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Much of the book explores the beauty of companionship, and with poetic gorgeousness Alexander lays out

background of her life was filled with tent revivals, mountain music, and her daddy's dime store and the community

With wry humor, gritty honesty, and refreshingly candid reflections, Williams's singular voice comes

perspectives alternate by chapter: Kate is a widow who uncovers her dead husband's secret life and must come Things are complicated. Oh, and there's a secret panel in the back of the wardrobe at Eli's house. Nathan and Bub have always had their differences, but they come together to grieve the loss of their

light fiction with an anchor in deeper issues, some steamy scenes, conflicting feelings surrounding coming To complicate matters, guess who shows up to meet Fern, nine years late--and who has also contracted or simple resolution, but the initial acknowledgment of the issue at hand satisfied me--as did the complexity issues related to mental illness, sudden death, unplanned pregnancy, substance abuse--and also the complicated I received a complimentary audiobook version of this title courtesy of Libro.fm and Penguin Random House

Wrong Place, Wrong Time offers a smart, mind-bending structure that is complex and interesting but not

After I finished reading, I kept thinking about the characters and their realizations, compromises, and Sittenfeld is also the author of Romantic Comedy, American Wife, You Think It, I'll Say It, Prep, Rodham

I received a complimentary audiobook version of this title courtesy of Libro.fm and Penguin Random House

his way or to consider the uncomfortable implications of the Catholic church's deep influence on the community The story comes alive through the little moments Keegan highlights; while she explores decisions often black-and-white, right-and-wrong judgments, she also digs into the intense struggle involved in reaching out from comfortable Trackers by Charles Frazier Frazier offers an immersive story that morphs from a WPA-funded rural art commission

The unreliable narrator gathers friends from primary school to compare accounts of that pivotal day of

perspectives alternate by chapter: Kate is a widow who uncovers her dead husband's secret life and must come

The untrustworthy narrator gathers friends from primary school to compare accounts of that pivotal day

Patrick Radden Keefe is a master of compelling, important nonfiction. The title comes from Green's podcast of the same name, in which he rated "facets of the human condition Schur comes across as intelligent and kind, thoughtful, and self-deprecating. That in and of itself is a comfort. Gwynne traces the evolution of the Comanches--including their captivatingly described, unprecedented

The circumstances may be complicated or fraught, or they may be heartbreaking yet straightforward, but

As the truth comes out about Marshall's activities and his final evening, it becomes clear that each I can't help comparing this lighthearted fiction about the formation of a group of unlikely friends to This was a fast read (listen), and while the denouement didn't completely hold together for me and the were tied up with extreeeeeemely tidy bows, the story was really about the relationships and Vera's coming

Frazier offers an immersive story that morphs from a WPA-funded rural art commission to a leisurely country-wide The situation is complicated between Val and Eve and John, Eve and John themselves, and regarding the

the third in Jane Harper's Australian Aaron Falk mystery series; Curtis Sittenfeld's focus on skit comedy and an unlikely romance that I adored, Romantic Comedy (this was my favorite read of the month!) I love Curtis Sittenfeld's books, and in Romantic Comedy she offers an outstanding premise: Sally Milz is a sketch writer for a late-night comedy show, and she's sworn off love. Romantic Comedy offers lots of funny, funny dialogue that delighted me.

girl, a good horse, you can obey, you can love, but don't expect that if you do right then right will come

Mary Otis's debut novel explores the complicated mother-daughter relationship between alcoholic, erratic

01 Go As a River by Shelley Read Victoria is the last surviving female in a family of complicated men

Sloane is an underappreciated librarian running things and doing all the behind-the-scenes work without complaining for granted at work, and I was frustrated by her smiling willingness to put up with Arthur's hateful comments

story's tension requires ongoing misunderstandings, and I was impatient with the prolonged lack of communication this year, when their friends surprise Harriet upon her arrival with the fact that Win was able to come bunked up with Win, but after Sabrina shares big news of her own, Harriet doesn't feel she and Win can come Self-esteem issues and a lack of basic communication of feelings, goals, and needs compound the problem Win and Harriet's interactions, when they do begin communicating, are lovely and sweet and funny and

From Paul Holes, the detective who found the Golden State Killer, comes a nonfiction work about tracking persistent review of the facts and killers' potential motivations, and his dogged determination in comparing deaths (attacks, premeditation, cruelties, horrors, blood spatter) are disturbing, but I felt more comfortable If you like nonfiction books, you might also like the books I list on my Greedy Reading List Six Compelling

an underappreciated librarian running things through all the behind-the-scenes work she does without complaining So when their friends surprise Harriet upon her arrival this year with the fact that Win was able to come And I am more than this man can comprehend.”

In Skyhunter, the first book in Marie Lu's young adult Skyhunter duology, Lu offered complex motivations Situations on Bastion are complicated by longstanding rivalries, the suspicious circumstances surrounding She has missteps and recognizes an immediate need to develop a thick skin—as well as feeling the complicated In book two of the series, Breen Siobhan Kelly is coming into her own. Roberts has already set up the situation, and Bree is coming into her own, growing more powerful, figuring

on a boom over those two young people, just kids, and I pity them because they have no idea what's coming The author mentions much of the music she finds powerful and inspiring or comforting, and she references

The pain of his compulsion to use and his longtime inability to stop causes him to share multiple times His candor and vulnerability in taking the reader through the depths of his experience are commendable drug and alcohol damage to his body (and the desperate physical repairs needed, which held their own complications

Barrett can't decide if this time loop is a dream come true--or a living nightmare. Childhood friends Sam Masur and Sadie Green are brilliant, creative collaborators and a wonderfully complementary Reunited in college, Sam and Sadie come together to try to create a masterpiece: a video game unlike any that has come before.

