After forwarding an inappropriate email to the whole company, Katherine gets fired, moves back to her hometown in disgrace, and starts her life over. This short and easy read has a familiar arc: girl in a mess, girl sees the light, girl finds happiness, yet its themes of sisterhood, forgiveness, and redemption make it worth your while. More info →

James Mustich says this noir mystery satire may be "the most rambunctious novel you'll ever read. ... Reed constructs a narrative—enlivened by photographs, drawings, charts, radio dispatches, and typographic variety." Harold Bloom selected this ragtime novel as one of the greatest books of the Western canon. From the publisher: "In 1920s America, a plague is spreading fast. From New Orleans to Chicago to New York, the 'Jes Grew' epidemic makes people desperate to dance, overturning social norms in the process. Spanning a dizzying host of genres, from cinema to academia to mythology, Mumbo Jumbo is a lively ride through a key decade of American history. In addition to ragtime, blues, and jazz, Reed's allegory draws on the Harlem Renaissance, the Back to Africa movement, and America's occupation of Haiti. His style throughout is as avant-garde and vibrant as the music at its center." More info →

This page-turning family saga has everything you could want in a beach read: surfers, rockstars, 80s pop culture, and a mansion going up in flames. It’s 1983, and the four adult children of rockstar Mick Riva are preparing to host Malibu's party of the year, unaware of how this one night will irrevocably change their lives. Reid employs an interesting structure to unpack what happens, hour by hour, the day of the party, intercutting the present-day narrative with scenes from the family’s past that go back generations. With well-drawn characters and a strong sense of time and place (I hung on every reference to Tab, big hair, and belted t-shirts), it's perfect for fans of messy family stories and compulsively readable literary fiction. I couldn't put it down. (Whispersync narration available. Taylor Jenkins Reid's words + Julia Whelan’s voice + 1980s Malibu setting? YES PLEASE.) More info →

From the publisher: "Julie Andrews reflects on her astonishing career, including such classics as Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Victor/Victoria. Andrews describes her years in the film industry -- from the incredible highs to the challenging lows. Not only does she discuss her work in now-classic films and her collaborations with giants of cinema and television, she also unveils her personal story of adjusting to a new and often daunting world, dealing with the demands of unimaginable success, being a new mother, the end of her first marriage, embracing two stepchildren, adopting two more children, and falling in love with the brilliant and mercurial Blake Edwards. The pair worked together in numerous films, including Victor/Victoria, the gender-bending comedy that garnered multiple Oscar nominations. Cowritten with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, and told with Andrews's trademark charm and candor, Home Work takes us on a rare and intimate journey into an extraordinary life that is funny, heartrending, and inspiring." More info →

Wanda takes her name from the powerful hurricane that swept across southeastern Florida on the day she was born: to Floridians, her name has always been synonymous with death and destruction, and it's true that the storm visited both upon her family. As Wanda grows, Florida's landscape grows ever more precarious, and Wanda learns what it means to survive as one epoch of human history comes to an end and another begins, always with the help of her older survivalist neighbor Phyllis. I found myself rooting for Wanda as she sought love and safety, found improbable ways forward, and struggled to come to terms with her world as it is now. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Rosemary Benson. Whispersync narration available. More info →

Not all heroes wear capes. Some of them create crossword puzzles for The Times newspaper. Between the crosswords and the freedom living alone brings, 77-year-old Judith Potts loves her life. When she witnesses a murder while swimming in the Thames, the local police don’t believe her so she decides to do her own investigation instead, along with some help from her friends Suzie and Becks. They form the Marlow Murder Club, just in the nick of time as another body shows up. They’ll need to solve this puzzle before it’s too late. A fun start to the series. More info →

This historical fiction was my gateway to the beloved Irish author’s work. Childhood friends Benny and Eve grow up in tiny Knockglen, determined to head to Dublin one day. Upon arrival at University College, Dublin, they become inseparable with fellow students Nan and Jack. The freedom college offers has both benefits and costs, leaving none of them the same. Content warnings apply. More info →

From the publisher: "Would a proper adult ignore the spilt milk under the fridge for weeks? Would a proper adult take three years to post a solitary Christmas card? Would a proper adult have decades-old underwear in active service? Mike Gayle is nowhere near being a proper adult - even though his tenth wedding anniversary is looming; his second child is due any moment; and in less than twenty-four hours he is going to be officially closer to forty than he is to thirty. Appalled by this lack of maturity, Mike draws up a To-Do list containing every single item he's been meaning to do but just keeps putting off... He's got a lot of stuff that needs doing. But unlike previous To-Do lists, he promises himself that this one will actually get DONE. And along the way, Mike will learn stuff about life (323), love (999), friends (1004) and family (9) and finally work out what it means to be a grown up (846)." More info →

From the publisher: "Bingtown is a hub of exotic trade and home to a merchant nobility famed for its liveships—rare vessels carved from wizardwood, which ripens magically into sentient awareness. Now the fortunes of one of Bingtown’s oldest families rest on the newly awakened liveship Vivacia. For Althea Vestrit, the ship is her rightful legacy. For Althea's young nephew, wrenched from his religious studies and forced to serve aboard the Vivacia, the ship is a life sentence. But the fate of the ship—and the Vestrits—may ultimately lie in the hands of an outsider: the ruthless buccaneer captain Kennit, who plans to seize power over the Pirate Isles by capturing a liveship and bending it to his will." More info →

