Loved this one. I stayed up hours past my bedtime savoring this Pride and Prejudice retelling set in early 2000s upper class Pakistan.

Outstanding. Provocative and persuasive argument that we shouldn‘t let unaccountable philanthrocapitalists be the only ones responding to societal issues. When the powerful are in charge, there can definitely be progress, but it‘s unlikely to threaten their status quo. What we really need are transformations, with input from the folks who need to benefit.

This romance felt like it was from the 90s: flat, Mary Sue, super innocent yet “spunky” heroine and a flat, boring, uncommunicative hero. It also featured secrets that make no sense, cartoonish villains, and a smattering of Scottish accents for impact. Give this a miss.

This was a sweet escapist read. A well-connected English aristocrat always longing for something more ends up captured by a privateer, who is secretly also a well-connected aristocrat with a government sanctioned undercover mission. They end up falling in love on the ship to Portugal and overcome various kidnappings on their way to a happily ever after.

This was wild. Secret, sordid sex-related initiation to high powered board of directors - check. Billionaires with unchecked power in a small Boston suburb: check. Heroine who has been chosen and manipulated by the heir as a partner/wife: check. Trust no one as life-saving advice: check. I enjoyed this one but got the distinct impression that I would not enjoy the dirtiness and father/son dynamics in the next books.

Beautiful reflection on mortality and meaning, written by a woman with terminal cancer, two young children, and a mother who is also dying. Plenty of Emerson and Montaigne references, which pair powerfully with anecdotes about daily living in spite of/in light of disease.

I really enjoyed this translation. I hadn't read Beowulf since high school, and I'm very excited for Maria Dahvana Headley's upcoming translation, so I wanted to read some beautiful Heaney language and immerse myself in a classic epic to prepare. Recommended.

Such a fun, gruesome read. A corporate headhunter living above his means is also an art thief. The man he's recruiting for a lucrative position may also be sleeping with his wife. An intricate, bloody game of cat and mouse ensues, and you're never quite sure who's the predator or prey at any given time.

I tried to read this in college and didn't finish. My husband and I listened to the audiobook together this spring in anticipation of seeing a production of Adrienne Kennedy's play. This novel was just as tedious the second time around. I rarely DNF books, and this almost got me there twice. Flaubert is so long winded about nothing in particular, and all the characters are miserable.

I read this with my small group and really appreciated the concrete, action-oriented approach to treating your marriage like a ministry. Loving your neighbor starts at home :) A quick read with broadly applicable insights. Recommend, especially if you're reading with a supportive group.

This second installment has more heat and action, but the pacing doesn't quite work as well as the opening novel. I think because everything happens back-to-back, the story didn't 'breathe' as much for me. Cat and Griffin consolidate their power, defeat several challenges/enemies in multiple settings, and receive help from the Gods when they need it most.

Loved this. Heroine hiding her past and magic is kidnapped by a warrior who wants/needs her (and her talents). This novel has a greek mythology backdrop, and is full of action and slow-burn romance. Recommend.

A stream of consciousness, contrarian treat. Reflections from a South Korean writer living in Corsicana (south of Dallas) on freedom and choice, existential reasoning, and Texas. Like nothing I've read before.

Short and powerful essays reflecting on life, meaning, relationships, and being grateful. Well worth the time invested to savor these words.

The premise here is enticing: vineyards cultivated by witches using magic, 1920's rural France, culture clash between a new human vineyard owner who trusts science and the witches who have tended the wine for generations, a murder mystery and revenge plot. Alas, the execution lacks. The author does a lot of telling vs. showing, and parts are overwritten/overwrought. The romance part is very weakly developed. I didn't enjoy this one.

The perfect book to begin reading in Lent. Axelrod explores the ways that our dependence on technology changes our relationship with ourselves, our perspectives, and our shared realities. He views 'inner climate change' as having transformative potential on par with climate change - I'm persuaded. This book is an invitation to slow down and take stock of how we actually move about in the world. I've been surprised by how phone-dependent I am.

