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My very favorite books from August! These are the books I most loved reading during the past month. I'd love to hear: what are some of your recent favorite reads? Some of the wrap-up details near the very end felt a little bit unsatisfying, but resolving them cleanly Henry's Beach Read was one of my favorite books last year, and it made it onto the Greedy Reading List

My very favorite books from July! Here are the books I most loved reading during the past month. I'd love to hear: what are some of your recent favorite reads--or books you've read recently that just Cosby This was my favorite read of the month. loved his gritty, character-driven mystery-thriller Blacktop Wasteland so much that it made my Six Favorite Summer 2020 Reads list.

My very favorite books from June! strong, ruthless, clever young seafaring woman, Fable; A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, one of my two favorite maudlin or sappy despite the tragedy and yearning at the book's heart; Soulmate Equation, my other favorite What are some of your recent favorite reads--or books you've read recently that weren't for you? by Hank Green This was one of my very favorite reads of the month!

My very favorite books from May! Hall, a courageous, idealistic, determined, and imperfect heroine I was intrigued by; Great Circle, my favorite What are some of your recent favorite reads--or books you've read recently that weren't for you? this book, please see The Invisible Woman. 03 Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead Great Circle was my favorite Shipstead is a wonderful writer, and I loved every word of this.

My very favorite books from April! What are some of your recent favorite reads--or books you've read recently that weren't for you? No one's forgotten the heartbreak of that day, nor has there been very much healing from the pain of The Survivors is my favorite Harper book yet. The Last Graduate, the second book in this series, is slated for publication in June 2021.

My very favorite books from March! What are some of your recent favorite reads--or books that weren't for you? the Greedy Reading List Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series). I loved having more time with my favorite minor character, the plain-speaking, tough, brutal but fair , plus the series ending I didn’t even know I wanted.

I do like a thoughtful memoir if I can get it, and in A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir, Colin Jost offers Jost begins A Very Punchable Face with a story that is really his mother's (to be fair, it's gripping

Through precocious fifth-grader Vera's point of view in Vera, or Faith , we get to know her family, the Yet Vera idolizes him for much of the book, until she comes to some sober realizations. duo falls into a promising friendship in which Vera can be her true self. Many of the key elements of her observations are placed in quotation marks, and this is a very funny, This was wryly funny, sometimes zany, and so very heartwarming.

Saga series, has cover art that to me evokes fantasy, but the series is actually captivating historical It's a little dark, consistently fascinating, sometimes funny, and very satisfying. Shadow and Bone is my favorite among multiple great Bardugo series, and it's also the title of the first The Queen of Attolia , The King of Attolia , A Conspiracy of Kings (this was possibly my favorite among favorites), Thick As Thieves , and Return of the Thief are the other books in the series.

She is often exasperated and very funny. I enjoyed this very much and wished it were a full-length novel. More Olivia Waite Olivia Waite is also the author of the Feminine Pursuits series and many other stand-alone For more of my Bossy science-fiction favorites, check out the titles at this link .

ICYMI: This series by Naomi Novik introduces vain, strong-willed, talking dragons, their complex, wonderfully “It seems very strange that the ocean is full of things that one can eat as one likes, and on land everything “I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very comfortable to sleep on.” The stories in her book Buried Deep revisit some favorite Novik worlds as well as introducing the world where Novik's future series takes place.

More about Melissa Caruso books--and more favorite Bossy reads that play with time: This is the first Caruso is also the author of the Rooks and Ruin and Swords and Fire series. For Bossy reviews of many other books that play with time--this is one of my favorite elements--you can

Gadgets, disguises, alternative identities, bugs and surveillance-- The Trap  involves many of my favorite

This is the sixth installment in Atkinson's Jackson Brodie series, but it can be read as a stand-alone

My favorite elements were the action sequences, the opportunities for humor, and the pacing of this 640 Yet she also serves up an unexpected (as in, we thought he was dead, so: very unexpected) second chance characters to be less earnest and more playful and to invoke a little bit of dark humor at times (my favorite One of my favorite dragons is almost completely absent from the book (sleeping for hundreds of pages) The tone is very different from the Empyrian series--no teen angst or steamy scenes.

I feel compelled to see this series through to its end. The Hallmarked Man is the newest in the Cormoran Strike mystery series, and in the story, a dismembered And Ryan Murphy is showing some weak points, and every time he does, Strike gets a bigger chance with Rowling (Robert Galbraith is the pen name she uses for the Cormoran Strike series). You can also find many other mystery series I've enjoyed here or by searching this site.

I love a story that flips a traditional setup, and Long Live Evil  is my most recent favorite in the dying, and in a panic, she makes a magical deal in which she lives on...in the world of her sister's favorite fantasy series.

