Bossy Favorites of the Month I've had a strong Bossy reading month. These were my six favorite reads of January--an intriguing memoir, a five-star literary fiction wonder, a contemporary novel about a novelist, a meditative story, a cozy fantasy, and a fascinating read (for my book club) about interconnected characters. I hope your January has allowed for some cozy reading time. Have you read any of these titles? What were some of your favorite reads this month? 01 Strangers:

This debut cozy novel showcases many of my favorite elements--magic, banter, a grumpy-sunshine hard-won romance, and a quest--within a charming, surprising story that I loved. The powerful dark lord Shadowfade is dead, and Violet Thistlewaite is determined to shed her identity as the Thornwitch, Shadowfade's right-hand woman, and start anew. She decides to settle in the nearby town of Dragon's Rest and open a flower shop, attempting to use her magical powers for good and to c

Newman's second charming novel centering around Rocky and her family demonstrates the characters' quirkiness, concerns, love for each other, and plenty of heart in a heartwarming, often funny, and poignant novel. Catherine Newman's novel Sandwich  focused on a family and its menopausal matriarch Rocky as its members navigated close quarters, health issues, life changes, complicated dynamics, and messy love, all while on vacation. Wreck  picks up with the same family two years

Charlotte Wood's literary fiction is quiet and meditative but packs a punch. Stone Yard Devotional concerns a woman who leaves her Sydney life behind to live among nuns as an unbeliever committed to the community. The past crops up in significant ways, and external judgment seems to be cast upon them all. The main protagonist (who is not named) in Charlotte Wood's literary fiction Stone Yard Devotional  is a middle-aged woman who leaves Sydney for some respite in her rural Au

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading George Saunders's upcoming novel Vigil , I'm listening to Madeline Martin's Victorian-London-set historical fiction novel The Secret Book Society , and I'm listening to the first in John McMahon's FBI-focused mystery series, Head Cases . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Vigil by George Saunders I'm so excited to read this book--one of my most-anticipated reads of 2026. In Lincoln in the Bardo , Saunders explored characters existing in

Six Favorite Contemporary Fiction Reads I love looking over my favorite reads from the past year and considering my favorite 2025 reads in each genre. This is the first of three contemporary fiction lists I'll have for you as I mine my recent-past reading for the best of the best. You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads from last year, you can read about past Bossy contemporary fiction favorites here

Powers's novel is an exploration of the wonders of the ocean and also of the capacity of the human mind and imagination. The marching toward destruction of both of these makes for a nerve-racking, heartbreaking story. Playground 's final section held surprises I did not anticipate, and their exposure colors the entirety of the story that precedes them. We make things that we hope will be bigger than us, and then we’re desolate when that’s what they become. Four people are con

Anatomy of an Alibi pits privileged greed against savvy morally gray characters, and the women caught in the middle are left sorting out the truth. The bad guys are truly bad, and outsiders pay the price when those in power preserve outward appearances at any cost. I loved Ashley Elston's mystery First Lie Wins  (it was on my December favorites list ; it was one of my Bossy Fiction Ideas for Your Holiday Gift List ; and it was on my recent list of Four-Star Mysteries I Loved

This is gorgeous Niall Williams literary fiction, centering around an Irish country village, a young man searching for his path, and his unofficial mentor, zigzagging his way through life, embracing adventure, and bridging the gap between the old ways and modernity. Quiet connections and reflections make the story, with understated poignancy, humor, and heartbreaking moments that bring the book's world to life. We’re all, all the time, striving, and though that means there’s

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Paula McLain's newest historical fiction told in two timelines, Skylark ; I'm listening to the charming Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz; and I'm reading the wonderful Catherine Newman's novel Wreck . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Skylark by Paula McLain Paula McLain's Skylark is a historical fiction story set in Paris and told through dual timelines. In 1664, Alouette is the daughter of a master d

