In this second novel of adventure, the pirate faces seemingly impossible challenges and must do the unthinkable swearing, strength, fierce loyalty, struggle to balance work and family, and messy, grand, swashbuckling adventures determination; and unexpected twists and turns, and we've got ourselves the makings of an irresistible adventure More Adventure Stories Shannon Chakraborty wrote the first book in this series, The Adventures of Amina

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 I didn't know anything about Michael Kosta when I began reading this book--I'm out of date on my Daily Show viewing-- but I love memoirs, behind-the-scenes peeks, and tennis, so I was here for the combination.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 .

The first in Thorne's series delivers charming, heartwarming adventure and a cast of characters I can't In Rebecca Thorne's cozy sci-fi adventure Moss'd in Space, it's sometime after the year 90,000, and Torian's

They enter into an unprecedented adventure, facing danger of the unknown and a significant call to bravery

I loved Beryl Markham's beautiful, adventure-driven memoir West with the Night (last month was the 90th I loved living through Beryl Markham's adventures, determined reinventions, and resolute rejection of You might also like these Bossy reads that are historical fiction, about strong women, about adventure

quest, her strategic swearing, her strength, her fierce loyalty, and her messy, grand, swashbuckling adventures I listened to the first installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, The Adventures The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is fun, funny, and smart, and I was hooked on the lightning-fast banter independent, saucy, and irresistible main protagonist in the feminist Muslim character of Amina; and the sea adventure

Taylor Brown offers up a suspenseful, adventure-filled story in Wolvers. This is an outdoor adventure story that explores tensions between the preservation of nature and development

At once a book within a book and a real-life dive into a fantasy story, the novel offers adventure and

hooked on the story of a team of young women fighting for admittance to a guild, their bonds, and their adventures have been lost, and Aspeth is determined to join the Royal Artifactual Guild, become an underground adventurer The world-building felt a little unfinished, but the adventure story was compelling, with women fighting

Croucher's young adult queer medieval adventure romance is sweet, spunky, and full of great banter, with The banter, the adventure, the medieval setting--yes yes yes.

Something Wilder is a playful adventure with a vivid Western setting, some steamy scenes, an unwavering acknowledgments, the authors reference wanting to create a Romancing the Stone-type playful, fast-paced adventure

Gregor the Overlander is full of adventure, dialogue that made us laugh, gross-out moments, and heart

Towles crafts a solid historical fiction adventure for his young-men protagonists, balancing weighty

The author has said that this story was inspired by The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and it does feel