Outstanding. Loved these short stories - they felt familiar, though they were unlike anything I'd read before. Vivid characters, complex histories, immersive world-building. A great entrypoint to Afrofuturist writing.

Well-researched and clearly written examination of Christians' (and Christianity's) support for racist people, policies, and perspectives in the US. Would make an equally good introduction to the topic as an advanced-level text. Includes prescriptions for change - if we made it racist, we can un-make it. I noticed a couple of citation/typo errors, but overall, a great read.

My least favorite Shupe so far, but still very good. Self-made lawyer pretending to be part of NYC 1890s high society falls for one of his client‘s daughters. I like the class difference aspect, I didn‘t love some of the character choices/conflicts.

Quick, direct book of guidance for prioritizing what‘s important to you and minimizing the stressful extras. Has a Christian perspective, and it was very relatable for me as another early-30s mom of young kids.

Newspaper publisher teams up with his ex-wife when a mutual enemy threatens to reveal their secret marriage. Set in upper class, gilded age NYC and Chinatown, the romance is frustratingly full of poor communication but I still enjoyed it. Hero and heroine are white with supporting characters who are African-American and Chinese, which is unusual in a lot of historical romances.

These essays address women‘s anger in a range of voices, tones, and perspectives. I would get worked up while reading but took comfort in the fact that so many of these talented and inspired women are fighting the good fight.

Collection of Texas Noir short stories. Gripping and occasionally unsettling. I loved it.

Loved this. Preacher from rural middle Tennessee loses his job and marriage when he vocally supports LGBT rights. When he‘s faced with losing custody of his son, they flee to Key West to find his estranged older brother. Rich in symbolism and beautiful explorations of faith, family, and morality.

Fake relationship turns into true love. A sulky actor with a bad reputation is forced into a pretend romance with his co-star in an effort to rehabilitate his image. It works a little too well.

Loved this one about an actress and a critic reluctantly falling in love, against the backdrop of shared family secrets. She's a third-generation actress trying to stand up for her own dreams. He's an aristocrat trying to save his ancestral home from his family's mismanagement. When she's starring in a live production filmed on his estate, sparks fly. The supporting characters are richly drawn, the dialog is snappy, the romantic arc is sweet.

Beautiful writing. The author reads the audiobook, and while I normally multitask while listening, I frequently had to stop everything else to pay full attention to his words. This memoir jumps around in time - growing up as a refugee in Connecticut, his first relationship, and his relationship with his mother and his mother's mother. The words and themes flit about, rising off the page and sticking in my mind.

Brutal and breathtaking. Two undocumented teenage brothers crash a plane across the Mexican border. They are separated and both drawn into the orbit of cartels, autodefensas, and the military. Their mom crosses the border to try and reunite with them in San Miguel, the town their family abandoned for Texas years before. Things do not go well.

My first Octavia Butler and it was so interesting. Story follows a genetically altered vampire with amnesia as she seeks to recover herself and bring her family‘s killers to justice. I had a really, really hard time getting over the fact that the vampire‘s body looks like a prepubescent child, though she is in fact over 50. Her sexual relationships with humans were difficult for me for that reason.

Fascinating memoir about finding Christianity and moving and out of faith, and through the course of a relationship, by a musician and writer. Themes of faith, feminism, trust, and authenticity, set in Houston and NYC.

Small-town suspense set along the wild, western coast of New Zealand. A demoted cop with anger management issues and a widow returning home after discovering her husband had cheated team up to solve the murder of a local young woman. Is her death linked to the disappearance of three female hikers 15 years before? Is there a serial killer living among them? A gripping, atmospheric read.

Fake engagement featuring a prince with a playboy reputation and a royal cousin struggling to come into her own after her father's public treachery. They each learn what it means to feel comfortable in their own skin, which deepens their connection. Loved this whole series, and Johan and Nya put the work in to earn their happily ever after.

