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This slim, debut novel about a small-town community in northern Maine introduces various faulted, interconnected It's 1990 in small-town Dalton, Maine, and an interconnected group of neighbors, friends, spouses, and Bowring dives into the small town's complex, faulted characters as they make their way in northern Maine Check out   this link  for more Bossy reviews of book set in Maine. Shannon Bowring is also the author of Where the Forest Meets the River (Dalton, Maine #2).

This summer they head to Maine to camp, fish, and hike. Maine, like other states across the country, has been swept by a secession movement, but Jess and Storey I felt like the fascinating build-up in so many areas of the story warranted much more at the novel's

opens in a prison, with female inmates participating in their weekly book club in rural Abbott Falls, Maine Main protagonist Violet Powell is being released after 22 months' imprisonment for the drunk-driving The summary of Violet's future at the end felt unnecessary to me, but readers may like the neat closing I love reading a book that takes place in Maine, but I didn't get a significant Maine feel to the characters Check out these links for more Bossy reviews of books about books or books set in Maine .

A former CIA operative retires to small-town Maine--along with other former agents--to live out a quiet Maggie Bird is a retired CIA operative who has made a simple home for herself in rural Maine. Unbeknownst to the other citizens in Purity, Maine, the town has drawn multiple former intelligence agents The dogged local acting sheriff, Jo Thibodeau (a great and legit Maine last name), is complicating things I was intrigued by the early pages, centered around the quiet Maine life of a group of retired CIA agents

Six longtime friends gather for one last Maine vacation--but each of them has been keeping secrets that For years they've taken annual trips to their friend Sabrina's cottage in Maine with the rest of their As a former Mainer, I loved that the book was set in Maine, but I didn't get a strong sense of the place

I loved the 1700s wintry Maine setting and the convictions of the historical fiction novel's strong midwife Maine setting? Check. Female character in the medical profession? Check. It's 1789, and in a rural Maine community, a local man turns up dead--frozen face up in the Kennebec There are no Maine accents in evidence in the audiobook, nor terminology that felt Maine-specific. The bulk of the Maine setting is established by the cold and by the mentions of the Kennebec River flowing

Sea, familiar Strout characters Lucy Barton and her ex-husband William flee New York City for rural Maine Barton and her ex-husband William, characters from earlier Strout novels, leave New York City for rural Maine But I love Strout's books, so I was delighted to dive back into the many reflections, vulnerabilities

wild teenage sons and to cope in the wake of her husband's serious accident, all on a tiny island in Maine Susan Conley's novel Landslide offers a portrait of a family in a remote fishing village in Maine after She does all of this in the frequently unforgiving Maine climate on the isolating island where the family

In 1963 the Woods were a typical Catholic immigrant family in Mexico, Maine. Wood gorgeously evokes the many characters and unfathomable events that changed her family's existence

Over, by the author of Flying Solo, is sweet, with funny dialogue, surprises, best-friendship, and a Maine Evvie Drake has become something of a recluse in her quiet seaside Maine town ever since her husband's They may be able to help the other find some version of peace, just by being there. Oh, this book!

historical fiction novel This Other Eden on a real-life, racially integrated island off the coast of Maine Back in 1792, a formerly enslaved man Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife found a safe haven on an island off the coast of Maine. The story is inspired by the real-life, formerly integrated Malaga Island off the coast of Maine (in may take art classes, with his teacher's unspoken hope that he will pass for white, but his past--about

Because I was back in my old stomping grounds of Maine last week, seeing family and old friends in my former hometown, it seemed like the perfect time to read Flying Solo, Linda Holmes's Maine-set title In Flying Solo, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown, stinging from her recently canceled wedding each other, knowing themselves, wanting each other, yet recognizing that their differing life plans may

Through Olive and other connected characters in Crosby, Maine, we see secrets, pain, and disappointments Yet she is strong enough to cut to the heart of tough situations and to sit within the pain of them--

Nita Prose offers a surprising amount of heart and a unique main protagonist in this lighthearted murder The Maid, main protagonist Molly finds a hotel guest dead in his room, and her access to the room, her eccentric manner, and other's manipulations of her innocent vulnerability may mean that she's the prime Prose has built an interesting premise with Molly as an unreliable main protagonist. Nita Prose is a longtime book editor, and The Maid is her first book.