Do you love memoirs like I do? I love digging into the story of someone's life--notable because of chance, circumstance, or choice--and escaping into an eye-opening and fascinating memoir. If you love memoirs, you might also like the books I listed on the Greedy Reading List Six Illuminating Memoirs I've Read This Year (last year). A few other recent-ish memoirs on my to-read list that I'm particularly excited about are: Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig (author of The Midnight Library), Raising a Rare Girl by Heather Lanier, What Doesn't Kill You: A Life with Chronic Illness--Lessons from a Body in Revolt by Tessa Miller, Sometimes You Have to Lie: The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade and Author of Harriet the Spy by Leslie Brody, and The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande. I'd love to hear: What are your favorite memoirs? 01 Here For It by R. Eric Thomas In Here for It: Or, How to Save Your Soul in America, R. Eric Thomas, the creator of Elle's sassy and smart daily column "Eric Reads the News," shares his thoughts, experiences, and reflections about life and the world around us with honesty and humor. In essays that are sometimes heartbreaking, often inspiring, and that frequently made me laugh out loud, Thomas explores his sheltered youth, his growing realizations that he was different than most of the people he knew, his shame and fear about living as his authentic self, and his meandering path toward his current satisfying life circumstances. I listened to this as an audiobook, and I adored hearing Thomas's voice take me through his essays. His voice and delivery are fabulous. Here For It is refreshing and playful yet thoughtful. I loved spending time with the uproariously funny Thomas as he recounts how he's navigated situations large and small in his life. Thomas is also a host of The Moth storytelling podcast in D.C. and Philadelphia--and he certainly knows how to craft a compelling and full story out of a momentous moment. For my full review of this book, see Here For It. 02 Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford Crawford thought the trauma of her assault at St. Paul's boarding school decades earlier was behind her. It had shaped who she was in many senses, but now she was a grown woman with a full life, and she was not regularly reliving the crushing weight of it as a vivid horror any longer. But when evidence of extensive sexual assault and new allegations at St. Paul's School came to light, she added her voice to the throng of the attacked and abused, opening her own long-closed (and hitherto unknown to her) file and seeing for the first time the brutal facts of her own attack, as well as the ensuing, elaborate efforts to keep secret the events surrounding her situation. Crawford's memoir lays bare systemic lies, gross injustices, horrifying abuses of privilege and power, and longstanding patterns of unprosecuted assaults at elite St. Paul's boarding school--as well as the persistent tragic, infuriating, shaming treatment of assault victims. The topic is crushing, but Crawford's writing is wonderful in its honest and unflinching reflections on society, her own experiences, the horrifying power of privilege, and the abhorrent treatment of assault victims. She tries to imagine the points of view of everyone involved, and she treats her young self with empathy. For my full review of this book, see Notes on a Silencing. 03 In Pieces by Sally Field Here's the list's celebrity memoir! I found Sally Field's discussion of her "craft" and how she grew and changed as an actor to be the most compelling aspect of the book--along with the politics of getting roles and how she finally began listening to her inner voice in all aspects of her life. Therapy (and acting, which also served as a sort of therapy) eventually allowed Field to come into her fully realized adult self, and this journey is satisfying to watch after living through the page time of her languishing and struggling for so long. I listened to this as an audiobook, and I loved hearing Field tell her story. I appreciate when a celebrity provides brutal honesty, and I also admit to sometimes becoming impatient with the navel-gazing necessary to create a memoir. Aaaand I realize that this is unfair since I chose to read this person's life story. For my full review of this book, see In Pieces. 04 Blood by Allison Moorer "I'm still trying not to be the daughter of a murderer. I'm still trying to redeem [my parents]. I carry the structure of their bones around my insides...and try to tell the world, '...They were more than that.'" Allison Moorer is a Grammy- and Academy Award-nominated singer-songwriter whose father killed her mother when Allison and her sister were young. A longtime musical storyteller, Moorer examines her parents, her youth, and that pivotal tragedy, considering how it has shaped her into her adult self and how much of her identity is separate from that horrifying event and its endless repercussions. There's a lot of pain here. But Blood doesn't read as though Moorer is flogging her significant sorrow and anger or highlighting dramatic events for memoir or record sales. I felt like I was following her on her honest, zigzagging, messy journey toward gaining more of an understanding of the people her parents were and the forces that shaped their lives (and their daughters' lives)--as though I was witnessing her step-by-step movement toward something that more closely resembles peace. The foreword was written by Allison's sister, singer and songwriter Shelby Lynne. Regarding their talking through their past together, Moorer says: "So many memories we share and purposely keep well-oiled. We keep them alive even if they hurt us and suck up all the air in the room. They are all we have of our folks and the family we were." For my full review of this book, please see Blood. 05 Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan Jessica Pan was an introvert out of a job. Her closest friends had moved away, and she found herself lonely, living in another country, and feeling too reliant on her husband for her entire social life. Pan decided to deliberately put herself into extremely uncomfortable social situations for a year, and she fully commits. She does improv, approaches strangers on the Tube, goes on friend dates, attends networking events, takes a vacation alone (to a destination she doesn't learn until she's at the airport), and more. She regrets her one-year plan almost instantly but feels compelled to continue her terrifying exercises. Her interviews and experiences with others who mentor her journey in different ways could have felt disruptive or jarring but didn't; they added a layer to her story that I found interesting and often revelatory. Pan is wonderfully honest, appealingly thoughtful, and often so so funny. I was so happy spending time in her point of view throughout this book. I loved it and I'd read another book by her in a second. For my full review of this book, please see Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come. 06 Wild Life by Keena Roberts Keena Roberts grew up splitting her time between a primate research camp in Botswana, where she felt at home, and an elite Philadelphia girls' school, where she did not. Wild Life's subtitle, Dispatches from a Childhood of Baboons and Button-Downs, felt whimsical and light. But Roberts's memoir doesn't merely explore her culture shock, as interesting as that is. She reflects upon her identity in a raw and genuine way that I found gripping. Her disparate life experiences ultimately led her to think deeply about her place in the world, her responsibility to humans and animals, and how she might better the lives of others. This memoir was more than I'd hoped for. I love a peek at wildlife and living in the wild, and I adored reading Roberts's account of her journey, from acting in a supporting role for her parents' research to discovering her own challenging, meaningful, and important career and calling. For my full review of this book, please see Wild Life.

book I loved, in case you missed it: I loved the deep friendship; details of outdoorsy expertise and adventuring They're skilled and joyful adventurers. I loved the deep, complementary friendship; outdoorsy expertise and adventuring; optimism running up

