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ICYMI: MacArthur's stories, set in rural Vermont, are tragic, beautiful, heartwarming, and heartbreaking from Vermont and lives on the farm where her grandparents lived and where she was born, here offers stories these vaguely interconnected, often beautifully and minorly (or majorly) tragic but never overblown stories If you like short stories, check out The Office of Historical Corrections--a very different short story

feels like it would be especially challenging to draw readers into rock and roll- and band-centered stories If you like Mitchell's beautiful, offbeat, sometimes meandering and tough-to-pin-down stories, you'll This was a really captivating story that kept me intrigued throughout. the ends of their interconnected stories. And now every time you cross it again, it just gets grayer and grayer until one day you look around and

I also have a handful of witchy books here waiting to be read (specifically A Witch in Time, The Witch's I felt like the dramatic situations or dialogue distracted me from what felt like the heart of the story Or maybe it's time to read this modern witchy classic again. I delighted in reading the Wicked Witch of the West story turned on its head as Maguire traced the origins strong-willed, green-skinned young girl; explored the social pressures of Munchkinland; offered a complex back story

historicalfiction, #witches, #fourstarbookreview 02 Burial Rites ​ Burial Rites is a beautiful, haunting story The landscape is vividly evoked, the characters feel faulted and real, and the story is compelling. I still think about this book from time to time, and I read it years ago. But the detail in and the early thrills and chills of the story held so much promise, and the next two But obviously we should all read it if we haven’t already, because: Sigrid Undset offers an epic story

I'm drawn to stories that explore issues around memory. The novel illustrates the bravery of unassuming mothers, the way stories offer hope, and how sharing stories can save us all. More Books about Memory This is Yiming Ma's first book.

The Robot Books I love a good artificial intelligence- or robot-focused story, and these six (plus, in my reviews of Exit Strategy and Network Effect. 02 Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson This story There's a twist/double twist I didn't see coming, and I found the whole story compelling. Lu offers a story about refugees desperately trying to escape becoming conscripted into the Federation Then I remembered that this was the first in a series and that the story would continue past the final

and cruelty and kindnesses of that time. Weller's Wilderness is set several decades after the Civil War, but the story pivots on Abel Truman's love--this is a gorgeous story. The major and minor love stories are sweet and tragic on multiple levels. The character growth surprised me and felt in line with the tone and pacing of the story.

Through Bell's voice we also learn what has shaped the other women of the family: we hear rich stories Nobody Will Tell You This But Me is based upon Bobby's stories and exchanges with Kalb, but I knew I

young adult fantasy/science fiction debut Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves takes Remy and Sena to a storm-wracked The setting was powerful enough to feel like its own character, and I was immersed in Sena's story. I didn't feel the same connection to the characters in Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame. Much of the page time is spent on considering potential alliances, recounting past political and military All of this dramatically slowed the pacing of the story.

Vengeance Road is a rough and tumble story with enough suspense that I wasn't ever confident that the Turner's story is inspired by her family's memoirs, and her Sarah Prine is a strong woman living on the The details Turner provides of life at that time and in that place bring to life Sarah's stories of growing This was a slow build and a beautiful story, satisfying and often sweet, complete with young love. Walk on Earth a Stranger tells the story of Lee, a young woman with a powerful secret: an ability to

01 The Skylark's Secret by Fiona Valpy The Skylark's Secret has a dual timeline; the story is set in Different types of women's courage are shown in the World War II-era story as well as the more modern is so fully inspired by her grandmother's story that she didn't even change the main characters' names I was taken by how remarkable the story was of the women's lives during this time of turmoil. I was riveted by Those Who Save Us (and I love the multiple potential implications of the book's title

hit any false notes for me and kept me satisfyingly wrapped up in the elite gymnastics world of the story The premise of Dear Emmie Blue made me wonder if the story would feel too far-fetched. I've been particularly drawn to these types of stories lately because the chances feel slim that things So here's the greedy question: What are some other lighter fiction stories I should be reading?

