I loved Sunny's body positivity and her self-made-woman status. I didn't fully buy into one of her love interests but was hooked on the peeks behind the scenes of the fashion industry. Sunny Greene is a 35-year-old, recently divorced head of her own PR firm. She's struggling to find clothing to complement her plus-sized figure, and she's determined not to go to her little brother's pending wedding without a date. She's got deeply loyal and inspiring newly divorced friends to lean on, a body- and sex-positive lifestyle, and some tantalizing dating prospects. So why can't she simply shake off the fact that nothing in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit section comes even close to fitting a woman over a size 10? The body-positivity in Sunny Side Up was a highlight, as was the group of Sunny's bright, supportive fellow divorcee friends (and her mentee at work), but the standout for me here was the peek into the fashion industry as Sunny continually Handles It and makes her dreams come true--thereby also taking care of fashion-conscious plus-sized women everywhere. The voicing of her Queens-native love interest didn't ring true to me, and while he was very nice, I was partially turned off by his many corny jokes, which didn't land for me. Her ex is purely selfish and easy to detest, and another love interest turns out to be more focused on money than Sunny herself. Ultimately, Sunny listens to her inner voice and doesn't settle for anyone who wants her to be less than she is. I loved Sunny's independence, savvy abilities, strong will, and, of course, her fashion sense. More about Sunny I received an audiobook version of Sunny Side Up courtesy of Libro.fm and   Macmillan Audio. Katie Sturino is a body-acceptance advocate who is also the author of Body Talk: How to Embrace Your Body and Start Living Your Best Life.

I loved the premise, in which a golden girl and barrel-racer returns home to small-town Wyoming to figure out her future. I was looking for more assertiveness from Emmy and less of a dynamic in which 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" Ryder is the golden girl of Meadowlark, Wyoming. Her unexpected return to her hometown delights her sassy best friend, protective older brothers, grizzled and loving father, and the rest of the town. But Emmy hasn't told anyone that her ADHD impulsiveness led her to pack up and leave her barrel-racing career after a bad fall that shook her confidence and made her question everything in her life--except her home, Meadowlark. Luke Brooks is a local bar owner, a recognized womanizer, Emmy's brother's longtime best friend, and an honorary member of the Ryder family. He and Emmy have always irritated each other, and their age difference meant they were in different worlds as teenagers. But Luke and Emmy are older and wiser than when they last saw each other--and Luke and his muscle tees seem to be cropping up everywhere these days. Can Emmy overcome her secret fears of riding and get back to her love of horses again? And in the meantime, can Luke help get her mind off her troubles with his handsome face and irresistible bad-boy attitude? I love the novel's p remise, in which Emmy returns home to rethink her life and figure out her future while working hard and getting back to her roots. The family r anch is an irresistible setting for potentially entertaining dynamics with her brothers and father, and for outdoorsy activity and tough-girl demonstrations of knowledge and ability as Emmy gets back on her feet. The men in Done and Dusted , particularly Luke, are largely determined to show that they are capable and in charge, strut their muscles, and save little ladies from themselves. This is not a dynamic I'm totally comfortable with, but I loved the promise of Emmy's reinvigorated, independent new outlook--and I acknowledge that a rugged ranch setting might very well involve strong characters demonstrating their strength. Spoiler: there are, fairly promptly in the book, highly detailed intimate scenes between Luke and Emmy. And within these (then also within everyday encounters), Luke frequently calls Emmy "Sugar." This seems like a minor point, but it felt both condescending and potentially (creepily) fatherly to me within their very verbal sexual encounters--and unfortunately, it comes up often. I'm not looking to nitpick sex scenes, but Luke felt so immediately bossy and in charge during their passionate encounters (while making demands of "Sugar"), I was instantly annoyed. I was looking for more of Emmy's assertiveness and hoped for a turning of the tables. Ultimately their dynamic feels egalitarian in the bedroom--and if he is more domineering, Emmy's fine with it. But Luke's desire continues to seem to be centered around dominating her, what she can do for him, and pushing her to tell him how much she wants all of this, versus his focusing on serving Emmy, and I was increasingly irritated by this. For example, his fantasies upon seeing her wearing red lipstick take an instantaneous, (for me) alarmingly dominating turn, and I strongly wanted him to take it down a notch in general. It's possible that I might  have processed the sexual and general power dynamic more generously if I'd realized that Sage envisioned Luke Brooks as a grown-up Tim Riggins-type of character ( Friday Night Lights ), which she mentions in her notes at the end. (But even so, the "Sugar" nickname was a nonstarter for me.) It's not fair for me to want a Western romance to be less romance and more Western, but I did, and even more so, I wished that Emmy held more of her fate in her own hands. The trauma of Emmy's getting back on a horse feels quite easily addressed--and, somewhat unsatisfyingly, the transformation from fear to confidence largely relies upon Luke. I yearned for Emmy to take charge of facing her own horse-related fears, ideally while taking charge of Luke in private moments, but this isn't quite the dynamic Sage builds in the novel. Yet Done and Dusted is entertaining, spicy, and sets up a long-term Emmy-Luke romance. I read Done and Dusted  as an audiobook. There are three more books in this series. For more romantic books you might like, please check out the books at this link . And for Western books I've liked, check out these titles .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Molly Jong-Fast's memoir about her tumultuous relationship with her mother and other challenges, How to Lose Your Mother ; I'm listening to Lyla Sage's Western rom-com, the first in a series, Done and Dusted ; and I'm reading Elspeth Barker's modern literary fiction classic, O Caledonia . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter's Memoir by Molly Jong-Fast Molly Jong-Fast is a podcaster and political writer--and the only child of the feminist icon Erica Jong. Molly found herself yearning for more time with her busy, glamorous mother. Erica was focused on basking in the success of her book Fear of Flying , and Molly spied her mother in magazines, on TV, but rarely at their home. In 2023, Erica was diagnosed with dementia, and Molly's husband was diagnosed with a rare cancer. How to Lose Your Mother is a poignant, sharp, darkly funny memoir of a challenging, volatile relationship, and when faced with loss, accepting other's limitations and facing what feels like the impossible: letting go. I received a prepublication version of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Viking Books. 02 Done and Dusted (Rebel Blue Ranch #1) by Lyla Sage In the first book in Lyla Sage's modern-day Western romance series, Clementine "Emmy" Ryder is the golden girl of Meadowlark, Wyoming. Her unexpected return to her hometown delights her sassy best friend, protective older brothers, grizzled and loving father, and the rest of the town. But Emmy hasn't told anyone that her ADHD impulsiveness led her to pack up and leave her barrel-racing career after a bad fall that shook her confidence and made her question everything in her life--except her home, Meadowlark. Luke Brooks is a bar owner, womanizer, Emmy's brother's longtime best friend, and an honorary member of the Ryder family. But Luke and Emmy are older and wiser than when they last saw each other--and Luke and his muscles seem to be cropping up everywhere these days. Can Luke help Emmy overcome her fears of riding and get back to her love of horses again? And in the meantime, can he help get her mind off her troubles with his handsome face and irresistible bad-boy attitude? I'm reading Done and Dusted as an audiobook. There are three more books in this series. 03 O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker I bought O Caledonia at Powell's Books the last time I visited my best friend in Oregon and am finally reading this modern classic. Barker's novel features Janet, a misunderstood, mocked, badly treated young woman coming of age in a family of obtuse, rigid, unkind members living in a gothic, ramshackle castle in Scotland. Janet's only ally is her eccentric old Aunt Lila, who is herself powerless and in danger of being thrust from the family. Boarding school leads to further ostracization and irritating demands upon her time, when she'd prefer to lose herself in literature and avoid social interaction altogether. This is darkly funny, with a surprisingly startling and tragic setup and an immersive, atmospheric story that follows.

The Summer Favorites These titles aren't classic, light "summer reads," but they were my favorite reads from a summer past, and they all stand the test of time. In case you missed them the first time around, I'm reposting them as this summer begins so you can add to your to-read list at will. If you've read any of these, I'd love to hear what you think! For classic light fiction and rom-com titles that are also great for summer reading, check out these titles and Bossy reviews . 01 The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett Bennett explores the complicated implications of perception as reality when it comes to race and its meaning. In The Vanishing Half , Bennett follows the history of the fictional Vignes twins, Desiree and Stella, as they grow up in a town made up of those who identify as light-skinned black people. As teenagers they run from a prescribed future as maids in the small town, where tragedy in the form of evil white men took their father from them and left their mother scrambling to provide for them. Upon reaching freedom, their paths diverge. One twin secretly passes at work for white, then vanishes into a life based upon this premise. The other twin marries a dark-skinned black man and lives as a black woman. The book explores the complicated implications of perception as reality when it comes to race and its meaning; the subjectivity of and intense power within race labels; and the tension of living under false pretenses. For my full review, see The Vanishing Half . 02 Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland Atlantic City just before WWII, with its giant hotels, piers, and general hubbub, is the backdrop for the story of a few summer months in the life of an extended family. I loved watching the story's events unfold in this lovely debut from Rachel Beanland. Florence Adler Swims Forever , the story of a few summer months in the life of an extended family--including a stolid patriarch and matriarch, a free-spirited daughter, a spunky and fantastic granddaughter Gussie, a daughter with another grandchild on the way, a deadbeat son-in-law, and family friends to round out the group. There’s an undercurrent of concern about Hitler and his increasingly punitive behavior toward Jewish families’ businesses and emigration in Germany. I loved watching the book’s events unfold—even if I could predict some of them. Anything that was wrapped up a little too neatly didn’t bother me at all; I was all in and satisfied. Beanland based some of the basic events of her debut novel on her ancestors’ experiences, which I thought was fascinating but didn't realize until the end. Click here for my full review of Florence Adler Swims Forever . 03 Blacktop Wasteland by S. A. Cosby This is a fantastic blend of realistic complications, mistakes, adjustments, and spunk. It's action-packed yet character driven. Bug is a respectable business owner nowadays with a family. But some old acquaintances show up with an idea that might offer some financial breathing room--if the others on the job can keep their heads on straight, and that's looking like a big if . Blacktop Wasteland took a little while to get going for me, but just shy of halfway through, the setup is complete and the action starts singing along. I'm not inherently interested in the preparation and modification of vehicles or in skillful evasive driving, but I was all in for S.A. Cosby's writing about all of it. Bug is a wonderfully faulted character. who when not in crisis takes stock of himself and aims to be a better person. He's forced to consider what loyalty means, and to face how dark the path ahead might become when the bad guys are truly evil, very powerful, and the stakes couldn't be much higher. The ending of Blacktop Wasteland is a little abrupt and opaque, but not without hope. See my full review of Blacktop Wasteland here . 04 Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell In Utopia Avenue , Mitchell takes us through the twists and turns of a fictional psychedelic British sixties band on its rocky rise to popularity. Utopia Avenue explores the band members' crises, joys, fears, and triumphs. Mitchell made me care about a singer connecting with an audience, the cathartic heartbreak-writing of songs, and the magic spark of a performance. The book contains endless imagined cameos, fictional adventures, and gems of wisdom from real-life musicians like David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia, and members of the Rolling Stones--not to mention wild parties, betrayals, leaps of faith, breakups, and tragedy. But Mitchell expertly builds the band members into rich characters you're rooting for through their individual ups and downs as well as through the triumphs and setbacks of the band Utopia Avenue. Mitchell doesn't provide too easy or neat of an ending to this weird and wonderful book, but it felt fitting and left me satisfied. This was a really captivating story that kept me intrigued throughout. For my full review of Utopia Avenue , please click here . 05 When These Mountains Burn by David Joy Joy offers an often dark work of Southern literary fiction through which bubbles of hope emerge. Ray has outlived his beloved wife in the mountains of North Carolina. He has a precious old girl of a dog, a fascination with (and healthy fear of) coyotes, a love of reading, and a no-nonsense manner that makes clear he doesn't brook fools. He has almost resigned himself to the heartbreaking idea that his addict son is too lost to be saved. There's an undercover cop nearby who's trying to help take down a robust drug ring, and then there's Ray, who uses old-fashioned methods and his knowledge of mountain terrain to address injustices in a straightforward way. When These Mountains Burn isn't always easy to read, but it isn't over the top, and Joy's characters are fascinatingly faulted and keep you humming right along. I read this in 24 hours while wishing I were making it last longer. For my full review of When These Mountains Burn , click here . 06 This Is All He Asks of You by Anne Egseth Luna has a unique and lovely voice and is an irresistibly odd bird of a twelve-year-old girl. I read this book years ago and still think of it fondly. I just loved This Is All He Asks of You. Luna stumbles into encounters that shape her life dramatically, in unorthodox and heartbreakingly meaningful ways. She is facing her mother’s decline in health and exploring her own identity and meaning in her life, and she shapes her sometimes practical but often mystical thoughts and reflections through writing letters to her father, who she has never met, in the conversational tone of a pen pal writing to someone who will love her and her words unconditionally. I simultaneously wanted to scoop up Luna and take care of her and to follow the lead of this wise-beyond-her-years, intensely spiritual young person. She has a unique and lovely voice and is an irresistibly odd bird of a twelve-year-old girl. For my full review of This Is All He Asks of You , click here .

Ocean Vuong's literary fiction offers unexpected bonds between characters coping with desperation, addiction, lies, hunger, and past tragedies in this examination of societal ills that doesn't offer easy resolutions for the story's protagonists. He was nineteen, in the midnight of his childhood and a lifetime from first light. He had not been forgiven and neither are you. Nineteen-year-old Hai is standing on the edge of a bridge in the industrial town of East Gladness, Connecticut, feeling that he's out of options and ready to end it all. But Grazina, an elderly widow who lives next to the bridge, calls him down, and the two strike up a friendship. Grazina is suffering from dementia, and Hai, whose prospects are slim, jumps at the chance to become Grazina's caretaker, have a roof over his head, and befriend Grazina. It's an unorthodox situation, and Hai is far from fallible when it comes to being tempted by medications and cash, but he is an imperfectly perfect friend to Grazina. He dives into her perceived reality and actively participates within it in order to calm her down; he buys her favorite frozen food and supervises her meds; and he cares for her more deeply and frequently than her own son. Issues of memory, chosen family, history, loneliness, and love shape Vuong's novel, and the author forces readers to confront uncomfortable realities of low wages and desperation; addiction and limited recovery resources; and significant consequences of mistakes that can't be glossed over. The section on hog butchering may be an eye opener for anyone (anyone?) who doubts that industry's brutality. The scenes here were so extended, they felt like a jumbled departure from the rest of the storyline, and they were so detailed, they felt gratuitously violent and seemed clearly intended to manipulate emotions and set readers on edge. "You know, I've been cutting up these hogs for three years now. I don't regret none of it. They were born to die. And I'm just a hammer. Somebody else is using the hammer, I know that. I just don't know if it's that dude up there...or the motherfucker down here." The novel offers a powerful examination of a group of minimum-wage earners and their inability to make ends meet--and, in this story, their deep bonding to each other across differences in race, age, gender, past experiences, and sexuality. The unexpected bonds that form throughout the book, both at the fictional fast-food chain HomeMarket and beyond, give the story heart and poignancy. This is literary fiction with a bite; Vuong's prose is often luminous or gritty, and the author doesn't pretend to have easy answers for the beleaguered main protagonist or his fellow humans in this messy world. The long-ago brutal death of a young woman in the town was introduced early but faded in weight in what felt like a deliberate take on our society's growing callousness to violence and loss. The story ends with some satisfying resolutions, but other characters' lives remain suitably complicated and in some cases persistently tragic. More from Ocean Vuong Ocean Vuong is also the author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous , Night Sky with Exit Wounds , Time Is a Mother , and other books.

Katherine Center's sweet rom-com about a video producer and her reluctant hero of a subject is set against the colorful backdrop of Key West. The appealingly playful love story incorporates issues of body image, job insecurity, and past tragedy in a lighthearted and charming novel. Katie Vaughn has been single for a year, since her former fianc é , an up-and-coming musician, hit it big and then very publicly cheated on her with a pop star. She's a mid-level video producer on the verge of a layoff--unless she accepts a job in which she documents the life of Coast Guard rescue swimmer Hutch Hutcheson, an everyday hero who rose to fame when he happened to save Jennifer Aniston's golden retriever. And he's not interested in being filmed. He lives in Key West, and much of the footage will be taken in and around the water. Katie doesn't disclose that she can't swim, but surely there will be precautions taken, life vests forthcoming, and she can probably even film from the deck of the boat...right? The banter made me laugh at times, and I bought the attraction between Katie and Hutch, as well as the "reasons" (all solvable, folks!) that they must not be together. Katie's evolution in considering and coping with body image issues felt valuable and compelling. Supporting characters are great, colorful, and add nice layers of interconnectedness to the story. While the roadblock issue of not swimming is easily resolved (in convenient fashion, so that the two main protagonists can spend time together), a bigger, more problematic secret emerges to keep the tension going. The famous ex fades away as an issue as the story goes on. The crisis that forms toward the end felt over the top and drawn out, with a rom-com-easy resolution, but by that point I was ready for anything Center was throwing my way. This is not a racy book, and the attraction and relationship are focused on emotions and wanting to be together without being swoony or angsty. I received a prepublication version of this title (which was published May 20) courtesy of NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. More Katherine Center and Rom-Com Love Katherine Center is also the author of The Rom-Commers , Hello Stranger , What You Wish For , Things You Save in a Fire , The Bodyguard , and other books.

I was taken with the premise of conflicts and mystery in a post-colonial West African city, but I didn't feel very connected to or invested in the fantastical elements or the revelations around them in this slow build of a novel. In Tochi Onyebuchi's fantasy mystery, main protagonist Boubacar is a war veteran and a private investigator whose cases have been few and far between for a while now. But when a young woman shows up bleeding at his home, then mysteriously disappears, he is shocked into action and determined to find out what's going on. He must delve into his own past connections and dredge up painful, complex past dynamics and loyalties, while forming an unlikely alliance with a young, scrappy thief and imagining an unorthodox future. Harmattan Season  is a dark, broody, mysterious fantasy story that takes place in an unnamed city in post-colonial West Africa, with tensions between the indigenous dugulen and the French at the forefront. Bouba himself is part of both worlds, a "deux-fois," half French and half dugulen. His ability to pass in and out of each circle allows him insights and knowledge--but also invites assumptions and criticism from both groups. "Harmattan season" refers to a months-long time that spans the end of one year and beginning of the next, when dry, sandy winds blow into West Africa from the Sahara Desert. Bouba's current-day situation is similarly fraught and difficult. As Bouba explores recent mysterious events, he realizes that the upcoming election is corrupt and has been secured with bribery and violence. He's reliving his own past missteps and crimes that occurred in the name of duty. And he's horrified that the inexplicable explosions and floating bodies in the sky aren't caused by bombs, but are powered by elements and powers more sinister, base, and brutal than he could have imagined. I was taken with the premise of this novel, but I found the revelations slow, and I because Bouba comprehended little of what was occurring for the majority of the book, his scope felt small and constrained. The denouements felt somewhat tedious to me, and the fantastical aspects (the floating buildings and bodies) were an aspect that felt disjointed from the heart of the story. I had to push myself to finish this one. I listened to this as an audiobook. More about Tochi Onyebuchi Onyebuchi is also the author of Riot Baby and Goliath .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Tochi Onyebuchi's dark, broody fantasy mystery, Harmattan Season ; I'm listening to Katie Sturino's upcoming rom-com with body positivity at the center, Sunny Side Up ; and I'm reading Janelle Brown's recently published novel, What Kind of Paradise . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Harmattan Season by Tochi Onyebuchi In Tochi Onyebuchi's newest fantasy mystery novel, main protagonist Boubacar is a war veteran and a private investigator whose cases have been few and far between for a while now. But when a young woman shows up bleeding at his home, then mysteriously disappears, he is shocked into action and determined to find out what's going on. Harmattan Season is a dark, broody, mysterious fantasy story that takes place in post-colonial West Africa, with tensions between the indigenous dugulen and the French at the forefront. Onyebuchi is also the author of Riot Baby and Goliath . I'm listening to this as an audiobook. 02 Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino Sunny Greene is a 35-year-old, recently divorced head of her own PR firm. She's struggling to find clothing to complement her plus-sized figure, and she's determined not to go to her little brother's pending wedding without a date. She's got deeply loyal and inspiring newly divorced friends to lean on, a body- and sex-positive lifestyle, and some tantalizing dating prospects. So why can't she simply shake off the fact that nothing in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit section comes even close to fitting a woman over a size 10? I received an audiobook version of Sunny Side Up , which is scheduled for publication in all formats June 24, courtesy of Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio. 03 What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown The first thing you have to understand is that my father was my entire world. Jane doesn't remember living in the Bay area, where her mother died. She doesn't remember life with electricity, or neighbors, or technology. In mid-1990s rural Montana, Jane only knows the books her father gives her instead of sending her to school, the woodstove that provides lifesaving heat, and the peacefulness of the familiar woods. But when Jane becomes a teenager and starts to push her father for freedom--and for answers--she begins to understand that their life has been built on tragedy and lies. I received a prepublication version of this title, published June 3, courtesy of NetGalley and Random House. Janelle Brown is also the author of Pretty Things and other novels.

