hers) who married the world-famous conjoined twins from Siam, Chang and Eng, and builds a suitably complicated As with all relationships, things get complicated; here, the stakes are higher and the ability to create She is skilled at building a story within a specific place and time, and the details made this story come Ellie turns to Homa, a local girl, for companionship, and their deep, volatile friendship endures; as I love how Blake shapes a story in which privileged education comes up against gritty, real-world life

chose thirteen pivotal places across our nation to illustrate key points in our history, explore our complicated parks, well-known places and under-the-radar spots, Gage inspects each of their places in our nation's complicated This is far from a comprehensive history, nor is it intended to be. Gage asserts that our nation's history is complicated and fraught, and that this layered story of our

every bit of Chakraborty's first novel about willful, sometimes grumpy pirate Amina al-Sirafi and her complicated Add in complications like the solemn promise she made to her daughter before departure to return home Along with signature Chakraborty-imagined complicated magical elements; Amina's spiciness, passion, and

escapism; some small moments didn't resonate with me and the pacing didn't always flow, but the retirement community One unexpected element she immediately comes up against is Elias Buckley, her long-lost ex-husband (they didn't always feel like it flowed, and I didn't buy into many of the small moments that make a story come The retirement-community setting and Vera's eventual role in it were two of my favorite elements. And I enjoyed that everyone involved recognized that coming to a relationship with the current amount

place she can think of to shelter: her non-nurturing former scream-queen grandmother's wild retirement community

, claustrophobic woods, childlike wonder, growing paranoia, sudden danger, haunting beasts, and the comfort seems to be magical realism with dark undertones, Mike's growing paranoia, and reassuring familial comforts As with all relationships, things get complicated; here, the stakes are higher and the ability to create Eddie and 24-year-old Bella become friends after she comes in to donate items from a loved one who has Her coping mechanisms, which we come to understand, are wrapped in shocking truths.

next-door neighbor and nemesis dies and Elsie's the one who discovers the body, details of her past come Her coping mechanisms, which we come to understand, are wrapped in shocking truths.

I was cringing as I listened to various agonies, which compounded as the story progressed.

When River pulls back from quitting piano altogether and becomes set on winning a famous competition

neighbor and nemesis turns up dead, and Elsie's the one who discovers the body, details of her past come

01 Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout Strout is truly a marvel in the way she crafts full, complicated also the author of many other books, including The Invisible Hour. 05 Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come to deliberately put herself into extremely uncomfortable social situations for a year, and she fully commits She regrets her one-year plan almost instantly but feels compelled to continue her terrifying exercises For my full review of this book, please see Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come. 6 Dear Edward by Ann

, claustrophobic woods, childlike wonder, growing paranoia, sudden danger, haunting beasts, and the comfort People, tracks a year of a family's life as they strike out for a rural existence and leave many of the comforts seems to be magical realism with dark undertones, Mike's growing paranoia, and reassuring familial comforts darkness exist alongside the widespread, convoluted, intriguing, outlandish hopes of many within the community

They become friends after she comes in to donate items from a loved one who has died.

He feels unshakably compelled to travel west to find out if the mammoth animals he's heard described but his ill-fated journey is full of misplaced hope, then mistakes and regret, but over all of it, a compulsion It's compelling, and Bess's faith in her faulted father is heart-wrenching. This was a slow build and a beautiful story, satisfying and often sweet, complete with young love. mining magnate of a father; the layers of smart dialogue; the undercurrent of fear beneath the soothing comfort

detesting himself and refusing joy and fulfillment, but going through his life largely in order to fulfill commitments

Years later, they are completely estranged.

threw the rock through the window, who are the definitive killers), but Bloom leaves these somewhat or completely I received an audiobook version of this title courtesy of Libro.fm and Highbridge Company, and I received the heartbreakingly beautiful In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss, I'll Be Right Here, Away, Lucky Us, Come

Mason Country People tracks a year of a family's life as they strike out for rural life and leave the comforts the heartbreakingly beautiful In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss, I'll Be Right Here, Away, Lucky Us, Come I received an audiobook version of this title courtesy of Libro.fm and Highbridge Company, and I received

(Lives of Guinevere #1) by Paula Lafferty A medieval setting, time travel, a quest, and intriguing complications wrapped some of my favorite elements in funny banter, poignant (non-swooning) romance, and enough plot complexity Then a strange man comes to town, telling Vera an unbelievable story of her true origins and her destiny sister Leda and Daphne's husband Jonathan, but most often alone, Eddie and Daphne revisit old memories, compare living as well as explorations of the meaning of existence, religion, spirituality, reconciliation, commitment

about travel, adventures, mishaps, shortcomings, true friendship, love, families, loss, aging, and the complicated always, Sedaris delivers enough edge to keep me feeling slightly, delightedly nervous about what's to come

Their unhappiness is compounded by the complete lack of correspondence from Seb.

