A slim novel that manages to pack a lot into its few pages. A woman is chosen to be part of jury that ends up sequestered due to the high profile of the case. The trial isn‘t the only drama unfolding. She is leaving her much older husband alone for the duration of the trial and ends up having an affair with one of the other jurors. A lot of ground is covered and while no easy resolutions are offered every aspect is given its due. Really well done

Twelve lesser known figures whose lives had great impact on American history, this was the perfect palate cleanser audiobook after some heavier listens. It held my attention, taught me things I didn‘t know, and reminded me that individual can make a difference, a timely reminder these days.

When my father was dying a friar at work would check on me and tell me stories about when he was a hospital chaplain. I am not religious but those stories provided me much comfort. I thought of them as I read this. Clover is a death doula and ensures a positive end of life for her patients, whatever that looks like for them. Her own life could use help as she has cut herself off from the world. Reflective yet still light, this was a joy to read.

This book was work for me. I wanted to bail but I also wanted to understand why it was chosen for the #wpf25 shortlist so I kept reading to see if its inclusion would suddenly make sense to me. It never did. My favorite thing about it was its cover. Just not for me.

Something I never say- I wish this had been a novella. I think it would have had a greater impact on me. In the beginning I felt as if I was suffocating on my anxiety for Ciara but then it carried on and on and felt more and more typical. I feel terrible saying it because it is an important topic but I felt like I have read many versions of this tale before and this didn‘t add anything new.

After Greta‘s husband disappeared years ago, rumors in her Indian Village had her murdering him. Now she is being approached by other women to help them become widows but nothing she does goes as planned. Great characters, humor ( a little too silly at times), and women taking the justice denied to them- definitely enjoyed this one.

Work has been turning my brain to mush so it took me some time to get sucked into this book but when that switch flipped I was tearing through it because I had no idea where it was going and was so excited to find out. I think this is my favorite by the author so far.

Three resilient young women are brought together by a London library and their shared love of reading. When the library is damaged by bombs they help set up a small library in an Underground station working for their neighbors as they deal with their own issues. It has its melodramatic moments but overall balances strife, pluckiness, friendship, and a dash of romance to tell a charming story about the power of books and community.

Set in a future flooded San Francisco where those who have stayed adapt to lives lived on upper floors of buildings connected by bridges. Bo should have left long ago. Instead she accepts an assignment caring for her elderly neighbor and learning about her life. The book plods along with seemingly little actually happening but the story of Bo and Mei and the connection they made me reflect on relationships in my own life. A soft pick. Out 5/13

I don‘t write in books- ever. However as I listened to this audio. I kept longing for a physical copy that I could underline in. I thought this was incredible.

I love that this book went in a different direction than I expected after the first few pages. What I thought was going to be a legal drama ended up being about the lives surrounding the death of a teenager at the hands of his sister. Their parents and her lawyers have history and secrets that get brought to the forefront after years of avoidance. Guilt, blame, forgiveness and characters I would never befriend but a story I could look away from.

Took the ferry to Sausalito for a couple of nights. I wanted to get away without real travel. Honestly cannot figure out why I haven‘t done this before. Went to this great little bookstore. Not a huge selection but what they had was wonderfully curated. I found so many things on my TBR that I haven‘t been able to find in other store. I only bought two books but could have gone crazy. Definitely will return

A woman detained because of future crimes she might commit according to her dreams and the system that keeps her there. Crisp writing and a clear depiction of the helplessness of having your rights stripped away and being at the mercy of the whims and moods of those with power over you. Yet I had a hard time picking this back up after putting it down. I think it was too much for me when I already spend my days in fear watching the news.

Thank you so much @AmyG for the birthday gift. I just finished packing for a couple nights away and am tempted to switch out the books I am bringing because I have really been wanting to read this one. I am already bringing another book you gifted me that I part way through! I am so grateful and excited!

Two beautiful children and the heart transplant that connects them . This accounting of the medical teams who give their all, families who face the unthinkable, and the history and science of transplants is such an emotional read. Informative and impactful but oh how I cried.

An entirely unlikable main character and a completely grim story- is it any surprise that I really did not enjoy listening to this audiobook? And yet there is something about it. I couldn‘t look away and I know it is not a book that will fade away until I can‘t really recall the details in a month or two. Is that enough to make it a pick? My answer today is I think so. Tomorrow I might think differently
#wpf25

Anna is divorced and has absolutely no desire to date until she suddenly needs to write a dating column in order to keep her job. When a basic foray back into dating is not fresh enough for the new big boss she agrees to let her kids pick her next few dates and to have her column go head to head with her work nemesis‘s dating column. I had a lot of fun with this story as Anna starts to trust herself and the world again and loved the Bath setting.