The Robot Books It's been a long time since I've talked about science fiction and robot stories. I just love a good artificial intelligence or robot-focused story that explores what it means to be human--and allows creatures existing outside of that designation to puzzle over what makes humans tick. If you like books like this, you might also want to check out the Greedy Reading List Six Great Books about Robots, Humans and Alien Life, and AI . And you can find Bossy science-fiction favorites at this link . Have you read any of these books? Which other books should I add to my to-read robot book list? 01 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers Chambers's science fiction is full of heart, heartbreak, and hope--with a fascinating backdrop of space travel and interspecies relations. This is one of two Becky Chambers books on this short list. In The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet , the first science fiction title in Becky Chambers's Wayfarers series, young Rosemary feels lucky to have landed the job of clerk for the quirky, ragtag, but welcoming crew of the Wayfarer ship. The group is made up of various creatures from around the galaxy, and they've already built bonds through working together for ages. Yet they make room in the mix for Rosemary, who's grateful--and who's frankly glad to leave her significant personal troubles behind. Chambers's story is science fiction that's full of heart, heartbreak, and hope. The book feels much more focused on the characters--with a backdrop of space travel and otherworldly creatures--than on exploration or adventure. Much of the story is about acceptance and openness and finding ways to get along. Interspecies relations are prickly, comfortable, romantic, puzzling, or all of the above. I love that the crew of the Wayfarer feels like a close-knit group of summer camp counselors somehow, palling around, sometimes irritating each other, each with special gifts and the ability and desire to help crewmates reach their full potentials, emotionally or otherwise. I just adored this. For my full review, check out The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet . 02 Annie Bot by Sierra Greer This story features supporting AI and robot characters in an intriguing futuristic setting. Lora Beth Johnson hooked me immediately with the premise of Goddess in the Machine and with main protagonist Andra's voice. Teenage Andra wakes up after being cryogenically preserved for a century-long journey to a new planet. She's a little creaky and sore, sure, but she's ready to be reunited with the team, which includes her mother and the rest of her family, plus many others involved in the complex project. They'll begin the work of bravely populating and building a society on this new planet. But Andra soon realizes she wasn't sleeping for 100 years. She was asleep for 1,000. The people, terrain, and language are not what she studied for or expected, everyone she once knew has already lived and died--oh, and the general population, whoever they are, thinks she's a goddess, and they've been waiting excitedly for her to wake up and save them. There's a twist/double twist in Goddess in the Machine that I didn't see coming, and I found the whole story compelling. For my full review, please see Goddess in the Machine . The sequel to this book is Devil in the Device . 03 Nightwatch on the Hinterlands by K. Eason An unlikely pair who get on each other's nerves work together to determine who is responsible for a puzzling murder and other strange occurrences that threaten their world. In K. Eason's science fiction mystery Nightwatch on the Hinterlands , a templar, Iari, and a spy, Gaer, have built a somewhat formal working relationship. Neither is quite sure where the other's loyalties begin and end, nor are they intimately acquainted with the other's history or personal motivations. They begin to forge a stronger bond (despite how irritating they each find the other), but there's no time to waste, because high-stakes danger is quickly building to a crisis point around them. Searching for the truth leads the unlikely duo on a search to uncover who is controlling a riev that shouldn't have been capable of killing, but did--and they're led to someone with nefarious goals that go much farther and are much more elaborately imagined than one isolated killing. I think this was because of personal timing and my reading-during-vacation distraction circumstances, but I did have ongoing trouble following the logistics and political machinations and motivations here. It didn't matter, though, because I was most invested in and engaged by the interplay of characters--particularly the grudging friendship and grumpily built but rock-solid loyalty between Iari and Gaer. And I was wholly charmed by the rievs (former battle robots) who mysteriously show sentience and surprising preferences for personal pronouns, and who are set on reinventing themselves in drastic fashion. Click here for my full review of Nightwatch on the Hinterlands . 04 August Kitko and the Mechas from Space (Starmetal Symphony #1) by Alex White White's first Starmetal Symphony installment offers deadly deep-space robots, showcases the power of music, and illustrates how love can persist even in the face of imminent demise. I loved the main characters' fashion, banter, and stubbornness. Gus is a jazz pianist whose biggest hope for the pending end of the world was to play at the most epic goodbye party of all time. After all, the Vanguards, giant, deadly AI robots, are headed from deep space to destroy Earth at any moment. But when the Vanguards arrive, the sudden, brutal ending Gus has envisioned for himself doesn't happen. Instead, Gus and a few other Earthlings are pulled in by a small group of traitorous Vanguards--and tasked with being modified, temporarily melded with the robots, battling other robots--and saving all of humanity. The robots and the imminent demise of the human race that the robots seem perched to enact serve as a catalyst for the human main characters to assess their own purposes and consider what makes life worth living. They forge desperate, deep connections and struggle with loss and an uncertain future, and I loved the impractical, invigorating, stubborn love in the book. I really enjoyed Alex White's Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe , the first in the Salvagers series. Click here for my full review of August Kitko and the Mechas from Space . 05 Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter Lostetter's standalone science fiction is a story about robots, a ragtag space crew, friends like family, and reimagining one's place in the universe. Activation Degradation  begins with Unit Four's initial activation. It has just become sentient, and like its robot sisters, it has been programmed to fight the aliens currently attacking its ship. But whether it's a glitch or instincts that shouldn't be possible, Unit Four realizes that the situation as its handler has explained it doesn't quite add up. When Unit Four is taken onto the enemy alien ship as a prisoner and is unable to communicate with its handler, it begins to understand that all is not black and white, and that it may need to rethink all it has been taught to believe. Lostetter's book started off with a lot of logistics that slowed things for me, but as of page 66 the action and character development and exploration of morality and friendship and life purpose began clicking along. Activation Degradation  explores what makes a person worth saving--or simply existing--as well as unconventional love and relationships, personal responsibility, sacrifice and bravery, and staying open to revolutionarily new ideas and ways of looking at the world--and the universe. Click here for my full review of Activation Degradation . 06 Hum by Helen Phillips The dystopian future of Hum is haunting in its familiar elements, its plausible, terrible climate-change effects, the extreme reliance on technology, and the chilling power of the ubiquitous AI hums who are constantly manipulating the extensive information they gather. After years working to advance artificial intelligence in a near-future dystopian world decimated by climate change, May's own job becomes obsolete. Intelligent robots, "hums," have taken over much of the workforce, with their relentless advertisements and sales pitches, manipulative impressions of caring (also meant to promote sales of various items), and their extensive surveillance capabilities. May finds herself willing to surgically alter her facial features for a sum that might keep her family financially stable for a time. But when she dares to dream of a brief family escape to a nature-filled wonderland (molded on tales they've heard of a lush, past world), her lack of control over her family's fate is shown to be terrifyingly tenuous. The power of social media and the impact of resulting perceptions in the book are chilling--and chillingly familiar. For my full review, please check out Hum .

The Daily Show 's Michael Kosta recounts his youth as a pro tennis player (#864 in the world), an assistant college tennis coach, then a stand-up comedian. The behind-the-scenes peeks at tennis and comedy were highlights. Kosta is candid, and his smirking sense of humor comes across in funny, sometimes cringe-inducing situations. I didn't know anything about Michael Kosta when I began reading this book--I'm out of date on my Daily Show viewing-- but I love memoirs, behind-the-scenes peeks, and tennis, so I was here for the combination. Kosta digs into his history as a young professional tennis player--including the unglamorous early tour months, attempts to improve ATP ranking, sleeping on floors, and struggling to focus as a young man traveling the world. He is candid about youthful missteps, bonding (or clashing) with other players, and trying to be savvy about money, lodging, travel, and tournaments in order to get the most out of each opportunity. But after giving up the pro circuit, then working as an assistant tennis coach at the University of Michigan--while spending evenings working out a stand-up routine--Kosta abandoned the world of tennis for good in favor of an even riskier career: comedy. His shift into comedy also offers a look behind the curtains at the good, bad, and ugly, but Kosta mainly focuses on his own drive to make it as a stand-up comedian. The commitment necessary for success in the world of comedy somewhat mirrors the work ethic necessary for a successful tennis career, and Kosta draws parallels between the two. Kosta is so frank about his often-messy path as a young man--including an awkward sexual encounter in Amsterdam, bouts of drunkenness, and sometimes obnoxious behavior--that I was often nervous reading the naked truth, even though I realized it all worked out for him. His family was supportive and challenged but never forced Kosta, and he credits his early achievements to the family dynamic and loving support. More Books about Comedy and Memoirs For more Bossy reviews of books about comedy, check out the titles at this link . And for more memoirs I've loved, take a look at these titles .

Dogland explores what makes a show dog "best" and what happens behind the scenes of dog shows in this intriguing, good-natured, and heartwarming look at one promising champion and his caring handler as they strive to win Westminster Dog Show. Tommy Tomlinson's playful, intriguing nonfiction Dogland takes an engaging look at dogs--particularly show dogs, but also beloved pets as well as humans' connections to these onetime wild beasts. Reporter and SouthBound  podcast host Tomlinson found himself watching the Westminster Dog Show and wondering, Are show dogs happy? What's life like for a dog whose life is all about grooming, standing still, and moving in an orderly fashion around a ring? And: How did these wild beasts end up here, anyway? In a fascinating, heartwarming, lovely account, Tomlinson spends three years traveling dog shows across the country, using backstage access to witness the hard work, discipline, obsession, and affection of "the Fancy." At times he good-naturedly highlights the absurdity of this 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. Tomlinson explores what makes certain breeds unique and which features qualify a dog to represent as the "best" of the breed. But he focuses primarily on the path of one promising show dog, Striker, and his handler, Laura King, as they travel from show to show. He tracks the rhythm of their lives as they head toward a potential victory at the biggest show of them all: Westminster, and then to their inevitable goodbye as Striker retires and heads home to his owners after years of bonding with Laura. Dogland is often fun, intriguing in its peeks behind the scenes, and heartwarming in the deep dog-human connections that Tomlinson highlights. More about Tommy Tomlinson Tommy Tomlinson was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer  for over two decades and is the author of a memoir, The Elephant in the Room , which addresses being overweight in America.

Davies's slim, luminous, heartbreaking novel sets a story of isolation and human connection against the brutal removal of impoverished citizens from the land in mid-19th century Scotland. He found himself wishing he could go back and start again and do everything differently. But time was the worst thing; time, it seemed to him now, was the only thing you couldn't change; whatever you did, it kept coming. Davies sets her slim, stark, beautiful, and heartrending story Clear  against the backdrop of the Scottish Clearances of the 19th century, in which impoverished citizens were driven off their land. John Ferguson, a minister in need of funds for his new church accepts the job (against the advice of his wife) of evicting Ivar, the sole inhabitant of a remote island off the northern coast of Scotland in 1843. A series of events leads from disaster to recovery, to connection and secrets, to a surprising set of revelations. After a terrible fall on the cliffs of the island, John Ferguson wakes to find himself being tended by a gentle giant in Ivar. Specifically, he is knitting red replacement sleeves for John's ruined coat. The men have no common language, and John, at first fearful of his vulnerability, then overtaken with cowardice, does not attempt to explain why he is present on the island. Instead, John attempts to learn and document Ivar's language and to learn about the island, dreading the day the boat returns to pick him up--and, unbeknownst to Ivar, permanently remove him from the only home he has ever known. The men develop a tender, heartwarming friendship separate from class, background, intellect, and societal expectations. John, at a distance from worries about his congregation and the future of Presbyterianism, as well as from his kind wife, sinks into Ivar's daily rhythm of working on the land, caring for animals, and finding wonder in nature. I have the cliffs and the skerries and the birds. I have the white bill and the round bill and the peaked hill. I have the clear spring water and the rich good pasture that covers the tilted top of the island like a blanket. I have the old black cow and the sweet grass that grows between the rocks, I have my great chair and my sturdy house. I have my spinning wheel and I have the teapot and I have Pegi, and now, amazingly, I have John Ferguson too. This is a slim book that is beautifully balanced between the tension of John's secret, Ivar's misplaced trust (and of the looming time when explanations will be forced) and the paused push of the outside world's pressures, as weather and basic human needs take precedence. Time passes as though in a vacuum, and the men's need for human connection overshadows all else. By the time John's wife appears--fresh from a rough sea journey, inspired to travel by a sense that John was in danger--the resolution feels heartbreaking, heartwarming, and utterly surprising in its generosity and departure from societal norms. I listened to Clear as an audiobook. More about Carys Davies Carys Davies is also the author of the novels West  and The Mission House , as well as two collections of short stories,  Some New Ambush  and  The Redemption of Galen Pike .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Tommy Tomlinson's engaging nonfiction about the Westminster Dog Show, Dogland ; I'm listening to Carys Davies's luminous historical fiction story set in 19th century rural Scotland, Clear ; and I'm reading comedian and former pro tennis player Michael Kosta's memoir Lucky Loser . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show by Tommy Tomlinson Tommy Tomlinson's playful, intriguing nonfiction takes an engaging look at dogs--particularly show dogs, but also beloved pets as well as humans' connections to these onetime wild beasts. Reporter and SouthBound podcast host Tomlinson found himself watching the Westminster Dog Show and wondering, Are those dogs happy? What's life like for a dog whose life is all about grooming, standing still, and moving in an orderly fashion around a ring? And: How did these wild beasts end up here, anyway? In a fascinating, heartwarming, lovely account, Tomlinson focuses on one promising show dog, Striker, and his handler, Laura King, as they travel from show to show, tracking the rhythm of their lives as they head toward a potential victory at the biggest show of them all: Westminster. Tommy Tomlinson was a reporter for the Charlotte Observer for over two decades and is the author of a memoir, The Elephant in the Room , which addresses being overweight in America. 02 Clear by Carys Davies Davies sets her slim, stark, beautiful, and heartrending story Clear against the backdrop of the Scottish Clearances of the 19th century, in which impoverished citizens were driven off their land. A minister in need of funds for his new church accepts the job (against the advice of his wife) of evicting the sole inhabitant of a remote island off the northern coast of Scotland, and a series of events leads from disaster to recovery, to connection and secrets, to a surprising set of revelations. Carys Davies is also the author of the novels West and The Mission House , as well as two collections of short stories,  Some New Ambush  and  The Redemption of Galen Pike . I'm listening to Clear as an audiobook. 03 Lucky Loser: Adventures in Tennis and Comedy by Michael Kosta I didn't know anything about Michael Kosta when I began reading this book, but I love memoirs, behind-the-scenes peeks, and tennis, so I was here for the combination. Kosta digs into his history as a young professional tennis player--including the unglamorous early tour months, attempts to improve ATP ranking, sleeping on floors, and struggling to focus as a young man traveling the world. His shift into comedy also offers a look behind the curtains at the good, bad, and ugly, but mainly focuses on his own drive to make it as a stand-up comedian.

Eowyn Ivey offers elements familiar from her other two novels--a cold, unforgiving setting; magical realism; attempts to overcome seemingly insurmountable complications; chosen family; and the healing power of love--in this atmospheric, strange, beautiful, and tragic story. "Now are the woods all black, but still the sky is blue. May you always see a blue sky overhead, my young friend." Birdie's a single mother to Emaleen and a waitress in a small Alaskan town. She's not perfect, but she's getting by. Yet she often yearns for her more carefree youth and connection to nature. Arthur, a recluse who only comes into town at the change of seasons--and who others avoid as actively as he avoids them--saves Emaleen from being lost in the wilderness. Birdie is drawn to his capable outdoorsmanship, and against the advice of everyone she knows, she and Emaleen move out to his remote home to live off the grid. But Arthur is mysterious, and he's not who Birdie thought he was. Has she traded her safety and Emaleen's for the false promise of an idyllic life immersed in the natural world? Black Woods, Blue Sky is a cold-setting story--one of my favorites--in which the unforgiving weather, rough terrain, and remote location combine with the danger from wild animals to test Ivey's characters' mettle. As with Ivey's other books, Black Woods, Blue Sky centers around a magical realism element that is skillfully introduced and carried through. Characters find peace in living deeply in nature, but isolation and wild tendencies threaten to be their undoing. Unorthodox relationships lead to life-and-death matters of trust, and chosen-family is essential to the story in several ways. Arthur is unlike anyone Birdie and her daughter have ever met; his speech pattern is unusual, and he disappears for days. Birdie allows herself to overlook his strange behavior because he cares for them and offers an immersive, deep-woods life away from modern distractions. But as she begins to focus in on what may be the truth and discounts the power of instinct and the unpredictability of a wild spirit, she also draws a long-simmering danger toward herself and her daughter. Her mom knew how to do lots of things. She knew how to find blueberries and catch fish and shoot a gun, but Emaleen was worried that she didn’t know how to keep them safe. A late portion of the story takes places in a time period years later than Birdie and Emaleen's foray into the wild; there are resolutions here, but the momentum of the earlier story felt lost to me. I received a prepublication edition of Black Woods, Blue Sky courtesy of Random House and NetGalley. More Eowyn Ivey Love Eowyn Ivey is also the author of To the Bright Edge of the World , which I listed in the Greedy Reading List Six Chilly Books to Read in  the Heat of Summer , and The Snow Child , which I included in the list Six Magical Fairy Tales Grown-Ups Will Love .

