The story is told with alternating chapters focused on a chilling crime that feels connected to the Elise-Wade For my full review, check out What Remains. 02 As Good As Dead (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder #3) by As Good As Dead is the final book in A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, a series I've loved, and I've been For my full review (and links to my reviews of the other books in this series), check out As Good As Aaron Falk #3) by Jane Harper The third in Jane Harper's Aaron Falk series offers procedural detail, a lush

In Ann Liang's young adult rom-com This Time It's Real, when seventeen-year-old Eliza's class essay about Unless she's hallucinating or dreaming, she's thirty years old. Living in a grown-up's house, holding down a job, having an adult life. When a documentary shines a light on Margot again, Billy's longtime crush on the musician is renewed. Thirty-two-year-old Fern Brookbanks has pinned most of her romantic dreams on Will Baxter--despite the

Science Fiction Reads I realize I just said this last week regarding mysteries, but really, doesn't the cold , intelligent women in Harrow the Ninth absolutely steal the show--which is saying something, since God

Here are my glowing reviews of the first three installments and here is my gushing take on the fourth

When a documentary shines a light on Margot again, Billy's longtime crush on the musician is renewed.

somewhat explores the pressures of birth order roles and traditional Arab male roles that are shown to push

, the thriller A Flicker in the Dark, offers an unreliable narrator haunted by her father's decades-old hunger, her highly educated parents' excruciating, menial jobs (in a sweatshop, sewing factory, the cold

heroines; a girl-power science-fiction space exploration; and a gorgeous Peter Heller story about the push

My book club has been together in some form for thirteen years, and for a good while I've been (surprise features a tragic ecological setup of a world in which wild animals are largely nonexistent, with a cold

Aaron Falk #3) by Jane Harper The third in Jane Harper's Aaron Falk series offers procedural detail, a lush

Why would they hold their hands over their hearts (as though saying the Pledge of Allegiance) during Connor is able to keep a thick, bulky Playbill folded and hidden in the pocket of his short shorts at Could he realistically have the emotional ability that we're told he possesses immediately after his

Newman touches on everything from how to fold a T-shirt to how to stick up for someone and lots of basic

hopeful mindset of a young woman forced to grow up too quickly--a woman who for years feels she must push

He relates with starry-eyed enthusiasm his brushes with countless musicians he admires--and his collaborations She seems like a good egg, and I really liked spending time with her through this memoir.

story about the meaning of life; and nonfiction about how to do the right thing by the creator of The Good Jennette became a child actress at age six in order to please her mother, pushing down her own anxiety Schur, creator of the television series The Good Place, explores various schools of thought about ethics I'm watching The Good Place for the third time, this time with my youngest, and I love hearing his references With sections read by stars of The Good Place, Schur's How to Be Perfect is funny, interesting--and a

rural Illinois, some of her family members’ odd and sometimes dark impulses, her constant hunger and cold Her father seems to have had post-war PTSD, which manifests itself in bursts of anger, a difficulty holding eschews any talk of Lucy’s children, marriage, real life, saying “I love you,” or of memories that hold was intrigued by Lucy's hard-fought evolution and realizations, and I was intrigued by her haltingly told

that if you plan to survive in the Arctic, you must choose one of two paths: emulate the bear...by holding Stockholm Sven is measured, as befits a story that is largely about daily life in the unforgiving, brutal cold Haylah is an excellent friend, she's patient with her incredibly frustrating four-year-old brother, and It's June 1954, and eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson has just served fifteen months on a juvenile work Emmett's planning to pick up his eight-year-old brother Billy and head west to start a new life.

Superhero (And Not Die Trying) is a charming, irresistible young adult story about superheroes, villains, a crushing settle down (something she has no interest in), main protagonist Grace heads to her deceased mother's old of Evvie Drake Starts Over, Linda Holmes offers sweet, funny dialogue; a complicated reunion between old friends and an old flame. Then an unusual antique she finds in Dot's attic and an old love letter send her on a wild caper through

Rebecca Sorley is a responsible, even-keel college student in Florida, and she's trying to get good grades Even the most reasonable and calm friend in the group is pushed to ask at one point, regarding suspicions

Taylor is also the author of Gods of Howl Mountain, a book I loved and gave five stars, Pride of Eden devastating lows--individual and collective--test their loyalty, offer joy and unexpected stress, and push Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is smart and holds layer upon layer to explore.

continues to dig into his wife's past to confirm details, he finds that the facts his beloved wife has told And he finds that almost everything Emma has ever told him about herself has been a lie. When she pushes against her restrictions in a brilliant yet shocking manner in order to shift her future events lead to Charlotte's assuming the identity of a made-up detective, Sherlock Holmes, and putting to good She's holding a straight razor and covered in blood, and her celebrity husband Jimmy Peralta, a 68-year-old

colors she has always seen associated with letters, voices, and emotions--which she has always been told Atkinson Atkinson's newest mystery is set in vivid Roaring Twenties London as Nellie Coker struggles to hold six children are undermining her, and goings-on in the dark undercurrents of Soho could shake Coker's hold Maggie O'Farrell is also the author of Hamnet, I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death, The Vanishing

And it isn't just that being in her teen body again shocks her, or that seeing her high school crush Seventeen-year-old Lenni Pettersson lives in the terminal ward at the Glasgow Princess Royal Hospital In the hospital's arts and crafts class, she meets 83-year-old Margot, a spirited, rebellious new friend I love stories about returning home, reconnecting with old flames, and chances for redemption, and Every

in-between state that is not life and not death, in the form of a library that exists outside of time and holds familiar with mental illness to watch the character of Nora, who in her original life is experiencing crushing