Schwab's stories take place within her detailed fantasy worlds, but her characters' conflicts, hopes, and fears feel real and true for any genre. A Conjuring of Light is an epic finish to V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series. There are four Londons in Schwab's trilogy, and in this final book, darkness threatens to upend the delicate balance the few, essential, magical Antari have struggled to establish among the worlds. The fantastic main players are back: Kell, the ward of the Red London's royal family who once thought he was the last Antari alive; Lila Bard, the gloriously contrary, mischievous pickpocket from Grey London who is learning to control her considerable magic; Holland, White London royalty Lila loves to hate; Rhys, Kell's prince and brother; and one of my favorites, Captain Alucard Emery. Then there's Osaron, Black London's villain who's trying to destroy everyone and everything the whole world over through his shadows and dark control. Necessity makes for strange bedfellows; as crisis after crisis erupts, situations require ingenuity, teamwork, selflessness, and a more sophisticated mastery of magic, skills, clever thinking, and politics than any of the characters could have imagined. Schwab's stories take place within her detailed fantasy world (with some historical fiction elements of London and life at the time mixed in), but her world-building never feels manufactured or self-conscious. Her characters' dynamics, conflicts, hopes, fears, and determination feel real and true. There's a great layer of twisty-turny love/denied feelings/ confusion/misunderstanding (Lila and Kell; Alucard and Rhys) that comes into play and adds nice depth. A small detail: the cutthroat magical bartering and "shopping" scene was a standout. The series is adult fantasy but would be appropriate for a young adult reader--if not averse to Lila's occasional and wonderfully foul-mouthed fury in the face of various indignities. The book is 600+ pages; I listened to the audiobook, and the dual narrators Kate Reading and Michael Kramer are spot-on. What did you think? The first two books in the Shades of Magic series are A Darker Shade of Magic and A Gathering of Shadows, each of which I gave four stars. Schwab is also the author of the Villains trilogy, which I really like. The first book in that series is Vicious and the most recent is Vengeful, with a third not yet published. Schwab also recently published The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, a stand-alone book I'm eager to read.

The other plotline concerns Lurie, a man who has adventures and challenges with his surprising, loyal There is a deeper, quiet, surprisingly affecting story beneath the Western adventure, which is about to pass through lawless lands to get to San Antonio, and Johanna isn't a willing participant in this venture gentlemanly involvement and his voice, the character of Johanna, the Texas setting, the fits and starts of adventure

Lex Croucher's foray into dark academia is fantastic, with angst, mature themes, magical adventure, sinister Jones is dark, edgy, yet also warm, with mature magic-focused plot points, deep friendships, romance, adventure (This is the type of tone and grown-up magical adventure and dark academia that I had hoped Lev Grossman's

opposites attract, Dolly All the Time; and I'm listening to the second in Shannon Chakraborty's seafaring adventure-fantasy Time Next Summer, Summer Romance, and It's a Love Story. 03 The Tapestry of Fate: An Amina al-Sirafi Adventure al-Sirafi, her quest, strategic swearing, strength, fierce loyalty, and messy, grand, swashbuckling adventures Shannon Chakraborty wrote the first book in this series, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, and also

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm listening to Rebecca Thorne's cozy sci-fi adventure Moss'd in Space; I'm 01 Moss'd in Space by Rebecca Thorne In Rebecca Thorne's cozy sci-fi adventure, it's sometime after the

legend gives center stage to a ragtag band of misfits, celebrates diversity, and builds a patchwork of adventures length of the book (688 pages), in which each remaining knight gets page time and a recounting of key adventures

Pony's adventurous zigzagging around the country, which makes up the bulk of the book, tired me out. More by Christina Lynch Christina Lynch is also the author of Sally Brady's Italian Adventure and The

This is adventure-heavy, sometimes tender, and always intriguing. I loved it. The Everlasting is filled with rich adventure; twisty jaunts through time; tragedy and loss; dark turns

, and the thirteen stories here revisit favorite fictional worlds, delve into never-before-revealed adventures , and offer a glimpse into the author's newest world-building adventure--which I already love. world, with a savvy, gruff female captain at sea, her beloved, artistic, romantic brother, and a big adventure

The other plotline concerns Lurie, a man who has adventures and challenges with his surprising, loyal Through the vividly recounted adventures in this lively narrative nonfiction, Bird shares her many discoveries There is a deeper, quiet, surprisingly affecting story beneath the Western adventure, which is about to pass through lawless lands to get to San Antonio, and Johanna isn't a willing participant in this venture gentlemanly involvement and his voice, the character of Johanna, the Texas setting, the fits and starts of adventure

Her charm comes through in candid reflections about her fascinating life, and her young life's adventures She defies logic at times when her inner voice tells her to jump into a new adventure, and Be Ready When I was most intrigued by her young life with Jeffrey; camping in Europe on $5 a day; her early adventures

myself yearning for the expert pacing, intrigue setup, and rich character development of my beloved Adventures More Chakraborty love Chakraborty is also the author of the wonderful novel The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi

War II British codebreaking of Nazi messages, along with a rich back story and mysterious elements, adventure The Sepetys-Sheinkin writing venture felt seamless, with adventure, interesting detail, wonderful character

Lex Croucher Lex Croucher's foray into dark academia is fantastic, with angst, mature themes, magical adventure Jones is dark, edgy, yet also warm, with mature magic-focused plot points, deep friendships, romance, adventure (This is the type of tone and grown-up magical adventure and dark academia that I had hoped Lev Grossman's brings his offbeat humor, acerbic observations, and surprising heart to recounting stories about travel, adventures

I'm reading David Grann's literary journalism, Killers of the Flower Moon; and I'm listening to The Adventures White, to head up the group trying to figure out the mystery, revealing a horrifying conspiracy. 03 The Adventures listening to the first wonderful installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, The Adventures with wonderful banter, a gruff and independent, saucy main protagonist in Amina, and a fantastic sea adventure

a mess of things, loyalty and steadfastness overcome all and allow a makeshift family to heal, find adventure But not everything in his life has been luck and adventure.

01 The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1) by Shannon Chakraborty I loved every bit of quest, her strategic swearing, her strength, her fierce loyalty, and her messy, grand, swashbuckling adventures I listened to the first installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, The Adventures The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is fun, funny, and smart, and I was hooked on the lightning-fast banter After twenty-two years of adventuring, Viv had reached her limit of blood and mud and bullshit.

Bookworms, I hope your summer is full of fun, relaxation, adventure, and some breaks from the day-to-day

Percival Everett's James is a fascinating retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point In James , Percival Everett's retelling of the Mark Twain novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , we hear

Longings by Sue Monk Kidd This story imagines a wife for Jesus, questions gender roles, and offers adventure exploration of gender roles, a reimagined faith, the frustrations of societal expectations for women, great adventure for Jesus occurs when the main character of Ana is off having other experiences (and often-dangerous adventures

myself yearning for the expert pacing, intrigue setup, and rich character development of my beloved Adventures Chakraborty is also the author of the wonderful novel The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi , the first in legend gives center stage to a ragtag band of misfits, celebrates diversity, and builds a patchwork of adventures length of the book (688 pages), in which each remaining knight gets page time and a recounting of key adventures

edgy, offbeat humor, acerbic observations, and surprising heart to recounting stories about travel, adventures

Grace's final moments were incredibly poignant; I loved her reflections on her very full, complicated, adventure

allows herself to face the past, addressing difficult issues in the present, and allowing for surprising adventures whenever I get the chance, I'll be giving a certain someone this 2025 title, described as " a whimsical, adventure-filled ages, Mike Campbell’s  Heartbreaker  is part rags-to-riches story and part raucous, seat-of-the-pants adventure

01 The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (Amina al-Sirafi #1) by Shannon Chakraborty I loved every bit of quest, her strategic swearing, her strength, her fierce loyalty, and her messy, grand, swashbuckling adventures I listened to the first installment in Shannon Chakraborty's Amina al-Sirafi fantasy series, The Adventures The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi is fun, funny, and smart, and I was hooked on the lightning-fast banter For my full review of this book, please see The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. 02 The Future by Naomi

To the Bright Edge of the World  is a story of discovery, adventure, tedious slogging, danger, and self-revelation

brings his offbeat humor, acerbic observations, and surprising heart to recounting stories about travel, adventures

novel Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp ; I'm listening to James , Percival Everett's retelling of Adventures Daughter. 02 James by Percival Everett In James , Percival Everett's retelling of the Mark Twain novel Adventures

livelihood and power are threatened by dark forces; I'm reading Peter Heller's upcoming wilderness adventure 01 Burn by Peter Heller Jess and Storey are childhood friends who spend their summer adventures exploring

Through the vividly recounted adventures in this lively narrative nonfiction, Bird shares her many discoveries sauntering up to various cabins, campsites, and towns roughly dug into the rugged terrain, expecting adventure

I wasn't as captivated by the adventure as I was in book two, and I wasn't always certain of the journey's

its topography, and how to stay safe among its many sinkholes and dangers--proves to be a ticket to adventure

I loved the Appalachian Trail adventure and bonding, the in-charge warden who has worked hard and earned

In this second novel of adventure, the pirate faces seemingly impossible challenges and must do the unthinkable swearing, strength, fierce loyalty, struggle to balance work and family, and messy, grand, swashbuckling adventures Shannon Chakraborty wrote the first book in this series, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, and also