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You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World by Ada Limon My rating: 5 of 5 stars The current U.S. Poet Laureate gathered many of the best poets in the U.S. to contribute original poems to this collection. An amazing anthology, a wonderful place to find poets you already love or will soon discover. Highly recommended. View all my reviews

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Cacophony of Bone by Kerri ní Dochartaigh My rating: 4 of 5 stars In late 2019, the author and her lover move to a small remote cottage in Ireland. A few months, the COVID lockdown makes the move more remote and isolating. This is a memoir of the author's 2020 spent in that cottage. I loved this book - beautifully written, it takes shape as journal entries followed by longer essays examining her experience and the world. A deep meditation on nature, life, being a woman, and the pleasures of words and reading. View all my reviews

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The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin My rating: 3 of 5 stars Unpopular opinion: while this has some fascinating ideas and delves into important topics, I did not feel engaged with the characters or their struggles. View all my reviews h1>

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Mother Tongue: The Surprising History of Women's Words by Jenni Nuttall My rating: 4 of 5 stars A fascinating read about the misogynistic and paternalistic roots of a lot of the English language, particularly around anatomy, work, motherhood, and sex. A feminist triumph on the history of our language and English-speaking culture. View all my reviews

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Stop Reading the News: A Manifesto for a Happier, Calmer and Wiser Life by Rolf Dobelli My rating: 4 of 5 stars A short book about how the news is not necessarily the news or that important to your life yet will contribute to your stress, worry, anxiety, and muddled thinking. View all my reviews

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Slugs by Shaun Hutson My rating: 4 of 5 stars If you pick up a book about overgrown carnivorous slugs, you expect a bit of campy fun and lots of gory horrible deaths for the characters. This book is exactly what you expect. It's well-paced, engaging, and goes beyond expectations. View all my reviews

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Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt My rating: 5 of 5 stars An intense horror novel of young people struggling in England following their harrowing experience in a haunted house. Every trigger warning applies for the less faint of heart and stomach. This is a brilliant but challenging read. Highly recommended for those interested. View all my reviews

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo My rating: 4 of 5 stars Xiomara Batista is growing up in Harlem in a largely Dominican neighborhood. As she develops curves, she is also finding her own voice, which is at odds with her mother's strict religious mandates. Told in verse, this is a powerful story of a young woman's growing up and finding herself. View all my reviews

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Lowdown Road by Scott Von Doviak My rating: 4 of 5 stars This novel is a blast. It’s the summer of 1974. Richard Nixon has resigned from office. Meanwhile, in Texas two cousins plan to steal $1 million worth of weed and take it to Idaho, where Evel Kneivel is going to jump Snake River Canyon on a rocket-powered motorcycle. Full of memorable, dangerous characters, an outrageous scheme set in an outrageous time (full of great references) and great pacing and twists. Highly recommended.

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Red Rabbit by Alex Grecian My rating: 3 of 5 stars Sadie Grace is a witch who, depending on your point of view, is a blessing or curse to the small Kansas town she has settled in. Those who believe she is a curse put up a bounty for her which draws many, including witch hunter Old Tom, his mute ward, Rabbit, two cowboys looking for adventure and a widowed school teacher with nothing left to lose. The novel follows their adventures on the way to the witch. I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book as a fun, sometimes gory and gruesome adventure, but the final third felt really long and drawn out to me. [I received an advanced galley from the publisher.] View all my reviews

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My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite My rating: 4 of 5 stars Korede is a nurse and her beautiful sister Ayoola live in Lagos, Nigeria. Ayoola has called on her sister many times to assist in the disposal of the bodies of the men she has killed. When Ayoola starts dating a handsome doctor Korede cares for, Korede struggles even more with her conscience. While the title and the set up may seem campy, this story is compelling and filled with strong characters and dark humor. View all my reviews

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How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by K.C. Davis My rating: 4 of 5 stars A lot of people need to read this book, to resist the shame and guilt that comes from not having a perfect, but rather functional, home. The author is neurodivergent and a mother of small children who works toward balance rather than perfection, toward recognizing that chores are just that, without any true moral underpinnings. Highly recommended who anyone who struggles with their household obligations. View all my reviews

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A Man with a Rake by Ted Kooser My rating: 5 of 5 stars A new Ted Kooser book is always cause for celebration. This chapbook of eighteen prose poems finds Kooser in top form with his keen eye for the detail of rural midwestern life captured on the page. Highly recommended. [I received an advanced review copy through Edelweiss.] View all my reviews

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Wild and Precious: A Celebration of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver My rating: 5 of 5 stars A beautiful audiobook exclusive of interviews with people who knew, studied with, or simply loved Mary Oliver. The highlight is the poems themselves, many read through recordings of the poet herself. This book continues the legacy of this amazing poet. Highly recommended. View all my reviews

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The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw My rating: 3 of 5 stars Julie is a drugged-up mess who fights horrible monsters in NYC to get by. When her friend and crush Sarah arrives unannounced, Julie dreams of a better life and she attempts to summon something to help her. But that something could of course destroy the entire world. This novel, the first of a planned duology, mixes eldritch horror, the grittiness of NYC, and a LOT of gore. It's entertaining enough, but it felt a bit rushed and disorganized for me. Perhaps the sequel will fix these issues. [I received an advanced e-galley through Netgalley.] View all my reviews

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Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day by Jay Shetty My rating: 4 of 5 stars Although he had considered a career in finance, Shetty was a monk for three years after college before deciding to leave the ashram to share the lessons of monk life with the larger world. This book includes details of his journey, but it is full of practical advice that people can put into their lives with a bit of thought and consideration. The author reads the audiobook. Recommended. View all my reviews

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All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive by Rainesford Stauffer My rating: 4 of 5 stars How many of us are working ourselves to death, taking on too much, for the sake of feeling worthy? What brought us here - family, school, patriarchy, capitalism? These are the questions Stauffer (a self-confessed gold star seeker) asks in this provocative book. She also searches for solutions and ways to overcome and reframe our ambition. Highly recommended. View all my reviews