In This is How You Lose the Time War, authors El-Mohtar and Gladstone present rival elite agents, Red The battle spans threads of time over centuries and various branching strands of reality. and Blue to begin corresponding in clever, increasingly showy and intricate ways through space and time , at times focusing more on the exceptionally elaborate crafting of messages to each other (hidden in But I had a hard time locking onto the ethereal, sometimes abstract, often poetically beautiful text

Nazemian takes the reader to a powerful time in NYC through the experiences of characters that I cared Abdi Nazemian's Like a Love Story is set during the late 1980s AIDS epidemic and is wrapped in the music , culture, activism, fear, and ignorance in NYC at that time. Nazemian takes the reader to a powerful time in NYC through the experiences of characters that I cared

the way allow long-held vulnerabilities to fall away in this beautiful, heartbreaking, heartwarming story “It’s true I do have time and freedom and I love it, sometimes. But the notion that I should be 'making the most of it,' travelling the world or out every night, there After meeting for the first time, Michael, a recently divorced teacher, studious and thoughtful, and I was riveted, reading as Michael and Marnie began to recognize the wonder in each other and delve beneath

Liz Moore’s writing is thoughtful and the story in Long Bright River is character-driven. It's a smart, compelling story that totally had me hooked. Yes to this.

I loved; a messy family story of feuding and forgiveness; historical fiction about strong women and 01 The Once and Future Queen (Lives of Guinevere #1) by Paula Lafferty A medieval setting, time travel non-swooning) romance, and enough plot complexity to keep the whole thing chugging along and keep me riveted The existence of the kingdom and magic itself are reliant upon Vera's time-travel back to Arthur's world In an alternate medieval England, an island exists because of stories.

travel, a quest, and intriguing complications--did Paula Lafferty write this book especially for me? non-swooning) romance, and enough plot complexity to keep the whole thing chugging along and keep me riveted The existence of the kingdom and magic itself are reliant upon Vera's time-travel back to Arthur's world The structure of the story is wonderful, tracking back in time to Daphne's childhood and the pivotal The story would have stood on its own for me, but the references to the Cinderella story were a fun added

In this nested story that spans centuries, Mandel explores a pandemic, moon colonization, the universal In this science fiction novel, Mandel plays with time and time travel as well as mysteries surrounding The time travel and multiple story lines and odd, interesting, untethered moments that kept me from settling page time to meander as Mitchell's story. or Six Riveting Time-Travel Escapes or these Bossy reviews of books that play with time.

This is a wonderfully paced and recounted Cold War-era true story of spy intrigue, paranoia, bravery, The Spy and the Traitor is a wonderfully paced and skillfully recounted Cold War-era story of spy intrigue tense, and Macintyre illustrates how the important mission was reliant on minute details and exact timing

science fiction novel Ghost Station; and I'm listening to Emily Henry's newest delightful rom-com, Funny Story 01 The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger I love William Kent Krueger's historical fiction stories But when the doctor tries to help a crew who has suffered the loss of one of its own due to ERS, she travels And as far as she can tell, Miles does odd jobs and traveled around without a permanent address for months at a time when he and Petra were together.

Sophie Chen Keller's love story to music and the bonds between mothers and sons plunges the reader into Song is a poor, single, devoted mother who secretly brings her young son River with her when she cleans But when River is just four, he shocks Song as he picks out a tune he's just heard on a piano in a grand But in the madness of the Beijing train station on the busiest travel day of the year, Song and River The ending of the story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming; the rest of the book's blend of highs

Keegan turns her keen eye to the small moments that transform a life in this riveting short story collection The conversation reminded me that I hadn't finished this powerful and lovely short story collection by In just a few of the stories of Keegan's acclaimed debut, Antarctica, a young wife leaves town to experience If you like short stories, you might also be interested the books on my Greedy Reading List Six Short Story Collections to Wow You.

I loved the idea of a relationship story told in reverse, but Out of Love touched on weighty topics that Out of Love is a love story told in reverse. But I'm not sure this story is particularly suited to the structure. Six Fascinating Second-Chance, Do-Over, Reliving-Life Stories and the Greedy Reading List Six Riveting Time-Travel Escapes.

