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behind-the-scenes peek at the music business, songwriting, and the pressures of fame, layered with complications

the fantastical, frightening, brutal story of a Blackfeet man who faced death, was an outcast to his community the white men, protects buffalo calves, and observes his former tribe while remaining outside their community

builds between an injured Union soldier and the Virginia woman who secretly takes him in is touching and complicated of the household, but particularly in the case of Libby, a growing friendship adds to an i mpossibly complicated

asked his friend from college, Garrett, to look in on Cece--really intending for Cece to be positive company Charlie himself, will Cece use it as a chance to bow out, or will her determination to see through her commitment also, men are so bad at communicating, am I right?). Side note: Before the dramatic events related to the lake compound, I did at times feel impatience somewhat Finally, the story focuses on the fits and starts of a version of complicated forgiveness after years

He and Libby slowly begin to bond, but it’s an i mpossibly complicated situation. asked his friend from college, Garrett, to look in on Cece--really intending for Cece to be positive company Charlie himself, will Cece use it as a chance to bow out, or will her determination to see through her commitment

wings despite her limits--her mother's alcoholism, her father's death, and her small outer Belfast community Both the world and the characters' personal lives are complicated, messy, wonderful, and fragile. Everything Sam has stubbornly understood to be true and real is suddenly coming unfurled and undone. It's 1901, and Ada Byrd has accepted a teaching position in a rural community following a scandal and Ada begins to learn delicate secrets of those in the community even as she protects her own scandalous

With violent storms on the horizon, no line of communication open with the outside world, and enormous But regardless of their interpersonal complications, they may collectively be the only hope of saving fragile bodies but the work of lifetimes--as well as the characters' hope for the world in years to come deadly threat of deterioration of the precious, singular reserves of plant life for generations to come

devastating turns of events, the tone of the story is such that you won't wonder whether a happy ending is coming

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading comedian Zarna Garg's upcoming memoir, This American Woman ; I'm dramatically different new life in Akron, Ohio--only to reimagine her future again in midlife and become a comedian Then, on a dare, she hopped onto an open mic stage, spouted off comedic takes on her life, and the rest

the elderly Carl Iverson at a nearby nursing home, he's eager to hear Carl's life story in order to complete And his story is introducing more questions than answers for Joe--who is coping with his own complicated You might see Lila and Joe's budding love coming from a mile off (his early, eager interest in her came

the elderly Carl Iverson at a nearby nursing home, he's eager to hear Carl's life story in order to complete With violent storms on the horizon, no line of communication open, and secrets being harbored on both

This villain business is more complicated than it seems. There's crossing, double-crossing, a wonderfully savvy and knowledgeable second-in-command, nefarious world of seers, frauds, and holy men vying for the king's favor in a competition to earn a position I love a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, and while this novel isn't as layered and complex or of her dreams have come true.

heartwarming story about determination and honoring old loyalties, and it makes clear that a happy ending is coming Christina Lynch offers a playful story of Penny, an elementary schoolteacher accused of a murder she didn't commit

Christina Lynch offers a playful story of Penny, an elementary schoolteacher accused of a murder she didn't commit

I loved the headstrong, powerful but untrained main character Nahri, the complex cultural backgrounds

Whatever contract exists between human beings, a contract of decency and common humanity, they've broken It was the right book at the right time for me: entertainment in the perfect combination of action and rather than writing a book she felt compelled to put out into the world. The mind-bending examinations of what other characters might be up to and the combat and narrow escapes

belonged to Gabriel Wolfe, Beth's childhood love, and his return to town brings back long-suppressed complications Against the straightforward, duty-driven work, Hall sets a complex, twisted set of past affections, heartbreak characters who are at times wondrously stoic, and at other times act against their best interests, complicating

Jack Troy and his oldest daughter Ronnie are coping with complicated family dynamics in their drafty, During the annual, chaotic community fair preceding this holidays, which this year is a rainy business What really shines in Time of the Child  is the power of the small-town Faha community--gossipy and desperate You can click here for my review of Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy , here for my Bossy take on American developed SNL , his ups and downs, his vision, and how he created the institution that would change comedy