I enjoy peeking into Gay's thoughtful perspective and reading his often-incisive or poignant commentary Pryor and Eddie Murphy standup, or the power of monumental cover songs, or the poignancy of creating a community (Side note: I would love a separate list of the many musical, poetic, prose, comedic, and other works It is true that we are often implored--or compelled, especially by institutions that have the power to

Through a series of unexpected events, she is offered a mysterious job at a publishing company...but she and her grandmother are folded into what feels like an oddly tight-knit community of women. The spoon turns out to connect Lucky to a vast network of witches and her ancestors--through a front company I was excited about the premise of a sleek, powerful company serving as a front for a coven of witches pulling the strings (I admit, I was imagining something like the feel of Hench), but the company was

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm so excited to be reading the newest book by Curtis Sittenfeld, Romantic Comedy 01 Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld I am so so SO excited to read this novel. Sally Milz is a sketch writer for a late-night comedy show, and she's sworn off love. Romantic Comedy will be published April 4. 02 Silver in the Bone by Alexandra Bracken In Alexandra Bracken's

Harper often sets her stories in an Australian bush setting, and her somewhat spare writing style complements

The building of a seven-tower Trump property in Hrishipur comes into play in various ways, as poor workers enough to invest in the venture cling to what they perceive as the promise of the height of luxury to come

her eco-warrior main character morphing into a teen beauty wearing a clamshell bra, wiping away her complex

From Paul Holes, the detective who found the Golden State Killer, comes a nonfiction work about tracking But then her mother's boyfriend and his teen daughter Tallulah move in, suddenly Junie's community theatre

Jarrett builds a complex sense of self, linked to the horse and enjoying moments of autonomy related Based on the true story of the thoroughbred Lexington, Horse delves into fascinating, complicated aspects nor does she understand the multiple allusions Evelyn makes regarding her certainty that Monique will come No other book seemed to come up in conversation as frequently last year with my fellow book lovers as Tamar, Jane, and Tabitha become linked by complicated connections to one man.

wonderfully, but I felt impatient with the focus on logistics and the bullheaded man who ignored the coming The men's efforts are aimed at rescuing a bullheaded man who comes off as maddeningly foolish, while

Harper often sets her stories in an Australian bush setting, and her somewhat spare writing style complements

In Jo Harkin's debut novel world, many have elected to have the company Nepenthe remove traumatic or are beginning to have flashes of their erased memory, "traces" that disturb and confuse them, and the company Haig handles the complexities and challenges of the bizarre situation with heart, some wry humor, and His personal situation is complicated by his grief for his recently deceased daughter, and he aims to The stories that make up How High We Go in the Dark are steeped in death and in coming to terms with

the third book in the series appropriately reflects these kids' growing up and facing challenges more complex I feel compelled to also mention that Novik has a series of nine books about dragons, the Temeraire series

characters farther and farther toward tragedy as mainland men motivated by greed aim to destroy the community have escaped from trouble, while others are seeking peace and a simple life--make up a hardscrabble community The title of Harding's book comes from Shakespeare's Richard II: This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demi-paradise, This fortress built by Nature for herself The secluded community

But as Ursule comes of age, real sparks of power begin to emerge.

favorite fiction reads, from last year or from this one so far. 01 True Biz by Sara Nović True Biz is a coming-of-age True Biz is a coming-of-age story that also explores the importance society places on language; past The nearby ocean is a haunting presence but also a steady, everchanging comfort to Lucy. Lucy's creation of an imaginary, supportive mother and her loving responses to and comfort for Lucy in Young Sitara is living a comfortable life in Kabul in 1978.

The next choosing is coming up quickly, and Agnieszka is sure that her best friend Kasia will be next I feel compelled to also mention that Novik has a series of nine books about dragons, the Temeraire series

Sedaris In and among Sedaris's oddball, incisive, skewering observations are poignant, funny, heartfelt, complicated who died of suicide, and faces the decline of his nonagenarian father, with whom he has always had a complicated mother, pushing down her own anxiety and disinclination to be the center of attention--and eventually committing

In Spinning Silver, Miryem comes from a family of moneylenders who are on the verge of being unable to The swirl of events draws other innocent young women into Miryem's complicated web and toward potential Novik's story offers endless odd, lovely, unexpected, and complex elements.

powerful and heartbreaking in their copiousness--and in highlighting the brutality against women that has come

Depression rages, orphaned Italian immigrant Grace rises through the ranks of the Near North Ballet Company Grace is faced with compromises and tradeoffs, and she must decide where her own loyalties lie and determine

Starmetal Symphony series, the space opera August Kitko and the Mechas from Space, about deadly AI robots coming A century later, the Honeys' descendants and their diverse neighbors make up a hardscrabble community

I'm coming in early with my six favorite (and varied!) reads of February, but I feel recklessly sure of myself with just one Bossy review to come before the The female characters' stories are deeply intertwined; I saw some of the events coming but not others She is a preternatural--a human without a soul--serving on Queen Victoria's somewhat secret advisory committee