Hannah offers a meaty story about Vietnam and the nurses who served there, suffered, and were largely romance-novel elements that keep things moving but frequently pulled me out of the historical fiction story But I've been frustrated while reading some other Hannah stories by what feels like odd pacing, soap-opera This aspect keeps the story moving, although it frequently distracted me from the hearty story of Vietnam

filled with conflict, shifting loyalties, pollution and destruction, and the beginnings of a lovely love story The love story emerges through difficult circumstances and is lovely, although in some ways it's still The love story is also far from the focus of the book.

by the story and kept having to go back to force myself to read it with an editor's eye.) in a long time. herself on all fronts, and my most nitpicky issue, which was admittedly tiny yet pulled me out of the story Driving by Starlight is a story about family, independence, gender inequality, and a youthful yearning Driving by Starlight is a deep, lovely, meaningful story with a vivid Saudi Arabian setting and conflicts

reluctantly embarks on the trip anyway, hoping to send her sister photos and reports--while maybe having time also the owner of the Books are Magic bookstore in Brooklyn, New York, and she's the author of This Time

In the story of tragic Carlota, each turn of events was more ill-fated and darker than the next, all maddeningly following their own whims and wielding the power here as they are everywhere in the world at this time I think the shifting back and forth in time could have felt jumpy, but it worked well for the story's The story of tragic Carlota was interesting but tough to read because of the increasingly cataclysmal

wonderfully paced new series featuring established characters, their banter, and their in-progress stories Schwab does an excellent job of reinforcing characters from prior stories while introducing new ones; in this first of her new series, she weights the story more heavily toward names we already know and Meanwhile, two young women, a new antagonist and a new potential hero, trickle into the story until their I loved returning to the wonderful Schwab pacing and banter and delving into the love stories already

begins as an against-the-odds attempt to evade evil and develops into a beautiful heartbreaker of a story The book is fully epistolary, as the story is told in a book-long letter from Benjamin to Tot. shared so many details of thoughts and in setting the scene, but I ended up loving the delivery of the story in this book, you might also like the titles on my Greedy Reading List Six Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American West and Six More Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American West.

Goldhero, and fans dream up fantastical stories about the writer and his life. 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

Solomon offers a sweet, romantic young adult story with emotions that feel authentic; the book showcases And Rowan's repeated wallowing regret through much of the story made me so sad for her--I was glad when she took charge and started to change her story to be one of honestly shared feelings and joy. short window of time offer them opportunities to shift and change. Today Tonight Tomorrow is a sweet, ultimately romantic story that celebrates many of the essential teenage

It's that time of year: it seems everyone has an opinion about the year's best books and their personal The author shares stories of his wife and children, his first wife and her untimely death, and his own The pacing of The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven is measured, as befits a story that is largely about daily Elliott offers a fantastic, boy-crazy, British story about missteps, facing change, accepting the past A woman recognizes him and impulsively spills the story of her mother Margot Bamborough's mysterious

By the time summer is over, Mary Jane understands how many more possibilities there are for her future Because of the music involved in the story, Mary Jane reminded me of the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Rockin' Stories about Bands and Music.

Hanan's 1980s Irish coming-of-age story is full of angst, secrets, life-and-death danger, youthful determination infuriating condemnation surrounding--and delicate navigation of the challenges of--teen pregnancy in that time this enormous, life-changing fact, so I'll run away, leaving you wondering" that is essential to the story the end, and I ultimately liked having everything wrapped up with a bow at the conclusion of Hanan's story

I love digging into the story of someone's life--notable because of chance, circumstance, or choice-- storytelling podcast in D.C. and Philadelphia--and he certainly knows how to craft a compelling and full story I listened to this as an audiobook, and I loved hearing Field tell her story. Aaaand I realize that this is unfair since I chose to read this person's life story. journey in different ways could have felt disruptive or jarring but didn't; they added a layer to her story

Harrison raises some weighty issues, and there are some dark periods within the story, but the tone of

often read like a romance novel featuring fairies; I listened to this as an audiobook and admit that at times There's a significant amount of page time spent on Feyre's thinking and wondering and imagining, and is so popular, this acronym is widely used in place of its title) which made me literally shriek at times The implausible elements of the story that stopped me in my tracks included: the (unknown-to-Feyre) curse I've been told that the series strengthens over time, so I plan to take a breather and then read the

Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken Molly Aitken's historical fiction Bright I Burn is based on the true story was published September 10, courtesy of Knopf and NetGalley. 02 Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story Marshall links the drug ring to several deaths, a murder, and tragic stories of addiction, as well as

