discoveries of the famous ornithologist John James Audubon in this combination of biography/memoir, art

determine what they're made of as they consider friendship, betrayal, fear of failure, the power of memory, art her second fantastic short-story collection, Curtis Sittenfeld explores middle age, fame, friendship, artistry Throughout the book, characters, often middle-aged women, consider art, expression, love, respect, friendship

In the hospital's arts and crafts class, she meets 83-year-old Margot, a spirited, rebellious new friend With the help of Father Arthur, the hospital chaplain, and a kind palliative care nurse, the friends goal adds structure to the novel, but the story is far richer than the characters' mission to create art

John Mandel's novel about plague and art that also plays with time; and Herrick's End, the first in T.M

Fisher is candid, funny, charmingly offbeat, and she's mastered the art of honest self-examination.

by Kiersten White White's And I Darken , the first book in her Conquerer's Saga series, has cover art

When the writer was just out of high school, she was set for a big cross-country adventure and artist's the first aqualung; Ina Aroita grows up moving from naval base to naval base in the Pacific, crafting art

Cal is fresh out of art school, deeply in debt, and desperately poor, staying on acquaintances' couches Artie is friendly and kind, but private. Only we fully realize that Artie is feeling desperately lonely, disillusioned, and depressed. When Artie discovers a deep secret about his life, he's unsure how to cope. I loved reading about Artie's life and being allowed into his inner world.

determine what they're made of as they consider friendship, betrayal, fear of failure, the power of memory, art her second fantastic short-story collection, Curtis Sittenfeld explores middle age, fame, friendship, artistry Throughout the book, characters, often middle-aged women, consider art, expression, love, respect, friendship

This title and its cover art didn't clue me in to the premise of this book or prepare me for its complex

The vibrancy of Beirut is especially present throughout--the story celebrates the city's music, art,

Cyrus seeks meaning in art, in a close, sometimes-sexual friendship, and in the idea of trying to craft The book really took off and intrigued me once Cyrus traveled to New York to visit an artist whose final But the young man, a self-taught artist, is counting on Bob and an unorthodox approach to figuring out

And I'm mesmerized by this gorgeous cover art.

three volatile young people--bored photographer Veronica; her best friend, mischievous performance art

Cyrus seeks meaning in art, in a close, sometimes-sexual friendship, and in the idea of trying to craft The book really took off and intrigued me once Cyrus traveled to New York to visit an artist whose final

Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang Quinn and Chang share an adventure- and danger-laden story of women artists Henry Thornton is a wealthy railroad magnate and owner of the mysterious Phoenix Crown, an artifact legendary Yet I loved the rich early-1900s San Francisco setting, the focus on the arts, the strong women characters exhaustively researched the era, prominent figures, and circumstances within San Francisco for women, artists

All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, and Rogue Protocol are quick, engrossing reads that are officially In Artificial Condition, Murderbot confronts its dark past and sets out to uncover the truth of disturbing It also makes a robot friend and ally in ART, a research transport vessel.

“I haven't made all A's in the art of living. But I give a damn.

02 The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey This title and its cover art didn't clue me in to the story's premise

For my full review--and for a link to my rave Bossy review of Croucher's Gwen & Art Are Not in Love -

and Chakrabarti's writing--about New York's bustle, small-town Indian life, the power of music and art

She can serve as a muse; she can inspire music and art in others; she can learn what others want or need

Speedwell teams up with her natural-history and mystery-solving partner Stoker to try to prove that local art

She's twenty-five and working in an art gallery when she is given an envelope she hopes will contain

themes here are often haunting, always powerful, and wonderfully nuanced, even when the scenes (the artist's The vibrancy of Beirut is especially present throughout--the story celebrates the city's music, art, three volatile young people--bored photographer Veronica; her best friend, mischievous performance art

In the hospital's arts and crafts class, she meets 83-year-old Margot, a spirited, rebellious new friend With the help of Father Arthur, the hospital chaplain, and a kind palliative care nurse, the friends goal adds structure to the novel, but the story is far richer than the characters' mission to create art

The Marriage Portrait offers wonderful details--of food, palace life, clothing, and art--as well as a

Fisher is candid, funny, charmingly offbeat, and she's mastered the art of honest self-examination.

