Susan is set in her ways and her world is predictable. When her mom dies, that event sets into motion a series of events which threaten to turn her world upside down. Cleverly written, funny but poignant, you'll fall in love with Susan and her quirks. Like many of us, once you get through the spiny surface, there's so much to love underneath.

Jason Bourne, scoot over. That this book is based on true events is more than a little chilling. Not the life for me! This story has you questioning your own values, and what you would do--or wouldn't--for your country, and which rules you would break to stay true to yourself or those you love. Quite intriguing.

Heartland reads like a novel but delivers like a textbook. You may start out thinking you know a thing or two about the folks in "flyover country" as our breadbasket has been uncharitably christened, but Sarah Smarsh will disavow you of your notions in no uncertain terms. You'll find yourself wondering if you could cut it the way those people do, and if you're honest, realize probably not. Strong, ignored, maligned but proud, these are the people who keep us fed and can cobble anything out of nothing. Interwoven with this caste revelation is Sarah's own personal story of struggle and triumph. A great education and a must-read.

Take a ride through the dusty and unforgiving Old West. Your guide will be Captain Kidd (apparently cast as the main character in the film). Get ready for some global education, a mystery, and a peek into the dog-eat-dog world of the time. Mr. Kidd is commissioned to transport a young girl to her relatives after having lived with her family's assassins, a Kiowa tribe, for several years. Interesting, moving, exciting. It'll be a great movie, too. But what movie with Tom isn't?

While Augusten recounts his . . . unconventional ? . . . life in this hilarious, entertaining book, the reality is that it was a dangerous life, indeed. His brother (of Look Me in the Eye fame) claims that Augusten exaggerates everything, and maybe so. There is more than a hint of the dramatic in his narrative. But even if you ratchet it down 90%, this kid was hanging on by a thread. Whether he was with his mom or his adoptive family, there was, unfortunately, no safe place for him and no one committed to keeping him safe. How astounding and wonderful that he landed on his feet and found his calling, and furthermore, happiness. A raunchy, readable book.

Zadie is a great writer who takes us on a ride through this thoroughly unique story. Part generational saga, part mystery, part comedy, it's hard to nail down exactly what genre to which it belongs. I continually flashed back to Confederacy of Dunces as a similar reading experience, but am not sure why. It's a little floaty in parts, but there is resolution at the end. Plus, there's the fun game of finding the references to teeth tucked in here and there. And there are many. She makes it work. This book reminded me that I'll never be a writer, but I can sure appreciate one.

What a timely book. Written in 2020, our country (and maybe the world?) was/is in need of a serious courtesy reset. Eugene Cho, a pastor who apparently sees jerkishness as a growing problem of late, tackles the issue head-on. Some of his advice is pretty lofty, and something to aspire to (at least for me), and some of it just delivers that punch straight to the gut. He's honest with his audience about his own shortcomings and expects us all to be imperfect, but to want to try harder to be nice. Like the real commandments, harder to achieve than to read, but it's all about the journey, right?

David never disappoints. This book is a collection of some previously published vignettes and some newer material too. And although his signature zany style is still very much intact, there's an undercurrent of something more. While we've all enjoyed being voyeurs into the world of the Sedaris family for many years, this book is like being in the house when the cameras stop rolling, or when he puts the pen down. You may feel a tad guilty for peeking all those other times, but then at the end, you hope that maybe, because you love them all, it was okay that you were there. There's more philosophy woven into the humor which makes you think about your own place in relationships of your own, but he still delivers this message with a twinkle and a wink. It's the mark of genius, and maybe he's right. This may be his best yet.

If you're a psychology student doing a paper on narcissism, this is the book for you. However, if you are J. Q. Public trying to figure out why your neighbor constantly puts their dog poop in your trash can (and validation of your frustration) this may not be what you're looking for. There was a good degree of focus on the breakdown of the types of narcissism which was interesting at first, but lost its shine for me the 11,000th time it was dissected. The authors are quite knowledgeable and the information is obviously well-researched. But dang, man, it was a tad dry. And I can handle me some tedium. (Other than Moby Dick, but that's another story.) There were some attempts to liven things up, but unfortunately, the examples were consistently from shows I don't watch. Not so helpful. Would it have been so hard to create an imaginary scenario? Is the assumption that EVERYONE is an aficionado of Game of Thrones? Toward the end of the book, the author says that in relationship to narcissism, "Parenting matters but doesn't make much of a difference" and then goes on to say that of course, blatant and severe abuse or neglect would create problems, but that's about it. Then, 23 pages later, there's a teaser under the Psychodynamic therapeutic approach section mentioning " . . . the childhood roots of the disorder . . ." SO WHAT ARE THEY? No mention of what these things might be. I realize I'm not a psych-anything, but it seemed to me that ultimately the message from the author(s) was that narcissism was really just kind of interesting, but not really a big deal. Just play along! He/she/they will be duped by your facade of adoration and simmer down. Sometimes you might want a narcissist on your team--they can be great leaders if you don't take things too seriously! Really? What about people who are really struggling with these me-mongers? It seemed as though the author was somewhat amused by the characteristics of narcissism, and trying to look on the bright side of this personality rather than living alongside someone with it. If you want some practical understanding about that poop-sharing neighbor, another book might be a better choice. If you decide on this one, be sure you watch Game of Thrones first.

If you're trying to complete that classic reading list from high school, this isn't going to help. If, however, you're heading off on a plane, train or any other means of locomotion, this will help you pass the time happily. Step back in time to a department store in Australia, and the disparate yet intertwined crew of women who sell dresses there. In their signature black frocks they navigate the world of the haves and wanna-haves, making everyone feel special. The challenge is to do the same for themselves. Read it and see if they succeed . . .

This is not a fun book to read. Nevertheless, it's one of the most important books I've ever read. It's well-written, painstakingly researched, and paints a vivid picture, but what a picture that is. Douglas Blackmon tells the story of dystopian proportions of the doomed lives of "emancipated" slaves and their progeny, because this hamster wheel of hell went on until WWII. Although it was so unbelievable, believe it I did, because the evidence is there, and cited. If you are not Black Lives Matter "woke", this will do it. There is no way anyone could take this book in and not see how a system has created the path to George Floyd, Sandra Bland, Botham Jean, Ahmaud Arbery, etc., etc., etc.

Kate Atkinson always comes through, and this book is no exception. The dual story line keeps one churning along, beckoning you to see what will be divulged on the next page. A teeny spoiler here: one hero picks up a dog in his travels and the other, a kid. Kate used good old flashbacks to tell the backstories, and we did learn a lot about when, why, and how. But who? I felt that one of the flashback personae kind of didn't match the current-day protagonist, and that was what nagged at me throughout. It was still a good book, and part of the plot was tied up with a bow at the end, but the giant elephant in the room, alas, was left standing there awkwardly. Maybe to be continued in a later book? That would be satisfying.