The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Black Woods, Blue Sky , literary fiction about a single mother Now she's glumly working at the historic Morning House, giving tours and talking about Prohibition, stained But the person who brought her to the house has disappeared, and Morning House has a gruesome history

01 Rednecks by Taylor Brown In this mix of fictional and fascinating historical elements, Brown crafts The true events that inspired the book are shocking and often read like fiction--the cutthroat, sometimes full review of Bride . 03 The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard The Other Valley  is literary fiction Howard's literary speculative fiction explores fate, free will, changing the past and implications for characters Jack and Elizabeth try to find their way back to an emotional connection in this literary fiction

I'm sooooo very excited to be reading each of these books: Blake Crouch's upcoming science fiction, Upgrade ; Gabrielle Zevin's upcoming science fiction Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow; and Kelly Barnhill's speculative fiction, When Women Were Dragons. NetGalley. 03 When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill In Kelly Barnhill's When Women Were Dragons, a historic Through various preserved historic accounts and young Alexandra Green's observations, the reader begins

Patrick Ryan's literary fiction traces decades of the messy, poignant lives of two families shaped by In Patrick Ryan's literary fiction title Buckeye , which begins before World War II and spans to the Ryan sometimes offers what feel more like lists of historical, societal events than developed factors

the beautiful, heart-wrenching An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination . 02 The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans The Office of Historical Corrections offers so much to unpack; Evans's In The Office of Historical Corrections , Evans offers short stories centering around themes of race, relationships, identity, the fallibility of those who shape historical "fact," as well as grief and Click here for my full review of The Office of Historical Corrections . 03 Both Ways Is the Only Way

Like many of us who question historical accounts that feel whitewashed or wiped of women due to sexism By the end of the book we learn more about these "abilities" and their role in the greater history of

This is the third Paulette Jiles Civil War-era historical fiction book I've read and adored.

Characters come off as less realistic than their fictionalized versions (who are main protagonists of story inside a story), and the ability of those with money and power to manipulate the truth into pure fiction often more interesting and potentially bolstering to a powerful persona than the elaborately imagined fiction The desire to rewrite history in this way reveals a silly, petulant wealthy main character who is easy

This short novel explores an alternate-history, near-future, post-war San Francisco in which robots come I love a science-fiction story in which elements of humanity are explored, I love an alternate-history

dragons, dragon-related science, emotional and physical ties to dragons, and the cultural importance, historical Because the restrictive Anglish world--and its selective history of the destruction of the Indigenous

Ocean Vuong's literary fiction offers unexpected bonds between characters coping with desperation, addiction Issues of memory, chosen family, history, loneliness, and love shape Vuong's novel, and the author forces The section on hog butchering may be an eye opener for anyone (anyone?) The unexpected bonds that form throughout the book, both at the fictional fast-food chain HomeMarket This is literary fiction with a bite; Vuong's prose is often luminous or gritty, and the author doesn't

Females are overshadowed, abused, and generally wronged throughout the book, a reflection of realistic, historic This cover style says "light fiction" to me, but this book addresses deeper issues--of what it means

She read the words on the paper out loud: “History is not your destiny. Uncover your destiny, and you will remake history.” Stout is also the author of the Penelope Crumb series, the Not-So-Ordinary Girl books, and the historical

We meet the MacBride family in the 1950s, after a long family history of sheep farming on their million-acre Katie is a ghostwriter for a successful romance author and Tyler is an aspiring literary fiction author

The fantasy-science-fiction novel Moonbound spans time and splits into several stories, for me never In Robin Sloan's science-fiction-fantasy tale Moonbound , it's eleven thousand years in the future, and The dragons are a large part of the history--and are purported to exercise control over humans and creatures

I loved the rich historical detail and meticulous research evident in the text.