Within the story's orbit are characters like PT Sir, an ambitious gym teacher who stumbles into being O'Farrell O'Farrell, who has written many books I've loved, here tackles a novel of the plague and a story The details of the time, household life, and gender, vocation, and familial power structures are wonderful Each of these books is a story about class and gender and power in its own way, told in disparate times

At the center of the story there's a hesitant friendship, then a meaningful, playful, and poignant relationship I love Dunlap's writing and the way the author crafted this story.

of these, Hiram must learn to understand and master his mysterious powers that allow for shifts in time I'm listening to this as an audiobook and this is a slow mover so far; Coates is taking his time building the story. Set in sixth century Scotland, The Forgotten Kingdom traces the story of Languoreth, a strong, imprisoned The details of life at the time are wonderful, and some characters wield magic and hold mysterious powers

I love a dystopian story, and this setup as well as the unorthodox relationship at the heart of World and Postapocalyptic Novels, Six More Fascinating Dystopian and Postapocalyptic Novels, and Six Great Stories Al Hess is also the author of Yours Celestially, Key Lime Sky, and the series Hep Cats of Boise.

This is a brutally violent story shadowed with heartbreaking regret. This is a brutally violent story shadowed with heartbreaking regret. It highlights unlikely loyalties forged during desperate times, terrible scenes of cruelty, and shocking

Come and Get It is the story of an RA and the consequences of her actions related to privacy and safety In Kiley Reid's new novel Come and Get It, the author of Such a Fun Age offers a story set in 2017 at I could imagine a story scenario in which Millie compromised her morals as the situation bloated into But instead, the increasingly questionable activities and compromises that Millie agrees to as the story The banter between Millie's two RA friends was a highlight, yet felt somewhat extraneous to the story

The songwriting feels at first as though it will loom large in the story, but ultimately it isn't nearly Not everyone she meets is worthy of her time or her faith, but she does intersect with imperfect, lovely I wanted some constancy for her life, even if it might feel too clean or easy for Larkin's story arc. If you like stories about young protagonists facing challenges and realizing their fortitude, you might For more books about songwriting and making music, check out Six Rockin' Stories about Bands and Music

The story alludes to a horrifying choice she was forced to make during the global crisis and a resulting Four years and a New York Times column about her experience later, she emerged from fighting to survive

When the protagonists' journeys intersect, the story ramps up in intensity and in epic scope. I love a historical-fiction-feeling fantasy story like this one, and Blood of the Old Kings sets up

Yet for me, the story doesn't follow any of these avenues to a deeper place. The plot highlights the abhorrent goings-on, past and present, but the story bustles along without digging angles of the crimes--it felt particularly urgent to stop the current-day killing--was necessary for the story There is talk late in the story of bringing in reinforcements with more resources, but because of investigative

Listen for the Lie offers a fascinating story structure, dark humor, and deeply flawed characters as The story's dialogue is cutting and funny. Each of the characters is either openly flawed or has their imperfect choices revealed during the story I was hooked on the structure of the story and the way the truth is gradually revealed; the information

Henry Henry strikes the perfect tone for this wonderfully sweet, funny, friendship-based, romantic story This was a will they/won't they story I loved. But Henry strikes the perfect tone for this wonderfully sweet, funny, friendship-based, romantic story I read (listened to) this immersive story about do-overs from Kate Atkinson at the recommendation of For more summer reads, check out the Greedy Reading List Six Lighter Fiction Stories for Great Escapism

into the behind-the-scenes World War II British codebreaking of Nazi messages, along with a rich back story I love a World War II story, and in this middle-grade collaborative work by Ruta Sepetys ( Salt to the

The emotions and drives of the story feel real, but the tone is darkly playful. I loved spending time with main protagonist Eli as he navigated tough situations and emerged with hope Its circumstances are often grim and should feel hopeless, the story's destruction and violence often The emotions and drives of the story feel real, but the tone is darkly playful. Dalton is also the author of All Our Shimmering Skies and By Sea & Stars: The Story of the First Fleet

But the story's conflict centers around the magical and horrifying danger Adelaide has never acknowledged listed as a horror book, and there are horrifying elements, but the novel is far more than that; the story Westerns, you might want to check out the books on the Greedy Reading Lists Six Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American West and  Six More Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American West.

