Apeirogon builds to show how individuals on opposite sides of the Israel-Palestine wall are at heart the same. This is beautiful, powerful, illuminating, and heart-wrenching. I admit that I had trouble getting through the first part, but I'm so very glad I stuck with it. I had some trouble adjusting to the pacing of the book; it's structured into 1,001 short segments in varied points of view: a Palestinian father, his family, and their experiences and loss; an Israeli father and family and his tragedy; migratory and other habits of birds; newspaper headlines, legal proceedings, and public speeches related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflicts; retracing in detail crucial moments of two especially fateful days in the fathers' (who become friends) lives; bullet manufacturing details and imagined life details of soldiers; and more. But the sections all work together, and the book serves as both a sweeping look at an enormously complex issue with endless personal implications for those involved *and* a microscope-level examination of the events that came to define everything for these two seemingly different but ultimately heartbreakingly similar families. The story builds to show how individuals on opposite sides of the issue and of the wall are at heart the very same--through their unspeakable loss, desire for revenge, search for meaning, haunting memories, search to educate others, and obsession with speaking the names of those lost to keep them alive in hearts and minds and to illustrate the devastating personal effects of the political situation. It's 480 pages, and ultimately that felt like an appropriate length for settling into the points of view and experiences that are built over a lifetime, and which resonate and illuminate here. The subject matter is weighty and emotional, and McCann manages to make the story both personal and political, which perfectly suits the subject matter. Really a wonderful book. I love McCann's thoughtful writing. Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley provided me with a prepublication copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. What did you think? The 1,001 sections might sound more overwhelming than they actually feel; I thought they were beautifully interwoven. McCann is also the author of Let the Great World Spin, which I liked, but not as much as I did this book. #historicalfiction, #politicssocialjustice, #fourstarbookreview

I found it interesting that Schwab doesn't make you feel especially sympathetic toward either Victor or Eli. This is the second in Schwab's first series for adults, Villains. It was published five years after the first book, but I read them without a large gap of time in between. I loved the first book, Vicious, which was a dark, revenge-filled, twisted, supernatural tale. But Vengeful made me feel a little disjointed and unsettled in one of the key characters' points of view. I found it interesting that Schwab doesn't make you feel especially sympathetic toward either Victor or Eli. I split my loyalties fairly equally between them--yet the characters are diametrically opposed in their views and goals. What did you think? I very much enjoyed Schwab's young adult Shades of Magic series; the first title is A Darker Shade of Magic. This one didn't hold up quite as well to my admittedly high expectations. As of August 2020, there's no publication date for a third in the Villains series. #fantasyscifi, #series, #threestarbookreview

Vance shares his unlikely, circuitous route to an emotionally and financially stable adult life. In Hillbilly Elegy, Vance mainly shares the story of his own many, varied, and enormous life challenges and disadvantages and his unlikely, circuitous route from a childhood that often centered around upheaval, danger, and despair to an emotionally and financially stable adult life. But he also explores hillbilly and Appalachian culture and how as an insider he feels it contributes to “social decay” and a lack of upward mobility and stability. He dips his toe into explaining a cycle of learned helplessness and notes how many people from his hometown(s) (and other people as well) may embrace and rely on cynicism and hopelessness. He explores what he presents as destructive Appalachian cultural norms—fighting, distrusting the government and media, not believing hard work results in change, and often being pulled down by a network of struggling and/or abusive and/or desperate and/or drug-addicted family members and friends. I was hoping for answers, but Vance focuses on pointing out the layered, complicated cultural and historical forces that are at work and that are difficult to address, and he raises more questions than ever. What did you think? I read this book years after the hubbub about it died down, but I don't think (?) that the attention it received ratcheted up my expectations beyond reasonable levels. What did you feel about the balance of problems and solutions here? #nonfiction, #memoir, #appalachian, #politicssocialjustice, #threestarbookreview

This one wasn't for me. I read half but didn't finish this second in the Monsters of Verity series. Look at that beautiful cover! I tried listening to this as an audiobook, but this one wasn't for me. I was halfway through but didn't finish. I couldn't buy into the musical instruments as instruments of death, what felt like overwrought narration of the audiobook, and the amount of time it took to get into the meat of the story and develop characters and fates that I cared about. What did you think? This is the second in Schwab's Monsters of Verity series; the first is This Savage Song, which I gave 3.5 stars. #fantasyscifi, #youngadult, #series, #didnotfinish