Sebastian de Castell's worldbuilding is fascinating, the magic-school setting is a favorite, and the Sebastian de Castell is the author of 16 novels, including 6 in the Spellslinger series and 4 in the Greatcoats series--plus prequels and extras.

And after a series of unlikely, unfortunate events, bookworm Neema becomes one of them--the least threatening competition become ever heightened, characters must forge previously unthinkable loyalties and use every Author--and More Fantasy Novels I've Loved Antonia Hodgson is also the author of the Thomas Hawkins series

men solve women's problems, but this was entertaining, spicy, and sets up Lyla Sage's Western romance series In Done and Dusted , the first book in Lyla Sage's modern-day Western romance series, Clementine "Emmy Emmy's reinvigorated, independent new outlook--and I acknowledge that a rugged ranch setting might very minor point, but it felt both condescending and potentially (creepily) fatherly to me within their very There are three more books in this series.

The shadowy, eerie tone of the first title in Gillig's Stonewater Kingdom series gives way to heartwarming The first book in Rachel Gillig's Stonewater Kingdom series, The Knight and the Moth , considers Sybil The eerie, shadowy tone set up at the beginning felt like a far more gentle version of Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb series. I can't wait for the next books in this series.

This third book in McManus's young-adult mystery series keeps the surprises coming, ties new twists into early events from the series, and strengthens the bonds between the Bayside sleuth friends. I listened to this third installment in Karen McManus's young adult One of Us Is Lying mystery series established characters of Maeve, Nate, Phoebe, Bronwyn, and Knox from book one--along with other old favorites The first two books in the One of Us Is Lying series are One of Us Is Lying and One of Us Is Next.

I had no idea this was the first in a series; it didn't feel to me as though it was leading up to another More mystery novels to check out This is the first in a series of three books about Joe Talbert.

I love the second installment's return to my favorite aging assassins and their quick-thinking, spry, And you know that every time you do, you've left another piece of you behind. If Raybourn keeps writing this series, I'll read every last installment. And I loved A Curious Beginning , the first book in Deanna Raybourn's feisty Veronica Speedwell series (There are currently nine books in the series.)

The third in Jane Harper's Aaron Falk series offers procedural detail, a lush Australian setting, and The Survivors, which is set on the Tasmanian coast, is one of my favorite Harper novels.

In what's possibly my favorite book yet of the seven in the Cormoran Strike series, we see some emotional I listened to The Running Grave, the newest in the mystery series by Robert Galbraith (J. K. In the newest doorstop of a book (960 pages; the audiobook is 34 hours and 14 minutes) in the series, This was quite possibly my favorite Cormoran Strike novel so far.

I'll definitely read the second in the series. The loss impacts almost every member of the community, and secrets come to light that affect many in The third book in the series, In a Distant Valley , is scheduled for publication in 2025.

The fifth in Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious young adult mystery series showcases Stevie Bell's instincts In the fifth in Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious series, skilled amateur high school sleuth Stevie Bell from Maureen Johnson Maureen Johnson is the author of the six-book Truly Devious young adult mystery series

relationship exploration, and storytelling continues in this third and last installment of the Last Binding series final installment in Freya Marske's Last Binding trilogy, a queer historical fiction fantasy-mystery series mischievous and complementary) group of allies fights to reveal the source of the evil at work, and favorite

mentioned the great Folk of the Air trilogy in the Greedy Reading List Six Royally Magical Young Adult Series

This first installment in the series sets up an overlooked princess who becomes a heroine; deadly monsters

In the second installment of the series, retired CIA agents build stronger bonds with each other in rural In book one of Tess Gerritsen's Martini Club series, we met Maggie Bird, a retired CIA operative who I liked this installment even more than the first book in the series. More Books You Might Like This is the second book in Tess Gerritsen's Martini Club series.

I loved A Curious Beginning, the first book in Deanna Raybourn's feisty Veronica Speedwell series of banter and sexual tension and match-up of will and intellect between Stoker and Veronica that are my favorite aspects of the series? It wasn't my favorite of the series mysteries thus far, but I enjoyed the dark, gothic feel of twisting And in this installment of the series, Raybourn allows for The Situation Between Veronica and Stoker

I've got enough other favorites in this vein to make a second list sometime. It's a little dark, consistently fascinating, sometimes funny, and very satisfying. Shadow and Bone is my favorite among multiple great Bardugo series, and it's also the title of the first The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, A Conspiracy of Kings (this was possibly my favorite among favorites), Thick As Thieves, and Return of the Thief are the other books in the series.

formation of an unexpected team with immense collective promise, I'm in for the rest of this translated series historical-fiction-feeling fantasy story like this one, and Blood of the Old Kings sets up an epic series The second book in this series, Blood for the Undying Throne , is slated for publication this fall.