In this mix of fictional and fascinating historical elements, Brown crafts a character-driven story of Rednecks offers a mix of fictional and real characters in this riveting tale of rebellion and oppressive control--a story of the largest labor uprising in United States history. By the time the uproar and intensive violence that shook West Virginia begin to take shape, Brown has and Fallen Land, a title I loved and included in the Greedy Reading List Six Great Historical Fiction Stories

Christopher Buehlman's horrifying medieval-set novel Between Two Fires; I'm reading Sophie Chen Keller's love story Libby. 02 Little Wonder by Sophie Chen Keller Song is a poor single mother who secretly brings her baby River But when River is just four, he picks out a tune on a piano in a grand home where Song is working. But in the madness of the Beijing train station on the busiest travel day of the year, Song and River

Reading Now I'm reading Taylor Brown's newest historical novel, Rednecks, which centers around the riveting through the Battle of Blair Mountain, Rednecks offers a mix of fictional and real characters in this riveting story of rebellion and oppressive control. , Fallen Land, a title I loved and included in the Greedy Reading List Six Great Historical Fiction Stories

memoir, Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School by Kendra James; the love-story-in-reverse a social critique, partly a recounting of absurdities she experienced, and partly simply her unique story living away from home and feeling like The Only One. 02 Out of Love by Hazel Hayes Out of Love is a love story Love lays bare the end of a couple's relationship, then each chapter tracks farther backward through time Six Fascinating Second-Chance, Do-Over, Reliving-Life Stories and Six Riveting Time-Travel Escapes.

The details of running the Canadian river, traveling and camping, and Jack and Wynn's friendship itself I was most struck by the character-driven WWII stories, which were haunting and lovely. I was happy spending time in her point of view throughout this book. I loved it. journey in different ways could have felt disruptive or jarring but didn't; they added a layer to her story this book, please see Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come. 6 Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano ​This story

I loved suspending my disbelief for Mastai's fascinating story of time travel, alternate realities, love Mastai provides a fascinating story with time travel, alternate realities, love, loss, humor, bravery I didn't always follow the logic as laid out in the book--the supposed development of time travel itself and how time travelers affect realities--but I loved suspending my disbelief to be part of it. This book is on my Greedy Reading List Six Riveting Time-Travel Escapes.

travel), fantasy (legends) and literary fiction. Joanna Quinn's debut novel is a hefty 558 pages, and the story sweeps through time from the 1920s malaise The pacing of the story picks up, appropriately, when World War II begins to shift the world, exerting captivating story involves time travel, but it's primarily about deep human connections, complete with story.

the end of the book, says, in an accurate reflection of his book: “...I saw an opportunity to tell a story society—make sense of political violence once they have passed through the crucible and finally have time unrelenting IRA paramilitary members but ended up emotionally and sometimes physically broken after time It was the human interest story behind the politics of the many events I remember from the news when

that although I was left a little unsatisfied by the ending and resolution, I was so hooked on the story The story features main protagonist Natalie, a fundamentalist Christian who subscribes to male-dominated of the reality of events didn’t land for me, I thought the premise, the structure, the tone, and the story More Books that Play with Time I love a novel that uses time travel or playful time devices. For other stories that play with time, check out the lists and titles here.

travel. Authors of time-travel books must decide whether characters may change past events or simply witness by the ways in which events unfold, and by the unexpected insertion of characters at points in the story One villain seems to be dispensed with during the course of the story and a more dastardly one emerges If you like the sound of this book, you may want to check out other Bossy reviews of time-travel books

The author of the fantastic Wrong Place, Wrong Time is back with a smart, twisty mystery that's wonderfully heavy on character development and a story that hooked me. McAllister's Wrong Place, Wrong Time relied on an intriguing time-travel element as its twist. More Gillian McAllister love Gillian McAllister is also the author of Wrong Place, Wrong Time , a book I loved and not only listed in my Greedy Reading List Six More Time-Travel Stories to Explore , but

illness...until she realizes that the red door and visions of the past are real memories from her own time-travel Young builds a story of traveling through time and of shimmers of other realities that might have been Unmaking of June Farrow involves some maddening determination on certain characters' parts to keep the time-travel The mystery of why June left a past timeline is intriguing and keeps the story going. The story shifts between events of 1912, 1946, 1950, 1951, and 1989.

year round.) 01 The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present by Paul McCartney This year we watched (twice) the riveting Which is all to say that this book feels like the right book at the right time for the ongoing and also music for 154 songs and includes images from his personal archives, offering a personal look at the story Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World by Lonely Planet The Travel Book is a 2021 stunner This is a 416-page book perfect for those planning to explore the world--or those who want to "travel

We meet two main protagonists: independent young adult Birdie, who travels from her rural hometown to The story is long enough to meander at times; we drift in and out of Birdie's and Meg's lives without hurry, spending some days in which little occurs but scene-setting and a building of the story's tone But by the time key matters are resolved, after so much page time, the resolutions feel somewhat abrupt imagined second chances, and the stories of complicated redemption.

