Kennedy draws the reader into the specific place and time of the story, vividly building the constant

Julia Fine's Maddalena and the Dark is a gothic story set in 1700s Venice in which two young women's desperately yearns for some measure of independence, which is not easily available to the women of that time But a young woman in that time has little say over her destiny. Maddalena and the Dark has a distinct gothic tone, and the story treads ever deeper into seedy, suspect

cutthroat path to becoming a warrior, bucking expectations, a looming war--and, my favorite element of the story Aside from the dragons, my favorite element of the story is Violet's determined coping with and accommodations moment by multiple instances of odd tone shifts and what felt like repeated nonsensical or strange timing exclamation "I miss sex" seems to come out of nowhere; sexual innuendos seem to come at strange, inopportune times rises") and intense fixations on elements such as a character's "incredible scent" that stopped me at times

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Stephen Graham Jones's historical fiction-horror story, The determined to make her mark is inspired to pursue a project that just might earn her tenure: exploring the story diary's author is a Lutheran pastor who met and was witness to the fantastical, frightening, brutal story The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a horror/historical fiction story with key supernatural elements. been sabotaging the Library, where the backup for each passenger on the ship is stored.

the octopus is the very deserving star of the show here, and being able to predict much of where the story I loved Marcellus the octopus, and I decided not to spend time considering the potential issue of the anthropomorphism in the story (he needed to understand English in order for the story to work, after An overly convenient situation and moment of chitchat pushes the main mystery of the story to a head- If you like stories with heart, you might want to check out other books I've reviewed as heartwarming

Frankie travels the country tracking lost women, moving into communities with little more than a change The story feels urgent and realistically complicated, and Gardner doesn't rely on red herrings.

daughters without editing out her intimate experiences and frustrations, general insecurities, and her travel And I do love hearing the stories of women in comedy.

Hazelwood's Bride, an alliance between a Vampyre and an Alpha Werewolf builds into a paranormal loooove story For me, there was a little bit of excessive detail in some of the racy moments, and the copious page time

House (which, Bloom recounts in interviews, functioned more like a not-very-fancy boarding house at the time In preparation for writing this story, Bloom read 3,000 letters between "Hick" and Eleanor—along with What a satisfyingly rich world and story—yet I’m still dying for a long, detailed interview in which 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.

Isola , based upon the story of a real-life sixteenth-century woman, shifts between details of a life this tale, and Goodman transported me into the details and (often infuriating) dynamics of life at the time Isola  is inspired by the story of the real-life sixteenth-century heroine, Marguerite de la Rocque de

Emma Makepeace returns with new enemies in her sights--but this time she must work undercover on a Russian Glass moves the story along in entertaining fashion. career inspiration, but it isn't necessary to have first read Alias Emma in order to dive into this story I wasn't shocked by the story's twist, but Glass didn't make me feel manipulated or red-herring me to

The author of Disappearing Earth offers a story of bleak prospects, poverty and illness, a sister bond I took a really long time--unusual for me--to read this book, all the while dreading what feels like The bear does ultimately shift everything for their family, and the story is brutal in its climax, yet

The story involves the otherworldly "Doll" Blaine, who is preparing to usher yet another soul peacefully solid and her emotions stronger (and shows us that truthful consideration of the past is, in Saunders's story She met an early, untimely, dramatic end, and we witness the first time that the supernatural version I included Lincoln in the Bardo  in the Greedy Reading List   Six Fascinating Historical Fiction Stories

Cal's father John is emotionally closed-off and is at times physically abusive. The women in the story--Cal's mother Grace, his grandmother Ella, and his best friend Isla--hold the

I loved the glimpses of rural life and of the specific place and time that Rash crafts so well. I included the wonderful Ron Rash short story collection Nothing Gold Can Stay in my Greedy Reading List Six Short Story Collections to Wow You, and I loved his novel One Foot in Eden.

In Exiles, Jane Harper tells another Aaron Falk story, as Federal Investigator Falk ventures into Australian I love Aaron Falk stories and I loved the twisty interconnectedness of the characters in Exiles. I wasn't ever sure who was responsible for the multiple tragedies at the heart of the story, and the I'm in for all Jane Harper and all Aaron Falk stories! Exiles was the right mystery at the right time for me.