I didn’t feel compassion when classmates got hurt on the playground.

reading an upcoming mystery set in glamorous Capri by Katy Hays, Saltwater ; I'm listening to standup comedian Cloisters . 02 I'm Laughing Because I'm Crying: A Memoir by Youngmi Mayer Youngmi Mayer is a standup comedian She tracks her Korean heritage and her white GI father's complicated connection as part of the white I didn’t feel compassion when classmates got hurt on the playground.

librarian Jessie Carson, who traveled from the NYPL to war-torn France and introduced a novelty to communities real-life NYPL librarian Jessie Carson, and Charles tracks Carson's journey to work for the American Committee In France, Carson not only helps rebuild communities destroyed by war, but along with her ambitious, In Hanna Pylväinen's The End of Drum-Time , it's 1851 in the Arctic Circle, and a small community of This is compelling reading, and for all who consider The Sound of Music  sacred holiday viewing (and

I saw some plot points coming but not others, and a couple of essential details worked quite conveniently

Curtis Sittenfeld (and short-story) love You can click here for my review of Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy

I loved the behind-the-scenes peeks at the drama, punishing hard work, sequins, and mind games of competitive willing participant, they found unlikely avenues to training, and their connection, hard work, and talent combined narrators is extensive; the many points of view used to offer varied perspectives to past events beg comparisons

It was the right book at the right time for me: entertainment in the perfect combination of action and

explosion of smartphones and social media along with the decline of play-based childhood, and he links this combination harmful effects of excessive screentime, such as distraction and harmed attention spans as well as social comparison and while it doesn't feel revolutionary, for me its greatest worth is in providing a framework for community

In his self-banishment in remote Svalbard, his only company is the haunting, beautiful Northern Lights Any Arctic explorer or common sailor can tell you this.

I received a prepublication edition of this title, published March 4, courtesy of Little, Brown and Company

interviews with various characters that illuminate the mysterious breakup as well as the characters' complexities interviews) of the meteoric rise of a 1970s band, their mesmerizing lead singer Daisy, the group's complicated thought the interview format might possibly get tiresome, but Reid skillfully builds the story, the complex

Anabin offers them a chance to compete in magical tasks in order to reclaim their lives. The teens are trying to come to terms with what their existences might look like now, and their families I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but I also appreciate that Link didn't take an easy way

Time of the Child feels like poetry in prose form, and Williams richly shapes a small-town Irish community's Jack Troy and his oldest daughter Ronnie are coping with complicated family dynamics in their drafty, Ronnie once kept company with a young man who's now living in America--but her father disapproved, and Unbeknownst to Ronnie (she and her father live together but rarely communicate) her father is feeling During the annual, chaotic community fair preceding this holidays, which this year is a rainy business

Fargo's novel about young ice dancing champions who dramatically split--until a documentary tell-all comes The list of narrators is extensive; the many points of view may explain some comparisons of this book

February is the shortest month, but I squeezed in some great reading: compelling historical fiction based story told in three timelines; a captivating celebrity memoir from a larger-than-life performer; a comedian's Shafak makes what could have been an unwieldy or disjointed-feeling set of complex situations into a her adoration of her grandchildren, and her big, comfortable panties. She also explores the complicated Violet-Junie dynamic, in which Junie is Violet's only company for many

the end of this installment she has made her way through the nurturing link with David Geffen, her complicated

tasks, Junie feels compelled to do so. When a potential suitor for Violet and his sister come for an extended stay, he makes known his casual Erin Crosby Eckstine balances the horrors of living in an enslaved situation with the complex interpersonal She also explores the complicated Violet-Junie dynamic, in which Junie is Violet's only company for many The slow pace of uneventful Alabama life shifts dramatically when guests come to stay, and the story's

You can click here for my review of Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy , here for my Bossy take on American