Walker offers an unreliable main protagonist, her dedicated new psychiatrist, increasingly inexplicable and complicated occurrences, and speculation about unfathomable possibilities in this novel about memory, connection, love, and wonder. Jane is a young single mother and a librarian at the New York Public Library. She has a perfect memory: she's able to recall events, surroundings, and information down to the finest detail. But just after she visits a psychiatrist, Dr. Byrd, Jane goes missing. She is found face down and unconscious in Prospect Park, with no memory of what has occurred. She experiences other instances of activity and agency without then having any memory of such; she has vivid visions of long-dead figures from her life; and she experiences severe agitation around her erratic behavior. Dr. Byrd begins to believe Jane is suffering from dissociative fugue, a rare condition that could account for her ability to act and function but recall no memory of doing so. Dr. Byrd and Jane form a bond, even as past traumas resurface for both of them and they cope with issues of memory, truth, and unthinkable possibility. The novel alternates between the points of view of Jane and Dr. Byrd, and neither is aware of the full set of circumstances--Dr. Byrd because of Jane's select sharing of the facts with him, and Jane because of the gaps in her recollections. The circumstances around Jane's unexplained visions become more concerning as she seems to encounter a long-dead friend and has an extensive conversation with him; as she becomes convinced that a medical pandemic is occurring--the name of which Dr. Byrd has never heard--and will take the lives of millions; as she recalls details of Dr. Byrd's personal and professional life on dates she could not possibly have encountered him; and as she believes her own beloved child is dead and has been replaced with an impostor. The detail of the delusions and the passion with which Jane believes them seem to indicate that her ability to live on her own and care for her child may be ending. (Her parents' concern and panic is heartbreaking.) But as the book winds to a close, Dr. Byrd is the key to offering an alternate explanation that is posed (but not extensively explored), one in which Jane is sane and the alternate realities may also exist. The novel builds to almost the very end before this mindboggling plausibility is somewhat cursorily presented, leaving me both intrigued and somewhat dissatisfied. The Dr. Byrd-Jane chaste yet deep connection made me feel uncomfortable because of their doctor-client relationship and even more so because of the complications of her intensely acted-out perceived mental illness. Yet the promise of their ongoing link is one of the only ways in which the novel's characters are satisfactorily "settled" for a future by the end of the novel. More Novels about Memory Karen Thompson Walker is also the author of The Age of Miracles . I listened to The Strange Case of Jane O.  as an audiobook. Please click here for more Bossy reviews of books about memory.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Katherine Center's newest romance, The Love Haters ; I'm reading Ocean Vuong's newest novel, The Emperor of Gladness, (although I still haven't emotionally recovered from reading Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous five years ago); and I'm listening to Karen Thompson Walker's speculative mystery around memory and the dimensions of the mind, The Strange Case of Jane O . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 The Love Haters by Katherine Center Katie Vaughn has been single for a year, since her former fianc é , an up-and-coming musician, hit it big and then very publicly cheated on her with a pop star. She's a mid-level video producer on the verge of a layoff--unless she accepts a job in which she documents "a day in the life" of Coast Guard rescue swimmer Hutch Hutcheson, who rose to fame when he saved Jennifer Aniston's golden retriever and who now lives in Key West. Much of the footage will be taken in and around the water. Katie can't swim, but surely there will be precautions taken, life vests forthcoming, and she can probably even film from the deck of the boat...right? Katherine Center is also the author of The Rom-Commers , Hello Stranger , What You Wish For , Things You Save in a Fire , The Bodyguard , and other books. 02 The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong Nineteen-year-old Hai is standing on the edge of a bridge in East Gladness, Connecticut, feeling that he's out of options and ready to end it all. But Grazina, an elderly widow who lives next to the bridge, calls him down, and the two strike up a friendship. Grazina is suffering from dementia, and Hai, whose prospects are slim, jumps at the chance to become Grazina's caretaker and have a steady job and Grazina's constant presence. Issues of memory, chosen family, history, loneliness, and love shape Vuong's novel. Ocean Vuong is also the author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous , Night Sky with Exit Wounds , Time Is a Mother , and other books. 03 The Strange Case of Jane O by Karen Thompson Walker Jane is a young, single mother and librarian at the New York Public Library. She has a perfect memory, able to recall events, surroundings, and information down to the finest detail. But just after she visits a psychiatrist, Dr. Byrd, Jane goes missing. She is found face down and unconscious in Prospect Park, with no memory of what has occurred. She experiences other instances of activity without memory, vivid visions of long-dead figures from her life, and agitation around her erratic behavior. Dr. Byrd begins to believe Jane is suffering from dissociative fugue. Dr. Byrd and Jane form a bond, even as past traumas resurface for both of them and they cope with issues of memory, truth, and unthinkable possibility. Karen Thompson Walker is also the author of The Age of Miracles . I'm listening to The Strange Case of Jane O. as an audiobook.

Spring Bossy Book Favorites On Fridays I love to post Greedy Reading Lists of my favorite books. I recently gave a talk to a wonderful group of book lovers who wanted to hear about newly published books they might want to check out, and I thought I'd share my list of ten books with you Bookworms as well. Talking about books and showcasing my Bossy favorites is one of my favorite bookish things to do, and for this talk I chose recent favorites in a range of genres. There's a book of short stories; one nonfiction book; a memoir; an atmospheric, mysterious novel; historical fiction; contemporary fiction; a rom-com with a historical fiction element; a story about music and sisters told in two timelines; a mystery that's full of surprises; and a historical fiction mystery. Stay tuned for more more more Bossy books I've loved. If you've read any of these books, I'd love to hear what you think! What are some of your favorite recently published--or recently read--books? 01 The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian The deep bond that builds between an injured Union soldier and the Virginia woman who secretly takes him in is touching and complicated, and Bohjalian doesn't make Libby's dangerous choices feel too easy. The author was inspired by a true story. In Chris Bohjalian's newest historical fiction novel, Libby Steadman lives in Virginia on the edge of the Confederate-Union Civil War conflict.  Her  husband has been away fighting for the Confederacy since soon after they were married, Then Libby finds a gravely injured Union officer in a neighbor’s abandoned home. Because she hopes that a Union woman would take pity on her husband in the same situation, she secretly cares for Weybridge's injuries, realizing that if Confederate soldiers were aware of his presence in her home, the family would be considered traitors. The decision to take in Weybridge is morally clear to Libby, but the realities of the potential harm it could bring aren't lost on her. Bohjalian never makes the decision-making too easy, and the ending was not the neatly tied-up bow of a resolution I had begun to anticipate. The story is based upon a real account of a Southern woman who helped a Union soldier during the Civil War. I received a prepublication edition of The Jackal's Mistress  courtesy of Doubleday Books and NetGalley. For my full review, check out The Jackal's Mistress . 02 Show Don't Tell: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld In Curtis Sittenfeld's wonderful second short-story collection, we meet imperfect characters, often fortysomething women, in moments large and small that push them to determine what they're made of as they consider friendship, betrayal, fear of failure, the power of memory, art, parenthood, and more. In Curtis Sittenfeld's first short-story collection, You Think It, I'll Say It , she offered ten stories of fully realized, fascinating characters that stuck with me. I loved it and rated the collection five stars. In her second fantastic short-story collection, Curtis Sittenfeld explores middle age, fame, friendship, artistry--and "Lost but Not Forgotten" is a story featuring Lee Fiora, a character from Sittenfeld's novel Prep , in which Lee attends an alumni event at her boarding school. My favorite writing often turns expectations on their heads, and In Show Don't Tell , Sittenfeld draws us into crucial stages of faulted characters' lives, in which they figure out what they're made of. Throughout the book, characters, often middle-aged women, consider art, expression, love, respect, friendship, and limitations as they live their fascinatingly imperfect lives. This is more excellent Curtis Sittenfeld; I'm a forever fan. You can click here for my review of Sittenfeld's Romantic Comedy , here for my Bossy take on American Wife , and here  for You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories . If you enjoy short story collections, you might like to check out Six Short Story Collections to Wow You  and Six More Short Story Collections I Loved . Click here   for my full review of Show Don't Tell . 03 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green In John Green's nonfiction book Everything Is Tuberculosis , he tells his story of befriending a young man, Henry, who was suffering from tuberculosis and living in a hospital in Sierra Leone. Green uses his tender eye and piercing analysis to explore the health care inequalities that allow the world's poorest citizens to disproportionately contract the incurable disease tuberculosis and to advocate for greater access to quality care and a search for a cure. John Green is also the author of the nonfiction collection of essays The Anthropocene Reviewed  (which was one of my six favorite nonfiction reads  the year I read it) as well as the young adult novels An Abundance of Katherines, Turtles All the Way Down, The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska ,   and Paper Towns . Please stay tuned for my upcoming full review of Everything Is Tuberculosis . 04 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry Henry's story-within-a-story adds a historical fiction element to her signature big-hearted, banter-driven, steamy, intriguingly complicated interpersonal dynamic exploration in Great Big Beautiful Life . This is an excellent rom-com with enough weighty themes to offer appealing depth. Alice Scott is a celebrity feature writer for The Scratch in LA. She's got a sunny disposition, wears bright, cheery colors, and is hoping for her first big writing break. Hayden Anderson, from New York, has won a Pulitzer Prize and is humorless, highly scheduled, and work-obsessed. They're both currently on Georgia's tiny Little Crescent Island, vying to become the memoir author for the reclusive former tabloid darling Margaret Ives, whose whereabouts have long been unknown to the general public. But each writer has what feel like the opposite approach, manner, and voice from the other--and they're not sure how they became the two trial candidates for the job of a lifetime. But the writers can't deny that opposites are attracting in inconvenient fashion in their case. They're drawn to each other and discover unexpected joy, emotional intimacy, steaminess, and maybe even a promise of something real together. Henry brings her signature warmth, great banter, and sultry romance to this story within a story. I loved the historical fiction aspect of Margaret's recounting of her history. This is an excellent rom-com with weighty themes that make it all feel anchored in something real. I got a little teary during some of the characters' vulnerability at the end, and I laughed out loud at times too. Henry's Beach Read  was one of my favorite books the year I read it, and it also made it onto the Greedy Reading List Six Lighter Fiction Stories for Great Escapism . People We Meet on Vacation  was another great Henry story; you can check out my review here , and you might like to check it out on the Greedy Reading List Six More Great Light Fiction Stories . Emily Henry is also the author of Funny Story  (one of my Favorite Reads of the Year ),   Happy Place , and Book Lovers . Please click here for my full review of Great Big Beautiful Life . 05 This American Woman: A One-in-a-Million 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 along. Her memoir is candid, poignant, funny, and always entertaining. I loved this peek into her fascinating life. Zarna Garg fled her comfortable lifestyle and her widower father to avoid an unwanted arranged marriage at age 14. She begged places to stay from friends and acquaintances in Mumbai, homeless. Desperate for food and shelter and tired of overstaying her welcome and never having security, she was returning home and on the verge of agreeing to be married off, until her long-hoped-for visa to the US came through. Instead of becoming a child bride, she ran from home and began a dramatically different new life in Akron, Ohio. In midlife, she reimagined her future again and became a hard-working comedian who opened for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and then warranted her own headliner spots. Garg offers an honest, funny account of overcoming sobering challenges and determining her own destiny after years of struggles and constant worries about being a burden on those who might help her. Her intense push to achieve is accompanied by doubt, periods of low self-esteem, and feelings of unworthiness that stem from her childhood. At the very beginning the pacing felt a little uneven to me, but then Garg hit her stride, and I was taken with her frank narrative, her relentless optimism and drive, her self-deprecating accounts of her imperfections, and her poignant reflections. I love an honest memoir that lets a reader into the author's inner world, and Zarna has lived a fascinating life that I wanted to learn more about. I laughed out loud repeatedly while I was reading this charming memoir by this strong, funny woman. For more memoirs you might like, please check out these Bossy reviews as well as Greedy Reading Lists of my favorites . For my full review of this book, please see This American Woman . 06 The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett In this heartwarming story of wonderfully faulted characters who face tragedy and often make a mess of things, loyalty and steadfastness overcome all and allow a makeshift family to heal, find adventure, discover their individual strengths, and realize that they're meant to be together forever. PJ Halliday is 63 and won the million-dollar lottery. Now he's about to set off on a cross-country road trip to track down his high-school sweetheart following the death of his former nemesis and rival. But not everything in his life has been luck and adventure. PJ has weathered terrible tragedies in his life.  Before he can set out for Arizona to try to win back his young love, his estranged brother dies, and PJ becomes the guardian for his brother's grandchildren. So he packs them into the car, enlists his grumbling grown daughter to help him, and hits the road. Tough situations are real but are surrounded by lighthearted, zany circumstances; characters are faulted and make missteps but learn to forgive themselves and those around them; loyalty and steadfastness serve as bridges to love and caring; and animals work with magical realism to shift and affect outcomes. While the characters in The Road to Tender Hearts  face sometimes devastating turns of events, the tone of the story is such that you won't wonder whether a happy ending is coming. Past hurts aren't erased, but love overcomes, and the ending is sweet sweet sweet. Annie Hartnett is also the author of the wonderful novel Unlikely Animals , which was one of my  Bossy Favorite Fiction Reads of the Year  when I read it. Click here   for my full review of The Road to Tender Hearts . 07 The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner Jennifer Weiner's newest novel offers a behind-the-scenes peek at the music business, songwriting, and the pressures of fame, layered with complications from clashing sisters, devastating tragedy, and a messy path toward reconciliation. Cassie and Zoe Greenberg are sisters who have always been opposites. Cassie, a musical prodigy, loved losing herself in and expressing herself through playing and singing, but avoided the limelight. Zoe dreamed of stardom since she was a child and was driven more by fame than the music itself. But Zoe realizes that Cassie is key to any musical future, and she convinces Cassie to join her on stage, beginning their meteoric climb to stardom. For one year when they're young adults, the sisters reach mindboggling heights of fame as the pop duo The Griffin Sisters--featured in Rolling Stone , performing on Saturday Night Live , and making videos for MTV. Then their run abruptly ended, and for the public, the reasons for their breakup were a mystery. Twenty years later, Zoe is a housewife and Cassie is a recluse who hasn't spoken to her sister at all. But when Zoe's headstrong daughter Cherry becomes determined to become a star, she digs into the past and forces a confrontation between the estranged sisters at last. This is a great behind-the-scenes look at the music business, musical creativity and songwriting processes, and body-image pressures on women earning a living by being in the limelight. Griffin Sisters  also takes on deep familial conflicts, coping with loss and a devastating blow for future plans, lies and betrayals, and, finally, a messy but hopeful chance for reconciliation. If you like to read fiction about music, you might also like the titles I included in the Greedy Reading List Six Rockin' Stories about Bands and Music . Click here   for my full review of The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits . 08 Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Mysteries abound within McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore , but the story is largely an atmospheric story of isolation and loss set against the drama of climate change, tragedy, and finding the will to trust again. The description of Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore  immediately ticked several of my reading-interest boxes--the setting is an isolated island (Antarctica is the closest land mass), the climate is cold (check out these other Bossy reviews of titles with cold settings ), and climate change  and shifting weather patterns are bringing matters to a head. When a mysterious woman washes up half-dead on the remote island of Shearwater, home of the world's largest seed bank and formerly a research hub, she finds only Dominic Salt and his three children manning the lighthouse. The lonely, broken characters reach out to each other. Although hesitant because of past hurts, they begin to form intense bonds. With violent storms on the horizon, no line of communication open with the outside world, and enormous secrets being harbored on all sides, the disjointed group seems doomed to fail each other. But regardless of their interpersonal complications, they may collectively be the only hope of saving the precious, preserved seeds for the future--if they can trust each other long enough to work together for the good of the world. There are mysteries at the center of the story, but for me this was a captivating, atmospheric dive into the pressures, pain, and hope within extreme isolation, the power of external forces, and the push to protect each other at all costs. I was intrigued throughout. Charlotte McConaghy is also the author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves . For my full review of Wild Dark Shore , please check out this link . 09 Famous Last Words by Gillian McAllister The author of the fantastic Wrong Place, Wrong Time  is back with a smart, twisty mystery that's wonderfully heavy on character development and a story that hooked me. Famous Last Words  is another smart, twisty mystery from Gillian McAllister. Camilla is a new mother who has just dropped off her baby for her first day of daycare when the police arrive at her London office. It seems that her fun, carefree ghostwriter of a husband is involved in a hostage situation--as the one wielding the gun. Camilla, shocked, mostly cooperates with the police and the negotiator--until the hostages are shot and her husband escapes--then disappears. But in the ensuing years, Camilla can't stop obsessing over the unusual aspects of the siege: the violence is so out of character for Luke, the hostages are never identified, and Luke was behaving strangely beforehand and left her a cryptic note the morning of the horrifying events. Are the strange coordinates she's receiving on her phone after seven years a message from Luke? And if they are and could lead her to Luke, would her love possibly overcome her devastation at knowing that somehow her beloved partner became a coldhearted killer? I loved this smart mystery that relies heavily on character development and mental agility for our narrator. I saw some plot points coming but not others, and a couple of essential details worked quite conveniently, but I didn't mind. The ending offers answers and resolution. Sign me up for all the Gillian McAllister books, please. Camilla is a literary agent, and I loved her escapes into books and her love for them. For my full review, please see Famous Last Words . 10 Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall In Hall's Broken Country , characters do their duties, find wondrous love, feel heartbreak, suffer tragedies, sometimes act impulsively, and reel from the consequences of all of the above. A mystery surrounds a deadly moment, and the book ends with a hopeful, imperfect, heartbreaking way forward. Beth and her kind husband Frank live and farm outside the small English village where they grew up. They love each other, but they are able to stay married only because they push down the memories of tragedies that could haunt them, and because secrets from the past stay buried. But when Frank's brother shoots a dog going after the family's sheep, the gunshot sets into motion events that will change everything. The dog belonged to Gabriel Wolfe, Beth's childhood love, and his return to town brings back long-suppressed complications around jealousies, love, choices, and the weighty consequences of the past. Broken Country  is a study of an extreme, life-and-death-stakes fallout after heartbreaking tragedy, but it's also a story of young love blossoming, then shriveling under the first pressures of the outside world; it's a mystery in which duty overpowers the difficult truth; and it's a hopeful view of how an imperfect set of characters can find their clumsy, sometimes beautiful, way forward. I read this immersive story in a flash. For my full review of this book please see Broken Country .

Harpman's slim novel poses a mysterious situation without promising concrete explanations. Our main protagonist knows little about her situation or location, yet persists in her quest for answers and builds a rich inner life filled with wonder. In Jacqueline Harpman's novel I Who Have Never Known Men , forty women (one is a young girl, our main protagonist) live year after year as prisoners in an underground cage. Male guards come and go, feeding the women minimal rations and never speaking. The women have no recollection of how they came to be in this place, and no information is forthcoming about why they are trapped there. They are not allowed to touch each other but may speak, and to bond and pass the time, they share stories of their past lives, bicker over infinitesimal variations in how they may prepare their food or sew their own clothing, and simply kill time until their almost certain death inside the cell. Then a blasting alarm sounds, the nearest guard drops his keys and flees, and the women scramble for an escape they never anticipated. But what awaits them on the other side of the bunker doors? My friend Amy suggested that I read this one, and Harpman's slim novel is mysterious, eerie, and strange. The pacing is appropriately slow as characters wander, wonder, and come across little new information as they search for others. The tone doesn't assure a satisfying set of answers as to why the women were chosen for this imprisonment, insight into what its purpose might be, or details as to its location. Yet I was intrigued by the post-apocalyptic, puzzling situation and by the main protagonist's persistence and rich inner life, which exists in stark contrast to the physical barrenness that seems to surround her. More about Jacqueline Harpman Jacqueline Harpman was a Belgian novelist. I Who Have Never Known Men  was originally published in 1995, and later it was the first of her books to be translated into English. For more postapocalyptic and dystopian stories I've Bossily reviewed, please check out the titles here .

She's a Lamb! offers a delusional, self-congratulatory, single-minded, relentless would-be performer and builds tension and outrageously high stakes as the novel traces each of the unsympathetic protagonist's professional missteps and cutthroat choices, pushing toward what feels like an inevitable, disastrous climax to the campy story. In Meredith Hambrock's darkly funny, satirical novel, Jessamyn St. Germain is a performer as over the top as her name. She's booking occasional commercial jobs, but she firmly believes she's destined to become famous and perform on Broadway, singing and dancing her way to superstardom. She's hired to mind the bratty child actors for a community theatre production of The Sound of Music , but she's got her heart set on capturing the role of Maria von Trapp, and her systematic destruction of the show unfolds in gruesome detail as her powerful delusions about her talent and her deservedness shape each cutthroat decision she makes to try to propel herself onstage as the lead. After all, she hasn't sacrificed, obsessed, planned, spent all her money on voice lessons, and humiliated herself with men in powerful positions for a mediocre acting life. Not by a long shot. We can see what Jessamyn is unaware of in this campy story: her acting may be sound, but her singing is horrifying. She is scrambling to pay for voice lessons with someone she believes to be an expert, but we can see that the trusted teacher is a washed-up wanna-be. Jessamyn pooh-poohs a lead role in a new play because it isn't a musical and it's untested, and the reader can see that it's an edgy, promising production and would showcase what seem to be truly gifted acting skills. She makes promises to her father about lead roles and showtimes, she banks financially and emotionally upon achieving them, and meanwhile we can see how shocked others are to hear her sharp, unpleasant singing voice. I often have a tough time reading about protagonists who are making poor choices, but the book's dark satire is skillful, and the situation is increasingly over-the-top. Jessamyn is so far gone, even I could give in to the fascination of reading about the growing life-and-death whirlwind of destruction she's causing. Readers will likely have a clear sense that our main character is prepared to burn it all down on her ill-advised, sledgehammer-unsubtle journey to achieve stardom, and I found it irresistible to wonder how dark things would get in her relentless quest. More about Meredith Hambrock Meredith Hambrock's debut novel was Other People's Secrets . I received an audiobook edition of this title courtesy of Libro.fm and Dreamscape Media.