This is the epitome of glorious young adult fantasy, but the book is truly character driven. I loved it. Oh, this book! In Other Lands is the epitome of glorious young adult fantasy—there’s a portal; there are mermaids, elves, harpies, trolls, and all the rest; there’s a school to train up promising young teens; and there are interspecies conflicts. BUT the book is truly character driven. (Elliott!) It’s really about personal growth, knowing your own mind and holding convictions, demonstrating loyalty to others, letting go of people who don’t have your best interests at heart, forging unlikely bonds, becoming vulnerable to love, and making (and suffering through others’) mistakes and forgiving and being forgiven—with an otherworldly backdrop of battles, learning other species’ languages and customs, and attempting to forge treaties among warring groups. Plus there are the supremely clever and extremely funny ways in which gender roles and stereotypes are frequently turned on their heads. I listened to this and LOVED Matthew Lord Davies’ narration of Sarah Rees Brennan’s lovely book. I kept laughing out loud. Love! What did you think? I keep thinking about this book. Elliot's voice was so dry and distinct, I adored it. And there is so very much else to delight in here. Brennan mentions Tamora Pierce's Immmortals series (the first book is Wild Magic) as inspiration for this one. I haven't read that one yet, have you? #fantasyscifi, #youngadult, #fourstarbookreview

In Leaving the Witness, Amber Scorah takes the reader into her confidences and lays bare her sheltered experiences, religious indoctrination, societal and gender pressures, hearty evangelism, and eventual questioning and freezing out from the Jehovah’s Witnesses—meaning she was cut off permanently from almost everyone she knew. Scorah retraces her steps from being a covert, illegal proselytizer in Shanghai through the implosion of her marriage and her realization that she is stranded--without her husband, without formal education, and without her faith any longer--and therefore without a framework of her loved ones. Scorah is thoughtful and helps readers track her mindset as she moves from control to freedom and how jarring and cruel and wonderful and odd a “worldly” life can be. What did you think? I'm intrigued by stories of those who have left faith systems. Scorah tells a fascinating personal story of growth and fear and change. #memoir, #faith, #dysfunctionalfamily, #fourstarbookreview

This story was so much more than I expected. Napolitano created an irresistible and true-feeling character in Edward. I loved this book. I kept thinking about it while I was doing other things, and I just wanted to get back to Edward to find out how things were going. This story was so much more than I expected, but thankfully Napolitano didn’t rely solely on her book’s promising premise. She wrote the hell out of this and created an irresistible and true-feeling character in Edward. The messy zigzags Edward takes toward growing and changing and understanding himself and what life should be are made richer and more hard-won by the moments when he realistically freezes, when he questions everything, when he searches desperately for meaning, and by his sometimes clumsy attempts but ultimately beautiful success at connecting with others. Nothing is too easy here, nor is it ever melodramatic in Napolitano’a hands. Edward tries on the mantle of taking responsibility for every life lost; he wallows in the despair of others and their hopes that he will pursue their loved ones’ lost dreams and right their wrongs; then he messily works out how to create his own lucky, unshackled, truest life. I was given an advance reader’s copy of this book by Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Any Bossy thoughts about this book? My book club wasn't unanimous in feeling pure love for this book, and this was one of those instances when I was blissfully unwilling to hear anything critical whatsoever about the protagonist or his plight or about anything to do with this story! (Why is this blog named what it is, again?) This book is part of the Greedy Reading List Six Book Club Books I Loved Last Year.