Six More Favorite Bossy Mystery Reads I love looking over my favorite reads from the past twelve months in every genre. Something about the post-holiday cold gray of January lends itself to stories that chug along and keep me guessing. I've been in a mystery-reading mood lately, and I thought you might be too, so I'm sharing more mystery reads I've enjoyed for you to check out. You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overal

The corruption and dark underbellies throughout, the lurking folklore figure that seems to signal death and destruction, and the despairing community history of missing women set a brooding, ominous tone, yet Salt Bones often felt like a young-adult mystery. The reveal is immensely disturbing and makes various characters' sinister suspicions feel more than warranted. Jennifer Givhan's mystery-thriller-horror novel Salt Bones  made it onto multiple best-of lists for 2025, and

The past and present storms added thrills and chills to the dual-timeline coastal Alabama story. Predicting a few elements of the mystery didn't diminish my enjoyment of the fast-paced tale in which a young woman digs to understand a suspicious death and ends up coming to terms with her legacy and her future. St. Medard's Bay, Alabama, seems to attract the strongest of hurricanes, and the only building that's withstood every storm for a century is the charming Rosalie Inn. Bu

I was surprised by how interested I was in the implosion of Burden's privileged life. She captures the universality of heartbreak; the chilling notion that a partner in a decades-long marriage could wake up and leave without warning or remorse; and her emergence from the trauma as a stronger version of herself. It was a great love story, one for the ages. The speed of our beginning and the speed of our ending felt like matching bookends. They both came out of nowhere. He want

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Belle Burden's upcoming memoir about the abrupt end of her marriage, Strangers ; I'm listening to Listen for the Lie author Ashley Elston's upcoming mystery Anatomy of an Alibi ; and I'm listening to Jennifer Givhan's mystery-thriller-horror story featuring Indigenous and Latina folklore, Salt Bones . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden It was a great love story, one for the ages. The spee

Six Four-Star Bossy Mystery Reads We've reached the point in the year--the very beginning--when I obsess over my favorite reads from the past twelve months in every genre and share them with you each Friday. Because I've been in a mystery-reading mood lately, I thought you might be too, so we're starting with six four-star mystery reads for you to check out. You can explore the twelve titles on My Very Favorite Bossy 2025 Reads to find out about my overall favorite reads fro

Cate Kay is a bestselling author--and a pseudonym used by a woman who's been running from her past for decades. Cate is at times a young dreamer, a haunted lover with a hardened heart, a wildly successful author dipping her toe in the world of Hollywood, and an imperfectly healed friend ready to face the future. My friend Jenny mentioned this book to me, and I'd never heard of it but loved the premise. I was hooked the whole way through as I read. The reclusive author Cate Ka

Set in 2022 Ukraine as war begins to break out, this oddball, zigzagging story explores broad themes of interconnectedness as well as revenge fantasies made real and renegade ecology preservation. With dark humor and sobering truths, Reva presents it all through the lens of the scruffy Ukrainian marriage industry. It's 2022, and roving, passionate scientist Yeva is only dating in the Ukrainian marriage industry to earn money to rescue and preserve her precious snails. After a

The first in Holland's ocean-focused young adult fantasy series leaves much of the story for later books, and I was left wanting more. I was intrigued by the curse, the ocean quest, and the explorations of moral quandaries around the use of the ocean's resources, but I was less interested in the extensive swooning over a likely enemy. The people of Kirkrell have always hunted magical whales--it's the only way to protect themselves from the finfolk, water fae who threaten thei

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Rachel Hawkins's upcoming suspense novel, The Storm ; I'm listening to Kate Fagan's intriguing novel The Three Lives of Cate Kay ; and I'm reading Charlotte Wood's meditative novel set in Australia, Stone Yard Devotional . What are you reading, bookworms? 01 The Storm by Rachel Hawkins St. Medard's Bay, Alabama, seems to attract the strongest of hurricanes, and the only building that's withstood every storm for a century is the charming