Top Audiobooks of 2019 and a GIVEAWAY!

It's a little on the early side for me to do any year end favorites, as I must take into account every book I read until the last hours of December 31st. But I have a great opportunity to give away a free audiobook from the only place to purchase your audiobooks: Libro.fm!  I normally would get audiobooks from the library, but I find that I am often scrambling to finish listening before the due date (Becoming) or they’re just not available for lending (Sounds Like Titanic). BOTH are on my best of 2019 list. If you haven’t heard of Libro.fm, definitely check them out for your audiobook purchases - you can choose to support your local bookstore or ALL affiliated independent bookstores (and not that big box retailer we shall not name). You can always use this referral link of mine for three book credits at $14.99, which is basically a 3 for 1 deal, or use code BORN2READ at checkout. And in the meantime, go comment on the picture below on my Instagram  by Friday 12/13 for a chance to win a free book!

When it comes to audiobooks, I can safely say that I am on my last one of the year. I do most of my listening while alone in the car or alone at home gettin' stuff done. That's not gonna happen over winter break. I decided to make this list a short one, as audiobooks are about 20% of my total reading. I'm on track to read more than 90 books this year, and 20 have been on audio. Since I read so few, I put a lot of thought into what I'm going to read, and definitely get rid of any that don't work for me within the first ten minutes! So I'd like to think these are QUALITY recs.

As I'm looking over this list I'm seeing a theme... With the exception of the great David Sedaris, they are all women to be reckoned with - not surprising in 2019.

Becoming by Michelle Obama
I mean. What else can be said about how fantastic this book was?? She is such an inspirational human, and her storytelling ability just made her that much more so. (Original review here.)

Calypso by David Sedaris
I would say that you cannot go wrong with a David Sedaris audiobook, but I was a little gun shy of picking up Calypso because Theft by Finding Diaries was a total aberration for me and I abandoned it after giving it a whole hour! This was much more of the Sedaris I love: full of hilarity and heart. (Original review here.)

Sounds Like Titanic by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
This was probably the biggest surprise hit for me this year. I feel like more people should be talking about this woman and this book - it's BANANAS and also, she is really impressive. (Original review here.)

The Witches are Coming by Lindy West
Lindy West is a favorite writer of mine (see also Shrill) and I loved her hilarious hot takes on all the things, as well as her messages of hope and strength. (Original review here.)

Know My Name by Chanel Miller
I am only halfway through Chanel Miller's memoir and I can for sure say that it is the one book above all these mentioned that I would recommend, and shove into people's hands if I could. Listening to the harrowing account of a sexual assault victim, the realities of our broken justice system and misogynistic culture, was really hard to stomach. But her story is so important, not just because she was Brock Turner's victim, but because clearly the process is equally terrible and unjust for most sexual assault victims. It is eye opening and hopefully encourages activism and change. Not to mention the fact that her writing is beautiful - I'm not sure if I've ever come across so many brilliant and evocative uses of metaphor. Her comics are also so engaging and I can't wait to see what this amazingly talented woman's future holds.

Books I Read in November

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger
 On paper, This Tender Land didn’t seem appealing to me: comparisons to The Grapes of Wrath or Huckleberry Finn just transported me back to the excruciatingly boring (and whitewashed) assigned reading of my youth. Alas, I caved and got it from Book of the Month because of all the glowing reviews. I stand corrected, this was riveting from the first pages until the last, whereupon I may have shed a rare tear! The plot twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat, the sense of place is palpable, the theme of indigenous people’s struggles appreciated, and the characters stole my heart. I’m definitely going into Krueger's backlist!

Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Finally, it was my turn to read Telgemeier's latest and it did not disappoint. I really adore her autobiographical stuff and Guts was so evocative and poignant. Sharing her story of anxiety, and it's onset during elementary school, will be a great resource for so many kids. I'm so glad that my kids are growing up with her books that share vulnerability. You can tell she was stretching a bit to turn this into a cohesive storyline, but it ended up being a sweet reminder that we cannot know what it is to walk in someone else's shoes.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
“I think the best stories feel like they’re still going, somewhere, out in story space.”
Oh man, it’s really hard to put into words my feelings about this book. I can definitely see how it didn’t work for a lot of readers. In the beginning, I was worried that it might not click for me either. There wasn’t a certain moment in the plot, or turn of events that I can point to where I eventually became obsessed with this book. I just slowly found myself thinking about it when I would wake up in the morning, kind of half asleep. In those barely conscious moments I would see some of the connections in this fever dream like story. I felt confused a lot of the time, to be sure. Like The Night Circus, I didn’t feel as if I wholly understood every facet of the narrative by the end. But, I found the endings completely satisfying. In quiet moments I’ll still be thinking about The Starless Sea and making connections for a long, long time to come. The ending is not a complete ending, but it’s a perfect goodbye to the story that made me laugh aloud and smile an enormous smile as I turned the last page.