I loved Bertie! I would very happily read a full Little House in the Prairie-length series about Bertie and her life. Oh, I loved this story! I was so sad when I finished it. Bertie! I would very happily read a full Little House in the Prairie-length series about Bertie and her life. Bertie is tough on herself and lives a hardscrabble farming life in the early twentieth century Midwest. She broke my heart over and over by feeling as though she didn’t deserve happiness and by never realizing the value of the important and continual sacrifices she willingly made for her family. Hardinger offers up many crisp and varied details of the time, she captures Bertie’s speech patterns, and, most importantly, she transports the reader into the gruff but hopeful mindset of a young woman forced to grow up too quickly--a woman who for years feels she must push away any hopes for a life that is easier or full of joy. And all of this is set against the backdrop of Bertie's endless daily and bone-wearying tasks of plucking chickens, caring for siblings, carting water, and all the rest. When the promise of a better life started to glimmer at the edges of her vision, I almost cheered. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? This is Hardinger's debut novel. I hope she's got others in the works, because I'm all in for another one from her. I was given a copy of this book by Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was mentioned in Six Historical Fiction Books I Loved Over the Past Year.

I loved Pobi's mystery; the character of Page, a retired detective who is pulled back onto a case; and the smart commentary about gun ownership and responsibility. This was a really compelling mystery/thriller—with a smart underlying commentary about gun ownership, violence, and the factors complicating these issues, including societal malaise, ignorance often overpowering facts, and longstanding patterns of power and fear. I loved the balance of clues and revelations Pobi lays out; they didn’t make me feel manipulated or red-herringed to death. I adore a setup where a gifted detective is brought back onto a case because he or she is just too good--and this is one of those. Boy, did Page try to leave, and with good reason. But he's baaack, baby! A couple of nitpicky details: one character's mind reading over the phone felt like far more of an unrealistic stretch than when she was anticipating questions in person. And I think there would have likely been police protection on site in Montauk. It wouldn’t have made any material difference to events, but not putting that protection in place felt like a huge miss for the FBI and Lucas, and it created a blip in my belief of the story. Lucas Page is a fantastic character (as are Whitaker, Kehoe, Erin, and Dingo). I wasn’t sure if Page’s robotlike behavior was going to overwhelm things, but Pobi struck a great balance for his idiosyncratic character. The elaborate climactic scene was creatively gruesome—and I felt realistic disgust as a result. What did you think? I haven't yet read the second in this Lucas Page series, Under Pressure--and when I read City of Windows I didn't even realize it was part of a series, it stands so well on its own. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I mentioned this book in the Greedy Reading List The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year.

I loved this smart, funny young adult book complete with Chinese folklore, a rock-solid friendship, creative fantasy elements, and great action and romance. Genie Lo is a Bay Area sixteen-year-old who's tall enough to be generally criticized by her petite Asian mother (and to be awesome at volleyball), is focused on her grades, and is obsessed with getting into Harvard. She and her best friend Yunie are making their way together through high school and all of its pitfalls. Then a persistent, oddball new classmate, Quentin Sun, starts hanging around. He's kind of cute but seriously strange. That's because, as it turns out, he's actually Sun Wukong, the Monkey King. An immortal being. Oh, and he shares with Genie that she's the heaven-appointed Guardian of California, responsible for all spirits visiting the area from other planes. Even though she's supposed to be on college visits, she's in charge of keeping the peace among the bickering supernatural creatures who seem determined to make her life difficult. Quentin may also be in love with her. But she's supposed to keep all of this mayhem a secret from her family and friends. I loved this smart, funny young adult book--the first in a series--complete with Chinese folklore, a rock-solid friendship, creative fantasy elements, and great action and romance. It's about embracing your true self, saying yes to adventure, and the strength and power of loyalty and steadfast friendship. What did you think? The Epic Crush of Genie Lo reminded me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at times, in the best way possible. For a different (not young adult) book I also loved, which centers around superheroes, loyalty, revenge, and following your calling, see Hench.

Harper's mysteries read like twisty character-driven Westerns set in Australia, and things aren’t always what they seem. I thought this was great. Nathan and Bub have always had their differences, but they come together to grieve the loss of their brother Cam. Cam had been bothered by something before he died unexpectedly in the Australian outback desert, but was his death really the out-of-character suicide it was meant to look like--or did someone kill him? Nathan is no detective, but he owes it to Cam not to give up until he figures out what happened. Harper skillfully builds the pool of potential culprits for Nathan to examine in this story of uncovering truths, family history, loyalty, stubbornness, and love. Her books read like Westerns to me, and her sometimes spare tone suits the setting, the stark situations in which she places her characters, and the straightforward characters themselves. Things aren’t what they seem in The Lost Man, but Harper isn’t manipulative or tricky, either. I thought this was great. What did you think? Harper has also written two books in her Aaron Falk series so far, The Dry and Force of Nature. I listed this book in the Greedy Reading List The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year.