The interjections from Oermann are necessary, but they sometimes feel abrupt, and while Dolly's stories Sometimes Dolly lets them fall, but other times her songs about freedom (with her metaphors of butterflies

Christina Baker Kline tells the story of three women's lives in the nineteenth century: Evangeline, a In The Exiles, she writes a story of friendship, despair, and emergences of hope with a richly drawn Hazel arrives in the story fully formed as a tough, clever, street-smart character; I loved seeing her The (limited) Mathinna story line was particularly fascinating to me. The story arc concerning Mathinna focuses on her life within the white culture and how it both does and

an eligible bachelor of her parents' choosing--but when she pushes against the restrictions of the time I love that the title is a play on the Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet. 02

But the tone of Wood's novel feels reassuring that all will work out in the story, and despite the manslaughter in Maine, but I didn't get a significant Maine feel to the characters or setting while reading the story

A smart master thief bends time and finds her loyalties divided in turn-of-the-century New York. I appreciated the character of Esta as a smart master thief who can bend time, and I loved the 1901 New discriminatory, powerful, and dangerous Order and there's a steady, sinister underlying feel to the story listen to The Last Magician, the first in Maxwell's series, as an audiobook, what with the jumps through time Candace Thaxton's frequently unexpected speech emphasis pulled me out of the story somewhat as well.

Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1 ) by Moniquill Blackgoose Blackgoose offers a fascinating, layered story Wang doesn't shy away from a dramatic reckoning for the story's main characters in the end. Schwab does an excellent job of reinforcing characters from prior stories while introducing new ones; in this first of her new series, she weights the story more heavily toward names we already know and Meanwhile, two young women, a new antagonist and a new potential hero, trickle into the story until their

this return to the world of Elfhame (Folk of the Air trilogy), Holly Black takes us deeper into the story In The Stolen Heir, the first book in Holly Black's Stolen Heir duology, the story returns to the world I didn't feel drawn in by Wren, who feels lost throughout much of the story, and I didn't feel as though I loved the return of the storm hag Bogdana! I listened to this as an audiobook.

And Paolini reportedly worked on this epic story for nine years. Hopes=high. I love a Gold Rush story, and a young adult story, and a story about "otherness" and about brave young Covid-era, pre-election, pre-pandemic-modified holidays might not be the best timing for me to be reading another interesting mix of books for my current reading life with a fantasy title, a lighter fiction story What's working for your reading life during these odd times?

representation in Ever After flips the traditional fairy tale in satisfying, heartwarming ways in this romantic story The story's romantic storyline depends heavily upon one character's never having entertained thoughts

I would have liked more introspection, but I loved spending time in Kendrick's funny, honest, often wonderfully tone that she carried through the first stories in the book, especially. (I can’t get over the story of young Anna taking the bus from Maine to New York City with her brother I loved spending time in her funny, honest, often wonderfully wacky point of view.

Her "birthday twin" begins popping up where Alix is, and she's got a strange, disturbing life story to The story is dark and haunting, with intriguing, unreliable narrating; smaller mistakes that have enormous

, it seems like the perfect time to read Flying Solo, a Maine-set title that's been on my to-read list pop culture correspondent for NPR and is also the author of Evvie Drake Starts Over, a light fiction story

Maria von Trapp by Michelle Moran In Michelle Moran's novel Maria , she uses two timelines to shape the story In the 1950s timeline, Oscar Hammerstein is striving to bring Maria's story to life on the stage--but retelling of the Mark Twain novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , we hear a version of that novel's story

Reading Now I'm reading an upcoming book from Chris Bohjalian (author of Midwives), a historical fiction story The Book of Delights; and I'm reading Great Circle, Maggie Shipstead's newest book and its multiple story If you like stories about witches, you might like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Wonderfully In interconnected stories--all of which feel equally compelling so far--Shipstead brings to life these disparate places, times, and focuses on various colorful characters within them.

without a hitch--but Miss Marple's eagle eyes don't miss much, and she ultimately identifies the real story

ice dancing champions who dramatically split--until a documentary tell-all comes back to tell their story of this book to Daisy Jones and the Six ( a book I included in the Greedy Reading List Six Rockin' Stories

The story builds to show how individuals on opposite sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (and opposite For my full review, see The Light After the War. 03 The Book of Longings ​ This was a fascinating story 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.

for me, and I plowed through The Witch Elm to find out what was happening under French's layers of story Harper skillfully builds the pool of potential culprits for Nathan to examine in this story of uncovering I still think about this book from time to time, and I read it over a year ago. 04 The Last Child I loved , twists and turns, dark elements, interconnected stories, and quite an ending. It feels like the time of year to be stocking up on spooky books and mysteries.

Katherine Center writes romantic, non-steamy stories, and she includes frequent zany, slapstick-feeling