01 Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein Nineteen-year-old Avery Abrams was set to be the next big gymnastics When she hits a version of rock bottom and moves home, Avery's former teammate and crush Ryan (who did

contrast between active female roles in the Russian military and the more peripheral positions women could hold devastating lows--individual and collective--test their loyalty, offer joy and unexpected stress, and push

Not every title fits neatly in this category; one is a grandmother's story as told by a granddaughter He is interested in the potential power of his celebrity to do good, in learning about worthwhile issues Jennette became a child actress at 6 in order to please her mother, pushing down her own anxiety and Click here for my full review of I'm Glad My Mom Died. 06 Nobody Will Tell You This But Me: A True (As Told

It's good to be back with grumpy Murderbot on Preservation Station. Women explore traditional roles and push back against infuriating chauvinism; characters consider their

She's good at crunching the numbers for work, taking care of her daughter, and leaning on her grandparents But then her daring best friend (who writes sexy romance novels) pushes her to consider a DNA-based, Some of the structure of having one character hold such emotional power over the other was frustrating Told in alternating points of view from Daniel and Alexis, Part of Your World is romantic, often funny

loved and upcoming titles I'm excited about, and I've seen some eyes-glazing-over reactions when I gush People like the victim Sutton is investigating are told that their vivid recollections of their life’ I found this sooooo good, unexpected, sweeping, and compelling. work in order to identify and fight a new enemy--one that may turn out to be a new incarnation of an old

book of the series, Siege and Storm, The Darkness emerges with a destructive and dangerous plan to crush and Rising, The Darkness is ruling Ravka, and the light and power meant to weaken him seem far away, holding

sections glossed over some major issues (consorting with the gruesomely brutal enemy; the prospect of folding He must decide if he'll risk a one-way journey to seek out the good, bad, and ugly that may be awaiting When the people change, the palace cannot hold. Naomi Alderman offers a dark and fascinating look at a world where the traditional male-female and old-young

Walschots hooked me immediately and completely, and I was going to be heartbroken if the story didn't hold She wears winged eyeliner, she doesn't put up with any good old boy chauvinism from heroes or anyone Then she's unexpectedly and accidentally involved in a violent clash of good and evil and is badly injured She doubles down on her contempt for the good guys and her annoyance at how others see them as infallible This book brought to mind The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee.

Quinn's character-driven post-World War II story was wonderful, with compelling and lush detail about

people love "Jeopardy" and mourned the passing of Alex Trebek last month like mine did, they might be good 8,000 episodes), hopeful contestants' sometimes wildly competitive trivia paths to the show, and for good the results to me), Milk Street Tuesday Nights: More Than 200 Simple Weeknight Suppers That Deliver Bold

Seventeen-year-old girls aren't safe on their own, so Jess cuts her hair, binds her chest, and saddles Jess is such a good shot, she ends up working for the mean-as-a-snake governor of the territory--and She grapples with the stories she's been told as compared to the reality she experiences as she makes choices end in bloodshed, one brother makes justifications and feels no remorse while the other feels crushed hand at writing. 05 Into the Savage Country by Shannon Burke Into the Savage Country is a serenely told

More Memoirs I've Loved I love a good memoir, one that offers a glimpse or a deep dive into the life My to-read list of memoirs is so long it's crushing and overwhelming, but some of those I'd like to read carefully taken this book to Thailand, Paris, and London, shuffling it from apartment to apartment where it holds

blog, and others on my to-read list include The House Girl by Tara Conklin, March by Geraldine Brooks, Old untested characters find they are capable of incredible grit—and other idealist characters find themselves crushed Callum, an Irish horse thief, fled to America an orphan at fifteen years old. lives lived moment by moment (while the characters fight for survival--and also attempt to live as good Like I told you. And I'm American and not something else because they failed that day.

01 Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein Nineteen-year-old Avery Abrams was set to be the next big gymnastics When she hits a version of rock bottom and moves home, Avery's former teammate and crush Ryan (who did

I didn’t feel as attached to Aaron in this mystery set in the Australian bush, but I still love Harper's about her company and coworkers that might be the reason she's vanished from the remote Australian bush

book of the series, Siege and Storm, The Darkness emerges with a destructive and dangerous plan to crush and Rising, The Darkness is ruling Ravka, and the light and power meant to weaken him seem far away, holding

The character of Luna has a unique and lovely voice and is an irresistibly odd bird of a twelve-year-old Hargrave allows some light into the darkness and cold in the form of love, and important realizations She uses Old Norse words in her speech and thoughts; she frequently mentions bravery, combat, wisdom, please see When We Were Vikings. 06 Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots ​ Anna doesn't put up with any good Donoghue weaves a good amount of fact into this story.

The character of Luna has a unique and lovely voice and is an irresistibly odd bird of a twelve-year-old Hargrave allows some light into the darkness and cold in the form of love, and important realizations She uses Old Norse words in her speech and thoughts; she frequently mentions bravery, combat, wisdom, please see When We Were Vikings. 06 Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots ​ Anna doesn't put up with any good Donoghue weaves a good amount of fact into this story.

untested characters find they are capable of incredible grit—and idealist characters find themselves crushed

he's trying to accept and get past, but sometimes darkness seeps into his thoughts and threatens to crush There's introspection and the calm of creating works of art, but also a brush with more brutality that