There's a love triangle and fantastic details that bring the era1830s to life. The Parting Glass has both substance and lovely lighter elements like romance. Well well well! A lady’s maid in love with the lady, racy scenes, angst, wonderful details of a life in service to a wealthy family in 1830s New York, immigrant challenges, Irish gangs, people pretending to be different than they are, shifted expectations, true friendship—I loved this debut from Guadagnino! In this upstairs/downstairs novel, set in nineteenth century New York, Mary Ballard is a lady’s maid to high society's wealthy and respected Charlotte Walden. But on her own time, Mary is Irish exile Maire O’Farren, and she keeps mixed company as part of a secret society of rabble-rousers. Meanwhile, privileged Charlotte has her own secrets, and when both women's true situations begin to be revealed and to unravel, Mary finds that she and her brother are in jeopardy. But there's a love triangle and there are fantastic details that bring the era to life. The Parting Glass has both substance and lighter elements like romance. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? Guadagnino offers powerful looks at the widespread nineteenth century prejudice against the Irish and other immigrant groups, as well as introducing a heart-wrenching unrequited love of one woman for another--an attraction forbidden at the time. This book was mentioned in the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Books I Loved Over the Past Year.

Wolfe's book was a fun, quick read that kept me engaged the whole way through. The Elizabethan-era detail in A Murder by Any Name was wonderful; many of the characters were lovely, faulted, and interesting; and the dialogue was great. The character of the brothel madam with a heart of gold has probably been overdone in literature. In this case, Kat wasn’t fully developed as a character so she felt more like a concept than a real person. A minor note unrelated to plot, character, and story: I was driven to distraction by typos and what felt like grammatically incorrect sentences, frequently absent but necessary commas, and minor repetition and contradictions. But Wolfe's book was a fun, quick read that kept me engaged the whole way through. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? I also enjoyed the second book in this series, A Course of All Treasons (mentioned in the Greedy Reading List Three Books I'm Reading Now, 11/25/20 Edition). I looove a historical fiction mystery. If you do too, you might want to check out Six Historical Fiction Mysteries to Intrigue You.

Hawker brings to life a quiet existence in the German countryside set against a background of the unpredictable violence and destruction of World War II. The Ragged Edge of Night centers around a World War II-era friar-turned-husband, Anton Starzmann, during the dark days of the war. When his school is shut down by the Nazis, he weds a widow who seeks a husband to help her raise her three children. Hawker brings to life a quiet existence in the German countryside set against a background of unpredictable violence and destruction; tragedy; and gloriously stubborn, subversive resistance to the Reich. The wise asides in what felt like another point of view drew me out of the story, but generally I was all in on this one. Anton is searching for redemption after horrific events surrounding his students and school. His wife Elisabeth fears his involvement in the resistance that plans to assassinate Hitler. When the SS realizes what's going on, Anton's bravery and Elisabeth's dedication to this quiet, steady man are both tested. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? This book was mentioned in Six Historical Fiction Books I Loved Over the Past Year. Hawker also wrote One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow, which was mentioned in the Greedy Reading List Six Great Historical Fiction Stories Set in the American West.

Bird does an excellent job of keeping up the tension and making clear the high stakes of Williams’s enormous secret in this story, which is based on the life of a real female Buffalo Soldier. Bird's Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen is based on the story of an actual female Buffalo Soldier, Cathy Williams, with many liberties taken for the sake of shaping a story. I was happy to suspend my disbelief at the many conveniently outlandish circumstances or coincidences—which led key characters to cross unlikely paths, caused characters to avoid making important discoveries until the timing was more convenient to the arc of the tale, or set events essential to a resolution in a magical otherworld to allow imagined outcomes. Bird does an excellent job of keeping up the tension and making clear the high stakes of Williams’s enormous secret and the destruction that would befall her if it came out. She explores in fascinating detail the hardscrabble life of a newly freed black person—and the often desperate circumstances of women (especially black women) without men to protect them at the time. The major and minor love stories are sweet if tragic on multiple levels. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? Bird is also the author of Above the East China Sea, about two teenaged girls, an American and an Okinawan, whose lives are connected across seven decades and across the world. Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen was mentioned in the Greedy Reading List Six Historical Fiction Books I Loved Over the Past Year.