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading a Maine-set small-town story, Shannon Bowring's debut novel The 01 The Road to Dalton (Dalton, Maine #1) by Shannon Bowring It's 1990 in small-town Dalton, Maine, and Bowring dives into the small town's complex, faulted characters as they make their way in northern Maine Check out this link for more Bossy reviews of book set in Maine. 02 There Are Rivers in the Sky by You probably haven’t met one before, coming as you do from this backward place, but it’s like a man only

The post-Depression-era city of New York is such a powerful presence in this story, it feels like a main I loved the old-New York setting, which was so vivid, the city felt like a main character. ., were interesting but also extremely jarring; they didn't make sense to me when coming from the main And sometimes the "main protagonist is inexplicably well read and savvy" types of moments made me pause

I'm listening to the first in Hafsah Faizal's Blood and Tea series, A Tempest of Tea , in which our main threatened by dark forces; I'm reading Peter Heller's upcoming wilderness adventure, Burn , which is set in Maine attempt at secession; and I'm reading Tell Me Everything , Elizabeth Strout's upcoming novel (also set in Maine This summer they head to Maine to camp, fish, and hike. Maine, like other states across the country, has been swept by a secession movement, but Jess and Storey

Gwynne's epic, Norse-inspired saga tracks three fascinating main protagonists through battles, shifting filled with danger; and Varg, a servant who joins the mercenaries called the Bloodsworn so that he may battles, brutal revenge, extended searches for loved ones, and the carving out of new futures by our main

The unnamed main protagonist in All Fours frequently made me feel uncomfortable because of her unorthodox up stories about her New York experience, and developing an all-consuming obsession with a younger man (Beyond the main protagonist's overreaching intention to burn it all down in her life, there are extended The title references a scene in which the main character's sculptor friend is working on a headless piece July A performance artist, actress, and director, July is also the author of the books The First Bad Man

mystery on a magical ship full of uncertain alliances, deadly vendettas, and a sassy and flamboyant main His lost love is on the ship (with his fianc é ), along with many Blessed who detest him--whether because of his lower-status province or his sassy, irreverent, devil-may-care manner. scramble to make sense of it, other deaths follow--Ganymedes (rudely nicknamed "Fish" because of the main

Wang doesn't shy away from a dramatic reckoning for the story's main characters in the end. , and what he lacks in training he makes up for with the desire to learn more about the forces that may uncover an enormous magical secret, it could not only mean the undoing of the magical hierarchies that many book doesn't shy away from violence, end-of-days drama, and a nuclear option that means the end for a main

Throughout her Veronica Speedwell series, Raybourn proves herself an expert in providing a captivating main character with depth and flaws; a tantalizing attraction/sexual tension between her two main characters Hold on to your hats: the Veronica-Stoker relationship gains clarity at long last!

I'm Reading Now I'm listening to a story about redemption, forgiveness, and books, which is set in Maine opens in a prison, with female inmates participating in their weekly book club in rural Abbott Falls, Maine Main protagonist Violet Powell is being released after 22 months' imprisonment for the drunk-driving Amanda's history may not only shake up her future, but affect the MacInteers as well.

to close out the summer, with a high-stakes fake marriage, comeuppances for the greedy bad guys, our main This is an adorable fake-dating-in-paradise setup with funny dialogue, a wonderfully imperfect main protagonist

I'm reading the first in Tess Gerritsen's Martini Club series about a retired CIA operative in rural Maine #1) by Tess Gerritsen Maggie Bird, a retired CIA operative who has made a home for herself in rural Maine But Purity, Maine, has drawn multiple former intelligence agents (the "martini club" in the series title

relationship stresses, and issues surrounding race in a stream-of-consciousness account from a nameless main (Note that the main protagonist's miscarriages are described here in unflinching detail.) I loved the way the main-protagonist photographer viewed others around her and pieced together what felt

The gods' war provides the structure for the book's main conflict, but the story feels primarily focused When one main character becomes a war correspondent and the other comes to the front, they create a deep

friendship between two young outcasts in small-town Monta Clare, Missouri: Patch, a pirate-playing young man disparate-seeming story that soon emerges, beginning with the premise of a serial killer whose actions haunt our main There are deep betrayals, long-term mysteries, and, finally, many revealed truths (some of which you may anticipate, including the biggies). might be real, and this didn't sit comfortably with me after the early devotion illustrated between our main

This is another whodunit winner from Wendy Walker: a character-driven mystery with a neurodivergent main I loved Charlie as our main protagonist. I appreciated the choice to have main protagonist Charlie be neurodivergent--and to name the book about

I was taken with the main characters of the past storyline here: a young boy at a children's home and love an Alaska storyline) and the polar bear-focused parts of the story, it felt far afield from the main

I loved the headstrong, powerful but untrained main character Nahri, the complex cultural backgrounds uncertain as well; and the pacing left me feeling somewhat unsettled, moving from event to event without gaining

overused from use in other stories (a tough, closed-off investigator, broken by her past; a strong, kind man unrequited love for her; the general outline of the disturbing situation at the heart of the book’s main

Doesn't Find You; and I'm listening to a historical fiction mystery based on a real-life 18th-century Maine Maine setting? Check. Female character in the medical profession? Check. The Frozen River ticks so many Bossy boxes, I knew this one had to zip to the top of my to-read list. It's 1789, and in a rural Maine community, a local man turns up dead--frozen into the river. Many aren't sad to find that he is no longer a belligerent threat in town.