Memorial Days  is Geraldine Brooks's memoir of sudden loss, delayed grief, and a delving into sorrow so she can move forward with her life. Brooks's husband Tony Horwitz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and acclaimed author, father to her two sons, and her best friend, was on a book tour when he collapsed on a D.C. street in 2019 and died at age 60. Brooks and Horwitz himself had believed him to be in good health, and Brooks was beyond shocked at the news. But an endless logistical to-do list following his death kept her busy and delayed her grieving. Tedious, infuriating, frustrating, time-sucking tasks piled onto the crush of everyday life so that Brooks felt that despite the funeral and the memorial service, she had never specifically, intentionally taken steps to acknowledge her pain and to think deeply about Tony and his life. Three years after his death, she traveled to a remote Australian island--where she had once considered settling down--to sit with Tony's journals, dive into her memories, rage against what she's lost, and give in to sorrow. She explores various cultures' traditions of marking life and acknowledging grief, seeking peace by taking elements of various rituals and shaping her own way of honoring Tony, their life together, and their hopes for the future that would never come to be. She also begins to consider her own future, now separate from Tony. She tentatively delves into writing, quoting Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Do your work. It might not be your best work, but it will be good work, and it will be what saves you.” This is poignant and heartbreakingly lovely; Brooks brings the reader through the joy of not suspecting tragedy lies around the corner, to shock and endless logistics, to anger, sadness, confusion, and desperation, then, in her journey and in her deliberate way of taking time, to a more peaceful acceptance accompanying her deep loss. More Geraldine Brooks love Geraldine Brooks is also the author of the novels People of the Book , Horse , Year of Wonders , and others. If you're interested in books about mortality and loss, check out the titles here . I listened to Brooks's lovely Australian accent by reading this as an audiobook.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Kevin Wilson's newest novel, about a surprise extended family and a road trip to confront their patriarch, Run for the Hills ; I'm listening to a dark, satirical novel about a delusional would-be actress, She's a Lamb! ; and I'm listening to Geraldine Brooks's poignant memoir about finding a way to acknowledge the loss of her husband and dive into her grief, Memorial Days . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Run for the Hills by Kevin Wilson I'm a Kevin Wilson fan, and I'm here for all of his wonderfully eccentric characters and his story scenarios that might seem self-consciously zany in another writer's hands but in Wilson's novels, allow for delightful, unexpected revelations and poignant growth. In Run for the Hills , Mad and her mother have run their farm in Coalfield, Tennessee, ever since Mad's father disappeared twenty years ago. Mad is a loner, but that's okay. But when a stranger who calls himself Rube shows up in a rented PT Cruiser and a story about how Mad is his half sister--and explains that their father has more kids spread across the country as well--Rube and Mad head out on an awkward, nerve-racking mission to find their siblings and then their father. Nothing will ever be the same. Kevin Wilson is also the author of Now Is Not the Time to Panic , Nothing to See Here , Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine , The Family Fang, Perfect Little World , and Tunneling to the Center of the Earth: Stories . I received a prepublication edition of this title courtesy of NetGalley and Ecco. 02 She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock In Meredith Hambrock's darkly funny, satirical novel, Jessamyn St. Germain is as over the top as her name. She's booking occasional commercial jobs, but she firmly believes she's destined to become famous and perform on Broadway, singing and dancing her way to superstardom. She's hired to mind the bratty child actors for a community theatre production of The Sound of Music , but she's got her heart set on capturing the role of Maria von Trapp, and her systematic destruction of the show unfolds in gruesome detail as her powerful delusions about her talent and deservedness shape each cutthroat decision she makes to try to propel herself onstage as the lead. After all, she hasn't sacrificed, obsessed, planned, spent all her money on voice lessons, and humiliated herself with men in powerful positions for a mediocre acting life. Not by a long shot. Meredith Hambrock's debut novel was Other People's Secrets . I received an audiobook edition of this title courtesy of Libro.fm and Dreamscape Media. 03 Memorial Days: A Memoir by Geraldine Brooks Memorial Days is Geraldine Brooks's memoir of sudden loss, delayed grief, and a delving into sorrow so she can move forward with her life. Brooks's husband Tony Horwitz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and acclaimed author, father to her two sons, and her best friend, was on a book tour when he collapsed on a D.C. street in 2019 and died at age 60. Brooks and Horwitz himself had believed him to be in good health, and Brooks was beyond shocked at the news. But an endless logistical to-do list following his death kept her busy and delayed her grieving. Three years later, she traveled to a remote Australian island to sit with Tony's journals, dive into her memories, rage against what she's lost, and give in to sorrow. She explores various cultures' traditions of marking life and acknowledging grief, seeking peace by shaping her own way of honoring Tony, their life together, and their hopes for the future that would never come to be. Geraldine Brooks is also the author of the novels People of the Book , Horse , Year of Wonders , and others. If you're interested in books about mortality and loss, check out the titles here . I'm listening to Brooks's lovely Australian accent by reading this as an audiobook.

Favorite Bossy Historical Fiction Reads of the Year I loved reading so many historical fiction books last year, this is my fourth list of favorites in that genre. You can find the first list of my historical fiction favorites here , and you'll find Six More of My Favorite Historical Fiction Reads of the past year here . My third list is here . If you've read any of these books, I'd love to hear what you think! And if you're interested in My Very Favorite Bossy Reads of Last Year across all genres, check out the titles at this link ! What are some of your favorite historical fiction reads? 01 Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross Donna Woolfolk Cross offers a fascinating historical fiction tale of a pioneering, headstrong, brilliant figure whose existence has been debated for centuries. Pope Joan  is Donna Woolfolk Cross's historical fiction about a figure whose existence the Catholic church has officially denied for a thousand years: Joan, a young woman who disguised herself as a man in the ninth century and rose through the ranks to eventually sit on the throne of St. Peter. I'm fascinated by stories in which a woman poses as a man in order to achieve freedoms otherwise not available to her. In Pope Joan , Cross offers fascinating, grim, brutal details of life in the Dark Ages to bring the story of the brilliant, strong-willed Joan to life. Cross includes historical events, but makes up some characters (as with Gerold, Joan's love interest in the story). I was fascinated by Cross's Author's Note detailing the extensive research and rich history surrounding Joan, as well as the contradictions in the denial of her existence. For my full review, please see Pope Joan . 02 What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway The historical fiction story about the building of the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, had a romantic element that was bigger than I was anticipating, but I enjoyed Callaway's storytelling on building logistics, the power of class and society, complications of widespread TB infection, visionaries shaping the future, as well as the love story that for much of the book seems destined for failure. It's 1913, and Belle Newbold hasn't been into the mountains since her father died in a tragic West Virginia mining accident. In the seven years since, Belle's mother has reinvented herself as a society woman and has remarried, while Belle has learned to keep the family's past poverty, hunger, and struggles a secret. Belle is fearful--particularly for her mother's sake--that her father's true origins may be uncovered and be their undoing. All of this, along with her pain at the loss of her beloved father, keeps her closed off emotionally. For her intended husband Worth, his tragic family past and complicated present seem to be stumbling blocks that can't be overcome. The ins and outs of the Grove Park Inn's design and logistics of building were fascinating; Belle's research serves as an avenue for sharing this information, which feels thoroughly researched by the author herself. The romance aspect of the story became more of a focus than I was anticipating, and I enjoyed Callaway's realistically tangled obstacles that persistently thwarted the easy path to love. I listened to What the Mountains Remember  as an audiobook. For more North Carolina stories, check out the books on this Bossy list . For my full review of this book, please see What the Mountains Remember . 03 Queens of London by Heather Webb Queens of London  is fascinating historical fiction that explores the gritty underbelly of post-World War I London through the points of view of Diamond Annie, head of an all-woman gang, and the female police inspector determined to arrest her. In post-World War I London, female lawlessness in the form of the Forty Elephants gang of women, an offshoot of the Elephant and Castle men's gang, butts up against law enforcement, which only recently includes women officers. It's 1925, and Diamond Annie is running a ruthless, savvy, gritty, loyal ring of female thieves and cons, and her significant ambition means she's dreaming of bigger and more wide-ranging success. But one of Britain's first female police officers, Lilian Wyles, is underestimated, dismissed, disrespected--and desperate to prove her excellent mettle as an investigator by taking down Annie's gang. When the two aspiring women's bids for victory clash, traditional female roles and power structures are shaken to their cores. For my full review, check out Queens of London . 04 The Excitements by C. J. Wray C. J. Wray's story of elderly British sisters who played key roles in fighting the enemy in World War II offers lots of heart, sassy dialogue, and a showcasing of the women's triumphs in both their past and present timelines, before a satisfying ending. In C. J. Wray's The Excitements , Archie's British great-aunts Josephine and Penny are a handful. He's busy ushering them to commemorative World War II events, attempting to monitor their uninhibited speech, and trying to keep the two elderly veterans safe. Archie begins wondering about unexplained aspects of his own family history, and when he and his aunts travel to Paris so the sisters may receive Légion d'honneur awards for helping to liberate France during the war, surprising facts begin to surface about the sisters' past--and they may be related to his own life. The story is heartwarming, the pacing moves along in both timelines, and the characters are explored in satisfying fashion. The tone is playful with a wonderfully outlandish ending, and I was certain that all would work out, yet there was enough depth to make me interested in each character's resolution. If you like books about World War II and women spies, you might also like the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Great Stories about Brave Women During World War II  and Six Books about Brave Female Spies . Click here for my full review of The Excitements . 05 The Women by Kristin Hannah Hannah offers a meaty story about Vietnam and the nurses who served there, suffered, and were largely forgotten or denied; this storyline is conflated with romance-novel elements that keep things moving but frequently pulled me out of the historical fiction story I loved. The Women  shines a light on the women who served pivotal roles in the Vietnam War--but whose existence was largely ignored, forgotten, or denied by Americans at home. Main protagonist Frankie signs up to leave her idyllic, privileged Southern California life--and the control of her conservative parents--in order to serve as a nurse serving soldiers in combat. Her brother is killed in combat before she even ships out, and her parents reject her potential to be a war hero worthy of a photo on the family's wall of honor, so she is reeling before she even enters the shock of Vietnam. The excellent historical fiction here is conflated with romance-novel-worthy storylines and dialogue ("You don't know how beautiful you are" types of lines; unrealistically convenient run-ins; not-dead-after-all twists; and more). This aspect keeps the story moving, although it frequently distracted me from the hearty story of Vietnam, its complex costs and its dark perception at home, and the truth about the many forgotten women serving as nurses there, whose bravery helped send so many injured American soldiers home. I listened to  The Women as an audiobook. For my full review, check out The Women . 06 The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden Katherine Arden, the author of the captivating Winternight trilogy, here shares a mysterious, haunting historical fiction story with a speculative twist, set against the backdrop of the trudging, brutal destruction of World War I. In The Warm Hands of Ghosts , Arden presents the story of Laura, a combat nurse who is searching for her brother Freddie in the confusion, relentless mud, and grim destruction of the Great War. Freddie is reported as having died, but strange and unnerving clues indicate to Laura that something more mysterious may have happened to him. Others keep sighting Freddie, and Laura herself feels that he is near. The story's pacing felt quite slow and the tone extremely dark and hushed for the majority of the book, so that my attention frequently wavered. The slog of fighting and of the horrifyingly deadly war is conveyed with vivid, crushing, uncomfortable detail. I was glad when Laura began to allow herself to be vulnerable toward the end of the novel, and I very much liked the resolutions of the story. For my full review, please see The Warm Hands of Ghosts .

All the Broken Places is a novel that is linked to Boyne's novel The Boy in the Striped Pajamas . The exploration of gray areas between good and evil was the most intriguing aspect to me as our elderly protagonist faced a difficult past. Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby is living out her days in a posh flat in London. She's friends with her younger across-the-hall neighbor Helen, who is coping with dementia, and Gretel's three-times-married-and-divorced grown son lives in the city, but otherwise Gretel keeps to herself. When a couple and young son move into the flat below her, Gretel begins to worry that the man of the house is harming his wife and child, and her hesitant involvement leads him to discover elements about Gretel's youth in Berlin that she never wanted to face again. Haunted by the past and threatened in the present, Gretel shapes the novel with disturbing memories from her youth that alternate with an increasingly messy, secretive present day. Gretel had been doing just fine skating through her days pushing down her guilt and her complicated past, but it seems she'll have to face it all at long last. The evil masterminds--and soldiers carrying out their missions--of World War II fade in contrast to the responsibility and haunting we witness as Gretel relives her personal history. Her age of 12 at the end of the war is perfectly straddling the status of unaware childhood and responsible young adulthood and a capability for action and objection. The situation allows for an intriguing gray area rather than an easy, black-and-white sense of right-and-wrong. The present-day "bad guy" is a gleefully rotten, abusive, sinister character who is easy to detest. Gretel's unwanted bond with the young boy downstairs brings memories flooding back from her own childhood, and her resistance to his bond and then her deep loyalty to him lead to a ending that is centered around revenge, consequences, and justice. More about John Boyne John Boyne is the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas , and this novel is linked to that one. I found that book somewhat frustrating in the suspension of disbelief necessary for the plot to work, but the premise was also horrifyingly fascinating.

In Ava Robinson's debut novel, she offers an appealingly imperfect main character making missteps and forging a path forward while adjusting to romantic, family, and work complications after a year of sobriety. Emma is friendly but reserved with her coworkers. She's focused on extending her one year of sobriety--a fact that she doesn't share easily with others, except at her frequent recovery support meetings. When she's assigned to assist on the committee for the office's extravagant upcoming holiday party, she's thrown together with a cheesy, persistent executive who unfortunately spotted her joke of a dating profile before she pulled it down--and Ben, the intriguing IT manager she can't stop thinking about. But her dating game is rusty, her sobriety program mentor is claustrophobically rigid, her estranged father is facing devastating news, and Emma is afraid to be her real self with anyone new as she navigates her new, sober life. It feels like every messy part of her life is about to converge in a destructive collision. I fell in love with Emma and her imperfect, determined path forward, her sometimes-regretful reckonings with her past, and her fight to be vulnerable for a potential relationship she begins to believe in. Her missteps felt relatable, and I was hooked by her difficult decision-making and her bravery. This is a great example of a light-fiction-feeling romance that deals with weighty, meaningful themes. It's a combination I love. More Romantic Novels with Weighty Themes This is Ava Robinson's first novel. Abby Jimenez and Carley Fortune are two more authors who offer deep, heartfelt situations, messy complications, and real-life consequences within a romantic structure.

The playful tone and clever main protagonist in Olivia Waite's science-fiction novella make for an appealing mystery and lay the groundwork for subsequent books. In Olivia Waite's slim science-fiction mystery, Dorothy wakes up...in a body that's not her own. It's uncomfortable but not unheard of. Still, Dorothy was supposed to be in stasis for years after suffering an emotional loss. Yet even more concerning than her situation is the spaceship HMS Fairweather 's current state. An electrical storm has knocked systems offline, and even worse, it seems that someone has deliberately been sabotaging the Library, where the backup for each passenger on the ship is stored. In this outer-space-set mystery, Dorothy must figure out who's behind the destruction and how to save the ship's passengers from further danger. I'm somewhat in love with Dorothy's no-nonsense approach to the issues at hand, her striding manner, and her clever reading of a situation's nuances. She is often exasperated and very funny. The tone of this novella (it's 112 pages) is playful--it reminded me somewhat of Becky Chambers's science fiction --and it also addresses poignant, relevant aspects of the human condition while giving the (correct) impression that happy endings are at hand. 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 novels. For more of my Bossy science-fiction favorites, check out the titles at this link .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading John Boyne's novel told in two timelines, World War II and present-day London, All the Broken Places ; I'm listening to Ava Robinson's first novel, in which main protagonist Emma settles into a life of sobriety while trying to cope with family drama and dating again, Definitely Better Now ; and I'm listening to Jacqueline Harpman's eerie, mysterious, slim post-apocalyptic-feeling novel, I Who Have Never Known Men . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 All the Broken Places by John Boyne Ninety-one-year-old Gretel Fernsby is living out her days in a posh flat in London. She's friends with her younger across-the-hall neighbor Helen, who is coping with dementia, and Gretel's three-times-married-and-divorced grown son lives in the city, but otherwise Gretel keeps to herself. When a couple and young son move into the flat below her, Gretel begins to worry that the man of the house is harming his wife and child, and her hesitant involvement leads him to discover elements about Gretel's youth in Berlin that she never wanted to face again. Haunted by the past and threatened in the present, Gretel shapes the novel with disturbing memories from her youth that alternate with an increasingly messy, secretive present day. Gretel had been doing just fine skating through her days pushing down her guilt and her complicated past, but it seems she'll have to face it all at long last. 02 Definitely Better Now by Ava Robinson Emma is friendly but reserved with her coworkers, but she's focused on extending her one year of sobriety--an experience she doesn't share with others, especially those at work. When she's assigned to assist on the committee for the office's extravagant holiday party, she's thrown together with a cheesy executive who spotted her joke of a dating profile before she pulled it down--and Ben, the intriguing IT manager she can't stop thinking about. But her dating game is rusty, her sobriety program mentor is claustrophobically rigid, her estranged father is facing devastating news, and Emma is afraid to be her real self with anyone new as she navigates her new, sober life. It feels like every messy part of her life is about to converge in a destructive collision. This is Ava Robinson's first novel. 03 I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman Forty women (one a young girl, our main protagonist) live as prisoners in an underground cage. Male guards come and go, feeding the women minimal rations and never speaking. The women have no recollection of how they came to be in this place, and no information is forthcoming about why they are trapped there. They are not allowed to touch each other but may speak, and they share stories of their past lives, bicker over the slight variations in how they may prepare their food, and simply kill time until their almost certain death. Then a blasting alarm sounds, the nearest guard drops his keys, and the women scramble for an escape they never anticipated. But what awaits them on the other side of the bunker doors? Harpman's slim novel is mysterious, eerie, and strange. The pacing is appropriately slow as characters wander, wonder, and come across little new information as they search for others. My friend Amy suggested that I read this one, and so far I'm intrigued by the post-apocalyptic, puzzling situation and by the main protagonist's persistence and rich inner life. Jacqueline Harpman was a Belgian novelist. I Who Have Never Known Men was originally published in 1995, and later it was the first of her books to be translated into English.