I felt promise in the characters and their mutual adoration, but I was distracted from feeling a true pull to the heart of this book. I loved the first Christina Lauren book I read, Autoboyography, and I gave it five stars. So my expectations for this book were through the roof. But to me, the voices in this book felt self-obsessively and insecurely young adult even in the timeline in which the characters were nearing age 30. I loved the love, and I felt promise in the characters and their mutual adoration, but I was distracted from feeling a true pull to the heart of this book by what felt like frequent melodrama, overblown angst, frustratingly halting scenes (I believe these were intended to create suspense), and what felt like too-deliberately-constructed Big Moments Set Up for Dramatic Effect. What did you think? My views on this book were almost certainly colored by how much I loved Autoboyography. The authors have also written The Unhoneymooners, the racy-sounding Beautiful Bastard series, and Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, among others. #lightfiction, #threestarbookreview, #loveandotherwords

I didn’t feel as attached to Aaron in this mystery set in the Australian bush, but I still love Harper's tone and pacing, and I'm in for her other books. Colleagues on a work retreat run into trouble on a hike through the rugged Australian Giralang Ranges. Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk is back on the case in this second in Jane Harper's Aaron Falk series. This time he's digging into information about the missing hiker, Alice Russell. Alice knew secrets about her company and coworkers that might be the reason she's vanished from the remote Australian bush, and Falk is determined to get to the bottom of the situation. I didn’t feel as attached to Aaron as I did during The Dry. His family and hometown aren’t at the center of this book, but beyond that, he felt very much on the outskirts of what was happening and more distant from it all. I would like more more more Falk and for him to be at the heart of all of Harper's stories. I do love Harper’s tone and pacing, and and writing style in general. What did you think? Harper is also the author of The Dry (Aaron Falk #1) and The Lost Man, which I mentioned in my Greedy Reading List The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year. Her wild Australia settings, dark secrets, and twists and turns have me totally hooked.

I love how Strout interlinks characters, backgrounds, and stories so gracefully, yet also allows them to stand on their own. As soon as I finished reading this short story collection I wished I’d slowed down and taken notes or could start all over and read it again immediately. I love how Strout interlinks characters, backgrounds, and stories so gracefully, yet also allows them to stand on their own as well. She alludes to close calls (Annie in her youth with Charlene’s father, for example) but doesn’t hit the reader over the head or draw out outcomes. The stories feel immediate and real. I adore how Strout shines a light on turning points: small but powerful shifts of power or emotion, or realizations within a conversation or a scene. She masterfully illustrates how a moment sends ripples through the day or the broader life of those involved in it—it’s fascinating (as with Dottie with Shelley Small at the B&B, Charlie with Tracy and with Patty, Vicky and Lucy, Pete and Tommy, and Patty and Lila). Strout’s ability to do this gracefully allows (most of) her characters to grow and allows all of them to feel heartbreakingly flawed yet redeemable and real to the reader. Any Bossy thoughts on this book? Are you as in love with Elizabeth Strout as I am? Can I get into a fan club or something? Strout also wrote Olive Kitteridge, its wonderful sequel Olive, Again, Amy and Isabelle, My Name Is Lucy Barton, and The Burgess Boys.

