Read it or Weep

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner

If you enjoyed The Jane Austen Society by the same author, you’ll enjoy this one too! Set in 1950’s London, this story follows Evie Stone, Viven Lowry, and Grace Perkins, as they navigate the difficulties of navigating the old-fashioned rules and new ways of thinking in a post-war era. Mentioning actual influential authors, artists, and politicians, led this reader off on short bursts of research to find out even more. 

Finely Donovan is Killing It AND Finely Donovan Knocks ‘em Dead by Elle Cosimano

Finely Donovan is a woman of many talents, she’s a best selling author, she’s a mom, she’s about to be the ex-wife of a cheating husband, and she’s accidentally started solving murders. Joined by Vero, a live-in nanny, Finely is as surprised as anyone when this unlikely duo take on some pretty serious bad guys -and win! If you like the Stephanie Plum mysteries, let this be the new series you start in 2023!

Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley

Iona feels like her best days are behind her, professionally and personally, but she’s in for a great surprise when strangers on her daily commute tell her what they think of her. With plenty of sass and sweet moments, I dare you to read this book and not feel better about the world we live in!

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist with innovative ideas and the ability to make those ideas into reality. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, she’s a strong smart woman in the 1960s, and she’s beautiful, and she’s dismissed by men in power at every turn. Elizabeth isn’t a quitter though, she believes provable facts and hard work make a difference. If you enjoyed Mad Men on television, you’ll love this one!

Nettle and Bone by T. Kingfisher

Last year was the first time I’d read a book by this author and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking made my top ten for the year. Who would have guessed a repeat appearance already?! A Wizard’s Guide is meant for a slightly younger audience than Nettle and Bone, but they’re both chock full of quirky characters and interesting adventures featuring strong young women. If you’re looking to set off a quest with a demonic chicken, fairy godmother, disgraced knight, and a youngest sister trying to save her sister and kingdon, this one’s for you!

The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman

If you were old enough to care about pop culture or politics during the 1990s, this book is full of things you probably forgot or to provide better insight on what happened back in the day. A good sense of humor and enjoyable footnotes (yes, enjoyable footnotes!) made this an extra fun walk down memory lane.

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

It’s been a little bit of time since this author’s last book but this was worth the wait. Zoey lost her Mom when she was pretty young but now she’s done with high school and she’s headed back to Mallow Island where her Mom left her a studio apartment in the small Dellawisp Condos community. Zoey hopes to spend the summer searching out more of her Mom’s past but finds herself caught up in a different kind of mystery. If she’s willing to listen to the Dellawisp’s resident flock of birds, she should be fine…. right?

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

I’m not afraid of animals telling me part of the story and neither should you be (if you don’t mind my saying so). In this book Tova Sullivan, a 70 year old widow, and a giant Pacific octopus named Marcellus narrate a story of love, family, friendship, and connection. Small details keep connecting in unexpected ways, and help make the end 100% satisfying.

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

People moving through time, voluntarily or by mistake, can make me a little anxious on their behalf. Generally I don’t read to feel anxious and usually skip over stories where people find themselves bouncing through time. I’m so glad I read this one though. Alice is turning 4o and loves 99% of her life as an independent woman living in her NYC hometown, the missing 1% is due to father’s ailing health. When she discovers she can travel to her past, giving her the chance to live slightly altered timelines and, more importantly, seeing her father strong and healthy, Alice’s journey truly begins.

The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

When Satoru finds a stray cat in need of medical attention, he doesn’t hesitate in his swift actions to save a life. Naming his new cat companion Nana, Satoru and Nana quickly settle into the properly respectful worshiping relationship every cat person should recognize. But they aren’t just good companions, they have the kind of strong bond nothing could break. Traveling across Japan, Satoru and Nana visit people and places from Satoru’s past, and each visit leaves a lasting impression on all involved. Fair warning: Nana tell the entire story, and he’s a *gifted!* storyteller. Give it a try, you might like it too!

Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett

I’ve been struggling for months to describe this book, keeping in all of the story’s amazingly enjoyable quirky elements and bonus features. Now that we’re (alphabetically) at the end of my list, I’ll ask you just to trust me so I don’t need to do another bad job and you still get the joy of meeting new fictional friends doing interesting things…. 🙂