listening to SenLinYu's 1000-plus-page fantasy novel Alchemised , which started as dark Harry Potter fan fiction to her, and the book eventually begins to illuminate their complicated enemy/friend/destroyer/savior history The heart of this story was originally a work titled Manacled , and it was dark Harry Potter fan fiction

with and was also fascinated by the fact that in its original form, the story was Harry Potter fan fiction past, and the book eventually begins to illuminate their complicated enemy/friend/destroyer/savior history The heart of this story was originally a work titled Manacled , and it was dark Harry Potter fan fiction The cruelty is real, and tough to take, but when, after the first grim, nerve-racking section ends, we An eventual second skip in time in the book follows chronologically from the first section, so it picks

during university years and decades afterward, Heart the Lover ; I'm listening to Ann Leckie's science fiction NetGalley. 02 Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch #1) by Ann Leckie In the first in Leckie's science fiction long-distance boyfriend) David in London, they cook up detailed research plans and immersion in the history

The Hero of This Book straddles the line between fiction and memoir, as the book feels like a deeply The freedom one fictional man grants you is immeasurable. The blurred line between fact and fiction allows the true heart of the book, a daughter's wonder, grief

inrigue, mythology, magic, and battles--but I'm not sure I fully grasped the intricacies of the political histories I listed Amina in the Greedy Reading List Six Four-Star (and Up) Science Fiction and Fantasy Reads I

a dare, she hopped onto an open mic stage, spouted off comedic takes on her life, and the rest was history Hartnett is also the author of the wonderful novel Unlikely Animals , which was one of my Bossy Favorite Fiction of the Year when I read it, as well as the novel Rabbit Cake . 03 Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History

Like many of us who question historical accounts that feel whitewashed or wiped of women due to sexism McCurdy McCurdy translates the singular voice she displayed in her candid, darkly funny memoir into fiction find out how McCurdy's significant command of narrative nonfiction storytelling would translate into fiction

through the presence of this accompanying female spirit, which ties Annis to her ancestry and family history presented as powerful, and it is able to control storms, but its advice, based upon accounts of the histories In order to see the story through, I kept reminding myself that I was bearing witness to a fictional

For classic light fiction and rom-com titles that are also great for summer reading, check out these In The Vanishing Half , Bennett follows the history of the fictional Vignes twins, Desiree and Stella Utopia Avenue by David Mitchell In Utopia Avenue , Mitchell takes us through the twists and turns of a fictional The book contains endless imagined cameos, fictional adventures, and gems of wisdom from real-life musicians here . 05 When These Mountains Burn by David Joy Joy offers an often dark work of Southern literary fiction

characters Jack and Elizabeth try to find their way back to an emotional connection in this literary fiction We learn about Elizabeth and Jack's histories and motivations, their stunted emotional statuses and the

The Robot Books It's been a long time since I've talked about science fiction and robot stories. And you can find Bossy science-fiction favorites at this link . Have you read any of these books? 01 The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1) by Becky Chambers Chambers's science fiction In The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet , the first science fiction title in Becky Chambers's Wayfarers Chambers's story is science fiction that's full of heart, heartbreak, and hope.

He tracks historical concerns, ways of thinking, and trends in political parties. I was particularly interested in the history of political leanings and the reasoning for the entrenched Within a section about when regulation really may solve major problems, Haidt notes a fascinating theory level-headed thought, care, compassion, and reason, and so full of destructive pride, cruel and limiting actions

ICYMI: Smith evokes a vivid sense of the regional South in her fiction, and in this memoir she traces Lee Smith has written numerous fictional stories about the Appalachian South, including Fair and Tender Ladies, On Agate Hill, The Last Girls, and Oral History.

the secretive, haunted author has attempted to work through the pain and complications of her past by fictionalizing elements of her personal history and using real details of her life in her novels.

Christina Lauren; we get a couple who has drifted apart and gets a second chance, but a futuristic, science-fiction departure for the writing team of Christina Lauren: the story is a romance, but it includes science-fiction I love an element of science fiction, so I enjoyed this aspect of the book.

exquisite, the strong-woman elements are irresistible, and despite what felt like slow pacing while historical In Kelly Barnhill's When Women Were Dragons, a historic event has occurred but is being denied by the Through various preserved historic accounts and young Alexandra Green's observations, the reader begins

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading the newest (eighth) book in Martha Wells's Murderbot science fiction She is learning the mixed, disturbing history and heritage of her line while falling in love with Andreas

Seth Haddon's slim science fiction debut offers action and a risky space quest, revenge, and love, but (you can check out other titles with this theme that I've reviewed here ), and Volatile Memory is action-packed This slim science fiction novel packs a punch. More Space Quests Volatile Memory  is Seth Haddon's science fiction debut.