After the story's twist becomes clear, the rest of the book is a waiting game; the reader stands by while referenced within the text), so there isn't much mystery left for the reader for the majority of the story

in four years, he brings his offbeat humor, acerbic observations, and surprising heart to recounting stories about travel, adventures, mishaps, shortcomings, true friendship, love, families, loss, aging, and the This year Sedaris revealed for the first time that his longtime partner Hugh has secretly (even from enough edge to keep me feeling slightly, delightedly nervous about what's to come, yet much of the time The final lines of the essays felt at times a little bit sentimental or cute, but he does have to wrap

But I felt unmoored by the enormous shift into time travel and its inspiration within the story: a passionate But the story of The Invisible Hour makes a massive shift halfway through, when--spoiler--Mia travels And I love a time-travel story! Mia is compelled and able to travel through time because of the power of her determination to meet her I generally love time-travel novels, but I didn't feel engaged by the time-travel situation or feel invested

Set in 2022 Ukraine as war begins to break out, this oddball, zigzagging story explores broad themes But when Russia invades Ukraine as they're traveling, it changes everything. In the war's single "close-up," a story-within-a-story pits propaganda-producing playacting against the being told, and I felt off kilter much of the time I was reading. She is also the author of Good Citizens Need Not Fear: Stories .

The interview format and multiple perspectives add to the layers of the story. A late portion of the story takes places in a time period years later than Birdie and Emaleen's foray Are Rivers in the Sky  weaves together three stories set in three timelines, featuring disparate characters And by happenstance, this revenge also threatens Ma's family's ability to travel to a land of plenty. The pace of the story is swift, and Holsinger keeps the reader uncomfortable as the story draws to a

and a Thief by Megha Majumdar I can't stop thinking about this fascinating near-future climate-change story I loved this story about an expert in poisons, with banter and clever deduction in an imagined world. I love reading the stories of lives lived, so I frequently read memoirs. If you're interested in the stories of famous or little-known people's lives, you might want to check But the many points of view and meandering stories also felt a little broad at times, and I wished for

In Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, Long offers an intriguing story of brutal conditions, determined John Mandel In this nested story that spans centuries, Mandel explores a pandemic, moon colonization, In this science fiction novel, Mandel plays with time and time travel as well as mysteries surrounding or Six Riveting Time-Travel Escapes or these Bossy reviews of books that play with time. The stories that make up How High We Go in the Dark are steeped in death and in coming to terms with

Blaylock's story centers around a packhorse librarian in 1930s Appalachian Kentucky and adds layers like Amanda makes a special connection with a mountain family on her route that's facing tough times despite The story showcases a love for books and the power of the written word. The bad guy in the story is pure evil, and there's little doubt he'll get a comeuppance by the story's I love a historical fiction story set in Appalachia , and I also love to read books about books .

In this sliding-doors story, the three paths diverge dramatically, and the whole family's destiny is I often bristle at a reliance on or seeming glorification of trauma within a story, and here, Gordon version of a reckoning that it offered, but it was an interesting way to set up slight closure to the story More Novels that Play with Time I love a story that plays with time through alternate timelines, time travel, second chances, or other structures.

In case you missed it: Aimee Molloy's page-turner is a quick read with a major--if manipulative-feeling

What is it about aviation stories and my being so in love with them? John Mandel In this nested story that spans centuries, Mandel explores a pandemic, moon colonization, In this science fiction novel, Mandel plays with time and time travel as well as mysteries surrounding or Six Riveting Time-Travel Escapes or these Bossy reviews of books that play with time. Sharratt injects an undercurrent of what feels like modern feminism in her first-person story.

01 American Mermaid by Julia Langbein This story within a story is playful and satirical while providing But others' visions for the story involve her eco-warrior main character morphing into a teen beauty The story culminates in tragedy or triumph, depending on your point of view. Kuang This darkly funny story made me cringe while staying riveted by the main protagonist's deeply faulted mysterious circumstances while in India (on a trip he had wanted Jaryk to accompany him on), Jaryk travels