The childhood best friends at the heart of the novel grow apart, then reunite in complicated circumstances must move to a poor section of town, where Ellie's mom stews with resentment at her loss of status and comfort Ellie turns to Homa, a local girl, for companionship, and their deep, volatile friendship endures; as But Kamali offers a messy, heartwarming, heartbreaking story in which against all odds the women come

Years later, they are completely estranged. about travel, adventures, mishaps, shortcomings, true friendship, love, families, loss, aging, and the complicated

The tone of the novel felt difficult for me to settle into, but I appreciated the realistically complicated I didn't feel fully privy to the women's inner lives or their families' complicated dynamics; I felt

appearances as April's family reels from her father's troubling health diagnosis and a host of secrets coming

sister Leda and Daphne's husband Jonathan, but most often alone, Eddie and Daphne revisit old memories, compare

must move to a poor section of town, where Ellie's mom stews with resentment at her loss of status and comfort Ellie turns to a new local girl for companionship, and their deep, volatile friendship shapes the novel

Strout inserts omniscient mentions of events and developments that are to come, as well as pivotal moments Elizabeth Strout's signature voice comes through--in this case, it actually felt as though multiple characters

Maybe that was nostalgia after all, the music a direct vein to her childhood, the least complicated part Annie agreed to come on the trip with her sister, because while Annie's rabid youthful obsession has But when her sister is unable to come at the last minute, Annie reluctantly embarks on the trip anyway After all, the other fans on the ship are likely Too Much for Annie, and she's not dying to come face vulnerable moments with members of the band, and must realize that they are squabbling, middle-aged, complicated

Ultimately she considers her trajectory, the destructive forces of fame, and seems to come to a more meaningful to her--and, eventually, of the underlying conditions that caused so many intermingling, complicated

Annie agreed to come with her sister, whose love for the band has only strengthened over the years. But when her sister is unable to come, Annie embarks on the trip anyway, hoping to send her sister photos appearances as April's family reels from her father's troubling health diagnosis and a host of secrets coming

(and those with limited knowledge on the subject, like me) about the Constitution; and a shockingly compelling In her memoir, Gould explores her early days of uncertainty, moments of panic, scenes of complete disgust fiction, skillfully using dry firsthand accounts and subsequent interviews to build a fascinating, fluid, compelling world, at least for those looking in from the outside, and draws occasional correlations to the satiric comedy Best in Show--a movie that inspires mixed reactions from those in the competition scene.

Jenny Lawson's self-help book is comforting, practical, and frank; while the content may not be revolutionary Even if the reader is aware of the techniques and approaches laid out here, Lawson's comforting, frank

Communication and travel between Earth and his planet, New Sonora, should soon be established again, But surprise invaders bring mayhem, danger, and potential destruction for the community and possibly he seemed pre-crisis and in which Oliver and his ragtag gang continually adapt, never give up, and come

His claustrophobic community and rigid father gradually give way to glimmers of hope for new beginnings Upon his return home, his community feels alternately claustrophobically small and reassuringly familiar Various power plays take place within Cal's family and among those in the community, as well as emotional Within the complex web of his father's harsh manner, his mother's abandonment, his childhood best friend's but thrilling emotional roller coaster in which it became clear that Cal truly saw his father and the complicated

Their deep connection is immediately evident once again, and they revisit old memories, compare notes The community feels to Cal alternately claustrophobically small and reassuringly familiar, while Cal's

Leanne Morgan hit it big as a middle-aged comic from rural Tennessee talking about her kids' T-ball, her adoration of her grandchildren, and her big, comfortable panties. as an audiobook. 06 This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg Comedian Zarna Garg lived several lives before falling into comedy in midlife and realizing it was where she'd belonged all In midlife, she reimagined her future again and became a hard-working comedian who opened for Tina Fey

The complexity of their situation and their intertwined families and history make believable their difficulty

British soldiers expect a completed Ordnance Survey, but Tomás has had an unexpected encounter that causes Communication and travel between Earth and the planet New Sonora may be established again, and Oliver But surprise invaders bring mayhem, danger, and potential destruction for the community and possibly but hasn't played since she was a young woman whose love for the game was crushed before she ever got comfortable

As he always seems to do, Patrick Radden Keefe takes a complex, tangled situation and shapes it into There are so many branches of this story, and so many complicated implications of the main players’ actions Hands (Nora Beady #3) by Audrey Blake I love historical fiction about female physicians before this was common I love how Blake shapes a story in which privileged education comes up against gritty, real-world life

difficult truth-telling among characters, the chances for newly imagined second chances, and the stories of complicated

have time to become invested in SecUnit's charges so that their need to find safety felt immediate and compelling I adored the scenes in which MurderBot communicated with a preteen and MurderBot's perfectly astute assessment

He also unravels a complicated web of lies and discovers the extent of Zac’s alter ego, including a sometimes-Russian As he always seems to do, Patrick Radden Keefe takes a complex, tangled situation and shapes it into There are so many branches of this story, and so many complicated implications of the main players’ actions

I love historical fiction about female physicians before this was common; Nora is a willful, clever woman I love a story about a female doctor before that was common; I love the way Audrey Blake weaves in rich details of life in the time; I love how Blake shapes a story in which privileged education comes up Nora's husband and adoptive father are also physicians, and there is a sense of community as they collaborate

in Martha Wells's Murderbot science fiction series, Platform Decay, in which SecUnit is tasked with complicated

This short novel explores an alternate-history, near-future, post-war San Francisco in which robots come In a San Francisco of the near future, a group of deactivated robots come back online in an abandoned I can't wait to read more of this immersive world and of Haddon's compelling story. on leave and bleary-eyed from single-parenting her newborn, and she's questioning why she agreed to come dystopian future in which the glaciers have melted, Nonie, a young girl with a gift for feeling the water, coming

Patrick Radden Keefe takes a complex, tangled situation and shapes it into an intriguing narrative nonfiction Their lives begin to intersect in their small community, and they reluctantly become vulnerable with Blake weaves in rich details of life in the time, shows privileged education coming up against gritty

Alison experiences the classic miscommunication trope (in the vein of "I need to pursue this important communication

The combined effort of V. E.

This peek behind the scenes of a fictional 1960s sitcom is layered with the complex issues of the changing