You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir

In this brand-new, beautifully written memoir, poet Maggie Smith reflects on her work and parenthood and especially on the end of her marriage, which she reveals was never the same after her 2016 poem Good Bones became a viral sensation. Her short vignettes are reminiscent of diary entries, as she explores not only what happened but how it felt to experience, whether she's writing of discovering her then-husband's affair, leaning on her parents for support, or learning her poem is going to be featured on Madam Secretary. I found this book to be incredibly sad, and was grateful for the gentle note of optimism she ended on.