The playful tone and clever main protagonist in Olivia Waite's science-fiction novella make for an appealing In Olivia Waite's slim science-fiction mystery, Dorothy wakes up...in a body that's not her own. tone of this novella (it's 112 pages) is playful--it reminded me somewhat of Becky Chambers's science fiction For more of my Bossy science-fiction favorites, check out the titles at this link .

More about Emma Pattee Emma Pattee is a climate journalist as well as a fiction writer. Northwest in the next 50 years, and that it would be one of the biggest natural disasters in North American history

Novik never seems to make a misstep, and the thirteen stories here revisit favorite fictional worlds, and the intricacies of nations' relationships and airborne dragon battles within the books' alternate history

The secretive, haunted author has attempted to work through the pain and complications of her past by fictionalizing key elements of her personal history and using real details of her life in her novels.

crew, the mystery and suspicion, and most of all the character-driven storyline in Kitasei's science fiction In Yume Kitasei's science fiction thriller The Deep Sky, a mission to deep space is disrupted by an explosion Asuka is intelligent and capable, but she was chosen for the once-in-history journey as an alternate, and AI, Six More Fantastic Dystopian and Postapocalyptic Novels, and Six Four-Star (and Up) Science Fiction

college students, a death, and a missing girl; and I'm reading Sleeping Giants, Rene Denfeld's literary fiction Our main protagonist, Commander Graham Gore (based upon a real figure from history), has been whisked I've read and reviewed another book called Sleeping Giants; that one was a science fiction story by Sylvain

More Funny and Sweet Light Fiction Adorable rom-coms can be perfect summertime reading. If you're into lighter fiction with some romance and often some laughs, you might also like the books 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 Six More Great Light Fiction Stories Six of My Favorite Rom-Com This was funny, sweet, steamy, and poignant--a fantastic summer light-fiction read that I loved.

The Paradise Problem is the perfect light fiction read to close out the summer, with a high-stakes fake In Christina Lauren's newest romantic fiction, Anna and West are a young married couple on the verge 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

These were my six favorite reads of January--an intriguing memoir, a five-star literary fiction wonder As she sorts through the past and works to find support and to function more fully in the present, she please see Strangers . 02 This Is Happiness by Niall Williams This is gorgeous Niall Williams literary fiction , please check out this link . 04 Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood Charlotte Wood's literary fiction The main protagonist (who is not named) in Charlotte Wood's literary fiction Stone Yard Devotional  is

This is gorgeous Niall Williams literary fiction, centering around an Irish country village, a young Is In Heaven , The Fall of Light , Only Say the Word , Boy in the World, Boy and Man , John , and History

grief, loss, family conflicts, strangers' bonds, and sticky moral dilemmas related to a speculative-fiction allows those who are grieving or coping with tragedy to soften their emotions and emerge better able to function

enormous and are important to all of us, every day, and she wraps them in an immensely readable work of fiction How much of what we consider fact and truth is skewed by our histories, our prejudices, our privilege

dreaming of writing for Saturday Night Live, but working at her local video rental store and writing fan fiction She's writing fan fiction about his aunt's former television show, after all. The science fiction show within the book seemed like it would be a slam-dunk element for me, but it didn't

training college for wartime dragon riders, Fourth Wing; I'm reading Caroline O'Donoghue's contemporary fiction about dragons. 02 The Rachel Incident by Caroline O'Donoghue In Caroline O'Donoghue's contemporary fiction with her clients, as she keeps explaining to them) who is fake dating a nice man and attending family functions interested in the books on my Greedy Reading Lists Six Rom-Coms Perfect for Summer Reading, Six Great Light Fiction Stories Perfect for Summer Reading, and Six More Great Light Fiction Stories.

This peek behind the scenes of a fictional 1960s sitcom is layered with the complex issues of the changing rethinking of the dynamics of some longstanding relationships, and the behind-the-scenes peeks at a fictional

author to her work--and how a story can take on a life of its own--in this novel featuring a science fiction After the feverish writing of her successful science fiction story, she is unable to write a sequel. This is literary fiction with portions of science fiction, and I adored the portions of Rusted Robots