In this intimate novel, Lynn Steger Strong uses a holiday gathering by a family that has just lost its matriarch as the foundation for an exploration of modern family life. What's amazing about Steger is how adept she is at capturing the little variances of humanity inherent in life and family, through blood or just extended ties. The actions of the children as they sit, dressed up at the family's holiday table are given as much description and focus as the story of a drug addict mother trying to keep her child. This novel does speak to large, "life" issues, but it focuses on the love, hope, anger, tragedy, and joy of everyday existence, too.

When the three siblings at the center of this novel gather with their families for the holidays, aggressions and micro-aggressions occur amidst a bigger issue with sibling Alice and her work as a social worker for Quinn, a recovering addict, and her daughter.

To be honest, not much really happens in this novel. I loved the nuances of everyday life and the heightened family dynamics involved when a family gets together, but it still wasn't enough to completely sustain my interest. It picked up near the end, and the narrative was better for it. I enjoyed Strong's amazing talent with language, description, and details, I just with the plot had a little more meat for her to sink her talented teeth into. This was still a great book, just not a five-star for me.

Although this book has an intriguing storyline and themes, it still didn't grab me as I hoped it would. Maybe it's because Anna's world seems so bleak and it takes a while to form sympathy for her character?

Thirty-five-year-old Anna is sitting by a hotel pool, the day before her surgery. This revolutionary procedure called "aesthetica" will reverse all of the previous plastic surgery she's had done while also making her look as old as she really is. As she sits, she recollects her time as an Instagram model and all the abuse, sexualization, harm, and emotional toil that came with it. Her main relationships are with Jake, her manipulative handler; her feminist mother who's fallen on hard times; and her old best friend Leah, who's anorexic. This novel is an intriguing mix of intense/dark situations; blistering commentary on social media, sexism, fame, and women's bodies; and a not-so likable main character. I couldn't warm to Anna--the old or now version. All the plot points and the character relationships seemed choppy--maybe to reflect the rapid pace & superficiality of social media? I couldn't emotionally connect to these truncated narrative beats, and my enjoyment of this novel suffered for it.

Margaret Burnham, the director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University, unearths and exposes incidents of everyday murder and violence experienced by Black people in the American South from 1920 - 1960. Unlike modern social media's ability to bring atrocities to light almost instantaneously, during Jim Crow, Black people were routinely killed without any form of justice for their killers--or even mentions in the local newspapers. In several cases discussed in this book, their relatives didn't even know how their ancestors were killed.

These stories are heartbreaking, from an elderly Black woman murdered by a white grocer to Black WW2 soldiers killed by white bus drivers--yet it's fascinating how Burnham brings them to light and gives these victims the justice of recognition. Not only does she bring these stories to life through their retelling (based on extensive research by her team), she also analyzes how these instances were indicative of the social system of the time--a culture where white people were allowed to terrorize and murder Black citizens with no repercussions--and easy acquittals by all-white juries. Particularly infuriating was the story of the Black man who, when getting off of a bus, drunkenly asked a white man to get a drink with him. This infuriated the white man who killed himand left him to die in a ditch. Not shockingly, the white man was acquitted--and was even photographed smiling in his booking photo, seemingly knowing he lived in a world where he would be found innocent. Burnham's team tracked this killer to Florida, where he just passed away in February of this year. Here was a white man who got to live out his whole life, after not being accountable for taking the life of a young Black man.

These "Black lives" mattered and deserve to be recognized, even if justice for their deaths wasn't found. Burnham has done that--and she's done it so well. You'll be infuriated, fascinated, and galvanized by this searing nonfiction tour de force.

Farrell has done it again! In the spirit of Hamnet, she takes another historical figure & builds a compelling fictional story around them—and this one's an edge-of-your-seat ride, too!

Using Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" as inspiration, Farrell imagines the life of the "duchess" in the poem: Duchess Lucrezia de' Medici, wife of Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara. After Alfonso's first chosen bride dies (Lucrezia's sister Maria), Lucrezia, at 15, becomes his new wife. The poem captures the subjugation experienced by girls & women in 16th-century court—namely being controlled by a tyrannical, politically motivated husband. And, from reading the poem, it's obvious Browning knew the rumor about Alfonso—that he murdered Lucrezia, who unexpectedly died at the age of 16.

Farrell creates a thriller, in a sense, with the portion of the novel that describes Lucrezia's interactions & marriage to Alfonso. Is he slowly poisoning her? Is he in love with her, or does he want her as merely a broodmare to secure his dukedom? Why does he seem to be loving and supportive in one moment and harsh and tyrannical the next? I was on high alert the whole time—the lush language, especially when narrated by Genevieve Gaunt, is especially appealing.

The other part of the book focuses on Lucrezia's childhood in Florence, as the daughter of a duke. She's a free spirit and artist whose personality is repressed by the harsh realities women faced at the time. The scene where she pets a tiger in her father's basement menagerie reflects her unique personality and the confines that are imposed upon it.

If you're a historical fiction fan—and especially love a story that reclaims the narrative of a historically underrepresented woman (O'Farrell describes going to the real Lucrezia's grave and being told she's the only one to ever visit it), check out this book. It's a wonderful portrait of a vibrant, exceptional girl who died way too soon.

This one-of-a-kind book is so creative it’s hard to discuss it! But my reading buddy @thisfamilyreads.alot and I did, which made it easier to unpack. As always, thanks to her for having patience with me for reading slowly and taking a while to write back to her.