There were a million ways this story could have felt less real and messy and fascinating. But it was just wonderful. Oh, I loved this book. It could have been melodramatic, or it might have relied on gay or other stereotypes; the characters could have been close-minded to faith when others' interpretation of religion was without love; the parents could have been one dimensional...there were a million ways this could have felt less real and messy and fascinating. But it was just wonderful. The characters were thoughtful and young and funny and defiant but good, and they made mistakes and paid for them and lived within their awful messed-up moments and their painful consequences, and they tried to figure out things. They felt first love and angst so deeply and talked about it so so SO much, and somehow it wasn’t insufferable to read about at all, it was just perfect and made me laugh (and at one point cry, ahem). The dialogue was so fantastic and witty but felt effortless and like it came from actual teenagers, which is such a difficult tone to pin down. This is just fantastic YA. What did you think? Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings write as a team under the pen name Christina Lauren. I read their book Love and Other Words after Autoboyography ratcheted my expectations into outer space, and I wasn't as enamored with that one. The authors have written many other books, including The Unhoneymooners, Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating, and the racier-looking Beautiful Bastard series. #youngadult, #LGBTQ, #heartwarming, #fivestarbookreview, #autoboyography

This beautiful book broke my heart and I just adored it. This beautiful, heartbreaking book. Set toward the end of the Civil War on the Texas plains, The Color of Lightning centers around the bare-bones but amazing facts known about a real-life freed black man—with imagined details and events elaborated on in fantastic form by Paulette Jiles. She inserts many other richly created characters that make the story come to life. Absolutely brutal and vivid details of Native Americans’ physical brutality are depicted; naive and uninformed eastern urban white men’s ideas and outrageously rigid ideas meant to “civilize” western Indians are gradually undone; complexities and brilliantly laid out fundamental differences in white and Indian life views are gracefully explored; white-Indian friendships fraught with potentially lethal misunderstanding but incredible trust and humor are imagined; and the tragic and multilayered reasons for the undoing of any hope of white-Indian coexistence build slowly to a tragic end. The dreams of many of the key characters and their self-reflections are lovely and illuminating and poignant. Jiles turns assumptions on their heads: untested characters find they are capable of incredible grit—and idealist characters find themselves crushed and without any of the basic answers about justice and life they were once confident in. This book broke my heart and I just adored it. What did you think? This is the third Paulette Jiles Civil War-era historical fiction book I've read and adored. She also wrote News of the World, which I loved, as well as the solid, music-filled Simon the Fiddler. Next on my to-read list from her is Enemy Women. #historicalfiction, #civilwar, #southern, #fourstarbookreview, #thecoloroflightning

Long after finishing this book I thought back to Heller's protagonist and various vivid settings. I was hooked by The Painter's main protagonist Jim and his point of view. He has a painful history he's trying to accept and get past, but sometimes darkness seeps into his thoughts and threatens to crush him. When he moves from the art scene of Santa Fe to rural Colorado to fly fish and paint, he hopes to regain some peace of mind too. There's introspection and the calm of creating works of art, but also a brush with more brutality that spurs Jim to action--and leads to unwelcome adventure. I didn't fully connect with some of the extended discussion of the processes of creating paintings, but long after finishing this book I thought back to Heller's various vivid settings. The story also feels like it could make a powerful movie. Any Bossy thoughts about this book? I'd put this one at 3.75 stars. Heller also wrote The Dog Stars, a dystopian story I was head over heels for and gave five stars, as well as The River, an adventure and friendship tale that I found captivating.

The setup is so incredibly implausible, but I jumped in headfirst and gleefully suspended my disbelief. I still think about this one over a decade after reading it. In this sequel to In the Woods, Cassie Maddox has left the Dublin Murder Squad for good—until she's called to a crime scene to find with shock that the victim looks exactly like her. And her doppelganger's body has identification showing her name as Alexandra Madison, which is an alias Cassie once used when she was undercover. What what what? I couldn't wait to get back to this book anytime I had to take a break from reading. The setup of what happens next is so incredibly implausible, yet I jumped in headfirst and gleefully suspended my disbelief because it was so appealing and riveting. French's character- and relationship-driven mysteries keep me waiting anxiously for the twists and turns to unfold and poring over subtleties that hold clues to the true story. She writes literary mysteries without cheap thrills and gimmicky tricks. This is my favorite of her Dublin Murder Squad series, and I think about it often, although I read it over a decade ago. What did you think? French is the author of six books in the Dublin Murder Squad series: In the Woods, this book (my absolute favorite of hers), Faithful Place, The Trespasser, Broken Harbor, and The Secret Place, plus the stand-alone books The Witch Elm and The Searcher.