A frantic search takes place, and as the locals look for Barbara, various Van Lear secrets come to light I found it satisfying to read about Pamela's growing contempt for The Defendant, her long-term commitment And they're all beginning to come out. The story takes us inside the claustrophobic, twisted, abusive, extremely disturbing compound where Ellie When she comes home alive, only Chelsey finds it strange that Ellie has left her captor and remains alive

training as a dragon rider for 18 months at Basgiath War College, but a real-life, high-stakes battle is coming highly specific Yarros sex scenes involving detailed logistics of particular body parts and passionate comments in this book, as in the first two, is the heightened drama around their relationship and their blind commitment They endanger their teams, their communities, and their dragons--which are bound to them for life--as Xaden takes an oddly backseat position for much of the book, and the loss of a key dragon to another community

He may come across to observers as dry, but he is exceptional at identifying funny talent and shaping developed SNL , his ups and downs, his vision, and how he created the institution that would change comedy Jack Troy and his oldest daughter Ronnie are coping with complicated family dynamics when an unexpected Ronnie has grown up in the shadow of her father, who has long been set apart from the community where

01 A Song to Drown Rivers by Ann Liang I love Liang's books, and this departure from her romantic comedies book doesn't seem to be leading to a too-convenient happy ending, and as expected, Liang provides a complex set of conflicts to consider at the story's close: duty, corrupt power, the suffering of the common I loved reading as the children come into themselves--in fits and starts--as young adults, and I came The main protagonist's focus in her work is Commander Graham Gore (a character based upon a real figure

I had unreasonable hopes for gaining compassionate understanding of disparate political views through And once I was no longer angry, I was no longer committed to reaching the conclusion that righteous anger misinformation, antagonism, dismissiveness, and mutual contempt, 2012 Haidt couldn't imagine what was to come drive moral judgments, and why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians may use the same facts to come But things have become more charged and more complicated since the book's publication.

This slim, debut novel about a small-town community in northern Maine introduces various faulted, interconnected The loss impacts almost every member of the community, and secrets come to light that affect many in We also meet young Gregory, a promisingly complex character and unlikely hero who uses food as a crutch His lifelong friendship with Angela is compromised when handsome Henry captures her attention--but Gregory In this debut novel, which runs just 250 pages, Shannon Bowring dives into the small town's complex,

Comedian Leanne Morgan's memoir traces her path from an attention-seeking, beloved young girl to a young 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.

mysterious man in the Alaskan wilderness by a favorite author, Eowyn Ivey; I'm listening to Southern comic Arthur, a recluse who only comes into town at the change of seasons--and who others avoid as actively Unexpected Curveballs and Beautiful Blessings by Leanne Morgan Leanne Morgan hit it big as a middle-aged comic person who brought her to the house has disappeared, and Morning House has a gruesome history that's coming

01 Sandwich by Catherine Newman Sandwich is beautifully wrought story of complications and familial adoration After weeks in the wild, they're shocked to come upon a town that's been blown apart. Jess and Storey's situation becomes more and more complicated as they encounter survivors--some with Margo is a 19-year-old community college student having an affair with her married professor. When she shares her frank thoughts about the complex issues surrounding unplanned pregnancy, a storm

Narin's story, aside from modern modes of travel and communication, feels like a tragedy pulled from escalation of force, Isis brings centuries-old hatred to trap and murder innocent Yazidis, eradicating communities Shafak makes what could have been an unwieldy or disjointed-feeling set of complex situations into a

Mona Eltahawy encourages women and girls to practice an out-loud version of owning their power, by committing

on leave and bleary-eyed from single-parenting her newborn, and she's questioning why she agreed to come By the end of the book he is satisfyingly resolved, stronger, and accepting of his complicated fate. You probably haven’t met one before, coming as you do from this backward place, but it’s like a man only But Kellen's magic hasn't come in--and he fears that it never will. I can't wait to see him come into his own in book two.

Nonie is the young protagonist of this stark climate-change dystopian future, in which her small community dystopian future in which the glaciers have melted, Nonie, a young girl with a gift for feeling the water, coming carry a book holding precious history preserved from Amen, and on their journey they encounter a few communities

By the end of the book he is satisfyingly resolved, stronger, and accepting of his complicated fate. You probably haven’t met one before, coming as you do from this backward place, but it’s like a man only But Kellen's magic hasn't come in--and he fears that it never will. and his loyalty to get by, he finds himself discovering uncomfortable truths about his family and his community I can't wait to see him come into his own in book two.