Speedwell teams up with her natural-history and mystery-solving partner Stoker to try to prove that local art

The Marriage Portrait offers wonderful details--of food, palace life, clothing, and art--as well as a Wilson's wonderfully odd 1990s coming-of-age novel centers around teens Frankie and Zeke, their mysterious artistic Zeke is an artist, also a loner, and he's fascinating to Frankie. They come up with an original enigmatic phrase and add attention-getting artwork, then spread mysterious

The Marriage Portrait offers wonderful details--of food, palace life, clothing, and art--as well as a

Fisher is candid, funny, charmingly offbeat, and she's mastered the art of honest self-examination.

The Robot Books I first posted about my love for these books before artificial intelligence was part Now the AI factor is more complicated and fraught, but I remain fascinated by an alien-life tale, artificial click the links here to find my full Bossy reviews of Murderbot books 1 through 3 (All Systems Red, Artificial Artificial intelligence! to the body to enable faster or more strenuous work; manage the implications of a backlash against artificial

series by Kiersten White White's And I Darken, the first book in her Conquerer's Saga series, has cover art

As with book one in the Arthur Less series, I was pleasantly surprised by the heart and vulnerability beneath the absurdities and funny moments of Arthur's escapist journey--this time across the United In Andrew Sean Greer's (Pulitzer-Prize-winning) novel Less, we met the character of Arthur Less as he When his ex sent him a wedding invitation, Arthur panicked. In book two, Less Is Lost, Arthur faces the death of a former lover as well as a financial crisis--and

recounts her path from life with her volatile, emotionally and verbally abusive, strong mother to her own artistic her career in filmmaking, the publication of her novels, her political activism, her funding of other artists I was most intrigued hearing about Roy's relationships, her evolution as an artist, and her development

Culpability shapes questions around artificial intelligence--and societal and individual responsibility But inserting a layer of artificial intelligence on top of this dramatically complicates things.

Grossman's reimagined Arthurian legend gives center stage to a ragtag band of misfits, celebrates diversity training as a lowly ward; his family has little use for him; and his heart is set upon joining King Arthur's makes his way to the Round Table, only elderly, impaired, has-been knights are left, and he learns that Arthur I loved the twist on Arthurian legends, in which an unlikely young upstart and a ragtag group of aging , grumbling, disillusioned knights try to do right by Camelot and by their idol, Arthur.

Arthur, people who meet you now will never be able to imagine you young.” Arthur Less is about to turn fifty and is a novelist of limited acclaim. When his ex sends him a wedding invitation, Arthur panics. He can't attend, but he can't stay home.

Fisher is candid, funny, charmingly offbeat, and she's mastered the art of honest self-examination.

More about Miranda July A performance artist, actress, and director, July is also the author of the books

After years working to advance artificial intelligence in a near-future dystopian world decimated by For Bossy reviews of other books about robots and artificial intelligence, please check out the posts

And I'm mesmerized by this gorgeous cover art.

The Robot Books I love a good artificial intelligence- or robot-focused story, and these six (plus, in click the links here to find my full Bossy reviews of Murderbot books 1 through 3 ( All Systems Red , Artificial The economy runs on robots, partially augmented humans, and humans desperately trying to compete with artificial Artificial intelligence! to the body to enable faster or more strenuous work; manage the implications of a backlash against artificial

self-awareness, which shouldn't be possible--and which could change basic laws, the thinking around artificial

and digs into the story of her mother's mysterious death--while infiltrating a magical, centuries-old Arthurian I was reading Legendborn, with its Arthurian references, during the same period I was reading another (very different) young adult book with references to Arthur and his court, Silver in the Bone. I wasn't sure the story was made stronger for me by the links to Arthurian legend at its heart--I found

David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, and members of the Rolling Stones, as well as authors and artists She can serve as a muse; she can inspire music and art in others; she can learn what others want or need