When an overprotected ten-year-old stumbles upon a boy her age drinking furtively from a spring near her home, she discovers what he's trying to keep secret: since his family began drinking the water, they haven't aged a day. There are so many middle grade stories that wrestle with death these days; in this novel, Babbit wrestles with the decidedly mixed blessing of living forever. Rereading this one as an adult is especially illuminating, and the prose is really lovely (which is not a code word for boring). More info →

I read this back in April out of pure voyeuristic curiosity and it was a really good book. This is a big personal story, but more literary in nature. From the publisher: "In Awake, Jen shares for the first time what happened when she found herself completely lost at sea-and how she made it to shore. In candid, sur­prisingly funny vignettes spanning forty years of girlhood, marriage, and parenting, Jen lays bare the disorienting upheaval of midlife-the implosion of a marriage, the unraveling of religious and cultural systems, and the grief that accompanies change you didn't ask for. And, drawing on all resources-from without and within-Jen dares to question the systems beneath the whole house of cards, and to reckon with the myths, half-truths, and lies that brought her to this point. More than one woman's story, Awake is a critical analysis of the story given to all of us: the story of gender limitations, religious subservience, body shame, self-erasure. With refreshing candor, Jen explores a midlife renaissance-grieving what's lost, cherishing possibility, and entering the second half of life wide awake." More info →

This is on my TBR stack, because a wide variety of readers keep telling me it's a perfect read if you like the idea of escaping into another world, including Chelsey and Curtis from episode 164 of WSIRN. Curtis called it well-written with characters he loved. Kirkus says this futuristic novel is reminiscent of The Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. More info →

From the publisher: "Bestselling advice columnist Vandy Guru built her career teaching others how to live honestly and courageously, but after the loss of her husband, Vandy’s public veneer can barely conceal her grief. When her beloved daughter Mallika suddenly disappears and her estranged childhood best friend Rani returns, stirring up long-buried secrets, Vandy’s carefully crafted life feels at risk. Aspiring choreographer Mallika Guru is tired of failure. When another audition ends in rejection, she signs up for a genetic study to find out why she’s so different from her accomplished family. But the results reveal her whole life to be a lie, and Rani seems to be the only one who knows the truth. Rani Parekh sacrificed everything for Vandy once. But to hold on to the life she’s rebuilt, she must confront her troubled history and face Vandy and Mallika. Join these three extraordinary women as they journey from LA to Mumbai on an incredible path of discovery, hope, and love." More info →

This inspirational memoir's epigraph bears quotes from Maya Angelou and Christina from Grey's Anatomy, which gives you a good idea of what you'll find inside. Rhimes is the queen of Thursday night tv, creating and producing smash hits like Grey's and Scandal. This time she's telling her own story of how her sister issued her a six-word wake-up call—You never say yes to anything—and the year of YES that followed. I saw parts of myself all over this and absolutely loved the last chapter when the author discovers what her big year was really about. Heads up for audio lovers: Rhimes reads her own work for the audio version. Whispersync narration available. More info →

From the publisher: "With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she’s lying dead in a pool of blood. Columbia’s death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on—at first. But then details emerge, pointing to the author’s illicit past. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won’t stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out?" More info →

This three book collection includes the titles The Color Purple, The Temple of My Familiar, and Possessing the Secret of Joy. More info →

This is on my TBR list because it's been highly recommended from Sarah Mackenzie: "I don't usually tell people that there is a book they absolutely-must-no-questions-HAVE-TO-without-a-doubt read.... If I could choose only one book for my kids to read this year, this would be it." The world of The Green Ember contains all of the classic fantasy elements: heirs battling for the throne, pernicious enemies, and a resistance effort to restore peace to the tumultuous kingdom. Add the Audible narration for an adventure-filled audiobook for your next family road trip. The whole series is at a great price. More info →

From the publisher: "From the bestselling author of The Rules of Magic, a miraculous, enthralling tale of a woman who is struck by lightning, and finds her frozen heart is suddenly burning. A woman who was touched by tragedy as a child now lives a quiet life, keeping other people at a cool distance. Then one day she utters an idle wish and, while standing in her house, is struck by lightning. But instead of ending her life, this cataclysmic event sparks a strange and powerful new beginning. She goes in search of Lazarus Jones, a fellow survivor who was struck dead, then simply got up and walked away. When she finds him, he is her perfect opposite, a burning man whose breath can boil water and whose touch scorches. A magical story of passion, loss, and renewal, The Ice Queen is Alice Hoffman at her electrifying best." More info →

Reviewers compare Mr. Lemoncello to Willy Wonka. From the publisher: "When Kyle learns that the world's most famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, has designed the town's new library and is having an invitation-only lock-in on opening night, he's determined to be there! But the tricky part isn't getting into the library—it's getting out. Because when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route!" More info →

From the publisher: "Welcome to Thrush Green, the neighboring village to Fairacre, with its blackthorn bushes, thatch-roofed cottages, enchanting landscape, and jumble sales. Readers will enjoy meeting a new cast of characters and also spotting familiar faces as they become immersed in the village’s turn of events over the course of one pivotal day: May Day. All year, the residents of Thrush Green have looked forward to the celebration. Before the day is over, life and love, and perhaps eternity, will touch the immemorial peace of the village." More info →