The Witches Are Coming by Lindy West
I will never forget listening to Lindy West’s interview on This American Life what feels like a million years ago now (it was just in 2015). The anger I felt on her behalf was palpable, and her strength and humor gave me hope. Of course I bought her first book Shrill when it came out, and I am super grateful to libro.fm for an advance listening copy of The Witches are Coming. This was another five star read from West, as I LOVE her takes on how the zeitgeist affects and is affected by our culture. From Goop to Guy Fieri, she had me nodding in agreement, in stitches of laughter, and still feeling hope, despite an even bleaker world than ever.

Frankly in Love by David Yoon
This one has been all over the internets and I felt like a straightforward YA after reading The Starless Sea. Frank Li was a fantastic protagonist and it was really refreshing to read a YA contemporary fiction from a male's perspective. Yoon also has a lot of fun playing with words, which I found delightful and juuuust on the acceptable side of gimmicky. This looks to be the first in a series - so if you are looking for a standalone with a neatly tied up ending, you won't find that here. But, I for sure will pick up Yoon's follow up!

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
Listening to Reichl's audiobooks has become absolute comfort food reading for me. I loved reading Save Me the Plums this summer, her story about working at Gourmet Magazine. And this story was about her stint as a food critic for The New York Times. I could listen to her describe food for days, and listen to the laughter in her voice as she describes the shenanigans of the myriad disguises she employs while dining out, only to discover her true self.

Pilu of the Woods by Mai Nguyen
My daughter rather enjoyed this graphic novel and I finally picked it up off her shelves for a quick afternoon coffee break read. The illustrations are lovely, and the story is very cute, albeit sad - a story of a girl who has tragically lost her mother. Although there are these monster like creatures that lurk on the pages and it's not entirely clear what is going on until the very end, which felt a little confusing. Overall a sweet book for a graphic novel loving kiddo.

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by JK Rowling
Obviously, this was a reread, but at over 700 pages, I am COUNTING IT. It's been so fun doing this reread with my nine year old daughter. This one is so fun with all of the other schools, the second task is one of my favorite bits, and the Yule Ball! It's also where we are introduced to one of my favorite (of many) Rowling vocabulary genius moves: the PENSIEVE. I mean.

Books I Read in October

Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley
I read Relish over the summer and really enjoyed it, but this book made me absolutely fall in love with Lucy Knisley! There were many parallels to my first birth story (preeclampsia and emergency cesarean), yet there is so much beyond birth and parenthood to identify with in this memoir. It may look like a book for expectant parents, but it is about so much more, namely the history of women’s sexual health and gender discrimination. I think it is recommended reading for EVERYONE - my husband would agree it's a great book, after I shoved it in his hands when I was finished. 

The Ten Thousand Doors of January of January by Alix Harrow
Well, this was a delightful book! A fun and unexpectedly romantic novel that is unlike any YA fantasy I’ve read before. In fact, I didn’t realize it was YA even while I was reading- I just happened to realize Book of the Month categorized it as such? Regardless, if you are looking for a refreshing fantasy to cozy up with this fall, I’d definitely recommend this one. 

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
This alternative version of American and British politics was as fabulous as everyone said it would be - a sweet, funny, and HOPEFUL contemporary romance. I loved the ridiculously fun banter between all of the characters. It does have a strong millennial vibe, but I could appreciate all of the references. And though the general outcome is predictable, there were some satisfying payoffs in the side plots. This was a breath of fresh air kind of read!

Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
Listening to this audiobook was like drinking from a fire hose of information about the troubles in Ireland and the IRA, making it difficult to focus. But, these are my ancestors and I’ve heard stories about the times, so I may be biased in my fascination and love of the Irish brogue in which it is read. The horrors of that time and the level of secrecy was astounding. It's a harrowing account, as are most recollections of how humans find ways to end up in a quagmire of hate. It also makes me want to go back and watch some of the amazing films that came out in the 90s that center around the Irish: The Crying Game (mentioned in this book), Patriot Games and In the Name of the Father - a MUST WATCH, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. 

French Milk by Lucy Knisley
After enjoying Relish and adoring Kid Gloves, I decided I should start from the beginning and work my way through all of Knisley's books. French Milk is an illustrated travelogue of her weeks long sojourn in Paris with her mother and it was very evocative of being a young twenty-something, with all of her worries about jobs and relationships while away from home. I also related to this as someone who has traveled abroad quite a few times with her mother, and I could definitely see my surly post collegiate self in Lucy!

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
This was a compulsively readable thriller! Full review here.

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow
This one might be a little under the radar, right? Ha! Well, I finally listened to the audiobook and it's as nuts as everyone says. The lengths that Weinstein (and powerful men in general) went through to ruin all of these women's lives is unconscionable. Given that this book is getting so much buzz, and that Farrow is giving so many interviews, I felt as if I'd heard the meat of the story before I even started the book. That took away from some of the shock value, but it's such an important read, nonetheless. I also have a soft spot, as most everyone I know does, for his relationship with one of my favorite podcasters - and the epilogue is the cherry on the cake of this book. Now I must go read Kantor and Twohey's book, She Said!

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
It's always lovely to be back in Three Pines with Inspector Gamache, though this was not my absolute favorite. There were a lot of extraneous characters that I got jumbled in my mind, and this story didn't seem as infused with emotion as the previous books. I will say that I had zero clue as to how this murder went down, and that definitely kept me going, as well as all of the dry wit of our recurring characters. 

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell (ARC Review)

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
Publisher: Atria (November 5, 2019)
Description from the publisher:

Be careful who you let in.

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.

I'm always hesitant to say yes to reviewing a thriller. They are not my go-to genre, and I try to look for books that I'm probably going to enjoy: writing negative reviews is no fun. I did my due diligence on Lisa Jewell and realized that I seemed to be missing out on a beloved suspense novelist. There is so much love for her books out there! I figured that even if I didn't enjoy it, I could check her work off my list and see what all the fuss is about. And lo, this was one helluva entertaining read. 
Jewell alternates the perspective in each chapter, which is something I rather enjoy in novels. They are also rather short and conclude with a little cliffhanger, another device I appreciate that keeps me turning the pages past my bedtime. Oftentimes, with thrillers, things can get a little predictable. I'm sure the more voracious suspense reader could see the twists and turns coming in this book, but I sure didn't! The author is perfectly nuanced with her misdirection, and I absolutely fell for a few red herrings. 
One thing that leaves me wanting more after reading these types of books is character development. Jewell does not disappoint in this regard, and I felt that the players were well fleshed out, especially Henry. However, I had to suspend a pretty good deal of disbelief when it came to the couple from whom Libby inherits the mansion in Chelsea. There wasn't much explanation of 'why' when it comes to the disastrous decisions they made that set the plot in motion, especially on the mother's behalf. I suppose it can be chalked up to the magnetism of cult leaders, but I wanted a little bit more from Martina's point of view. On that note, trigger warning, there is a fair amount of child abuse.
Overall this was a great read, and I will definitely pick up more of her books - perhaps Then She Was Gone, which comes highly recommended. The Family Upstairs is perfect spooky read for curling up on a rainy (or snowy) fall day! It looks as if this is a November pick for Book of the Month, so if you're looking to sign up or give a fun holiday gift, here's my referral link for your first month for FIVE DOLLARS.

Many thanks to Atria books for the gifted advance copy!

Books I Read in September

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
I really liked this one! Full review here.

Burnoutby Emily and Amelia Nagoski
I started this audiobook during a time of great stress this summer, and it was a soothing balm of a book. There wasn't any earth shatteringly new information inside - much of the research about stress I have read articles about in various web articles over the years. But, it was nice to have it all pulled together and looked at as a whole.