Collapse, we catch up with the delightfully grumpy Murderbot (SecUnit), who in this seventh book in the series

In Carley Fortune's debut Every Summer After, Persephone Fraser knows all too well the saying "you can't Every Summer After is a love story told over the course of six summers and a weekend. I love stories about returning home, reconnecting with old flames, and chances for redemption, and Every Every Summer After is Carley Fortune's debut novel. Her second book, Meet Me at the Lake, is scheduled for publication in May 2023.

Sutanto's Vera Wong is playful, brusque, bossy, and connects an unlikely cast of characters, all murder Vera Wong is running a largely unvisited tea house, lamenting her grown son's lack of time for her, and When a dead body shows up in her tea house, Vera takes charge of the investigation of what only she is This was absolutely my favorite part of the book. But in Vera Wong, while Vera is pushy she is also deeply caring, helpful, and serves as a connector--

Rachel Aaron is also the author of the DFZ Changeling series, the Heartstrikers series, the Crystal Calamity series, and other books.

Stoker stay close to home while entering into danger and solving the mysteries in book six of this series In the sixth book of the wonderful Deanna Raybourn's  feisty Veronica Speedwell series of historical While Veronica and Stoker stick close to home for their adventures in this installment of the series, (There are currently nine books in the series, with a tenth scheduled for publication in 2026.)

The first in the author's young adult steampunk Finishing School series offers wonderful, typically strong This is the first in the four-book young adult steampunk series Finishing School. Carriger I loved the first book in Gail Carriger's five-book (plus a prequel short) Parasol Protectorate series

elite training, magical abilities, and complex conflicts between classes in the first in this dystopian series This is the first in a series and I'm really looking forward to reading the next installment.

The two other titles in the series are Wayward and The Last Town .

There's a second book in this Naomi Cottle series, The Butterfly Girl , which I haven't yet read, and

Chakraborty is also the author of the wonderful novel The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi , the first in the series

Spoiler: a dragon appears at the very end of the book, laying the groundwork for more dragon page time More from John Gwynne: Gwynne is also the author of book two in this series, The Hunger of the Gods , the series Of Blood and Bone, and The Faithful and the Fallen series.

The first in this dragon rider series by Yarros is full of dramaaaaatic teen angst, a cutthroat path to becoming a warrior, bucking expectations, a looming war--and, my favorite element of the story, dragons Fourth Wing is the first in Rebecca Yarros's Empyrean fantasy series, about a war college for dragon Aside from the dragons, my favorite element of the story is Violet's determined coping with and accommodations I'm a fan of varying language and also of creative cursing, so at the risk of being a Grumpy Old Lady

Finlay dips her toe into a criminal underworld in the second in Cosimano's campy mystery series. In Elle Cosimano's first book in this series, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, we meet main protagonist In Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead, Finlay has her friend Vero in her confidence--and in her household One of my favorite elements is how Finlay, a mom of two very young children, is absolutely irresistible Cosimano is also the author of the young adult mystery series Nearly Gone, the young adult fantasy series

The first book in this series from Meg Long was Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves.

A leviathan lurks in the ocean, threatening destruction on a grand scale, while an unorthodox, brilliant investigator and her stalwart new assistant work to solve a murder mystery that reaches into the highest levels of society and government. “Civilization is often a task that is only barely managed. But harden your heart and slow your blood. The towers of justice are built one brick at a time. We have more to build yet.” In Robert Jackson Bennett's novel, The Tainted Cup , he blends a rich, historical fiction-feeling story, a Sherlock Holmes and Watson-type investigatory relationship, and fascinating otherworldly fantasy and steampunk elements into a captivating story. In a mansion in Daretana, an imperial officer lies dead--with a tree growing out of his body. Brilliant, grumpy, extremely high-ranked detective Ana Dolabra and her inexperienced, staid, intuitive apprentice, Dinios Kol, aim to use their magical enhancements to get to the heart of what seems to be a murder--one that might threaten the whole Empire. I was fascinated by the tone of The Tainted Cup . There's a constant looming threat of enormous ocean-dwelling leviathans threatening to break the significant walls erected to keep them out. The leviathans are grotesque, and their natures and motivations are a mystery. Human civilization has built its cities in reaction to the perceived danger from the beasts. And we find out late in the book that the monsters may be able to speak! Eeeks. The partnership between impatient, extremely intelligent Ana and the closed-off, steady, intuitive Din was a standout. Ana is Sherlock Holmes-esque in that she holds many of the answers to the mysteries that abound--but she doles them out on a need-to-know basis. We did not talk any more of what we’d witnessed, he at the walls and I in the city. The things we’d seen and done now felt too big for words. Silence was a better language. The Tainted Cup explores issues of class, wealth and privilege, duty, the power of nature, handicaps and gifts, and betrayal and loyalty. I loved this book and the extended story that Robert Jackson Bennett has begun here. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Robert Jackson Bennett is also the author of the Founders Day trilogy and the Divine Cities trilogy.