Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke

I don't read a lot of mysteries, but I'm trying to change that, because if there's one thing I've learned about myself as a reader in thirty-two years, it's that I like variety. I'm pretty certain at this point that there are going to be books I love (and books I hate) in every genre....

My Ex-Life by Stephen McCauley

My Ex-Life is a quiet novel about ordinary people dealing with the ordinary upsets of life in late middle age. David and Julie were married briefly when they were young. Now in their fifties, David's younger boyfriend has just left him and Julie is in the process of divorcing her second husband. David decides to...

Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture edited by Roxane Gay

This is a brutal, visceral, powerful collection of essays about rape culture. It was hard to read--not only because of the subject matter--but because of the way it lays bare how prevalent rape, sexual assault, and misogyny are in every facet of American (and global) life. The #metoo movement has already made this abundantly clear, but...

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney Cooper

In the past few years, I've been reading a lot of books about race, and something I've noticed is that, for me, it's usually the books that aren't aimed at white audiences that are the most powerful. I enjoyed So You Want to Talk About Race (which isn't necessarily written for white people, but certainly...

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

This novel was an absolute delight--a warmhearted, unexpectedly up-put-down-able, beautifully surprising, funny, and refreshingly optimistic novel. It wasn't even on my radar until it won the Pulitzer, and though I don't put much stock in literary awards (they seem to be mostly hit or miss), I'd also heard good things about it, so I picked it...

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

The Princess Bride was such an integral part of my childhood that I can't really imagine what being a kid would have been like without it. There aren't many films I feel this way about--Star Wars is the only other one that comes to mind. Given how beloved The Princess Bride is to me, it's...

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan

I'd heard a lot of rave reviews of this debut novel, so I was super excited to pick it up. In the beginning of the novel, Leigh's mother commits suicide, and in the wake of her death, Leigh becomes convinced that her mother has turned into a bird. At the bird's urging, Leigh travels to...

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

These essays, for me, were a mixed bag--mostly excellent, occasionally uninspiring. I loved Irby's unapologetic and no-bullshit attitude. I loved her directness, her dry wit, and her honesty. I loved the way she refused to glorify or romanticize her life and her experiences, while at the same time affirming that her life matters, that she...

And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready by Meaghan O’Connell

I don't even know where to start with this book. I loved it so much. I couldn't put it down. Now that I've finished it and returned it to the library, I find myself thinking about it constantly. I was blown away by O'Connell's raw honesty, beautiful prose, and cultural insight. But what surprised me...

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

I am a hyper-organized and super neat person, and I definitely went through a phase as a kid where I was obsessed with storage solutions (there was a store near where I grew up called Placewares that I absolutely loved). So this book has been on my radar for a while. I knew the basic...