Birdie is a single mother who wants change so she moves with her daughter to a remote cabin owned by Arthur, a quiet man he barely knows. The life they find there is reinvigorating but also filled with challenges as they realize there are things about Arthur they don‘t know. I am drawn to books set in Alaska and love Ivey‘s writing. I still didn‘t fully love this book. Perhaps because the end seemed too small for such a fantastical tale.

Tarek follows the path laid out for him becoming a doctor, taking over his father‘s practice, and getting married. When Ali asks Tarek to examine his sick mother everything expected of Tarek loses importance. His life shifts as his decisions impact him and his relationships. Second person narration is not my favorite but I couldn‘t help but care about Tarek and those orbiting him.

A woman finds out she has been cursed to keep being reincarnated and reliving the same doomed love affair. I was surprised by how absorbed I quickly became by the different lives and the search for answers but I had a hard time setting it aside to anything else like work or sleep. It was really nice to be so caught up in a fun yet satisfying story.

I read this in a constant state of fury. The story of a woman in a marriage who gives up her career and her sense of self to man who belittles her and refuses to acknowledge her contributions to their lives and his own neglect. My blood was boiling but I couldn‘t look away . I saw so many things in Jane‘s marriage that I have observed in relationships around me. Another book I wouldn‘t have picked up without the #tob25.

Two families, each with their own struggles, become entangled with each other over the years. This book jumps back and forth through years and changes of perspective showing how people, events, and time are connected and bond us all together. Thank you for sharing this with me @CBee , I really enjoyed it.

At the start of the weekend I realized I wasn‘t enjoying any of the books I was reading and bailed on them all which was so not like me. I made it through 50% of this audiobook before admitting that I just didn‘t care about any of it- the characters, the plot, the fact that nothing they did made sense to me. I thought about continuing because I have liked Butler in the past but I was honestly relieved when I gave myself permission to stop.

I needed something completely different from my last reads and this book about a father and daughter living off the grid due to events in his past jumped out at me. After 8 years in the woods strangers cross their paths and their precarious world is threatened. I found this so engrossing as you learn what drove Cooper to choose such an isolated life and see Finch become more curious about what she is missing. A good distraction and a solid story.

Centered around a recent Supreme Court case, this is a look at Native land rights and the myriad of ways the US government has stolen land throughout history and reneged on its promises, including some of the unbelievable current laws that try to keep Native populations powerless. Reading it made my blood boil and I kept wishing more people would read this although I fear those who truly need the history lesson never will.

Thank you so much Amy for the wonderful surprise! I am really looking forward to reading this one (also that cover is just so striking). I hope that you are feeling better and appreciate your kindness so much.

This book! I was so worried that all the hype would lead to my being disappointed but not even close. Martha goes through decades of feeling like she is just not good at living. She sees countless doctors and is given countless diagnoses and prescriptions but she is still the same person who lashes out at those who love her and little joy in the world. She is wholly unpleasant but oh how I felt for her and her family. Tears were shed.

I put this on hold after looking at all the Gaiman on my shelves and thinking “here we go again.”There is much to discuss regarding the art vs the artist but this was not what I was looking for. I found the equivalencies of monsters troubling. Women wanting space from childcare to work given the same consideration as Polanski? To me, it had less real reflection on the potential responsibilities of consumers and more tangents and biographies.

Mattis knows he isn‘t a good worker and that he isn‘t quite as smart as everyone else but it still bothers him that his neighbors all refer to him as Simple Simon. Still he has the birds he loves to watch and his sister who endlessly knits to keep them both fed. However when a stranger arrives Mattis‘s life feels more uncertain. A lovely book about an unforgettable character.

This story of a girl left stranded on a deserted island with her lover and servant started out so slowly I wondered if anything would ever actually happen but once they reach the island I was gripped by the intensity of what Marguerite faces and her ability to survive. The writing was lovely and this fit in nicely with the apparent trend of my reaching for tales of living on remote islands.

The premise made me a little wary even if I do love Hazelwood but I adored it. Two top college athletes find out they share certain proclivities in the bedroom when his ex who is also her teammate declares they should sleep together. Their relationship may start out purely physical but the more time they spend together the more things they realize they share. Reading this had me grinning until my cheeks hurt.

Primarily focusing on three cousins dealing with changes in their lives and their family‘s Chicago restaurant that feels more like home than their actual homes often do after the sudden death of their grandfather. I love a good messy family story and this one was great. Less about overall family dysfunction (although there is certainly some of that) and more about the overlapping lives in a large, caring ,but changing, brood. Definitely recommend.

All 14 year old Adunni wants is to return to school. Instead she finds herself being married off to an old man who already has two wives. Adunni may be naive but she is not going to give up on her dreams easily. As things go from bad to worse and her life changes again and again she persists in believing in herself. This book was not on my radar when it came out a few years ago but I am glad a copy landed in my lap.