Six Nonfiction Reads I love mixing nonfiction into my reading lists--and oh, the memoirs! I think I'll read anyone's story, as long as it's compelling and honest. For more of my nonfiction reads and reviews, please check out this link . If you like to read memoirs, you might like to check out some of my  Bossy memoir reviews , or some of my Greedy Reading Lists of favorites: Six Fascinating Memoirs to Explore Six More Fascinating Memoirs to Explore Six Musicians' Memoirs that Sing Six Illuminating Memoirs to Dive Into Six Illuminating Memoirs I've Read This Year Six More Illuminating Memoirs to Lose Yourself In Six Foodie Memoirs to Whet Your Appetite Six Powerful Memoirs about Facing Mortality Six of My Favorite Memoir Reads Last Year If you've read any of these books, I'd love to hear what you think! What are some of your favorite nonfiction or memoir reads? 01 Grief Is for People by Sloane Crosley Crosley's memoir traces a treasured friendship and the gutting loss of that dear friend. She's vulnerable enough to allow the reader in on her messy, sometimes fantastical, often poignant search for answers, meaning, and hope in the future. In Sloane Crosley's memoir Grief Is for People , she explores life after the loss of her closest friend. A month before that horrible loss, her New York City apartment is burgled, and at that time, all of her tenuous physical links to her past and family members--mixed though her emotions may be concerning some of them--are suddenly gone. She obsesses over trying to track down the robber, can't let go of the fear that he might have targeted her specifically, and feels as though solving the mystery of who stole from her and why could resolve other, larger problems in her life. Crosley mentally links the theft to the gutting death of her beloved friend, retracing the path of their friendship, her struggle to understand her friend's reasoning and unknown despair, and her deep, dark sense of loss. I was intrigued by Crosley's mindset and the dark humor, devastating grief, and powerful memories she shares here. I listened to Grief Is for People  as an audiobook. For my full review, check out Grief Is for People . 02 All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley Met Museum guard Bringley reflects on the decade he spent guarding priceless works of art, encountering a fascinating range of museumgoers, commiserating with his peers, reflecting on the works and his reactions to them, and searching for and finding peace after a terrible personal loss. Much of the greatest art, I find, seeks to remind us of the obvious. This is real. That's all it says. Take the time to stop and imagine or feel fully the things you already know. Patrick Bringley, a former New Yorker  staffer, after facing the tragic death of his beloved brother, spent ten years working as a guard in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Bringley offers glimpses into the sometimes-mundane, often intriguing behind-the-scenes processes and dynamics for the hundreds of employees who were and are daily surrounded by priceless works of art. His shared conversations with other guards illustrate a range of motivations for pursuing the work. But time, curiosity, emotional pain, and a desire to escape from it all added to his tendency to consider the intentions of artists, the stories behind the artwork, his own feelings about the works, and others' reactions, which he witnessed in real time. Yet the heart of the book feels like it's Bringley's observations of the thousands of museumgoers who cross his path--the strangers who enter this magnificent museum, who wander and take it all in or search for specific works of art, who greedily rush or take hours to contemplate, who are awed or dismissive, who walk the galleries and encounter a vast array of expression in the artwork and who develop their own unique reactions to it all. For my full review, please see All the Beauty in the World . 03 The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl This gorgeously written set of fifty-two love letters to nature encourage reflection and urge the reader to pause to honor even the less glamorous wonders of wilderness. In The Comfort of Crows , Margaret Renkl offers a literary, nature-focused devotional of 52 chapters, each meditating on an element inspired by her close examination of the goings-on in her backyard. Renkl's beautiful, striking observations range from a New Year's Day sighting of a crow and her exploration of crows' senses of community and cleverness, which she hopes set a tone for the year to come; to a grief-stricken examination of deadly fads such as the desire to have a vibrant green yard, free of weeds, and the widespread impacts of the poisonous chemicals required to achieve such a thing. Renkl weaves in stories of her pivotal childhood encounters with nature, and for me the book really shone when she included her family's current shifts and changes in poignant passages she linked to her observations of nature. I adored this element--possibly because with a senior in high school, I am also facing enormous pending alterations to the makeup of our household. I listened to The Comfort of Crows  as an audiobook, but I think this one would have been even better read as a physical book for easier pausing and pondering. For my full review, check out The Comfort of Crows . 04 What I Ate in One Year (and Related Thoughts) by Stanley Tucci The gems of What I Ate in One Year  are, as promised in the title, the food-related moments Stanley Tucci delves into over the course of a year--cooking, eating, appreciating, entertaining, and bringing together the people he loves around a table. Cooking, eating, and appreciating delicious food is an essential part of Stanley Tucci's satisfaction, and in the nonfiction book What I Ate in One Year , he allows the food and wine that he prepares, eats, or enjoys (and, occasionally, pans) over the course of a year to add structure to the passage of 365 days, while interspersing some personal moments and brief mentions of professional pursuits. The book is not particularly full of substance, but the moments that Tucci includes from his personal life help showcase the many atmospheric, cooking- and eating-focused entries, which are delightful. Tucci is irresistibly playful, confident yet humble; mesmerized by excellent food prepared simply and served with style; and he is also occasionally curmudgeonly. He loves what he loves, and he especially loves his people and his Italian food. I listened to What I Ate in One Year  as an audiobook. It's a joy to listen to Stanley Tucci read his books in his wonderful voice. The only downside to taking in the book in this format was not being able to jot down the few recipes he mentions. Stanley Tucci is also the author of the cookbooks The Tucci Table and The Tucci Cookbook, as well as the memoir Taste: My Life Through Food . 05 Being Mortal by Atul Gawande Atul Gawande writes clearly and poignantly about the search to achieve maximum well-being rather than prolonging diminished life at all costs--as well as the many complicating factors that make it difficult to transition to a focus on quality of life. We've been wrong about what our job is in medicine. We think our job is to ensure health and survival. But really it is larger than that. It is to enable well-being. And well-being is about the reasons one wishes to be alive. Those reasons matter not just at the end of life, or when debility comes, but all along the way. The past century of medical advancements have transformed some grave conditions from death sentences to manageable or curable illnesses. But the focus on living longer and attempting to move past former limitations of medical solutions sometimes create a difficult dynamic: pursuing additional years of life at any cost sometimes means paying the price by experiencing a dramatically diminished quality of life. In Being Mortal , surgeon, former Harvard professor, and public health leader (Assistant Administrator for Global Health at USAID) Atul Gawande explores the successes and failures of the medical field in prolonging a life worth living. Being Mortal  is a beautiful, poignant, clearheaded examination of the intersection of mortality, medicine, dreams, and reality. Gawande emphasizes asking key questions of loved ones to clearly understand their own particular, sometimes surprising lines in the sand regarding quality of life before they are unable to make key decisions for themselves: what are they willing to forgo in order to live? If you're interested in books about mortality like I am, you might like the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Powerful Memoirs about Facing Mortality  and Six More Powerful Books about Facing Mortality . For my full review of this book, please see Being Mortal . 06 Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten Ina's memoir is personal and thoughtful. Her charm comes through in candid reflections about her fascinating life, and her young life's adventures and missteps are as intriguing as the accounts of her eventual success. Ina Garten, often called by the name of her former specialty food shop in the Hamptons (and television show), Barefoot Contessa, offers a personal, charming memoir in Be Ready When the Luck Happens . Ina shares her life story, beginning with a difficult, abusive childhood, continuing to her marriage to Jeffrey while she was still in college, to her government job writing the nuclear energy budget and policy papers under President Ford and President Carter, then a flight of fancy that changed everything when she bought and learned to run the Hamptons store Barefoot Contessa--necessitating extended time apart from Jeffrey and, eventually, a very real scare that the relationship wouldn't survive. I looked forward to getting back to this book each time I could, and I was as charmed by Ina's guileless storytelling as by her blend of delightful spontaneity, creativity, practicality, and stubbornness. I listened to Be Ready When the Luck Happens as an audiobook. Click here   for my full review of Be Ready When the Luck Happens .

Abby Jimenez layers tough situations and messy complications into her rom-coms, and here, her main protagonists must face and overcome past and present difficulties in order to banter their way through the story and build a sweet life together. Samantha creates zippy social media posts for a local mustard company (I kept feeling surprise, but also joy, that this job seemed to provide a sustainable salary)--and she doesn't take any attitude from anyone. Xavier is a young veterinarian who feels grumpy, exhausted, and as though he may be losing faith in humanity--but he loves the animals he cares for. After one disastrous encounter involving a rescued kitten with a serious congenital disorder, then one magical, extended date, the two are falling for each other. But Xavier's painful past and Samantha's challenging present might make a future for the two impossible. Jimenez never shies away from including heavy themes and tough situations in her rom-coms. Here, childhood abuse, animal abuse, and dementia are all part of Xavier and Samantha's past and present stories, so nothing is too easy on their path to togetherness. Family and business circumstances add realistic chaos and unpredictability to the couple's plans for a melded life together, and when they must wait and delay their combined life, then break up because it's too difficult to cope with forced distance, their reasoning feels sound, if heartbreaking. Jimenez writes irresistible characters, and I loved the weight of the difficulties behind this sweet story of love. I received a prepublication audiobook edition of Say You'll Remember Me  courtesy of Hachette Audio and Libro.fm . More Abby Jimenez love Jimenez is also the author of Just for the Summer   (one of my Favorite Rom-Coms of the Year  last year), Part of Your World , Yours Truly , The Friend Zone , and The Happy-Ever-After Playlist .

Jennifer Weiner's newest novel offers a behind-the-scenes peek at the music business, songwriting, and the pressures of fame, layered with complications from clashing sisters, devastating tragedy, and a messy path toward reconciliation. Cassie and Zoe Greenberg are sisters who have always been opposites. Cassie, a musical prodigy, loved losing herself in and expressing herself through playing and singing, but avoided the limelight. Zoe dreamed of stardom since she was a child and was driven more by fame than the music itself. But Zoe realizes that Cassie is key to any musical future, and she convinces Cassie to join her on stage, beginning their meteoric climb to stardom. For one year when they're young adults, the sisters reach mindboggling heights of fame as the pop duo The Griffin Sisters--featured in Rolling Stone , performing on Saturday Night Live , and making videos for MTV. Then their run abruptly ended, and for the public, the reasons for their breakup were a mystery. Twenty years later, Zoe is a housewife and Cassie is a recluse who hasn't spoken to her sister at all. But when Zoe's headstrong daughter Cherry becomes determined to become a star, she digs into the past and forces a confrontation between the estranged sisters at last. This is a great behind-the-scenes look at the music business, musical creativity and songwriting processes, and body-image pressures on women earning a living by being in the limelight. Griffin Sisters also takes on deep familial conflicts, coping with loss and a devastating blow for future plans, lies and betrayals, and, finally, a messy but hopeful chance for reconciliation. I received a prepublication edition of this title courtesy of William Morrow and NetGalley.  If you like to read fiction about music, you might also like the titles I included in the Greedy Reading List Six Rockin' Stories about Bands and Music . More from Jennifer Weiner Weiner is also the author of the novels Good in Bed,   That Summer,   Good Summer , The Summer Place , and more.

Stephen Graham Jones offers an intriguing premise--an Indigenous man with supernatural abilities enacts brutal justice--but I found the story exceedingly long and both thoroughly gruesome and extremely tedious in its slow pace and details. “What I am is the Indian who can’t die. I’m the worst dream America ever had.” A young professor determined to make her mark is inspired to pursue a project that just might earn her tenure: exploring the story of her ancestor's 1912 diary, found within a wall of a church during recent construction. The diary's author is a Lutheran pastor who met and was witness to the fantastical, frightening, brutal story of a Blackfeet man who faced death, was an outcast to his community, and became set on deadly revenge against the white men bent on destroying buffalo and the Blackfeet and other indigenous tribes. The man, who reveals that he was called Good Stab by his family and friends, appears mysteriously in the congregation week after week, dressed in robes and dark glasses. He insists on confessing to the pastor, and his story grows increasingly haunting as he recounts a harrowing series of events in which he pursues hunters, watches and waits, enacts brutal justice upon the white men, protects buffalo calves, and observes his former tribe while remaining outside their community. As Good Stab's tale builds, it becomes clear that the horrors he admits to are only part of the story--his motivation in being with the pastor are deeply rooted and personal. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter  is a horror/historical fiction story with key supernatural elements. I was intrigued by the premise, the revenge from a wronged Indigenous person upon the race aimed at extinguishing them, and the Western land and life. I found the story long --the book runs 448 pages--and simultaneously grotesque and extremely tedious, as so many moments of Good Stab's supernatural transformations and details of gruesome killings are recounted, alongside long, slow accounts of his thoughts and internal debates. I received a prepublication audiobook edition of this title courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm . More about Stephen Graham Jones Stephen Graham Jones is also the author of The Only Good Indians , I Was a Teenage Slasher , and many other horror books.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Stephen Graham Jones's historical fiction-horror story, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter ; I'm listening to Abby Jimenez's newest romance with heavy emotional underpinnings, Say You'll Remember Me ; and I'm reading Olivia Waite's slim science fiction-mystery, the first in a series, Murder by Memory . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones A young professor determined to make her mark is inspired to pursue a project that just might earn her tenure: exploring the story of her ancestor's 1912 diary, found within a wall of a church during recent construction. The diary's author is a Lutheran pastor who met and was witness to the fantastical, frightening, brutal story of a Blackfeet man who faced death, was an outcast to his community, and became set on deadly revenge against the white men bent on destroying buffalo and the Blackfeet and other indigenous tribes. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a horror/historical fiction story with key supernatural elements. The book is hefty and runs 448 pages. Jones is also the author of The Only Good Indians , I Was a Teenage Slasher , and many other books. I received a prepublication audiobook edition of this title courtesy of Simon & Schuster Audio and Libro.fm. 02 Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez Samantha creates zippy social media posts for a local mustard company--and doesn't take any attitude from anyone. Xavier is a young veterinarian who feels grumpy, exhausted, and as though he may be losing faith in humanity--but he loves the animals he cares for. After one disastrous encounter and one magical, extended date, the two are falling for each other. But Xavier's painful past and Samantha's challenging present might make a future for the two impossible. I received a prepublication audiobook edition of Say You'll Remember Me courtesy of Hachette Audio and Libro.fm. Jimenez is also the author of Just for the Summer (one of my Favorite Rom-Coms of the Year last year) , Part of Your World , Yours Truly , The Friend Zone , and The Happy-Ever-After Playlist . 03 Murder by Memory (Dorothy Gentleman #1) by Olivia Waite In Olivia Waite's slim science-fiction mystery, Dorothy wakes up...in a body that's not her own. It's uncomfortable but not unheard of. Still, Dorothy was supposed to be in stasis for years after suffering an emotional loss. Yet even more concerning than her situation is the spaceship HMS Fairweather 's current state. An electrical storm has knocked systems offline, and even worse, it seems that someone has deliberately been sabotaging the Library, where the backup for each passenger on the ship is stored. In this outer-space-set mystery, Dorothy must figure out who's behind the destruction and how to save the ship's passengers from further danger.

My very favorite Bossy April reads! I've been reading like a maniac this past month, and I had so many favorite books, it was tough to narrow them down here. I'm giving a talk today about my favorite spring books, and many of these titles are on the list! If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think. And I'd also love to hear: what are some of your recent favorite reads? 01 Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall In Hall's Broken Country , characters do their duties, find wondrous love, feel heartbreak, suffer tragedies, sometimes act impulsively, and reel from the consequences of all of the above. A mystery surrounds a deadly moment, and the book ends with a hopeful, imperfect, heartbreaking way forward. Beth and her kind husband Frank live and farm outside the small English village where they grew up. They love each other, but they are able to stay married only because they push down the memories of tragedies that could haunt them, and because secrets from the past stay buried. But when Frank's brother shoots a dog going after the family's sheep, the gunshot sets into motion events that will change everything. The dog belonged to Gabriel Wolfe, Beth's childhood love, and his return to town brings back long-suppressed complications around jealousies, love, choices, and the weighty consequences of the past. Broken Country  is a study of an extreme, life-and-death-stakes fallout after heartbreaking tragedy, but it's also a story of young love blossoming, then shriveling under the first pressures of the outside world; it's a mystery in which duty overpowers the difficult truth; and it's a hopeful view of how an imperfect set of characters can find their clumsy, sometimes beautiful, way forward. I read this immersive story in a flash. For my full review of this book please see Broken Country . 02 The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett In this heartwarming story of wonderfully faulted characters who face tragedy and often make a mess of things, loyalty and steadfastness overcome all and allow a makeshift family to heal, find adventure, discover their individual strengths, and realize that they're meant to be together forever. PJ Halliday is 63 and won the million-dollar lottery. Now he's about to set off on a cross-country road trip to track down his high-school sweetheart following the death of his former nemesis and rival. But not everything in his life has been luck and adventure. PJ has weathered terrible tragedies in his life.  Before he can set out for Arizona to try to win back his young love, his estranged brother dies, and PJ becomes the guardian for his brother's grandchildren. So he packs them into the car, enlists his grumbling grown daughter to help him, and hits the road. Tough situations are real but are surrounded by lighthearted, zany circumstances; characters are faulted and make missteps but learn to forgive themselves and those around them; loyalty and steadfastness serve as bridges to love and caring; and animals work with magical realism to shift and affect outcomes. While the characters in The Road to Tender Hearts  face sometimes devastating turns of events, the tone of the story is such that you won't wonder whether a happy ending is coming. Past hurts aren't erased, but love overcomes, and the ending is sweet sweet sweet. Annie Hartnett is also the author of the wonderful novel Unlikely Animals , which was one of my  Bossy Favorite Fiction Reads of the Year  when I read it. Click here for my full review of The Road to Tender Hearts . 03 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 along. Her memoir is candid, poignant, funny, and always entertaining. I loved this peek into her fascinating life. Zarna Garg fled her comfortable lifestyle and her widower father to avoid an unwanted arranged marriage at age 14. She begged places to stay from friends and acquaintances in Mumbai, homeless. Desperate for food and shelter and tired of overstaying her welcome and never having security, she was returning home and on the verge of agreeing to be married off, until her long-hoped-for visa to the US came through. Instead of becoming a child bride, she ran from home and began a dramatically different new life in Akron, Ohio. In midlife, she reimagined her future again and became a hard-working comedian who opened for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and then warranted her own headliner spots. Garg offers an honest, funny account of overcoming sobering challenges and determining her own destiny after years of struggles and constant worries about being a burden on those who might help her. Her intense push to achieve is accompanied by doubt, periods of low self-esteem, and feelings of unworthiness that stem from her childhood. At the very beginning the pacing felt a little uneven to me, but then Garg hit her stride. I laughed out loud repeatedly while I was reading this charming memoir by this strong, funny woman. Please click here for my full review of This American Woman . 04 Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Mysteries abound within McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore , but the story is largely an atmospheric story of isolation and loss set against the drama of climate change, tragedy, and finding the will to trust again. The description of Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore  immediately ticked several of my reading-interest boxes--the setting is an isolated island (Antarctica is the closest land mass), the climate is cold (check out these other Bossy reviews of titles with cold settings ), and climate change  and shifting weather patterns are bringing matters to a head. When a mysterious woman washes up half-dead on the remote island of Shearwater, home of the world's largest seed bank and formerly a research hub, she finds only Dominic Salt and his three children manning the lighthouse. The lonely, broken characters reach out to each other. Although hesitant because of past hurts, they begin to form intense bonds. With violent storms on the horizon, no line of communication open with the outside world, and enormous secrets being harbored on all sides, the disjointed group seems doomed to fail each other. But regardless of their interpersonal complications, they may collectively be the only hope of saving the precious, preserved seeds for the future--if they can trust each other long enough to work together for the good of the world. There are mysteries at the center of the story, but for me this was a captivating, atmospheric dive into the pressures, pain, and hope within extreme isolation, the power of external forces, and the push to protect each other at all costs. I was intrigued throughout. For my full review of Wild Dark Shore , please check out this link . Charlotte McConaghy is also the author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves . 05 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry Henry's story-within-a-story adds a historical fiction element to her signature big-hearted, banter-driven, steamy, intriguingly complicated interpersonal dynamic exploration in Great Big Beautiful Life . This is an excellent rom-com with enough weighty themes to offer appealing depth. Alice Scott is a celebrity feature writer for The Scratch in LA. She's got a sunny disposition, wears bright, cheery colors, and is hoping for her first big writing break. Hayden Anderson, from New York, has won a Pulitzer Prize and is humorless, highly scheduled, and work-obsessed. They're both currently on Georgia's tiny Little Crescent Island, vying to become the memoir author for the reclusive former tabloid darling Margaret Ives, whose whereabouts have long been unknown to the general public. Their strict NDAs mean Alice and Hayden can't talk about their work, and they're developing more questions than answers. Why is Margaret willing to share her personal tale now? What is she hiding? And what on earth is her purpose in stringing along Hayden and Alice for a month--if she even intends to follow through with this project, which they're each beginning to doubt? But the writers can't deny that opposites are attracting in inconvenient fashion in their case. They're drawn to each other and discover unexpected joy, emotional intimacy, steaminess, and maybe even a promise of something real together. Henry brings her signature warmth, great banter, and sultry romance to this story within a story. I loved the historical fiction aspect of Margaret's recounting of her history. This is an excellent rom-com with weighty themes that make it all feel anchored in something real. I got a little teary during some of the characters' vulnerability at the end, and I laughed out loud at times too. For my full review please check out Great Big Beautiful Life . Henry's Beach Read  was one of my favorite books the year I read it, and it also made it onto the Greedy Reading List Six Lighter Fiction Stories for Great Escapism . People We Meet on Vacation  was another great Henry story; you can check out my review here , and you might like to check it out on the Greedy Reading List Six More Great Light Fiction Stories . Emily Henry is also the author of Funny Story  (one of my Favorite Reads of the Year ),   Happy Place , and Book Lovers . 06 Kills Well With Others (Killers of a Certain Age #2) by Deanna Raybourn Killers of a Certain Age  was darkly funny, action-packed, feminist, and friend-focused. I love the second installment's return to my favorite aging assassins and their quick-thinking, spry, deadly answers to those who have broken moral codes--and who have our protagonists in their sights. The first installment of Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age series was a fun, darkly funny, feminist story about a retiring female team of elite assassins. It was the right book at the right time for me: entertainment in the perfect combination of action and suspense, loyal friendship, clever plotting, and the promise of love. Book two picks up when our main characters, having laid low  and lived their own lives for a year, are contacted by the Museum, the elite assassin organization they used to work for. An Eastern European gangster has obtained the names of agents who have stood in his way over the years, and our aging assassins seem likely to be next on his hit list. They must figure out who's turned traitor on the Museum and shared this information--and stay alive long enough to bring them to justice. Kills Well with Others sometimes feels a little bit as though Raybourn is gamely giving her readers what they want (more Billie, Helen, Mary Alice, Natalie--and Tanner!) rather than writing a book she felt compelled to put out into the world. But I'm one of those who are eager for more time with these clever, sometimes grumpy, often spontaneous, satisfyingly quick-thinking assassins who are loyal to each other above all. The mind-bending examinations of what other characters might be up to and the combat and narrow escapes keep the pacing lively and engaging. In between, Raybourn allows friendships and love to grow and change. If Raybourn keeps writing this series, I'll read every last installment. For my full review, please see Kills Well with Others . Raybourn is also the author of the wonderful   Killers of a Certain Age , which was the first in the Killers of a Certain Age series. And I loved A Curious Beginning , the first book in Deanna Raybourn's feisty Veronica Speedwell series of historical fiction mysteries, as well as the sequels A Perilous Undertaking , A Treacherous Curse , A Dangerous Collaboration , and A Murderous Relation . (There are currently nine books in the series.)