Young Mungo offers a striking story of disappointment, abuse, Protestant-Catholic conflict, and a young In his second novel, Young Mungo, Douglas Stuart offers the story of a working-class Glasgow family and The story of Young Mungo largely alternates between an intensely disturbing, extended situation involving The timing of the story isn't explicitly stated, but it feels like a 1980s setting. The story is beautiful and tragic and never feels emotionally manipulative.

book The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to a wonderfully strange story about the absurdity of human lives using competitive magical tasks, The Book of Love; and I'm listening to a historical fiction story adore a book in which an outsider peers objectively at the absurdities of human life as in Bertino's story on providing for her family, works aboard The Titanic, while the later timeline takes place in the time

Pam Zhang's dystopian story Land of Milk and Honey; and I'm reading a young adult, lighthearted story But I do love a dragon book, and so far the second in the series offers more page time for the talking dragons, some surprises, and a more deftly paced story, with character development--along with some

favorite romance setups). "...We try to raise children using the same rules we succeeded by, but by the time pacing didn't always feel like it flowed, and I didn't buy into many of the small moments that make a story

Rachel Lynn Solomon crafts another sweet, quirky, funny, romantic young adult story that plays with time She was harassed and publicly shamed as a result, so her time at her state university is bound to be Barrett can't decide if this time loop is a dream come true--or a living nightmare. , as in her Groundhog Day -type setup for this romantic young adult story. I love Rachel Lynn Solomon's stories, and I loved this story of Barrett and Miles and youthful adventure

famous split) in which race and gender issues loomed larger for me than the musical framework of the story He is repeatedly shown to be out of touch with the times, and he illustrates time and time again that She is interestingly faulted, and after the story's early, painful tragedy, she shies away from facing I found her life story and her musical forays much more captivating than Nev's. throughout the novel, looming larger for me than the musical framework around which Walton builds her story

rom-com Nothing Like the Movies ; and I'm listening to John Gwynne's Norse-inspired saga of life in the time 01 The Shadowed Land (Lost Queen #3) by Signe Pike I loved the first story in this series, The Lost Queen When book three begins, the story's key characters have been reunited, but the warrior Artúr is myst

poignant book of essays; a candid memoir of abuse and inner strength; two fascinating historical fiction stories ; an unorthodox friendship story about the meaning of life; and nonfiction about how to do the right and Six More Wonderfully Witchy Stories to Charm You. 04 The Fire and the Ore by Olivia Hawker Hawker The story is inspired in part by Hawker's own ancestors' experiences. Much of the story is set on the unforgiving trail west to Utah (and if you're looking for a reason to

down the street from each other and are ecstatic to be pregnant with their first children at the same time series, Maggie doesn't know how or why she's there, but she's certain she's living within her beloved story

In Kate Quinn's newest historical fiction, she shares the story of a real World War II figure, a Russian memoir will want a patriotic young woman who fought to defend her country, a heroine to root for with a story Based on a true story, The Diamond Eye is Kate Quinn's most recent historical fiction wonder. Mila's own "unofficial version," which lays out facts more messily in what's presented as the real story note offers fascinating background about her subject and about the choices she made in telling the story

But wars are being waged, and Rae quickly figures out that she's not the heroine of the story. Wellness is darkly funny, intriguing, and, at times, poignant. men set against each other in the trenches serves as a backdrop for a tentatively begun, deep love story the way allow long-held vulnerabilities to fall away in this beautiful, heartbreaking, heartwarming story For more dystopian stories, check out Six Fascinating Dystopian and Postapocalyptic Novels  and Six More

author Charles Frazier offers historical fiction featuring a Great Depression-era painter, Val Welch, traveling

estranged siblings Bellatine and Isaac Yaga find their way back to each other within this odd, dark story "It's wild, isn't it...how there are all these stories that played out before we even existed. And their residue is all around us, all the time, but we don't even know it. ) and the story they're used to tell are central to the plot. Do not mistake Baba Yaga for the hero of my stories. She is not. She is not the villain, either.

Warsaw by Lisa Barr In Lisa Barr's newest historical fiction, The Goddess of Warsaw, the author tells a story So far Wellness is darkly funny, intriguing, and, at times, poignant. Hazelwood's Bride, an alliance between a Vampyre and an Alpha Werewolf builds into a paranormal loooove story

her father, who has Parkinson's disease; she pays the bills; her mother spends the majority of her time But there's little time for introspection when so much needs doing day to day. isolated in her caregiver role (although she has close friends, who are wonderful characters in the story Jessica George offers a wonderful story with messy moments of love, some humor, big issues of race, loss in London in Maame reminded me somewhat of Girl, Woman, Other, Bernardine Evaristo's interconnected stories

with progressive ideas, and I adore how matter-of-factly and innocently she presents her wild-for-the-times Veronica finds herself entangled in a dangerous set of circumstances, complete with intrigue, a traveling

This is the only time I post about books I may not have read: promising reads for particular people in Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age by Eleanor Barraclough I have a personal interest in Viking stories tender-hearted rock ’n’ roll memoir for the ages, Mike Campbell’s  Heartbreaker  is part rags-to-riches story and part raucous, seat-of-the-pants adventure, recounting Campbell’s life and times as lead guitarist

Claudia Cravens's story of a young brothel worker in late nineteenth-century Dodge City, Kansas, offers I'm a big fan of Western-set stories and the hardscrabble details of life at that time, particularly stories with modern sensibilities superimposed on them.