This novel has all the hallmarks of a charming holiday romance story--a bucolic setting at an English castle, descriptions of deliciously comforting drinks and food, picturesque snow, a gorgeous hero, a book-obsessed heroine, and some school-friend drama. And look at this delightful cover by the wonderful Sandra Chiu? Who could resist?

Elinor Noel (Nory) is a bookstore owner who heads to the luxurious castle on the grounds of her private school (she attended on a scholarship) to reconnect with her friends at the wedding of two of them. While there, she re-meets the now older (and hotter) son of the castle's gardener who's still upset by how Nory's well-off friends treated him years ago. He's also best friends with Nory's brother, who's not too happy to see his friend and his sister getting close.

I enjoyed the setting of this story and the interactions among the many characters (props for the diversity!). There are a lot of characters, which can get overwhelming at times. Nory is a sweet character to root for and her romance with Isaac is cute but lacks the emotional heft to make them a couple to remember. There's a lot going on, with some plot points only picking up speed near the end of the novel. I really liked the small subplot about the missing friend--a victim of suicide--that's poignant and adds some emotion to the frolicking and fun. If you're looking for a romantic, escapist read for the holiday season that has a festive setting, this is absolutely a good choice. I think I was just looking for something with a little more emotional heft.

This novel will break your heart--the real-life horrors that inspired it are devastating. Yet, as with all good fiction, it will also restore your faith in survival, love, and hope.

Categorized as a YA book, this debut by Zoulfa Katouh spotlights Salama Kassab, a Syrian girl living in Homs during the 2011 civil war. Salama is studying to be a pharmacist, but has to do surgeries and more at the local hospital, which is one of the only places safe from the Syrian Arab Republic military's brutal attacks on the Syrian resistance. After her mother is killed and her father and brother are captured, Salama struggles with staying to fight/help or trying to escape the violence and death with her pregnant sister-in-law. More than fear and devastation goad her on--Salama's PTSD has manifested itself as a shadowy figure called Khawf who haunts every move.

When she meets Kenan, the boy she was supposed to meet for an arranged marriage, Salama's resolution is further tested. Should she stay with her new love and fight even more for her beloved country--land of the resilient lemon trees that have survived for centuries--or take the chance that another locale offers a better, safer life?

No one should have to deal with this agonizing choice, let alone an 18-year-old girl. Salama is a force--all credit to Katouh for writing not only a fully realized character, but one whose internal struggle is relatable and powerful. As you would expect, the horrors that inspired this narrative keep the plot moving, but Salama's personal struggles amidst the political events add the piece to humanity that is often neglected in the quick social media news stories of today.

If you're looking for a book for your teen to read that you can discuss with them, this is a great choice. Part romance, part survival story...and you can educate them about the Syrian revolution, which I, sadly, didn't know enough about. It's also great for adult readers who just want a story that speaks to a woman's resilience in the face of forces beyond her control. I loved it.

This slim volume expands on the viral Twitter thread Gabrielle wrote a few years ago. A “Mormon mother of six” whose design commentary was one of the first “mom blogs,” she drew attention by posting the thread, which went viral again after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

I listened to Gabrielle narrate the audiobook (thanks @hachetteaudio for the free copy). She does a great job making the litany of studies & data she uses to support her thesis interesting & eye-opening. Her exasperation with the state of things is evident too.

Now, her thesis: Men are not held accountable for causing unwanted pregnancies. And, if we really want abortions to decrease, we need to hold them accountable and have them ejaculate responsibly.

This book is a revelation. I really loved the original thread & enjoyed seeing Gabrielle’s thoughts and research expanded.

I won’t go into all the facts & truths she shares but they make sense AND are a great way to frame the debate. And, frankly, men not being held accountable—for unplanned pregnancies, for birth control, for the health risks or financial obligations associated with birth control, pregnancy, birth, etc. IS the status quo. And we should reevaluate it if we do want abortions to decrease.

If you want to read an important and refreshingly new entry into the debate about this important issue, read this book.

I loved Wilson's Nothing to See Here, so I was excited to check out his latest. It affected me more than I thought it would. But that's what he's so good at--taking the weird and wacky and turning it into something wonderful.

That's also the theme of this book--creating art, making something you think is beautiful, and seeing how your creation reverberates through the lives of others, for good or bad. Zeke and Frankie are 16-year-olds living in rural TN in the 1990s. One summer they meet and begin creating art, while their parents and siblings live their own dramas and lives. In the garage of Frankie's home, they cook up an "art project." They make a poster: Zeke draws the art; Frankie writes the intoxicating phrase, "The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us;" and both splatter it with their blood. The two then spend the summer, making copies and posting them around town and everywhere else they go.

This act snowballs into part of the pop-culture zeitgeist, as people become enamored of the phrase and the mystery (thanks "no-security-camera-1990s!). Frankie and Zeke feel the weight of their work, their art, and surprising things happen. And when a New Yorker writer contacts Frankie years later, we get her perspective as an older woman, with a husband and family.

I was so immersed in this odd yet charming story. The nature of art and its effect on people is such a wonderful topic, and Wilson presents it beautifully. It's even more meaningful when you read (or, in my case, listen to) his note at the end where he shares how he was inspired to write this book. I also really loved the nostalgia it brought up about the 1990s. This is a sweet love letter to art and its power--definitely recommend!

And, if you're into audio, Judy Hopps of Zootopia fame Ginnfer Goodwin does a wonderful job narrating Frankie. It's a fast-paced, fun listen.