An entire book filled with unlikable characters that kept me feeling anxious throughout about the myriad of bad decisions Jane, the main character kept making. And yet I couldn‘t stop reading or rooting for Jane. A book that made me cringe, made me uncomfortable, made me think, and made me wryly chuckle a time or two and one I think I will want to reread. #tob25

I so get the varied opinions on this one. Not a book for everyone. I, however, seem to be drawn to books lately about living in isolation (side effect of reading the news I am sure) and found that I really enjoyed this book about three monks who set out to find the island envisioned in a dream. It is slow but anxiety filled as you see them struggle with the elements and the requires blind obedience to a leader who does not deserve it.

Well this short read was surprisingly delightful!. Glad I just went in with little knowledge because, in all of 69 pages, any assumptions I had made in the beginning were turned upside down in the best way

I did not expect that ending! A quick moving look at the effects of censorship and attempts to control a population‘s thoughts and feelings. Important reading especially considering the state of the world. Dis I love it as much as everyone else seems to? No. #tob25

Denz needs to prove that he is serious enough to take over the family business now that is father is retiring and thinks a pretend relationship is the way to go. Who am I to question his logic when it somehow means spending time with the ex who broke his heart but still makes ir race. A fake dating, second chance romance with a big interfering family and a hero I want to sit around and dissect rom coms with, I had a lot of fun readjng this book.

Three women in three different times all dealing with harm caused by men from accusations of witchcraft, to marital abuse, to strangers lying in wait in the dark. Their stories are morose and without nuance.The writing was lovely but not enough to satisfy me. I have wanted to read this one for quite some time but am left underwhelmed.

It has been quite a week. If tomorrow weren‘t Friday I might cry. Thankfully I‘ve had this soapy book about figure skating to distract and entertain me. Secrets, scandal, romance, and sequins abound on every page and I enjoyed every dramatic moment of it.

A memoir about finding out that your child and your spouse are transgender and that names and pronouns may change but love doesn‘t.

I enjoyed the story this book was trying to tell about two boys from different backgrounds who become college roommates and keep growing closer and the joy and loss they experience. However I did not like the writing style at all. The dialogue all felt flat and unnatural and everyone had the same voice and there was a lot of telling and not showing with the relationship development. It made it had to become emotionally invested.

Well, I suppose it had to happen eventually. I have now encountered a book by Everett that I did not love. This James Bond style caper on nothingness was too forcefully clever for me and I lost patience early on. Still planning to read his entire backlist.

Gabriel is a 16 year old American living in Chile. He has his two best friends, a new girlfriend, and no desire to ever leave Chile and return to the US. Then there is a coup… Told from three different perspectives (although I found each of them less compelling than the first) this was a really great read that managed to combine coming of age with political turmoil an engaging and moving way. Why was this not on the TOB shortlist?

18 year old Manod lives on a small Welsh island whose population is steadily decreasing as people leave for easier lives on the mainland. She is smart and dreams of more than a life where her only future is marriage. When strangers arrive to study the island Manod is both drawn to them and dismayed at how wrong they are about her home. A quiet novel with a unique and complicated heroine, this was easy to finish quickly but left much to consider.

This book made me want to cancel my lunch plans yesterday and stay home all day and read. I am so glad the higher praise Wait get on Litsy convinced me to give her another try after not loving another of her books because this story about a young mother and her daughter‘s journey through their involvement with a cult was fantastic.

A coming of age story about a trans woman in Madrid, from the opening sentence I knew this was going to an unforgettable read. Bursting with love and pain, this journey from a confused child to a woman who has been guided by the kindness and understanding of the community she finds was beautifully told. These characters leapt from the pages, from Eugenia to Margarita. They broke my heart and repaired it into something stronger.

A novella about a woman who goes along with her partner‘s desire to have a child even though she doesn‘t want to be a mother. Her intentions are good but of course everything changes in their lives. Powerful emotions run throughout these pages, from isolation to desire and back again. An undeniably strong story that I liked but didn‘t quite love.

A human girl raised by a Vampire, a tournament where the prize is a wish granted, alliances made with those she isn‘t sure she can trust, challenges that test every part of her,and of course an attraction that she would very much like to deny, is it any wonder that I devoured this book like candy? Perfect for the mood I was in and I am trying to not immediately jump into the sequel.

I would‘ve skipped over this one if it hadn‘t been on the #tob25 shortlist and I would have missed out big time. A coming of age story about Adina, a girl who never quite fits in. She knows why she is different, she is an alien sent to earth to report to her superiors. It sounds gimmicky and in other hands it could have been but instead this is a story that balances the loneliness and the beauty of growing up and experiencing the world. Loved it.