Okay, this caught my eye, peeking out of a little free library window. What else could I do but take it home with me? This little mystery about a murder on the cusp of a wedding is like chips for the mind. Sometimes that's just what you want. Great for a plane ride, beach getaway, or rainy weekend. Guilty pleasure for sure, but quick and fun.

As a girl, Jagdish ("Jackie") learns of the United States and makes a promise to herself that someday she will live there. This slim volume tells that tale, but it wasn't all sunshine and roses. Sacrifices were made, and times were hard. But she and her family persisted. Read this happy woman's story and be inspired.

I didn't want to read this. Didn't wanna, didn't wanna, didn't wanna. But it was a gift, so . . . Suffice it to say that this book, reporter Lizzie Johnson's first, pulls you in with a jerk. Although I hated the topic, (I would literally smell smoke every time I read), the writing is so seamless and perfectly executed that you somehow make it through, wanting to read more. The people, the scenery, the facts all come alive in Lizzie's capable keystrokes, and their tragedy becomes your own. She deftly handles the juggling act of good news vs. bad news, and good decisions vs. deadly ones. Just when you think you might have to take a break, the narrative changes gears and you're in safe(r) territory again. She's a masterful writer who dared to tackle the most difficult of topics. From now on I'll read anything she writes. Highly recommended.

The raw years just this side of the Middle Ages come to life in this fictional account of what might have been under the roof of Shakespeare and his family. Shakespeare's wife, Agnes, is the main event in this story of a woman who is uncharacteristic for her time, and is either loved or feared for her uniqueness. The Black Death is all around, and seeps into their lives, changing everything. Beautifully written and imagined, this book is quietly, tragically riveting.

All this time, I'd thought the CDC was full of wisdom, knowledge, and decisiveness. This book turns that supposition on its head, at the very least. There are so many layers to the fiasco that was the U.S. response to the Covid pandemic that it'll make your head spin. Not that the CDC is evil; I'm certainly not in that camp, but it seems that who we really have to thank for saving us at all during the last few years is a disparate, ragtag, genius little group of docs affectionately nicknamed "the Wolverines". There are so many ways we could have been in even worse shape than we were, had these few been any less brave or brilliant than they were. You'll learn a lot, and some you'll wish you hadn't. In the future, I'll just think of the CDC as a group good at keeping records, and not so much at making meaningful policy.

Whatcha gonna do? Well, read this and find out. In this book of short stories, Jeffrey takes on the fallible male. Some comically tragic, some a tad dark, but all highly readable--no big surprise there. I'm forever a fan.

This hopeful and optimistic book walks us through the mire that is the seemingly endless and widening chasm our country is experiencing regarding racial issues. She strives to help us create a dialogue and start loving conversations that will bring the two sides together, and even gives some stunning examples of when this has happened in her own experience. Latasha dispassionately examines many facets of this divide and shines a biblical light on both sides of the topic. She is eloquent, she is wise, she is measured and thorough. But she also pulls no punches. A great book and lots of food for thought.

This little book is beautifully written and will draw you in despite its bleak theme. Every tunnel has its light, though, and the protagonist (and author?) find it in the end. Captivating.

Although this book is highly readable, both of the main characters are unlikeable. While I "get" what the author was trying to illustrate, there were so many times throughout the book when the female protagonist (Verity) was being unbearably cruel to men for her own ego boost. The author cites "continued injustices", etc. as her springboard for this book, and I am sympathetic to that issue. However, is the best way to educate people via a story in which the woman is conniving and mean? Can we hope for a society in which people value others and NO ONE uses another gender as a rung to stomp on while climbing to the top?

You'll scarf this one down in one sitting, so plan properly--much better for a plane or a beach than an attempted covert jury-duty read. As the story unfolds, there are twists, turns and double-backs, until the very end. Sure, there are a couple of reality check moments, but we have to give the author a little leeway in the interest of entertainment, right? Captivating, fun, and an easy psychological mind-bender. I can't believe this is her first book.

Wow. Topping my longest book ever read by 40 pages, this 1474-page whopper was a tad daunting to start. But as the tongue-in-cheek poem of thanks from the author lures you in, you'll soon forget how much heft you're wielding. Seth uses his love for poesy to help weave this tale of post-colonial India, trying to figure herself out and rearrange the furniture after the annoying (and uninvited) guests left. There's love, political intrigue, mystery, comedy and tragedy. So worth the time it takes to read, and you'll get an arm workout to boot.

Beautifully written, scathing in its contents. The preface alone is enough to hook you in. For those fed up with the ever-morphing "morals" of the modern-day church, dig in. It will make you feel a little better. Or, sad to say, perhaps a little worse.