And by happenstance, this revenge also destroys Ma's family's ability to travel to safety. In this speculative fiction story, issues of memory, creativity, wealth and power, envy, fame, self-doubt

I love love love a summer-camp story, and I loved The God of the Woods . she becomes convinced that what happened to Ruth is linked to the Florida sorority attack, and she travels I'm fascinated by a missing-persons story . The reveal of the true story behind the abductions, cruelties, and murders seemed far-fetched (every At times, particularly in the middle of the story, things felt disjointed to me and jumped around in

some great reading: compelling historical fiction based on a real-life figure; a beautiful, haunting story 01 Isola by Allegra Goodman Isola , based upon the story of a real-life sixteenth-century woman, shifts Are Rivers in the Sky  weaves together three stories set in three timelines, featuring disparate characters I love to hear people's stories, and I found all of this endearing. of detail of life at the time.

I'm fascinated by stories in which a woman poses as a man in order to achieve freedoms otherwise not In Pope Joan, Cross offers fascinating, grim, brutal details of life in the Dark Ages to bring the story includes historical events, but makes up some characters (as with Gerold, Joan's love interest in the story When her brother John is murdered in a Viking attack, Joan takes up his cloak and his identity, traveling

For my full review of this book, please see Say Nothing. 02 Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption Click here for my full review of Just Mercy. 03 The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War is a wonderfully paced and skillfully recounted Cold War-era story of spy intrigue, paranoia, bravery Thinking back on it, I was probably loopy on that front, but regardless, it is riveting reading.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Eilish Quin's upcoming debut, a retelling of the story of the most But what if that isn't the whole story of Medea, the daughter of a sea nymph and granddaughter of a Titan by the elusive fox gods--and he feels tantalizingly close to making contact with them for the first time But Snow is hunting the killer of her child, and Snow and Bao will travel through China and Japan on

; and I'm reading Lisa Wingate's Oklahoma story told in two timelines 90 years apart, Shelterwood . Which means traveling together to a tropical island for his sister's wedding, pretending to be soulmates Perfect for Summer Reading , and Six More Great Light Fiction Stories . 02 Moonbound by Robin Sloan I can't wait to figure out how each of the story's seemingly disparate pieces fit together. For Bossy reviews of Western stories, check out the books listed here .

Isabella Bird's nonfiction account of her 1873 travels through the rugged, wondrous American West is characters she encounters in the west combined with her mix of no-nonsense practicality and ambitious traveling you might also be interested in the novels on the Greedy Reading Lists Six Great Historical Fiction Stories

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading A Rip Through Time, the first in Kelley Armstrong's time-travel second novel from the author of Shuggie Bain, which won the 2020 Booker Prize, Douglas Stuart offers the story captivated so far. 03 Tokyo Dreaming (Tokyo Ever After #2) by Emiko Jean In Emiko Jean's young adult story time. In Tokyo Dreaming, we pick up the story with Izzy dating her gorgeous bodyguard boyfriend, living with

the interconnectedness of grief, love, community, and nature in this heartwarming literary fiction story story. story involves time travel, but it's primarily about deep human connections, complete with fantastic They're from other times in history. For my full review, please see The Ministry of Time.

It's time for the foooood books! memoir, I love reading about people doing what they love, I love good food, and I love reading the stories Bourdain does have sordid tales to tell, but he seems less puffed up over his kitchen war stories after before I spent endless evenings happily watching multiple television series featuring Anthony Bourdain traveling 04 A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg "When Molly Wizenberg's

Norse-inspired fantasy saga; a fun young adult, queer, medieval adventure romance; and a heartwarming, offbeat story The story also explores Dave's and his mother's personal, individual paths through various experiences The story is always shifting--shaped by betrayals and the flipped script when fate and destiny aren't by spending time with feline companions. If you're looking for more heartwarming stories, you might like my Bossy reviews of books like these

The pacing flagged for me throughout the middle of the story, during the slog through various avenues Woolever also recounts her time as assistant to the kind, passionate Tony Bourdain until the time of I was most interested in the travel, food-focused writing, eating accounts, and breakneck-speed, often But in Parry's novel he must also reckon with his fantastical origin story. This took me out of the story and killed the momentum for me as a reader.