The deep bond that builds between an injured Union soldier and the Virginia woman who secretly takes him in is touching and complicated, and Bohjalian doesn't make Libby's dangerous choices feel too easy. The author was inspired by a true story. In Chris Bohjalian's newest historical fiction novel, Libby Steadman lives in Virginia on the edge of the Confederate-Union Civil War conflict.  Her  husband has been away fighting for the Confederacy since soon after they were married, and Libby is warden to her orphaned, strong-willed niece Jubilee. She's also living alongside a hired hand, Joseph, who became a freedman when Libby's husband's family reconsidered their stance on slavery, and his wife Sally. Together the family members work grueling hours milling grain for the Confederacy.  Then Libby finds a gravely injured Union officer in a neighbor’s abandoned home. Because she hopes that a Union woman would take pity on her husband in the same situation, she secretly cares for Weybridge's injuries, realizing that if Confederate soldiers were aware of his presence in her home, the family would be considered traitors. Weybridge begins to bond with each member of the household, but particularly in the case of Libby, a growing friendship adds to an i mpossibly complicated situation. He is married, she is married--although she's becoming more and more certain that her husband has been killed in battle--and Weybridge's mere presence is dangerous to a deadly degree. The decision to take in Weybridge is morally clear to Libby, but the realities of the potential harm it could bring aren't lost on her. Bohjalian never makes the decision-making too easy, and the ending was not the neatly tied-up bow of a resolution I had begun to anticipate. The story is based upon a real account of a Southern woman who helped a Union soldier during the Civil War. I received a prepublication edition of The Jackal's Mistress  courtesy of Doubleday Books and NetGalley. More Chris Bohjalian Love This is Chris Bohjalian’s 25th book. He also wrote Hour of the Witch  and Skeletons at the Feast  (a WWII-set book that I read about 15 years ago and loved). For more Bossy reviews of books set during the Civil War, check out this link .

Dream State felt like different genres in one book; what felt like a romance became a story of characters who are often bitter or disappointed with the imperfections of their lives; then the novel examines memory and memory loss along with a zigzagging journey to forgiveness, ultimately set against the backdrop of dramatic local implications of climate change. Cece is at her in-laws' summer home in Montana several weeks before her wedding, solo and handling the details while her doctor fiance Charlie works. Charlie has asked his friend from college, Garrett, to look in on Cece--really intending for Cece to be positive company for Garrett, who tends to be morose--particularly after the tragic death of their dear friend years earlier. But Cece's time with Garrett begins to make her question her future with Charlie. When a stomach bug ravages the wedding guests and Charlie himself, will Cece use it as a chance to bow out, or will her determination to see through her commitment see her married and a doctor's wife? I often felt as though the story was trying to do too many things, with a shifting tone I couldn't always get a handle on. The book's cover design says "literary fiction" to me, but the novel felt at first very much like a light, formulaic romance (will she or won't she? who's the better match for her--on paper, they're both great, and she wants them both? also, men are so bad at communicating, am I right?). Then Dream State takes the reader on a journey through decades of characters' irritated angst (alternating between satisfaction and wanting what once was possible but can no longer be had). At first I didn't have a lot of patience for the temptation of regret and the characters' wallowing when faced with real-world complications and imperfections. But the draw to the romanticized past and what might have been, alternating with the waxing and waning allure of the messy present, created a structure for the book and its characters' actions that I found compelling. The story and its characters are largely focused on a place (the Montana lake) that feels pivotal to so many aspects of their lives, then much later, and seemingly abruptly, the story is somewhat focused on climate change and its destruction as related to this location. Side note: Before the dramatic events related to the lake compound, I did at times feel impatience somewhat similar to my frustration while reading The Dutch House ; it feels childishly unfair and sometimes facile for characters to pin their own regrettable decisions or follies on having been away from a place, or to imagine that more or different access to this place would have formed their lives in different, dramatic, essential ways. They were acting all along with free will, after all, and reasonable adults must realize that life twists and turns and is not perfect, nor should a place be expected to impart perfection upon your life. Anyway, later Dream State is a meditation on memory and memory loss as related to personhood. Finally, the story focuses on the fits and starts of a version of complicated forgiveness after years of pain and emotional barriers. But the bulk of the story is, appealingly, about the ups and downs of a marriage and parenting; the messy bonds of commitment and partnership; the precious building of inside jokes and a unique history together; forgiveness for past missteps; then a poignant considering of what it all means if one person's memory of these gems and challenges is lost. I listened to Dream State as an audiobook. More about Eric Puchner Eric Puchner is also the author of the novel Model Home as well as two collections of short stories, Last Day on Earth and Music Through the Floor .

After a devastating earthquake, nine-months-pregnant Annie desperately searches the city of Portland, Oregon, for her husband. Pattee alternates the immediacy of the crisis with various moments preceding the devastation, including earlier, now quaint-feeling worries about money, fulfillment, and love. Annie is nine months pregnant and finally getting around to choosing a crib at IKEA when a devastating earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. The story alternates between the present-day crisis, with mass destruction, frantic, often hurt citizens, and Annie's own worried, dangerous slog across town to find her husband; and imperfect moments in the past that lead up to the morning before the quake. Pattee places Annie's periodic, sometimes steady dissatisfaction with her life in the months leading up to this fateful day against the immediacy of urgent needs: wanting to see her husband again, protecting her unborn baby, and the struggle of simply trying to survive. The past concerns of fulfillment and fears around financial security feel grotesque when set alongside the life-and-death crisis she finds herself--and her unborn baby--living within. She was a promising young playwright, but life got in the way, cost of living pressures led her to find an unsatisfying office job, she fell into marriage for health-insurance convenience, her husband is still searching for his acting break and working in a coffee shop, and now she's facing life with a baby and a more uncertain financial future than ever. Much of the book centers around Annie's relatively recent regrets and irritations, and as a reader I was left wondering if much of it was driven by hormones and strong emotions, or whether Annie had been considering a break from her spouse. While I have sympathy for her situation, in which she looks around and is in her 30s and life is not what she had imagined it would be, I became impatient with and fairly unsympathetic regarding the heavy grumbling around the decisions she actively made, her inertia, and her procrastination. I'm typically fascinated by a post-apocalyptic setting for a story, and the earthquake in the story is so disruptive, so destructive, it alters the landscape in a horrifyingly dramatic manner. Some buildings and landmarks are flattened, others still standing. People are dazed, they are often wandering without cars or phones, and they're desperate to find their loved ones. In a situation like that, people determine what they're made of, what they're capable of, what they must to do survive--and to stay human and be part of a society. Annie's quest across the city--with all of its missteps, tragedies, frightening encounters, and heartwarming moments--is the highlight of the novel for me. More about Emma Pattee Emma Pattee is a climate journalist as well as a fiction writer. She notes that there is a 37% chance of a massive earthquake in the Pacific Northwest in the next 50 years, and that it would be one of the biggest natural disasters in North American history. This chilling possibility was her inspiration for this novel.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading climate journalist Emma Pattee's novel, which is set during a devastating earthquake, Tilt ; I'm reading Chris Bohjalian's newest historical fiction, The Jackal's Mistress , set during the Civil War; and I'm listening to Erich Puchner's novel Dream State . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Tilt by Emma Pattee Annie is nine months pregnant and finally getting around to choosing a crib at IKEA when a devastating earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. The story alternates between the present-day crisis, with mass destruction, frantic, often hurt citizens, and Annie's own worried, dangerous slog across town to find her husband; and imperfect moments in the past leading up to the morning before the quake. Pattee places Annie's periodic, sometimes steady dissatisfaction with her life in the months leading up to this fateful day against the immediacy of urgent needs: wanting to see her husband again, protecting her unborn baby, and the struggle of simply trying to survive. Emma Pattee is a climate journalist as well as a fiction writer. She notes that there is a 37% chance of a massive earthquake in the Pacific Northwest in the next 50 years, and that it would be one of the biggest natural disasters in North American history. This chilling possibility was her inspiration for this novel. 02 The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian In Chris Bohjalian's newest historical fiction novel, Libby Steadman lives in Virginia on the edge of the Confederate-Union Civil War conflict. Her husband has been away fighting for the Confederacy since soon after they were married, and Libby is warden to her orphaned, strong-willed niece. She's also living alongside a hired hand, who's a freedman, and his wife. Together they’re working grueling hours milling grain for the Confederacy.  Then she finds a gravely injured Union officer in a neighbor’s abandoned home. Because she hopes that a Union woman would take pity on her husband in the same situation, she cares for him. He and Libby slowly begin to bond, but it’s an i mpossibly complicated situation. I received a prepublication edition of The Jackal's Mistress courtesy of Doubleday Books and NetGalley. This is Chris Bohjalian’s 25th book. He also wrote Hour of the Witch  and Skeletons at the Feast  (a WWII-set book that I read about 15 years ago and loved). 03 Dream State by Eric Puchner Cece is at her in-laws' summer home in Montana several weeks before her wedding, solo and handling the details while her doctor fiance Charlie works. Charlie has asked his friend from college, Garrett, to look in on Cece--really intending for Cece to be positive company for Garrett, who tends to be morose--particularly after the tragic death of their dear friend years earlier. But Cece's time with Garrett begins to make her question her future with Charlie. When a stomach bug ravages the wedding guests and Charlie himself, will Cece use it as a chance to bow out, or will her determination to see through her commitment see her married and a doctor's wife?

Six More Great Bossy Literary Fiction Reads I read so many read literary fiction books last year, this is my second best-of-the-year list; you can find my first list here . For me, literary fiction focuses on realistic characters and themes, the author's writing style is showcased, plot takes a backseat, and you're never assured of a resolution or happy ending. A couple of these titles might stretch the definition, but I am Bossily including them. If you've read any of these books, I'd love to hear what you think! What are some of your favorite literary fiction reads? 01 Trespasses by Louise Kennedy Kennedy writes poignantly about the Irish Troubles through the point of view of Cushla, a young adult stretching her wings despite her limits--her mother's alcoholism, her father's death, and her small outer Belfast community, where violent Protestant-Catholic tensions are threatening to rule every act, thought, and dream. Cushla is a young teacher (who also fills in at the family pub) living through growing violence outside of Belfast. Along with her alcoholic mother and her impatient barkeep brother, she grieves the loss of her father while going about her day and living her modest lifestyle. But Cushla--along with many other citizens--is more and more astounded by the increasing conflict between Catholics and Protestants, and the violent acts stemming from the growing schism. Kennedy draws the reader into the specific place and time of the story, vividly building the constant undercurrent of tension, the twinges of fear, the devil-may-care affair, the sickening reckonings. This is beautiful and heartbreaking, but Trespasses is never maudlin or too easy. Both the world and the characters' personal lives are complicated, messy, wonderful, and fragile. I listened to Trespasses  as an audiobook. Click here   for my full review of Trespasses . 02 Bear by Julia Phillips The author of Disappearing Earth  offers a story of bleak prospects, poverty and illness, a sister bond with fault lines ready to crack open, and a slow build to a destructive end. Along with their ill, bedridden mother, young-adult sisters Sam and Elena struggle to get by on an island off the coast of Washington. Frustrated by the challenge of supporting themselves on Sam's pay from driving the tourist ferry and Elena's job bartending, the sisters dream of escaping to somewhere new. But when Sam spots a grizzly bear swimming alongside the ferry--a bear that then shows up near their home--she is terrified. Elena chooses to see the bear as a sign of something positive, and she begins drawing the bear in with food and believing she is safe in its presence. The bear is a lumbering, drooling, stinking metaphor for the brutal truths set to implode Sam and Elena's lives. Sam has always believed she and Elena were a lifelong team, about to spring to freedom, whereas Elena never realized the half-truths and comfort she murmured to Sam when they were young have been taken as truth, against all evident clues to their grim financial status and how stuck Elena feels. Everything Sam has stubbornly understood to be true and real is suddenly coming unfurled and undone. The bear does ultimately shift everything for their family, and the story is brutal in its climax, yet glimmers of hope do emerge. For my full review, please see Bear . I mentioned Julia Phillips's fascinating novel Disappearing Earth  in the Greedy Reading List Six Chilly Books to Read in the Heat of Summer . 03 After Annie by Anna Quindlen Young mom Annie's abrupt death leaves her four children, husband, and best friend reeling. Each of them must find a way back to themselves and back to each other without their key person in After Annie . In Anna Quindlen's novel After Annie , the abrupt death of the titular young mother--which occurs in the kitchen in front of the family just before dinner--leaves her four children, husband, and best friend reeling. Over the course of the next year, each of those who had been closest to her and who are left behind struggles and threatens to fall apart--both individually and also to collectively fall away from each other in a way that would have infuriated Annie. The thing that saves each of them from bottomless grief and from giving in to their most desperate, despairing, hopeless impulses is Annie's frequent voice in their heads, reassuring them, loving them, sticking by them. It was unsatisfying to see only glimpses of the pivotal figure of Annie--I found myself wanting more of these. She makes up the heart of the book and is the center of the wheel of characters rotating around her, yet little page time is spent with her directly because she dies so early in the novel. The key characters make mistakes and stumble repeatedly before finding their way back to their new selves and their existence without Annie . For my full review, please see After Annie . If you're interested in books about mortality, you might like the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Powerful Memoirs about Facing Mortality  and Six More Powerful Books about Facing Mortality . 04 Grey Dog by Elliott Gish Grey Dog  begins as an immersive historical fiction story of a young teacher with a shocking past in 1900s rural England, but it becomes a haunting feminist, magical realism story about taking back power and letting go of restrictive expectations. It's 1901, and Ada Byrd has accepted a teaching position in a rural community following a scandal and abrupt departure from her last post. Her cruel, controlling father is high up in the school board, so while he lords over her this "favor" of allowing her to serve a new role, he also forces her to be a teacher in the first place. Ada boards with a staid, kind, slightly boring couple and also befriends the minister's wife. She's determined not to make any waves. But a young, half-feral female student and a shockingly unorthodox widow both seem to hold mysterious secrets--and both intrigue Ada. Ada begins to learn delicate secrets of those in the community even as she protects her own scandalous past. A haunting power seems to swirl through the small village, both disturbing and intriguing Ada. And the more often she encounters it, the more difficult it becomes for Ada to check her temper, her opinions, her yearning for freedom, and her desire to speak her mind. This is a feminist historical fiction story in which women--long kept quiet and still, supervised to prevent their freedom, and dismissed and condescended to--strike back, lash out, and reject the constraints put on them. Magical realism allows the force that haunts, challenges, and pushes them to take the form of a beast, whose presence only the bravest women embrace and accept. I loved the setting and detail of the historical fiction story, but I became fully hooked as the tale morphed into something wonderfully eerie and unusual. I couldn't wait to find out how it ended. Click here for my full review of Grey Dog . If this book sounds appealing to you, you might also be interested in my Bossy reviews of other historical fiction books set in the 1900s  or my Bossy reviews of Gothic stories . 05 Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar The tone of Martyr! was tough for me to get a handle on for much of the book. 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. Cyrus Shams is an orphaned young adult, the child of Iranian immigrants, and a recovering addict and alcoholic. He is also a self-doubting poet. Cyrus seeks meaning in art, in a close, sometimes-sexual friendship, and in the idea of trying to craft his book. For the majority of the novel I felt as though I appreciated the story more than I was taken in by it or enjoyed it. The book really took off and intrigued me once Cyrus traveled to New York to visit an artist whose final exhibit was made up of living in the Brooklyn Museum and having conversations with visitors until her death. The ripples of their meeting and connection reached farther than I could have imagined, and this portion of the book was fascinating. I listened to Martyr!  as an audiobook. Click here   for my full review of Martyr! 06 Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout Elizabeth Strout examines the range of characters from her many books and their intersecting stories, their imperfections, and their explorations of the meaning of life. In small town Crosby, Maine, acclaimed writer Lucy Barton and attorney Bob Burgess walk and talk about everything under the sun--their pasts, their missteps, what they wonder about, and their dreams. Bob is defending a man accused of a terrible crime: killing his mother, a mean, reviled lunch lady long perceived as an enemy of the town's young children. But the young man, a self-taught artist, is counting on Bob and an unorthodox approach to figuring out who really killed Bob's mother. Tell Me Everything  digs into secrets and lies, revenge, forgiveness, resignation, heartbreak, second chances, abuse, and addiction. And the story weaves in characters from other Strout books, including Olive Kitteridge. But the story is primarily about human connections. Bob and Lucy explore the complexities of life, revealing more and more about their own inner selves as they take their weekly walks and become more dear to each other. And Olive and Lucy share stories from their own lives and those they've encountered, trying to come to terms with the meaning of life and the human condition. Please click here for my full review of Tell Me Everything . You can also check out my Bossy reviews of Strout's Lucy by the Sea , Anything Is Possible , Olive, Again , My Name Is Lucy Barton , and Oh William!  Elizabeth Strout is also the author of Olive Kitteridge .