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
Another quintessential YA novel from the queen of YA novels! I gobbled this one up just as quickly as the others I've read by Dessen, and I adored the characters in this novel the most. Macy's story also hit home because my father died in a similar fashion, abruptly and while jogging. Though I was much younger (almost half of Macy’s age) so my story was much different, but I think the dynamic between her and her mother really made the book for me - so real and raw. The romance was obvious from the first 15 or so pages, but it's always fun to see how she will fill in the blanks to get to that happy ending.

My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams
Holy cow! This was such an engrossing audiobook told by the woman who was conned by the ‘fake heiress’ of New York. Like listening to a friend spill the tea, I was constantly thinking, OMG what next!? And Williams delivers the whirlwind tale with a lot of reflection and heart. And Netflix has the rights to Anna's story, so this will be the scandal that keeps on giving...

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Patchett is amazing and rarely disappoints - full review here.

Heidi by Johanna Spyri
I’ve had my Puffin in Bloom box set for about three years, and I finally got around to rereading Heidi. I read this aloud with my nine-year-old daughter, and it was such a treat! Heidi is very reminiscent of Anne Shirley, one of our all time favorite characters (and another book in this set). I highly recommend Heidi for a read aloud, as it’s tightly written, humorous, and each chapter is nearly a self-contained story, which makes it easy to pick up where we left off.

The Unbreakables by Lisa Barr
This story of a middle aged woman who's life falls apart grabbed me from the first couple of pages with it's juicy and right-out-of-a-soap-opera drama. Sophie's inner monologue got somewhat repetitive for me, and I found her daughter to be slightly irritating. But the page turning dramatics do not cease until the very end and it was a fast, frothy, fun, sexy, female empowering romp of a book.

Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
I loved Brown Girl Dreaming and jumped at the opportunity for an early audiobook copy of Red at the Bone, through Libro.fm. So many reviews of the former book gave glowing reviews of the audio, and given it's lyrical prose, I could see why. However, I didn't find Red at the Bone nearly as engaging, and I'm wondering if I just process fiction and prose better on the page. Despite her usual lovely turns of phrase, this felt languid and scattered, never fully grabbing my interest. 

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (ARC Review)

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Publisher: Harper Books (September 24, 2019)
Description from the publisher: 

“'Do you think it’s possible to ever see the past as it actually was?’ I asked my sister. We were sitting in her car, parked in front of the Dutch House in the broad daylight of early summer.”

At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves.

The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures.

Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

As with any new novel from a beloved author, I go into it with a great amount of excitement and about as much anxiety! What if I'm disappointed? My expectations were even higher than normal for this book, as Patchett's latest is getting so much positive buzz. I can say I found that the buzz was well founded and the more I sit with my thoughts on The Dutch House, the more I feel as if it miiiiight have overtaken State of Wonder as my favorite of her work.

Early in the novel, the story churns with righteous anger on behalf of the protagonists: Danny and Maeve. Creating utterly compelling, authentic characters with rich inner lives is one reason I love Patchett's books so much. Right from the beginning, I feel as if I have a unique understanding of these people based on their actions and idiosyncrasies that are just odd enough to seem completely real. 

"The madder Maeve got, the more thoughtful she became. In this way she reminded me of our father--every word she spoke was individually wrapped."

Man, I loved that passage! Individually wrapped! Perfection. The choices Danny and Maeve make as their lives spin outward from the tragedies of their childhood seem outrageous and understandable all at once.

"There are a few times in life when you leap up and the past that you'd been standing on falls away behind you, and the future you mean to land on is not yet in place, and for a moment you're suspended, knowing nothing and no one, not even yourself." 

The underlying tension of their inevitable march towards the final conflict in the book propelled me forward in the pages at a rapid-fire pace. I don't rehash plot in my reviews, so I won't spoil any bit of it for potential readers. But I will say that even when I knew what was coming, Patchett still delivers the inevitable with utter gut-punches - another trademark I love. 

Beyond the plot, there is so much lovely and atmospheric writing and symbolism to unpack about the architecture of a dwelling and how it mirrors the architecture of our lives, as well as what the Dutch House, frozen in time, represents to each character. There's also a trove of material to examine about love and loss, how the past shapes our present and future, how our perceptions shape our memory, and ultimately what it means to forgive.

Many thanks to the folks at Harper Books for a complimentary advance copy, I will cherish it!