peek into the life of a paramedic; a horrifying look at a cluster of serial killers; the fascinating story In John Green's nonfiction book Everything Is Tuberculosis, he tells his story of befriending a young title was one of My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads across all genres. 04 A Marriage at Sea: A True Story Sophie Elmhirst revisits a decades-old true story that she crafts like fiction, skillfully using dry The story's pacing doesn't flag, although the tale sets a slower tempo as Maurice and Maralyn settle

I love a book set in the wild (Peter Heller's novels The River and The Guide come to mind as favorites Much of the story takes place in an Idaho forest, and it made me reminisce about my college summer spent The story is more of a thriller than a mystery; after a time we aren't wondering what happened, rather

Reading Now I'm listening to Sarah Rees Brennan's darkly playful dive into life as a villain in a fantasy story 01 Long Live Evil (Time of Iron #1) by Sarah Rees Brennan I love a story that flips a traditional setup But wars are being waged, and Rae quickly figures out that she's not the heroine of the story. Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway I love a North-Carolina-set story, and Joy Callaway's historical For more North Carolina stories, check out the books on this Bossy list .

The story presents Charlotte Holmes, a clever, forward-thinking, independent woman trapped in the Victorian Because a Victorian woman could not independently travel to visit witnesses--nor could she openly question romantic spark between Charlotte and a longtime friend, Lord Ingram, offers a different angle to the story I love that the title is a play on the Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes story A Study in Scarlet. The intersection of scandal, virtue, power, and perception in the place and time in which the story takes

The story is dark, nerve-racking, irreverent, tragic, and poignant. Late in the story a fateful connection made the story really take off and feel meaningful. dark humor, a haunting thread of tragedy, some irreverence, strange and off-balance moments, and a story For the majority of the novel I felt as though I appreciated the story more than I was taken in by it For me, the book really took off and intrigued me once Cyrus traveled to New York to visit an artist

True Biz is a coming-of-age story that also explores the importance society places on language; past Straub offers a story that plays with time, explores sentimental moments, offers do-overs, and sweeps I am a huuuuuuge fan of books that play with time, and Straub offers up all the best parts of a time-travel The story offers up lots of loving moments as well as perfectly imperfect decisions and mistakes. Second-Chance, Do-Over, Reliving-Life Stories.

01 Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn This fun, darkly funny, feminist story about a retiring Shapiro's fascinating book Inheritance. 03 Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Kingsolver offers an epic story extreme poverty in Victorian England inspired him to highlight its cruel impacts on children in his story The story comes alive through the little moments Keegan highlights; while she explores decisions often aims to answer questions that have been frequently posed to her, along the way sharing more of the story

01 Sandwich by Catherine Newman Sandwich is beautifully wrought story of complications and familial adoration I felt like the fascinating build-up in so many areas of the story warranted much more at the novel's The story and its characters feel unexpected and fascinating; Margo's Got Money Troubles  is an edgy my full review, check out Margo's Got Money Troubles . 04 Family Family by Laurie Frankel Frankel's story a few cases delving back into their past to set a stage for current-day events--and building a rich story

months, attempts to improve ATP ranking, sleeping on floors, and struggling to focus as a young man traveling youthful missteps, bonding (or clashing) with other players, and trying to be savvy about money, lodging, travel

01 Funny Story by Emily Henry Funny Story is the perfect rom-com read. The banter is fantastic, and I laughed many times while reading this one. For my full review of this book, please see Funny Story. 02 Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck I listened to Shark Heart: A Love Story as an audiobook. travel.

upcoming mystery Anatomy of an Alibi ; and I'm listening to Jennifer Givhan's mystery-thriller-horror story 01 Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden It was a great love story, one for the ages. Then she decided to speak her mind, write her story, and share her stories. This is her story of her pain, confusion, and reemergence as a truer version of herself. onto multiple best-of lists for 2025, and I've been in a mystery-reading mood, so I'm diving into this story

Perfect for Summer Reading , and Six More Great Light Fiction Stories 01 Funny Story by Emily Henry Funny Story  is the perfect rom-com read. The banter is fantastic, and I laughed many times while reading this one. For my full review of this book, please see Funny Story . Which means traveling together to a tropical island for his sister's wedding, pretending to be soulmates