Mysteries abound within McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore , but the story is largely an atmospheric story of isolation and loss set against the drama of climate change, tragedy, and finding the will to trust again. The description of Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore  immediately ticked several of my reading-interest boxes--the setting is an isolated island (Antarctica is the closest land mass), the climate is cold (check out these other Bossy reviews of titles with cold settings ), and climate change  and shifting weather patterns are bringing matters to a head. When a mysterious woman washes up half-dead on the remote island of Shearwater, home of the world's largest seed bank and formerly a research hub, she finds only Dominic Salt and his three children manning the lighthouse. The lonely, broken characters reach out to each other. Although hesitant because of past hurts, they begin to form intense bonds. With violent storms on the horizon, no line of communication open with the outside world, and enormous secrets being harbored on all sides, the disjointed group seems doomed to fail each other. But regardless of their interpersonal complications, they may collectively be the only hope of saving the precious, preserved seeds for the future--if they can trust each other long enough to work together for the good of the world. There are mysteries at the center of the story, but for me this was a captivating, atmospheric dive into the pressures, pain, and hope within extreme isolation, the power of external forces, and the push to protect each other at all costs. I was intrigued throughout, as the characters' relationships build to a head (they must reveal the secrets they've kept in trying to save each other; they tentatively become vulnerable with each other; they share difficult truths and dare to imagine a bright future) alongside the relentless, unforgiving weather and storms that seem destined to destroy not only their fragile bodies but the work of lifetimes--as well as the characters' hope for the world in years to come. Wild Dark Shore is both hyperfocused on the nuances of facial expressions, word choice, and interactions as well as vast in its scope, considering climate change's immense effects on the world along with the characters' specific island--as well as the implications of the deadly threat of deterioration of the precious, singular reserves of plant life for generations to come. More about Charlotte McConaghy Charlotte McConaghy is also the author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves .

In this heartwarming story of wonderfully faulted characters who face tragedy and often make a mess of things, loyalty and steadfastness overcome all and allow a makeshift family to heal, find adventure, discover their individual strengths, and realize that they're meant to be together forever. PJ Halliday is 63 and won the million-dollar lottery. Now he's about to set off on a cross-country road trip to track down his high-school sweetheart following the death of his former nemesis and rival. But not everything in his life has been luck and adventure. PJ has weathered terrible tragedies in his life. His oldest daughter died as a teenager, and the grief destroyed his marriage. He's self-obsessed and sloppy, and he's allowed himself to become distant from his only living daughter, now a young adult who's drifting in her life. He's spent years drowning his sorrows in drink, and now that he's had three heart attacks (and secretly given away almost all of his money, while living in a hoarding-type home situation), he realizes his time may be almost up. But before he can set out for Arizona to try to win back his young love, his estranged brother dies, and PJ becomes the guardian for his brother's grandchildren. So he packs them into the car, enlists his grumbling grown daughter to help him, and hits the road. When I read Hartnett's novel Unlikely Animals , I said it was an irresistible, oddball tragicomedy with heart, in which characters explore the limits and solidity of friendship and family loyalty, show mistakes and imperfections, and cling to hope. While The Road to Tender Hearts is its own story, the same charming elements show up here: tough situations are real but are surrounded by lighthearted, zany circumstances; characters are faulted and make missteps but learn to forgive themselves and those around them; loyalty and steadfastness serve as bridges to love and caring; and animals work with magical realism to shift and affect outcomes. While the characters in The Road to Tender Hearts face sometimes devastating turns of events, the tone of the story is such that you won't wonder whether a happy ending is coming. Past hurts aren't erased, but love overcomes, and the ending is sweet sweet sweet. Hartnett employs dramatic irony, as the reader knows the full story of protagonists' motivations, abilities, and true selves, while her characters do not. I received a prepublication edition of The Road to Tender Hearts , scheduled for publication April 29, courtesy of Ballantine Books and NetGalley. More Annie Hartnett love Annie Hartnett is also the author of the wonderful novel Unlikely Animals , which was one of my  Bossy Favorite Fiction Reads of the Year  when I read it, as well as the novel Rabbit Cake , which I have yet to read.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading comedian Zarna Garg's upcoming memoir, This American Woman ; I'm reading Annie Hartnett's upcoming novel The Road to Tender Hearts ; and I'm reading John Green's nonfiction book Everything Is Tuberculosis . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg Zarna Garg avoided an unwanted arranged marriage at age 14 in India; she fled from her father to the streets of Mumbai, homeless; then she started a dramatically different new life in Akron, Ohio--only to reimagine her future again in midlife and become a comedian. But first she was an Indian matchmaker, a stay-at-home mom, and a prizewinning screenwriter. Then, on a dare, she hopped onto an open mic stage, spouted off comedic takes on her life, and the rest was history. Garg offers an honest, funny account of overcoming sobering challenges and determining your own destiny. I received a prepublication edition of this title, to be published April 29, courtesy of Ballantine Books and NetGalley. 02 The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett PJ Halliday is 63 and just won the million-dollar lottery. Now he's about to set off on a cross-country road trip to track down his high-school sweetheart following the death of his former nemesis and rival. But not everything in his life has been luck and adventure. PJ has weathered terrible tragedies in his life. His oldest daughter died, and the grief destroyed his marriage. After that, he spent years drowning his sorrows in drink, and now that he's had three heart attacks, he realizes his time may be almost up. Before he can set out for Arizona to try to win back his young love, his estranged brother dies, and PJ becomes the guardian for his brother's grandchildren. So he simply packs them into the car, enlists his grown daughter to babysit, and hits the road. What could go wrong? I received a prepublication edition of The Road to Tender Hearts , scheduled for publication April 29, courtesy of Ballantine Books and NetGalley. Annie Hartnett is also the author of the wonderful novel Unlikely Animals , which was one of my Bossy Favorite Fiction Reads of the Year when I read it, as well as the novel Rabbit Cake . 03 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green In John Green's nonfiction book Everything Is Tuberculosis , he tells his story of befriending a young man, Henry, who was suffering from tuberculosis and living in a hospital in Sierra Leone. Green uses his tender eye and piercing analysis to explore the health care inequalities that allow the world's poorest citizens to disproportionately contract the incurable disease tuberculosis and to advocate for greater access to quality care and a search for a cure. John Green is also the author of the nonfiction collection of essays The Anthropocene Reviewed (which was one of my six favorite nonfiction reads the year I read it) as well as the young adult novels An Abundance of Katherines, Turtles All the Way Down, The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska ,   and Paper Towns .

Comedian Zarna Garg lived several lives before falling into comedy in midlife and realizing it was where she'd belonged all along. Her memoir is candid, poignant, funny, and always entertaining. I loved this peek into her fascinating life. Zarna Garg fled her comfortable lifestyle and her widower father to avoid an unwanted arranged marriage at age 14. She begged places to stay from friends and acquaintances in Mumbai, homeless. Desperate for food and shelter and tired of overstaying her welcome and never having security, she was returning home and on the verge of agreeing to be married off, until her long-hoped-for visa to the US came through. Instead of becoming a child bride, she ran from home and began a dramatically different new life in Akron, Ohio. In midlife, she reimagined her future again and became a hard-working comedian who opened for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and then warranted her own headliner spots. But along the way Zarna was not only a homeless runaway, but an Indian matchmaker, a law student, a stay-at-home mom, and a prizewinning screenwriter. On a dare from her daughter, she hopped onto an open mic stage, spouted off comedic takes on her life, and after lots of scrapping and scrambling, the rest was history. Garg offers an honest, funny account of overcoming sobering challenges and determining her own destiny after years of struggles and constant worries about being a burden on those who might help her. Her intense push to achieve is accompanied by doubt, periods of low self-esteem, and feelings of unworthiness that stem from her childhood. At the very beginning the pacing felt a little uneven to me, but then Garg hit her stride, and I was taken with her frank narrative, her relentless optimism and drive, her self-deprecating accounts of her imperfections, and her poignant reflections. I love an honest memoir that lets a reader into the author's inner world, and Zarna has lived a fascinating life that I wanted to learn more about. I laughed out loud repeatedly while I was reading this charming memoir by this strong, funny woman. I received a prepublication edition of this title, to be published April 29, courtesy of Ballantine Books and NetGalley.  More memoir love For more memoirs you might like, please check out these Bossy reviews as well as Greedy Reading Lists of my favorites .

The pacing of The Life We Bury built from slow and steady to a whirlwind. It always seemed clear that we would have clean resolutions to the mystery; the sometimes-gruesome aspects of the path to the story's final answers were the surprise for me. In this mystery by Allen Eskens, Joe Talbert is busy trying to build a life apart from his mother, who's an addict, and his brother, who has autism. Joe is far from a star college student, but between his job as a bouncer and his dedicated studying, he's learning a lot and getting through. When he meets the elderly Carl Iverson at a nearby nursing home, he's eager to hear Carl's life story in order to complete a school assignment. But Carl is a convicted murderer who was released from jail because he's so gravely ill and close to death. And his story is introducing more questions than answers for Joe--who is coping with his own complicated personal challenges but can't leave Carl's story alone. Joe's mom is an unredeemable, selfish, and immature character with a bad-news boyfriend who's the perfect punching bag for Joe. Joe's brother can't live independently, but when Joe must bring him into his busy college life, he conveniently inspires the decoding element for an unfolding mystery related to Carl. Joe's neighbor Lila is a tough young woman who's endured hardship and is slow to trust. You might see Lila and Joe's budding love coming from a mile off (his early, eager interest in her came off as a little strong to me, as she clearly wasn't initially open to him or to a relationship). Carl is a dying man who's seemingly been wrongly convicted of murder, and if Joe and Lila can just prove their hunches to be true before he passes away, they can clear his name. The pacing of this one felt strange to me. The Life We Bury offers a slow start focused on Joe's personal situation, and when the mystery ramped up to a dramatic whirlwind tempo toward the end, I was left feeling startled and a little bit discombobulated. It never felt as though the loose ends that needed resolving would be anything but cleanly unraveled--and then some (there's a windfall that seemed potentially unnecessary and overly convenient, if heartwarming); the rough, sometimes gruesome path to the final answers was the surprise for me. 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 book. I listened to The Life We Bury as an audiobook. More mystery novels to check out This is the first in a series of three books about Joe Talbert. If you like reading mysteries, you might enjoy some of my Bossy reviews of other mystery novels .

Henry's story-within-a-story adds a historical fiction element to her signature big-hearted, banter-driven, steamy, intriguingly complicated interpersonal dynamic exploration in Great Big Beautiful Life . This is an excellent rom-com with enough weighty themes to offer appealing depth. Alice Scott is a celebrity feature writer for The Scratch in LA. She's got a sunny disposition, wears bright, cheery colors, and is hoping for her first big writing break. Hayden Anderson, from New York, has won a Pulitzer Prize and is humorless, highly scheduled, and work-obsessed. They're both currently on Georgia's tiny Little Crescent Island, vying to become the memoir author for the reclusive former tabloid darling Margaret Ives, whose whereabouts have long been unknown to the general public. But each writer has what feel like the opposite approach, manner, and voice from the other--and they're not sure how they became the two trial candidates for the job of a lifetime. In separate interviews with each writer, Margaret recounts her family's checkered past as well as memories of her own true love and famous relationship with Cosmo, who died years earlier in a terrible accident. But Margaret is still wary of the press and jaded by the spin that has shaped her public persona for decades, and she's clearly not telling either of them the whole story. Their strict NDAs mean Alice and Hayden can't talk about their work, and they're developing more questions than answers. Why is Margaret willing to share her personal tale now? What is she hiding? And what on earth is her purpose in stringing along Hayden and Alice for a month--if she even intends to follow through with this project, which they're each beginning to doubt? But the writers can't deny that opposites are attracting in inconvenient fashion in their case. They're drawn to each other and discover unexpected joy, emotional intimacy, steaminess, and maybe even a promise of something real together. Henry brings her signature warmth, great banter, and sultry romance to this story within a story. I loved the historical fiction aspect of Margaret's recounting of her history. This is an excellent rom-com with weighty themes that make it all feel anchored in something real. I got a little teary during some of the characters' vulnerability at the end, and I laughed out loud at times too. I received a prepublication audiobook edition of this title, to be published April 22, courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio and Libro.fm.   More Emily Henry love Henry's Beach Read  was one of my favorite books the year I read it, and it also made it onto the Greedy Reading List Six Lighter Fiction Stories for Great Escapism . People We Meet on Vacation  was another great Henry story; you can check out my review here , and you might like to check it out on the Greedy Reading List Six More Great Light Fiction Stories . Emily Henry is also the author of Funny Story (one of my Favorite Reads of the Year ), Happy Place , and Book Lovers .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Emily Henry's upcoming romance story-within-a-story, Great Big Beautiful Life ; I'm listening to the first mystery in a series, The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens; and I'm reading Charlotte McConaghy's haunting and mysterious Wild Dark Shore . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry Alice Scott is a writer for The Scratch in LA. She's got a sunny disposition, wears bright, cheery colors, and is hoping for her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is from New York, he's won a Pulitzer Prize, and he seems humorless, highly scheduled, and work-obsessed. They're both currently on Georgia's tiny Little Crescent Island, vying to be the author of the memoir of the reclusive former tabloid darling Margaret Ives. But each has their own distinct and disparate approach, manner, and voice--and they're not sure how they became the two trial candidates for the job of a lifetime. Their strict NDAs mean they can't talk about their work--but when opposites attract, Henry brings the characters together with warmth and romance in this story within a story. I received a prepublication audiobook edition of this title, to be published April 22, courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio and Libro.fm. Henry's Beach Read  was one of my favorite books the year I read it, and it made it onto the Greedy Reading List Six Lighter Fiction Stories for Great Escapism . People We Meet on Vacation  was another great Henry story; you can check out my review here , and you might like to check it out on the Greedy Reading List Six More Great Light Fiction Stories . Emily Henry is also the author of Funny Story , Happy Place , and Book Lovers . 02 The Life We Bury ( Joe Talbert #1) by Allen Eskens In this mystery by Allen Eskens, Joe Talbert is busy trying to build a life apart from his mother, an addict, and his brother, who has autism. He's far from a star college student, but between his job as a bouncer and his dedicated studying, he's learning a lot and getting through. When he meets the elderly Carl Iverson at a nearby nursing home, he's eager to hear Carl's life story in order to complete a school assignment. But Carl is a convicted murderer who was released because he's so gravely ill and close to death. And his story is introducing more questions than answers for Joe--who is coping with his own personal challenges but can't leave Carl's story alone. I'm listening to The Life We Bury as an audiobook. This is the first in a series of three books about Joe Talbert. 03 Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy The description of Charlotte McConaghy's Wild Dark Shore immediately ticked several of my reading-interest boxes--the setting is an isolated island (Antarctica is the closest land mass), the climate is cold (check out these other titles with cold settings ), and climate change and shifting weather patterns are bringing matters to a head. When a mysterious woman washes up half-dead on the remote island of Shearwater, home of the world's largest seed bank and formerly a research hub, she finds only Dominic Salt and his three children manning the lighthouse. With violent storms on the horizon, no line of communication open, and secrets being harbored on both sides, the disjointed group may be the only hope of saving the precious, preserved seeds for the future--if they can trust each other long enough to work together for the good of the world. Charlotte McConaghy is also the author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves .

Six More Great Bossy Fantasy Reads I read lots of entertaining, imaginative, sometimes funny, fantastic fantasy in the past year--enough to make up multiple Greedy Reading List roundups. You can find my first list recapping last year's favorites here . You can find other lists of favorite fantasy reads from past years here . And you can c lick here for other science fiction and fantasy books I've reviewed on Bossy Bookworm. If you've read any of these books, I'd love to hear what you think! What are some of your favorite fantasy reads? 01 To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1 ) by Moniquill Blackgoose Blackgoose offers a fascinating, layered story about a strong-willed, whip-smart young Indigenous woman in a steampunk 1800s Nordic setting, with plenty of dragons, dragon science, and dragon bonding alongside activism and bravery. Moniquill Blackgoose's To Shape a Dragon's Breath  delivers the dragons: in-depth training around being partnered with dragons, dragon-related science, emotional and physical ties to dragons, and the cultural importance, historical significance, and potential power of being linked to dragons. It's also a steampunk, mid-1800s Nordic setting for some radical rethinking of nonsensical, destructive rules and regulations. A fifteen-year-old Indigenous Masquisit girl Anequs finds a dragon egg, and when it hatches, she befriends and bonds with the hatchling, Kasaqua. But the Anglish conquerers of Masquapaug insist that a dragon must be raised a certain way, and if Anequs fails to demonstrate that she can control and shape Kasaqua's behavior, the dragon will be killed. But everyone's about to find out how disruptive a whip-smart, open-minded, and strong-willed young woman can be. Because the restrictive Anglish world--and its selective history of the destruction of the Indigenous people--is due for some changes. And Anequs is just the fearless catalyst who might be able to shift it all. Blackgoose takes on issues of Indigenous people and colonization, wealth and privilege, gender power imbalances, nontraditional sexual and relationship conventions, the bucking of societal traditions, and more. And my thirst for boarding school/magical school settings was quenched by the feminist-activist Anequs's dragon academy experience. For my full review, please see To Shape a Dragon's Breath . I love books about dragons  (check out the link for some of my favorites). 02 Starter Villain by John Scalzi First: this amazing cover. Second: Starter Villain is playful, darkly funny, big-hearted, and wonderfully weird. I loved it and I can't wait to read more John Scalzi books. “I can’t tell if you’re joking with me,” I said. “I’m mostly joking with you.” “That ‘mostly’ is doing a lot of work in that sentence.” The cover of Starter Villain  shows a grumpy-seeming cat's head on a human torso clad in a suit with "Meet the new boss" across the top, so obviously this was going to be a Bossy read. And I love that this is my first review of 2024. Bring on the weird and wonderful books! In Starter Villain , Charlie's a substitute teacher, divorced, struggling emotionally, socially, and financially, and living in a house his half-siblings want to sell. Then he inherits his long-lost uncle's parking-garage empire. Which turns out to be a cover for a vast supervillain business--complete with an evil lair in an island volcano. Could this be an unexpected new start that will point Charlie in a productive new direction? The recently deceased Uncle Jake, an old-fashioned villain, made a lot of enemies--and they're ruthless, well-funded, and out for revenge. Charlie will have to quickly get up to speed and figure out friend from foe in order to stay alive. This villain business is more complicated than it seems. There's crossing, double-crossing, a wonderfully savvy and knowledgeable second-in-command, nefarious plots, sentient cats, and more. This was playful, smart, funny, and weird. Click here   for my full review of Starter Villain . 03 The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo Bardugo's rich world-building sets the scene in Spain during the Inquisition, as a scullery maid with magical abilities is thrust into the spotlight, falls for a cursed lover, and finds that her only hope of survival--and revenge--is outwitting church, state, and the wealthy who gleefully wield their cruel power. Luzia Cotado lives in a grim house on a shabby street in the new capital of Madrid, working as a scullery maid for an insufferable, unsatisfied mistress. But when her employer figures out that Luzia is using tiny works of magic to get through her day, she insists that Luzia turn her attentions to magical efforts that will benefit her, or be turned out on the street. Luzia attracts the attention of more and more powerful people, and she soon finds herself navigating the complex world of seers, frauds, and holy men vying for the king's favor in a competition to earn a position in his inner circle. She must manage the weighty expectations set upon her--while always hiding her Jewish blood, which would make her a target of the terrifying Inquisition that looms over everyone. I love a mix of historical fiction and fantasy, and while this novel isn't as layered and complex or as twisty as some other Bardugo novels, The Familiar  hit the spot for me with trademark Bardugo detail and world-building that set a dark, rich scene for the action; an unassuming, unlikely heroine who comes into her power; an unorthodox, deep love; and satisfying revenge over corruption and evil. For my full review of this book--and for links to my reviews of other Leigh Bardugo books--please see The Familiar . 04 Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang I loved the dark academia setting, Sciona's bid to become the first female in the High Magistry, and her rethinking of long-held assumptions and prejudices. Wang doesn't shy away from a dramatic reckoning for the story's main characters in the end. For twenty years, Sciona has single-mindedly set out to learn enough complex, intuitive, precise, powerful magic to become the first woman to be accepted into the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.   But after Sciona blasts the competition at her entrance exam and is admitted, she finds that not all of her dreams have come true. The misogyny and contempt of her peers means she faces a lack of respect and resources at every turn. For example, instead of a lab assistant, she is assigned a janitor without magical training. The janitor is a cultural outsider with a complicated history, and what he lacks in training he makes up for with the desire to learn more about the forces that may have long ago destroyed his family. When he and Sciona uncover an enormous magical secret, it could not only mean the undoing of the magical hierarchies that many have come to take for granted--it's dangerous enough that those in power want to silence the two of them for good. I loved the dark academia setting, Sciona's sassy spirit, and the outsider-becoming-an-insider theme. Sciona's fight to pursue magic and her oft-frustrated ambition, her personal journey of reconsidering her assumptions about the Tiranish culture and its people's intentions, and an immense reckoning for all. Please click here  to see my full review of Blood Over Bright Haven . 05 The Fragile Threads of Powe r (Threads of Power #1) by V. E. Schwab Schwab returns to the world of the four Londons in the first of a wonderfully paced new series featuring established characters, their banter, and their in-progress stories as well as a new antagonist and a new potential hero who are both strong, fascinating young women. “If you only think of the wrong hands magic can fall into, you forget that now and then there are right ones.” The Fragile Threads of Power  is set in the world of Schwab's Shades of Magic, with a return to the four Londons. The Londons are connected by magic but separated by doors, which were created in a desperate attempt to protect the magic of each world. Only a few Antari have been born in a generation, and they have long been the only ones with the power to open these doors. If you've read the Shades of Magic books, you'll already be acquainted with the fantastic characters of Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk of White London. Schwab does an excellent job of reinforcing characters from prior stories while introducing new ones; in this first of her new series, she weights the story more heavily toward names we already know and storylines in progress, which I found satisfying. Meanwhile, two young women, a new antagonist and a new potential hero, trickle into the story until their presences are a flood. One may upend everything across four worlds--and one may possibly be able to save them all. For my full review, and to link to my reviews of other V. E. Schwab books, please check out The Fragile Threads of Power . 06 A Fate Inked in Blood (Saga of the Unfated #1) by Danielle L. Jensen The first in Jensen's fantasy series ticked many of my boxes--strong female main character, a tension-filled Chosen One premise, a fight for respect and to trust others, action, Norse-inspired elements, and a romantic storyline in the background. A Fate Inked in Blood  is the first book in Danielle L. Jensen's Norse-inspired fantasy duology, and when the book begins, Freya is yet again gutting fish alongside her brutish, cruel, selfish husband. But things get worse: her husband's foolish bluster causes Freya to have to fight to the death against Bjorn, the firstborn son of the jarl. In the heat of battle, Freya discovers that the secret her late father had been holding in order to try to keep her safe is that she is a shield maiden. The drop of a goddess's blood she possesses means she can repel any attack. Now those who would control her want her to do their bidding, and her people's enemies want her dead. Only the irritatingly handsome, arrogant Bjorn may be able to team up to keep Freya alive--allowing her to discover and fulfill her true destiny. But can her feelings for Bjorn be trusted? Can Bjorn himself be trusted? This is my kind of "romantasy": adventure, fate, a strong main female character, a Chosen One setup--with a slow-build attraction and romance in the background. I loved the Nordic influence as well as Freya's fight to determine who she can trust, which part of the visions and future she may take as written in stone and which she can reimagine, and her noble, imperfect warrior's heart and intention. I can't wait to read the next in this series, A Curse Carved in Bone . Click here   for my full review of A Fate Inked in Blood.