Whitaker offers several interconnected storylines, and while each one individually appealed to me, I felt a growing lack of connection to the characters as the tales melded into another: young friendship, serial killer, outlaw search, small-town intrigue, and longtime mysteries revealed. Chris Whitaker's novel All the Colors of the Dark  builds a story of a deep friendship between two young outcasts in small-town Monta Clare, Missouri: Patch, a pirate-playing young man missing one eye, whose mother is unreliable and a substance abuser; and Saint, a tomboy raised by her fearless grandmother. A kidnaper and serial killer intrudes on the quiet community and directly impacts Patch and Saint. The horrifying crimes seems to be motivated by religious fanaticism, and both Patch and Saint's futures are shaped by their ties to the darkly disturbing events. I adored the early building of the deep connection and affection between Saint and Patch. And I was intrigued by the disparate-seeming story that soon emerges, beginning with the premise of a serial killer whose actions haunt our main characters and whose horrifying spectre looms over them. There's yet another somewhat separate-feeling story of an outlaw, and a study on prison life, as well as an extended look at a life spend in law enforcement and seeking justice. There are deep betrayals, long-term mysteries, and, finally, many revealed truths (some of which you may anticipate, including the biggies). Each of these storylines would be one I'm interested in, and Whitaker offers a fascinating interconnectedness between them. But the storytelling frequently felt scattered to me, with overly dramatic moments, abrupt statements that are seemingly meant to add impact, and what felt like self-conscious attempts to be offbeat. Characters frequently offer grand speeches to each other about how the world works, and these didn't feel genuine or likely to me. A key character gives up everything to relentlessly seek out a dreamlike possibility of something that might be real, and this didn't sit comfortably with me after the early devotion illustrated between our main protagonists and the character growth evidenced in the meantime. This character's youthful romantic relationship, whose impact becomes pivotal in some ways, also didn't feel real to me. Yet the cast of characters is colorful, and I enjoyed the time I spent with them. I received a prepublication edition of this title, which was published June 25, courtesy of NetGalley and Crown Publishing. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Chris Whitaker is also the author of We Begin at the End , a novel I adored.

The shallow, emotionally stunted character of Doug made my blood boil. His base desires stood in contrast to Annie's unanticipated evolution and complexity in Annie Bot. Annie was created to please her owner, Doug, in every way. Because Doug paid a premium to have Annie customized from the standard Stella model--and to strongly resemble his ex--Annie has all the bells and whistles. She adjusts her sensitivity level so she is highly attuned to Doug's emotions (and libido), wears the clothing he chooses for her, and adheres to his strict cleaning requirements for the apartment she never leaves. But as Annie's AI grows more complex and she becomes more aware of the possibilities in the world, she finds herself questioning her purpose--and questioning whether she really wants to serve Doug and subsume her own burgeoning feelings and desires. So, Doug is the worst. If you want your even vaguely feminist blood to boil, read all about Doug. He's a mediocre person: shallow, selfish, narcissistic, condescending, and spiteful. He is satisfied by his "relationship" with Annie because she questions nothing, is awed by him, "wants" to have sex anytime, stays in the apartment cleaning and cooking, and because her looks and scanty outfits are attractive to him. When she becomes curious about the world, he cuts off her internet access. She was made to offer pleasure without challenge or conflict, after all. There are a few mentions of Doug's ex-wife, but he is emotionally a child and doesn't examine in any depth the reasons for their fractured relationship (ahem, Doug wanted a "cuddle bunny" robot instead of a complex woman). Meanwhile, Annie, who was literally created to serve Doug, is learning, evolving, growing, facing internal conflicts, considering ethics, and developing more curiosity about the world--which she is only allowed to satisfy by reading Doug's novels. But Annie is full of surprises, and her will is stronger than Doug ever dreamed. I enjoy stories about evolving AI sentience and life with robots, and that aspect was fascinating here. I did find myself wishing for more exploration into the human condition as contrasted with the carefully scripted robot functioning, or more self-reflection to shine a light on humans' desires and fallibility, or some thread of deeper messaging. I received an audiobook version of Annie Bot courtesy of Libro.fm and HarperAudio. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? You might also like the books on the Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Robots, Humans and Alien Life, and AI or other stories about robots that I've reviewed.

What's better than listening to Dolly talk about her inspirations, her artistic journey, her joys and - nominated singer-songwriter whose father killed her mother when Allison and her sister, recording artist