The story tracks back through Maggie's past, including her missions and her romantic life, and introducing building the foundation for in preparation for future books, and I was less interested in the page time spent tracing past events and the Malta operation, although the story's plot and tension certainly rely

Andy Weir offers the fascinating story of a desperate space mission, creative innovation, and enduring The present-day story alternates with peeks back in time to life before this space mission, which show particularly scientific experimentation and high-stakes trial and error, and while it slowed the pace of the story Through exploring seemingly impossible routes toward understanding and communication, he presents a story In Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir has created another irresistible story of hope, resilience, wonder, and

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading You Have a Friend in 10A, the upcoming collection of short stories from one of my favorite authors, Maggie Shipstead; The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, Nikole Hannah-Jones Shipstead In You Have a Friend in 10A, Maggie Shipstead offers gripping, sometimes hilarious short stories If you like short stories, you might like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Short Story Collections to Wow You. 02 The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine

These six memoirs from musicians offer stories about the authors' lives, loves, and work, and they each Carlile intersperses songs with stories about their impact on her or the influences that led her to write They felt incredibly powerful as a closure to her story. For my full review, check out The Storyteller. 06 Never Broken: Songs Are Only Half the Story by Jewel at age 3 alongside her parents), how she began to write songs to express herself, and the now-famous story

Kingsolver offers an epic story of a faulted, unlikely hero in danger of being crushed by exceptionally extreme poverty in Victorian England inspired him to highlight its cruel impacts on children in his story Glimmers of hope appear from time to time in the form of tragically small, thrilling amounts of money Addiction begins taking over both the story and Demon's life, and Demon Copperhead digs in deeply to What matters in a story is the heart of its hero.

Early in the story Grey, Kier, and choice members of their army are assigned to the protection of a young Bovalino writes young adult novels under the name Tori Bovalino; this is her first book for adults. 02 Then an Illum does the unthinkable: for the first time in decades, an Illum intends to take a Mate.

Historical Fiction Story Love If you're into historical fiction, you might also like to take a look at the books I listed on the Greedy Reading Lists Six Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American Favorites, Six Historical Fiction Mysteries Sure to Intrigue You, and Six Great Historical Fiction Stories I thought this character-driven post-WWII story was wonderful, with compelling and lush detail about Oh, I loved this story!

If you share that obsession, you might like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about The first part of the story felt a little slow for me, but I'm so very glad I stuck with this beautiful This is an intriguing structure for the story: Jesus as a supporting cast member. Jesus's role in Ana's story is as a faithful man who disagrees with the politics of the faith at the time.

book was a funny, poignant, banter-filled, behind-the-scenes, realistically complicated, wonderful story There's a ton of steaminess as Lilah and Shane at times can't deny their attraction and act upon it. the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading, Six Great Light Fiction Stories Perfect for Summer Reading, and Six More Great Light Fiction Stories.

The sweet story offers poignancy, heart, and hope. The community loudly voices support for their beloved store, but it will take a contemporary-romance miracle for the store to be saved.

In Williams's historical fiction mystery, which skips back and forth in time, four years later, Iris's signing of a Black model at the time, as well as side stories such as elaborate mishaps on sailing trips or drinking binges, while the denouement at the end of the story gets a puzzlingly passing mention. But I loved Williams's immersive story so much, I was in for all of Our Woman in Moscow's elements: Russia Please please please let this story be made into a movie as soon as possible!

teen daughter Madison brushes her off, then shows up, needy and asking for help, Emmy doesn't have time I'm listening to this story as an audiobook.

Love, Death and Football in Escobar's Colombia by David Arrowsmith Narcoball uncovers the incredible story of Baseball by Keith O'Brien A page-turning work of narrative nonfiction chronicling the incredible story O'Brien tells the story of the legendary Pete Rose, a polarizing baseball figure who decades ago secured record that still stands--and who was also at the center of the biggest sports-gambling scandal of all time The authors, artists, poets, and guides who share their stories include Carl Hiaasen, Joan Wulff, Nick

She and her friends may have just enough time to escape to her parents' cabin in Brooklyn before Bornavirus Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings Just look at this gorgeous cover and listen to this excellent space-opera, time-travel

ICYMI: Geraldine Brooks crafts a historical fiction story of 1666, a year in which disease, fear, and because of the author's painstaking research and the engrossing details she includes of life at the time Brooks's story was inspired by the true story of Eyam, an isolated village in English hill country.

Hugo is a reclusive, extremely famous Old Hollywood movie star, and she's finally ready to tell the story Monique can't figure out why she's been trusted to tell Evelyn's story, nor does she understand the multiple As is often the case for me with stories structured around dual timelines, I felt more invested in one time period than the other--in this case, I was entranced by the immersive Old Hollywood era of the book more so than in the modern bookends of Monique's documentation of Evelyn's stories.