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading the story of an heiress turned abandoned orphan, based on a real-life Isola is inspired by the story of a real-life sixteenth-century heroine. I fell in love with Ann Liang's fake-dating young adult novel This Time It's Real , read it in one rainy Find You   here and my review of Liang's young-adult historical fiction fantasy novel A Song to Drown Rivers Jonathan Haidt uses his decades of research into moral psychology to address the reasoning between a timely

Kennedy draws the reader into the specific place and time of the story, vividly building the constant heart of the book and is the center of the wheel of characters rotating around her, yet little page time Late in the story a fateful connection made the story really take off and feel meaningful. The book really took off and intrigued me once Cyrus traveled to New York to visit an artist whose final But the story is primarily about human connections.

of which was read aloud for the (obtuse, grumpy, belligerent) poet's wife's birthday, then lost to time I’d like to shout down through a hole in the ceiling of time and advise the people of a hundred years willful march toward global destruction, our exploded population and its range on the earth, our ease of travel Early on, I found the academic focus somewhat tedious, but then the story builds into unexpected, often The story ultimately unravels messy realities, secrets, and life-and-death stakes in the past as well

Wray's story of elderly British sisters who played key roles in fighting the enemy in World War II offers Archie begins wondering about unexplained aspects of his own family history, and when he and his aunts travel The story is heartwarming, the pacing moves along in both timelines, and the characters are explored about World War II and women spies, you might also like the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Great Stories

But when the relationship falters, she flees into a marriage with a sickly traveling minister and escapes Pachinko is a sweeping generational story of hardship, sacrifice, and fifty years of Korean-Japanese In The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After , Wamariya recalls her experiences The author's tone and voice is like poetry at times, raw and spare and true. 03 In the Country We Love : My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero The heart of Diane Guerrero's story is powerful: a hardworking

provide more reflection around events as she grew older and more emotionally mature within her own story , and this is when she starts to show more vulnerability and growth--and when I felt drawn into her story 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 I love to hear people's stories, and I found all of this endearing.

postapocalyptic and dystopian books, and I think it's for the same reason I'm captivated by wartime stories 01 Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson Robots, time travel, teen angst, and this gorgeous cover The interconnected stories here are made up of strange, affecting situations. Characters appear in the backgrounds of others’ stories; a necklace disappears from one story in the ; and we see varied points of view regarding aspects of the same stories.

The story is a dark, moody look at the underbelly of some dark business: mistreated cattle in a slaughterhouse upsetting than any of the rest of these, by the disappearance of her youngest daughter partway through the story even mutter a telling-off) often felt like caricatures, and the novel largely felt like a young adult story or other smells; this felt a little too on the nose for me as an alert to the dark undersides to the story More Books from This Author Jennifer Givhan is also the author of River Woman, River Demon; Trinity Sight

within a story with magical realism elements and a struggle to stay true to one's self. I'm in for all Jane Harper and all Aaron Falk stories! Exiles was the right mystery at the right time for me. within a story is playful and satirical while providing deep issues to contemplate. The story culminates in tragedy or triumph, depending on your point of view.

Harrow The Everlasting  involves jaunts through multiple versions of the same story, as our fantastic the legendary Sir Una Everlasting , spindly, awkward, cowardly historian Owen Mallory unearths her story I loved this story about an expert in poisons, with banter and clever deduction in an imagined world. and outs of royal customs, adjust her practical wardrobe, and leave her personal research behind to travel You might predict that Odessa will be the unlikely heroine of this story when you find out that she has

It's a story of chosen family, a chance reunion, illuminating and poignant revelations about the past Their deep connection is immediately evident once again, and, at times with Daphne's sister Leda and The structure of the story is wonderful, tracking back in time to Daphne's childhood and the pivotal Eddie, who was essential in encouraging Daphne to dream about her future, and we hear more of his life story More Ann Patchett Books Ann Patchett is also the author of Tom Lake, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage

I did a lot of traveling and some great reading last month, but I didn't do a lot of reviewing. years away, because Rocky's menopausal rage threatens to undo any joy she might gain from spending time To save their treasured family time together, Rocky may have to share secrets she never intended to reveal Yet the cast of characters is colorful, and I enjoyed the time I spent with them. Towles's writing is so lovely, I'm willing to follow his stories and his characters anywhere.

