If you've ever felt uncomfortable in a room full of people, this is the book for you. Author Susan Cain somehow takes all the awkward moments, uncertainties, and excuses for ducking out and transforms them into a beautiful montage of wonderfulness. It explains a lot, from how our brains work, what drives people to seek out a quiet corner or commit a crime, and even just the best way to study. As a lifelong introvert with all that entails, I ate this up. Fascinating.

This tale has it all: 1. Successful immigrant family living the "American Dream" 2. Sibling rivalry 3. Marital strife 4. Mysterious co-worker 5. Loveable pet (as plot device) 6. Thwarted lover 7. Ominous warning from spiritual leader 8. Murder 9. Family secret(s)! Honestly, what more could you want?

This story starts out telling us how a couple met and fell in love during the 1960s--a rising star attorney and a strong young woman not afraid to flaunt convention. So far, so good. From there, though, (spoiler: beware) somehow her character devolves into a bitter and hateful mother, wife, friend. There was absolutely nothing to like about her once we got to the elder years. The book is really about how she, her husband and their three children all find something to believe in, regardless of how improbable all of those events would have been. At the end, our protagonist (in a whiplash-inducing U-turn) found the grace to somehow be likeable again. Um hmm. I suppose there's consistency in that the whole story line was completely implausible. I did finish, but won't be seeking other books by this author.

I love a teeny book. I'm not gonna lie--that's what prodded me to pick up this gem. However, the whole thing is so lovely that I metered my time with it to one chapter a day, in order to absorb it more fully. The opening page states that Mr. Hawke found this letter from an ancestor, a knight, who died in 1483. He then had it translated, and on to us it came. Or is it all fabricated? Who knows, and really, who cares? It's a little book with a big punch. Lessons for anyone to live by. The icing on the cake is that the illustrations were done by his wife. It's a keeper.

This first book by Dominique Dubois Gilliard (second was Subversive Witness) is a good and informative effort on a difficult subject, but it would have been even more powerful with some good editing. This Christian spin on systemic racism and the cancer it causes societally hit the mark, and there were some worthwhile passages and insights, but too much real estate was taken up by rehashing other books' messaging. I'm all for a reference, but I felt as if I were re-reading the originals a little too often. Aside from that, there was more than a little clean-up that needed to happen and got missed. He's a good author, though, with a powerful message. I would recommend as an overview for those who have not read a lot on this topic.

I've always thought that owls had their own mystique, and deserved their rep as full of wisdom and stature in the natural world. After reading this, though, I'm even more fascinated than before! So many fun facts to absorb, and Miriam, our author, was intrepid in her efforts to leave no stone unturned in scouring her corner of the world for owl data. The owl info was intertwined with a distressing side story through the whole book, though--as the author was putting together her research notes, her son was simultaneously undergoing a mysterious seizure disorder that was vaguely improved by the last page, but not really diagnosed. I worried about him from beginning to end. Ailing son aside, it was a lovely and informative read about our hooting friends. I might just buy some binoculars . . .

Author Steve Pemberton was an unlucky kid. Landing in foster care at a very young age, his placement was, shall we say, not ideal. He naturally always wondered about his birth parents, and kept searching despite rumors and taunting about his lineage. I won't give away any more of what that poor kid went through, because you will want to read this riveting book. It's painful, though, so get ready. Through the acts of a few kind acquaintances and several boxes of donated books, he not only survived, but raised himself into the kind of person he wanted to be. A truly remarkable story of brilliance, grit, fortitude and grace, your heart will break and then explode with joy for this boy, and the man he ultimately became.

Author Natasha tells the riveting but horrifying story of her mom's abuse, and finally, murder at the hands of her second husband. The constant stress this mom and daughter suffered under his tyranny are well-portrayed, requiring me to read another book alongside this one so I could sleep at night. I can't imagine what it was like to actually live that nightmare. Part catharsis and part homage, you find yourself crying for this giving, articulate, brilliant woman and the life she could have lived, and the daughter who would have loved to share it with her.

This book starts out with a bang, or a flame, and we learn right away who the arsonist is in a rural Virginia firebug spree. That worried me. I assumed that without the mystery of discovery, I would be unmotivated to continue. Wrong-oh. Somehow, the author manages to keep things at a thriller pace, through the myriad and proverbial stones that were definitely turned, the multiple clues tracked unsuccessfully, and the countless dead ends. Gripping, sad, mystifying--should be a movie.

A Brooklyn neighborhood finds itself becoming whiter and whiter, while suspicious things keep occurring. Sydney, a born and bred, deep-rooted member of her community, has seen too much to ignore, so she starts digging. And digging. An unlikely co-conspirator, Theo, is helping her--or is he? While this story has a hefty dose of "Get Out" vibe (a crazy movie, but was it, really?), I will never, ever see gentrification in the same way. Who's to say these things don't happen? Do you really know?

When Trent Powers relocates his family to Arkansas from California for a last-ditch coaching job, things aren't rosy. Local folks live and breathe football, and a big win is within their grasp. However, a hardscrabble existance makes life tough for a star runningback, and in his efforts to help the boy, Powers encounters complications he may not be equipped to manage. A combination of Friday Night Lights and The Blind Side, plus a heavy dose of Agatha Christie makes this story hum right along.

There is no way you can read this book and not feel frustrated, disheartened, and all the other somber words the thesaurus can throw at you. I kept finding myself mired down by all the gloominess and futility of the penal system and how aberrant it is, and wanting some kind of handhold to grasp. A solution of sorts--something. As horrific as the constant barrage of negativity was regarding the whole shebang of arrest, trial, imprisonment, and then parole, I suppose the real horror is that this system runs so deep in the fiber of our culture I don't know if there is an answer. The author deftly and effectively makes his point here, and it's a heavy one. The fallout from this systemic imprisoning machine ultimately affects all of us.