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag (ARC Review)

After the Flood by Kassandra Montag
Publisher: William Morrow (September 3, 2019)
Description from the publisher:

A little more than a century from now, our world has been utterly transformed. After years of slowly overtaking the continent, rising floodwaters have obliterated America’s great coastal cities and then its heartland, leaving nothing but an archipelago of mountaintop colonies surrounded by a deep expanse of open water.

Stubbornly independent Myra and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, fish from their small boat, the Bird, visiting dry land only to trade for supplies and information in the few remaining outposts of civilization. For seven years, Myra has grieved the loss of her oldest daughter, Row, who was stolen by her father after a monstrous deluge overtook their home in Nebraska. Then, in a violent confrontation with a stranger, Myra suddenly discovers that Row was last seen in a far-off encampment near the Artic Circle. Throwing aside her usual caution, Myra and Pearl embark on a perilous voyage into the icy northern seas, hoping against hope that Row will still be there.

On their journey, Myra and Pearl join forces with a larger ship and Myra finds herself bonding with her fellow seekers who hope to build a safe haven together in this dangerous new world. But secrets, lust, and betrayals threaten their dream, and after their fortunes take a shocking—and bloody—turn, Myra can no longer ignore the question of whether saving Row is worth endangering Pearl and her fellow travelers.

Holy moly, was this story compelling! I haven't read a post apocalyptic novel in a long time as I have found that since becoming a mother, it's harder for me to enjoy dystopian books. This could perhaps have to do with the fact that I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy when my firstborn was just a few months old and I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT EXPERIENCE - not in a good way. Despite the fact that After the Flood stares my worst fears of motherhood straight in the eye, Montag's novel has a much more action packed, empowering and, ultimately, hopeful feel than the bleakness and horror that is The Road. 

Certainly, there are some harrowing moments as Myra navigates this world of violence, child slaves, pirates, gangs and the concept of breeding ships (shudder). But I felt as if these details illustrated the desperate circumstances of this new world, while also propelling the plot forward. It's impossible to imagine putting myself in her shoes and think of what I might do to survive, to protect my children. And yet Montag's beautiful writing (unsurprisingly, she is an award winning poet) resonates so strongly that I absolutely felt connected to Myra and understood her motivations. I dogeared so. many. pages. Here are a few choice quotes.

"Children think we make them, but we don't. They exist somewhere else, before us, before time. They come into the world and make us. They make us by breaking us first."

"I knew it was sometimes easier to love ghosts than the people who were around you. Ghosts could be perfect, frozen beyond time, beyond reality, the crystal form they'd never been before, good moments to surface in my memory."

"'I keep thinking grief feels like climbing a staircase while looking down,' she said. 'You won't forget where you've been, but you've got to keep rising. It all gets farther away, but it's all still there. And you've only got one way to go and you don't really want to go on rising, but you've got to. And that tightness in your chest doesn't go away, but you somehow go on breathing that thinner, higher air. It's like you grow a third lung. Like you've somehow gotten bigger when you thought you were only broken.'"

I was rooting for Myra and those aboard her ship so fiercely that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to learn their fate, and my heart was in my throat for the last fifty pages that were filled with battles, sacrifices, and surprises I didn't see coming. This was a highly satisfying read on all fronts: fast paced and compelling plot, complex and ever changing character dynamics, beautiful writing, and themes on love and hope that will stick with me for a long time. It will definitely go on my list of favorites for the year.

Many, many thanks to William Morrow for the gifted copy!

Books I Read in August

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
This was my first Knisley graphic novel, but will definitely not be my last! This was such a heartwarming, funny, sweet and drool-worthy account of her coming of age through art and food. I especially loved reading about her time in the Chicago foodie scene, obviously.

The Idea of You by Robinne Lee
I didn't realize going into this novel that it is straight up Harry Styles fan fiction. I mean, I find him to be pretty darn attractive, don't get me wrong - but, I thought that this was just okay. It was a fun concept of an older woman dating a man nearly half her age, who happens to be the lead singer of her daughter's favorite boy band. There were a lot of cultural themes to analyze. One of the main ones is how we probably wouldn't bat an eye if the gender roles were reversed. But it felt repetitive, leaned heavily on steamy scenes and just sort of fizzled out at the end.

The Doll Factory by Elizabeth Macneal
This was a solid and creepy thriller. Full review here.