other Hawkins novels I've read, the story's relationships, hidden truths, and setting feel like the main The Heiress has a satisfying ending that also retains some of the story's intrigue among the main characters

Cain is savvy, street-smart, and living in the capital. chosen one" quest in which characters discover and use their power, and in different ways, Arienne, Cain Each of the three main protagonists begin to understand their own power--and when their paths intersect

SecUnit is a fantastic main character; it's grumpily and charmingly obsessed with keeping its people Lora Beth Johnson hooked me immediately with the premise of Goddess in the Machine and with main protagonist she's ready to be reunited with the team, which includes her mother and the rest of her family, plus many But Divya is too busy crafting strong female main protagonists (complete with working mother guilt, which A mysterious prisoner from the front arrives who could be friend or foe, and our main protagonist Talin

fiction rom-com is a funny, poignant, and sometimes frustrating deep dive into the emotionally stunted main Baby steps are hard-won progress for the often-clueless main protagonist.

Dragon Heart Legacy series; and I'm reading Flying Solo, Linda Holmes's light fiction caper set in Maine without being spotted by the Russians who have hacked the city's cameras and who are out to kill the man tension with Keegan. 03 Flying Solo by Linda Holmes Because I'm back in my old stomping grounds of Maine , it seems like the perfect time to read Flying Solo, a Maine-set title that's been on my to-read list In Flying Solo, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown, stinging from her recently canceled wedding

opera August Kitko and the Mechas from Space, about deadly AI robots coming to destroy space--until our main pianist, is tasked with saving humanity; and I'm listening to This Other Eden, historical fiction set in Maine group of underdogs saving the day. 03 This Other Eden by Paul Harding Back in 1792, a formerly enslaved man Benjamin Honey and his Irish wife found a safe haven on an island off the coast of Maine. scratch and claw to subsist--yet they remain on their island, safe from the judgment and danger of the mainland

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading Rebecca Serle's upcoming novel in which the main protagonist receives of love-life predictions, Expiration Dates; I'm reading Amy Tintera's upcoming novel, in which the main protagonist may or may not have murdered her best friend and is tracked down by a podcast investigating Daphne Bell meets a potential love interest, she receives a mysterious slip of paper that details how many

Six Great Bossy Literary Fiction Reads I read so many read literary fiction books last year, I'll need This book was one of My Very Favorite Bossy 2024 Reads . 02 Wellness by Nathan Hill Flawed main characters But when the boss's daughter begins tinkering with precious resources, our main protagonist is swept fiction rom-com is a funny, poignant, and sometimes frustrating deep dive into the emotionally stunted main Baby steps are hard-won progress for the often-clueless main protagonist.

Elizabeth Strout examines the range of characters from her many books and their intersecting stories, In small town Crosby, Maine, acclaimed writer Lucy Barton and attorney Bob Burgess walk and talk about Bob is defending a man accused of a terrible crime: killing his mother, a mean, reviled lunch lady long But the young man, a self-taught artist, is counting on Bob and an unorthodox approach to figuring out

Flawed main characters Jack and Elizabeth try to find their way back to an emotional connection in this

Raybourn is masterful at providing a captivating main character with depth and flaws; a tantalizing attraction /sexual tension between her two main characters, and dialogue that makes me laugh out loud--all set against

Listen for the Lie offers a fascinating story structure, dark humor, and deeply flawed characters as main liberate France during the war, surprising facts begin to surface about the sisters' past--and they may fiction rom-com is a funny, poignant, and sometimes frustrating deep dive into the emotionally stunted main Baby steps are hard-won progress for the often-clueless main protagonist. Main protagonist Frankie signs up to leave her idyllic, privileged Southern California life--and the

Morris offers some revenge-fantasy satisfaction, but there are some grave casualties in the world of our main Like her main protagonist, Wanda M. Morris is an attorney.

Grant's thriller is set in the wilds of Idaho, with a wilderness expert of a main character who has fought to trust others and be vulnerable--and who may find herself deeply betrayed again. estranged old friend Janessa goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Emlyn must team up with the man

Marske doesn't skimp on presenting multiple magical elements, which I loved--and she includes many detailed , saucy, passionate encounters between our main characters. (This reminded me of the measures taken by the main protagonist in another book I recently read, A Study

ICYMI: This series by Naomi Novik introduces vain, strong-willed, talking dragons, their complex, wonderfully Temeraire is young, greedy, vain, and outrageously loyal to Will, and Will is attempting to civilize Naomi Novik is also the author of richly wrought fantasy novels featuring main protagonists I love: Uprooted

There's a health crisis and solution that involves the two main characters in key ways and which complicates Then Florence's beloved father dies, and she returns to her hometown for the first time in many years please see The Dead Romantics. 06 Happy Place by Emily Henry Six longtime friends gather for one last Maine I was impatient with the prolonged lack of communication but loved the main characters' interactions For years they've taken annual trips to their friend Sabrina's cottage in Maine with the rest of their