically when guests come to stay, and the story's events and the book's pacing begin snowballing in urgency as the story draws to its end.

After a time, it seemed that the world inside the books became my world. The tone of The Enchanted is sometimes gorgeously, darkly ethereal and other times so grim and alluding The books brought brilliance to my life, and they brought an understanding: Life is a story. Everything that has happened and will happen to me is all part of the story of this enchanted place--

Harmattan Season  is a dark, broody, mysterious fantasy story that takes place in an unnamed city in "Harmattan season" refers to a months-long time that spans the end of one year and beginning of the next aspects (the floating buildings and bodies) were an aspect that felt disjointed from the heart of the story

I enjoyed revisiting characters from Ink & Sigil, but I felt bogged down by recounted stories and detailed The story lagged a little for me with the accounts of past battles and war stories; extensive details of the logistics of magical processes and of defusing traps; and page time spent planning responses But it gets softer around the edges, smoothed over like a river rock given time enough and water.

Schwab and Cat Clarke, published under the pseudonym Evelyn Clarke); I'm reading Jennifer Niven's story Now it's 1964, and times are changing for women, people of color, people who are gay, and society in suspect, and the clue to the murder--and, possibly, to vast riches from Barton's era--may lie in the story