Summer of '69 by Elin Hilderbrand
There have been pretty mixed reviews on Elin's latest summer novel. I can see how some of the Levin sisters (who's POV we get with each chapter) might be harder to connect with, but I still thoroughly enjoyed her first take on historical fiction. Indeed, from the vantage point of the year 2019, the mindset and choices that some of these women make exactly 50 years in the past seem hard to grasp. But I flew through this story just like all of her other books, and Jessie's account of the summer, as a newly minted 13 year old and all of the big feelings that come with the territory, captured my heart - as did Elin's acknowledgments that included the story of her and her twin brother's birth in the summer of 1969.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri
This was a novel that touched upon the global immigrant crisis, but I had mixed feelings about it - full review here. 

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
What a surprise this novel was! I went into it thinking I was in for a light romance with a cute concept: two people who share a flat with opposite working hours and never cross paths, except for the clues and post it's they leave in their wake. O'Leary deftly wove in some heavier themes about toxic relationships and how they affect victims and their families, giving this a little more heft. The tone is still upbeat and it is still a very sweet romance - highly recommend.

Books I Read in July

Sounds Like Titanic by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
I listened to this on audio and it was FANTASTIC. At first the lilting Appalachian voice the narrator utilizes took me a little getting used to, but it is used to great effect. This story of a young violinist who finds herself part of a professional ensemble that ends up being a sham (Milli-Violini!), exceeded all my expectations. I thought I was getting into an expose on a well known composer and her descent into this scam, and it ends up being just the backdrop to this woman's absolutely fascinating and inspiring wit and worldliness. From her upbringing in rural West Virginia, to college at Columbia, to her study abroad in Egypt during 9/11 and crisscrossing the country with her ensemble, she uses all of her experiences to make so many profound observations about life and culture. Definitely a favorite book of the year!

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson
This graphic novel was in my daughters library haul and I remembered hearing good things, so I gave it a read and thoroughly enjoyed it - as did my son and husband. At first I was a little confused, as it starts off as guidebook that gets cut off mid sentence and delves into the illustrated panels. Then I realized that each chapter begins with a little bit of what would be the Lumberjanes guidebook (very similar to any scouts guide) and goes into a hilarious corresponding story. I got a major Gravity Falls vibe from the stories, which is a good thing - fantastical and earthy, all in one.  I also love that there are a few LGBTQ lead characters but that their stories are not driven by their sexual orientation, it’s just one part of their who they are. Bravo!

Gravity Is the Thing by Jaclyn Moriarty
Didn't love this one - full review here.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
I was looking for something light and fun to read, but not necessarily beach-y since we were NOT having beachy weather at the time. Caraval fit the bill PERFECTLY. Even though it gets quite a bit cheesy in parts, I really enjoyed this fun, adventurous, atmospheric fantasy novel. FYI, it is definitely not in The Night Circus wheelhouse, as described by some. It felt reminiscent of reading The Selection series by Kiera Cass - not similar stories, but that addictive brain candy feeling - I will probably read the next two!

Endling The Last by Katherine Applegate
This was my read aloud with my daughter this month and it was more in HER wheelhouse than mine! She loves stories about animals, dragons, fantasy, etc. and that's not where my interests lie - even when I was a kid. Alas, this was a cute concept of a world ruled by several mythical creatures and due to some dastardly evil plans, our heroine (a dog like creature called a Dairne) believes herself to be the last of her kind. She makes all sorts of friends and has many exciting adventures trying to find her place in the world and perhaps more of her kind. My daughter enjoyed it thoroughly, despite the fact that I thought it a little heavy on confusing political intrigue for kids and we've begun reading the sequel. 

Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl
Friends have been recommending Ruth Reichl's work for years, and now I am finally realizing how wonderful her writing is! Yes her descriptions of food were fantastic, but this one about her time at Gourmet magazine was particularly fascinating and juicy, learning about the publishing world. 

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
I really enjoyed this one! Full review here.

Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
Pilcher's books are so reliably wonderful and heartwarming. I was a little dubious about starting a 900+ page book over the summer - it doesn't scream fast and breezy. But her writing and storytelling just flows so effortlessly and I breezed through this quintessential and epic coming of age story that spans the time before, during and after WWII. Judith Dunbar will go down as one of my all time favorite characters - a must read.