I love a frigid setting, and Rene Denfeld's The Child Finder immerses the reader in an icy, wild forest as instinctive, savvy, and haunted private investigator Naomi Cottle seeks the truth about a young girl's disappearance. This book is dark and beautiful, with such expansive descriptions of the mountains, the closed-in forests, and the traps and dangers of the winter and the wild that I could almost feel the cold. The elements that feel potentially familiar or could have felt overused from use in other stories (a tough, closed-off investigator, broken by her past; a strong, kind man’s singular, devoted but unrequited love for her; the general outline of the disturbing situation at the heart of the book’s main case) are cushioned by Denfeld’s skillful setting of the scene and lovely shaping of the story. This was a fast and engrossing read. There's a second book in this Naomi Cottle series, The Butterfly Girl , which I haven't yet read, and Denfeld also wrote The Enchanted , which I found haunting and arresting, as well as Sleeping Giants . I mentioned The Child Finder in the Greedy Reading List Six Chilly Books to Read in the Heat of Summer . More missing-person stories If you like unlikely heroines and missing-person plots, you might also like Before She Disappeared . And check out this link for more Bossy reviews of novels with missing-persons plots.

Pony Confidential is a cute story of a bond between a pony and its long-ago owner. It's nominally a mystery, but it's mainly a heartwarming story about determination and honoring old loyalties, and it makes clear that a happy ending is coming. In Pony Confidential 's alternating points of view, Christina Lynch offers a playful story of Penny, an elementary schoolteacher accused of a murder she didn't commit, and the grumpy pony she used to love, who resents Penny's long-ago abandonment of him but knows that the girl he once adored is an innocent woman who needs his help. Industrious, observant, headstrong Pony finds his hard feelings fading as he develops an elaborate plan to find Penny and save her from her unwarranted imprisonment. Penny doesn't remember the events around the death for which she's imprisoned, but she recalls other events from her youth, and she revels in her early connection to Pony. We track back in time to her youth as pieces of the mystery are revealed. Pony's adventurous zigzagging around the country, which makes up the bulk of the book, tired me out. The story is nominally a mystery, but more so a tale of a pony who is thwarted at nearly all of its headstrong, grand, admirable efforts, with a few pivotal successes and a great payoff at the end. There are funny moments, and this is a cute--at times a little too cute for my taste--tale that always seemed sure to be headed toward a heartwarming ending for both Penny and Pony. More by Christina Lynch Christina Lynch is also the author of Sally Brady's Italian Adventure and The Italian Party.

The unnamed main protagonist in All Fours frequently made me feel uncomfortable because of her unorthodox decision-making and near-constant navel-gazing, but she ultimately uses her unorthodox detour from her everyday life to shape a fulfilling path forward. In All Fours , Miranda July offers the story of an unexpected midlife journey, in which a semi-famous creative type (her medium and work is unspecified) sets out on a road trip from LA to New York to meet with friends and find inspiration--but impulsively exits the freeway thirty minutes from home and checks into a motel instead. The unnamed narrator leads her (steady, unthrilling) husband and her child Sam to believe that she is following her carefully planned route and then that at the end of her cross-country adventure, she is immersing herself in the wonders of New York. But she is actually redecorating her nearby motel room (using the $20,000 windfall she was to spend on her NYC trip), wandering the nondescript town, making up stories about her New York experience, and developing an all-consuming obsession with a younger man who works at Hertz. I generally feel extreme personal discomfort at witnessing others' questionable decision-making, and at times I felt as though All Fours was sent to test my limits. I had visceral reactions to some of the protagonist's choices, and, early on and often I was exhausted by her relentless, intense navel-gazing and the picking-apart of each minute detail within each of her experiences. Her revved-up sex drive was so heavily featured, it felt like its own character. But I settled into the constant unease of traveling alongside a character whose author seemed hell bent on making the reader uncomfortable. (Beyond the main protagonist's overreaching intention to burn it all down in her life, there are extended scenes that involve bonding through cutting matted poop hair away from a dog's butt; one character's removal of a tampon from another in a bid for unorthodox intimacy; and putting hands into a stream of another person's pee for the same purpose.) The shape of the character's primary relationship after these weeks in the hotel room is unusual (she polls her friends to determine that it is so within her circle as well) and for me was a relief, as it was an actively chosen path rather than a reactive, motel-based, lie-founded, drawn-out floundering that heavily featured and often relied upon various bodily fluids. I appreciated the exploration aspect of the story, and ultimately I could appreciate its existence within a claustrophobia-inducing and self-imposed set of impulsively imposed and drawn-out circumstances. I laughed out loud once and did enjoy the dark humor that emerges at times. The title references a scene in which the main character's sculptor friend is working on a headless piece of a woman on all fours, and her note that it is not the most vulnerable pose as we might think, but the most stable position for the human body. I listened to All Fours as an audiobook. More about Miranda July A performance artist, actress, and director, July is also the author of the books The First Bad Man and It Chooses You and the stories No One Belongs Here More than You .

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Jennifer Weiner's upcoming novel, The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits ; I'm listening to Miranda July's All Fours ; and I'm reading Christina Lynch's bighearted mystery Pony Confidential . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner Cassie and Zoe Greenberg are sisters who have always been opposites. Cassie, a musical prodigy, avoided the limelight, while Zoe dreamed of stardom since she was a child. For one mindboggling year when they're young adults, the sisters reach the heights of fame as the pop duo The Griffin Sisters--featured in Rolling Stone , performing on Saturday Night Live , and with their videos on MTV. Then their run abruptly ended, and for the public, the reasons for their breakup were a mystery. Twenty years later, Zoe is a housewife and Cassie is a recluse. But when Zoe's headstrong daughter Cherry determines to become a star, she digs into the reasons for the sisters' falling out and the band's breakup. I received a prepublication edition of this title, to be published April 8, courtesy of William Morrow and NetGalley. Weiner is also the author of the novels Good in Bed, That Summer, Good Summer , The Summer Place , and more. If you like to read fiction about music, you might also like the titles I included in the Greedy Reading List Six Rockin' Stories about Bands and Music . 02 All Fours by Miranda July Miranda July offers an unexpected midlife journey, in which a semi-famous creative type (her medium and work is unspecified) sets out on a road trip from LA to New York to meet with friends and find inspiration--but impulsively exits the freeway thirty minutes from home and checks into a motel instead. She leads her (steady, unthrilling) husband and her child Sam to believe that she is following her carefully planned route and then that she is immersing herself in New York. But she is redecorating the nearby motel room (using the $20,000 windfall she was to spend on her NYC trip), wandering the nondescript town, and developing an all-consuming obsession with a younger man who works at Hertz. I'm listening to All Fours as an audiobook. 03 Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch In alternating points of view, Christina Lynch offers a playful story of Penny, an elementary schoolteacher accused of a murder she didn't commit, and the grumpy pony she used to love, who resents his own abandonment but knows that the girl he once adored is an innocent woman. Industrious, observant, headstrong Pony finds his hard feelings fading as he develops an elaborate plan to find Penny and save her from her unwarranted imprisonment. So far this is a cute--at times a little too cute for my taste--mystery that seems sure to be headed toward a heartwarming ending for both Penny and Pony.

More of My Favorite Rom-Com Reads This is my second favorites lists of rom-coms and romantic reads from the past year. In my last list I mentioned rom-coms with weighty themes, and some of these titles fit that bill. Others are more light, with happy endings you might see coming from a mile away--and won't mind predicting at all. If you've read any of these titles, I'd love to hear what you think! Have you read any other rom-com or romantic novels that you loved? Check out these Bossy links for more romantic novels or lighter fiction . You might also be interested in the books on these Greedy Reading Lists: Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading Six More Great Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading Six of My Favorite Light Fictions Reads of the Past Year Six More of My Favorite Light Fiction Reads of the Past Year Six Great Light Fiction Stories 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. Henry offers funny banter that made me laugh, some steamy moments, and a sweet love story. Reading this one made me happy. When Peter abruptly breaks up with Daphne, citing his sudden love for his childhood best friend Petra, Daphne is left emotionally reeling--and without a place to live. Desperate and devastated, she reluctantly moves into a spare room in the apartment of an acquaintance, "pothead" Miles. He has extra space because he was just dumped by his live-in girlfriend Petra. Who left him for Daphne's fiancé, Peter. This is exxxxcellent Emily Henry. The banter is fantastic, and I laughed many times while reading this one. There's steaminess and affection and character growth. No one is perfect, no one is swooning, and the love in this happy read is immensely satisfying. The rom-com conflict that prevents an immediate happy resolution was based on a communication fail--a setup I usually detest, because: just talk to each other!--but this one was so well done and understandable from both sides, I was hook, line, and sinker for all of it. Henry offers up lots of book love, as usual: Daphne is a dedicated children's librarian. I listened to Funny Story  as an audiobook (narrated by the fantastic Julia Whelan). For my full review of this book, please see Funny Story . Henry's Beach Read  was one of my favorite books the year I read it, and it made it onto the Greedy Reading List Six Lighter Fiction Stories for Great Escapism . People We Meet on Vacation  was another great Henry story; you can check out my review here , and you might like to check out its spot on Six More Great Light Fiction Stories , plus the five other titles on that Greedy Reading List. Emily Henry is also the author of Happy Place  and Book Lovers . 02 The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center Katherine Center offers a writing-focused story in which forced proximity, past secrets, complicated life circumstances, and a fear of vulnerability complicate the professional and personal lives of an unlikely writing duo. Emma Wheeler writes romantic comedies, and she longs to be a screenwriter. But her life in Texas is complicated: her father requires a full-time caregiver, and Emma is it. When, due to her promising talent and her best friend from high school (who's now a high-powered agent), Emma gets the chance to rework a script by the famous screenwriter Charlie Yates (whose works and quotes are posted all over her room), she bends over backward to make it happen. Her sister steps in to help with their dad at home, and Emma moves to Los Angeles for six weeks of inspiring, career-building, lucrative, and life-changing work. Only, the last thing Charlie Yates wants is someone changing his (terrible) script. He doesn't even believe in love, and he's quite certain that Emma is not a solution to any of his problems. As in all good rom-coms, there's a conflict keeping the potential couple apart, and I appreciated the nuances of this one. Center doesn't rely on a miscommunication trope (my very least favorite), and I could see where both sides were coming from emotionally within their prolonged heartbreak of having to be apart. Please click here for my full review of The Rom-Commers . Katherine Center is also the author of Hello Stranger , What You Wish For , Things You Save in a Fire , The Bodyguard , How to Walk Away , Happiness for Beginners , and other books. 03 The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun The reality-show setting and LGBTQIA+ representation in Ever After  flips the traditional fairy tale in satisfying, heartwarming ways in this romantic story. Dev has dedicated his career to the reality dating show Ever After , helping to shape it into the popular, long-running franchise it is. He's typically the handler for the "princesses" as they vie for the attentions of the show's star ("the prince"). But when his producers cast disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its newest eligible bachelor and assign Dev to be his handler, Dev isn't sure he can salvage the situation. Charlie is devastatingly handsome--but he's awkward, clumsy, private, and quiet...not exactly the most promising television presence. How will they capture enough usable moments to make a show? Dev spends countless hours with the bachelor, working to get him to loosen up and open up. Dev shares that he's recently broken up with Ryan, who also works on the show. And Charlie begins to realize he feels more of a connection to Dev than to any of the twenty beautiful women currently parading through his life. The story's romantic storyline depends heavily upon one character's never having entertained thoughts of the sexuality and desire that blooms dramatically within the book. This revelation opens the door to the discovery of and the discussion of various characters' newly realized or revealed sexual identities--as well as, in some cases, the expressed aim of not defining sexuality with traditional rigidity. I loved the open discussions of mental health, the characters' realistic imperfections, the LGBTQIA+ representation, and the deeply felt romance. If you like the sound of this book, you might also like the books on my Greedy Reading List Six Romantic Novels Set in the World of TV and Movies . For more Bossy reviews of books with LGBTQIA+ representation, please check out this link . For my full review, please see The Charm Offensive . 04 The Villain Edit by Laurie Devore Laurie Devore's novel goes behind the scenes of a reality dating show, complete with sordid details, manipulation, and manufactured moments, all serving as a backdrop to a fearless contestant's creeping toward destruction--and her struggle to figure out if the love she feels is real. Jac Matthis is a romance novelist whose first book tanked (the main protagonist chose her career over a man, enraging readers who'd been counting on a different happy ever after), leaving little audience for her second published book and nonexistent demand for a third. In an attempt to boost her exposure and thereby resuscitate her writing career, the frank and cynical, unapologetically brutally honest, casual-sex fan Jac is set to appear as a contestant on a Bachelor -type reality TV show in which the ultimate goal is a proposal and marriage. After one last fling, Jac reports to the set--only to find out that her one-night stand is a producer on the show who had been absent during her auditions. Complications abound as the eligible TV bachelor seems to be falling for Jac, she makes enemies of multiple fellow contestants, she struggles with the staged and manipulated nature of every moment--and she realizes that she's being painted as the villain of the show. I found it fairly challenging to connect with Jac. For me, her pretending was frequently difficult to parse from what was real. Yet the cutthroat, often chilling behind-the-scenes dating-show dynamics and logistics seemed plausible and were horrifyingly fascinating. Devore offers a version of happy ever after, and of revenge, that was fun to watch take shape. For my full review, please see The Villain Edit . I mentioned The Villain Edit in the Greedy Reading List Six Romantic Novels Set in the World of TV and Movies . 05 The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren The Paradise Problem  is the perfect light fiction read to close out the summer, with a high-stakes fake marriage, comeuppances for the greedy bad guys, our main protagonists' falling deeply in love, art > wealth, and plenty of Christina Lauren's signature steamy scenes. In Christina Lauren's newest romantic fiction, Anna and West are a young married couple on the verge of divorce. But this isn't heartbreaking for either party, because they were only married to reap the benefits of married student housing at UCLA. Several years after saying goodbye, Anna is struggling to pay for her father's cancer treatment and has just been fired from her cashier's job at the corner store...when West shows up on her doorstep. The two were never divorced after all, West has a trust fund--and he has to stay married to Anna to collect on it. Which means traveling together to a tropical island for his sister's wedding, pretending to be soulmates, and fooling West's family. This is an adorable fake-dating-in-paradise setup with funny dialogue, a wonderfully imperfect main protagonist, steamy moments, and a tantalizing prospect of a Happy Ever After ending. The writing team of Christina Lauren also authored the books The True Love Experiment , The Unhoneymooners , In a Holidaze , Love and Other Words , Something Wilder , and Autoboyography . Click here for my full review of The Paradise Problem . 06 Not for the Faint of Heart by Lex Croucher Croucher's young adult queer medieval adventure romance is sweet, spunky, and full of great banter, with characters finding their way (and love) despite complex challenges. "You aren’t merry," Clem said to her captor. "And you aren’t all men. So there’s been some marketing confusion somewhere along the line." Mariel is the bristly new captain of the Merry Men and is anxious to live up to the legacy of her grandfather, the retired Robin Hood (who now lives with his true love, William), and to make her hard-to-please father, who has wrested control of the Merry Men, proud. Clem is a jovial healer from the country who is advancing medical techniques and is sought out for her helpful salves and methods in a time of the outdated use of leeches and attempts to cure dark humors. Clem has only noble intentions of helping others, and she doesn't differentiate between those on the Sheriff's side and those on the Merry Men's side. When the Merry Men capture Clem in retribution for her help in healing the Sheriff of Nottingham, things get complicated for both Mariel and Clem in this sassy, fun, queer historical fiction young adult romance. The group faces real challenges, and some characters don't make it through the battles and sometimes-messy plans-gone-awry. Consequences feel appropriately weighty. It's a young adult book, with lots of love and attraction but very little steaminess (none explicit), and it kept me hooked with the layers of emotional growth, the fights for autonomy, and the determination to build a new future. I am all in for Lex Croucher novels forever. The banter, the adventure, the medieval setting--yes yes yes. For my full review--and for a link to my rave Bossy review of Croucher's Gwen & Art Are Not in Love (which was on my first list of rom-com favorites from the past year)--check out Not for the Faint of Heart .