In Darling Rose Gold, she offers readers a story involving Münchausen syndrome by proxy, lies, betrayals The characters, the story arc that isn’t too easy but leaves you in a promising place after all, and Wilson's story stars combustible children and the low-key, unambitious misfit who sticks with them, making them feel unequivocally safe and understood for the first time. Time-Travel Escapes.

Despite some of the questionable, haunting choices that are made at times in the story, I was so taken stark, beautiful, heartbreaking historical fiction tracks former Union soldier John Chenneville as he travels Check out my reviews of So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men and the short story collection Antarctica McAllister McAllister offers a smart, intriguing, twisty story that plays with time and offers second with time.

Annie, the teenaged orphan makes a questionable deal with an untrustworthy ship captain, hoping to travel Masks bestow upon the wearers the instincts, abilities, and reaction times of the animals after which

I struggled with and was also fascinated by the fact that in its original form, the story was Harry Potter pages) tracks a healer and alchemist suffering from significant memory gaps through three periods of time The heart of this story was originally a work titled Manacled , and it was dark Harry Potter fan fiction to read the origin story of Helena and Kaine, we find an unlikely love story built within a time of up the story and explores what happens to all surviving characters in the end.

Ina shares her life story, beginning with a difficult, abusive childhood, continuing to her marriage Barefoot Contessa--necessitating extended time apart from Jeffrey and, eventually, a very real scare I looked forward to getting back to this book each time I could, and I was as charmed by Ina's guileless which focuses on the famous guests on her "Be My Guest" television show, but I loved Ina's personal stories Ina reads the audiobook version of her story, and I enjoyed listening to her voice as she relates key

evangelical preacher Beth Moore's memoir, All My Knotted-Up Life ; I'm listening to Melissa Caruso's time-travel For Bossy reviews of many other books that play with time, you can check out the books and lists at this

Unusual Path: The Foursome by Christina Baker Kline Kline takes what might be a voyeuristic-feeling story The Foursome paints a fascinating story of of the uncommon family structure and its logistics. , seeming impossibilities, and outsiders' desire for salacious details in this sympathetic, layered story She is skilled at building a story within a specific place and time, and the details made this story I loved this story.

Kline takes what might be a voyeuristic-feeling story of two North Carolina sisters (distant relations conjoined twins from Siam, Chang and Eng, and builds a suitably complicated set of dynamics; a layered story Kline paints a fascinating story of of the uncommon family structure and its logistics. , seeming impossibilities, and outsiders' desire for salacious details in this sympathetic, layered story She is skilled at building a story within a specific place and time, and the details made this story

These interconnected stories are odd, fascinating, and sometimes panic-inducing, yet they offer glimmers children; hotels become elaborately designed spaces used for saying goodbye or for cremation rather than travel stays; and an irresistible, sentient pig commands its own story. Characters appear in the backgrounds of others’ stories; a necklace disappears from one story in the ; and we see varied points of view regarding aspects of the same stories.

In Emiko Jean's young adult story Tokyo Ever After, we met Izumi (Izzy) Tanaka, an everyday, average She was thrilled to travel to Japan to meet her father and the rest of her royal family for the first time. In Tokyo Dreaming, we pick up the story with Izzy dating her gorgeous bodyguard boyfriend, living with

Odysseus appears in the story, a faulted figure problematically odds with Clytemnestra and her goals. I loved this story. Most of the story moves at a healthy pace, and Clytemnestra's perspective shifts and changes as she is The "misunderstood queen" aspect of this story reminded me at times of the novel Cleopatra (although that story was modeled on a real-life queen rather than a mythological figure).

John Mandel weaves together the past, present, and future in this post-apocalyptic story about a pandemic loved him, and back and forth to the past where the actor got his start and to the future, where a traveling John Mandel's post-apocalyptic story offers various minor, intriguing aspects that come together in an I was taken with her writing style and loved how smoothly the shifts in time and chronology worked.

Blake includes wonderful scientific detail and details of life in that time. it's 1849 in London, and Nora Gibson is a female surgeon (the only female surgeon in the city) in a time 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 I finished, and Blake doesn't incorporate any awkward hearkening-back moments in order to build the story