I read this with my husband and we have been talking about moments, people, and themes from this book for the past couple weeks. Fascinating memoir of the narrator's journey from an unschooled, fundamentalist childhood in rural Idaho to becoming a PhD from Cambridge. She explores what it's like to leave home and how foundational beliefs can change with time and distance. Though I started in December, this was my first book completed in 2020.

Undocumented private eye investigates the disappearance of a little girl in Stockholm. Quick, engaging read.

A siren balances leading her family business with battling rogue magical creatures. The romance is slow burn and should play out over the trilogy, so this first installment was more expository and adventure-heavy. Recommend.

This whole book felt like Houston - hustling and hopeful and full of hard knocks. Sometimes raw, sometimes sweet, but always beautifully written.

Equal parts murder mystery and chronicle of small town life, this novel follows its narrator, an elderly vegetarian astrologer and English teacher with a passion for translating William Blake. She lives on the border of Poland and the Czech Republic and has a vendetta of sorts with the local hunting community. It‘s darkly funny.

The second book in this series is just as good as the first. Old Money Captain of Industry unwillingly falls in love with a self-styled medium, hustling to provide for her siblings in Gilded Age NYC. This romance has politics and class consciousness and a topnotch enemies-to-lovers dynamic.

So good. I plan to read the rest of the series immediately. Self-made steel magnate approached by a high-society heiress who needs a front for her (secret) stock brokerage firm. They overcome a forced wedding and trust issues on their way to HEA in Gilded Age NYC.

Steamy read featuring a romance between a sex therapist and a sex toy mogul.

Enjoyable light historical fiction and family mystery. The novel follows three generations of women and their connections to an NYC mansion, and to the men that live(d) there. Mild complaints: there's a problematic doctor/patient relationship, and the FatedMates (TM) trope doesn't always work, but I liked this one overall.

This Icelandic crime novel had a twist ending I never saw coming, nor seen in any other novel. You should read it just for that! Hulda is a detective forced into early retirement who picks a cold case to close out her career. Like all good scandicrime novels, this one has multi-generational trauma, buried secrets, international sex trafficking, and a hard-boiled detective who lives in shades of gray.

A violently funny caper in the mode of Tim Dorsey. Our anti-hero is a discreet cocaine lord targeted by an international criminal ring. He strikes back to devastating effect. This is an over-the-top crime spree narrated in first person stream-of-consciousness. It's clever and hilarious.

Excellent, accessible, powerful. Dr. Kendi distinguishes between “racist“ and “anti-racist“ ideas, policies, and actions in a variety of contexts. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about the ways in which racism undermines our values and communities, and the ways in which we're all guilty to some degree. Being an anti-racist is an active role that anyone can play.

Other parents have told me this book is life-changing. I didn't get that, but my toddler may be too young for this to really apply. The overall book can be summed up by the final three pages, which provide a check-list of ways to make sure you balance your emotional and logical responses to your child's still-developing reactions to the world.

Snarky in tone, penetrating in insight. Would recommend to read after you already suspect your type. Not as action-oriented as other Enneagram books, but the focus on how patterns/habits/routines influence your daily life is useful.

Solid second installment in an ongoing trilogy about political drama in space. I liked the pace and action of Polaris Rising more, but this slow-burn between a widowed heiress with secret cyber-encryption talents and her family's security officer is still very good.

Forgot to add this a couple months ago. Outstanding. Incisive. Revelatory. I really, really enjoyed Tolentino's take on contemporary life from a late millennial POV. Parts about suburban Houston, evangelical Christianity, barre class, and the mid-90s internet made me gasp out loud in recognition.

Engrossing. Follows two Nigerians who were in love as teenagers as they leave home, (im)migrate to the US and UK, and eventually re-connect in Lagos 10+ years later. Adichie's writing is beautiful and immersive. Looking forward to discussing this one with our book club!

Mixed bag for me that I really should have waited another month to read and get in the holiday spirit. I really liked two of these (publisher + advice columnist; Scottish duke + stranded heroine). Another was fine and sweet (duke + the heroine he's about to evict), and the fourth, a second-chance romance, didn't do it for me.