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01 Ink & Sigil: Ink & Sigil Series In this first book of Kevin Hearne's new Ink & Sigil series, patterns and inks have power; hobgoblins are insufferably mischievous but in rare cases redeemable; all manner of creatures coexist in and visit our world, although humans are generally unaware of this; and someone with power and greed is compromising the sacred old ways. Hearne offers a playful, action-packed, magical, layered modern-day London. Al MacBharrais is a widower who uses unconventional methods to right wrongs, to ferret out those betraying his craft's secrets for nefarious purposes, and to protect those he is loyal to. The book takes a turn into real-life, weighty issues such as human trafficking while the characters' banter and affection for each other keeps you rolling right along. Published August 25, 2020. #mystery, #fantasyscifi, #series, #fourstarbookreview 02 My Lady Jane: The Lady Janies Series ​ I'd had My Lady Jane on my to-read list for a couple of years, and the only good news resulting from this inexplicable delay is that now all three of the books in the Lady Janies trilogy (each is a stand-alone creative retelling of the story of a famous Jane) are published, so there will be no impatient waiting for the others in the series. Are you interested in a historical fiction retelling of the story of King Edward, Lady Jane Grey, and Mary Queen of Scots--with an oddball fantasy element in which the life-and-death conflict is not religion, but the rights and very existence of Eðians (those who shape shift into animal form, including the king)? Yes. Yes, I think you are. This is funny, and smart, with clever asides, wonderful character development, and fantastic banter. Irresistible. I loved it. #historicalfiction, #fantasyscifi, #series, #fourstarbookreview 03 Soulless: The Parasol Protectorate Series ​ This series takes place in 1870s London, and the immensely appealing, practical, fearless character of Alexia Tarabotti navigates danger and helps achieve justice by using her smarts, eschewing societal tradition and limits on women, and demonstrating her ability to neutralize the supernatural abilities of werewolves, vampires, and other creatures. In Soulless the gruff Lord Maccon is a mesmerizing werewolf who is aware of Alexia's lack of a soul. They drive each other batty and couldn't be a more unlikely pair--or do opposites attract? I loooved this witty, romantic, action-packed steampunk novel from Gail Carriger. She's written five Parasol Protectorate series books and a short prequel, so if you're up for this one, you've got books and books ready to binge read. #historicalfiction, #fantasyscifi, #series, #fourstarbookreview Any new-to-you or longtime favorite oddball series you love? I read these three books during the same span of time and delighted in each of them.

I loved the premise and start of this zany story in which a statistics geek braves his high school reunion, only to be mistaken for a drug kingpin named Santa Ana, but the prolonged gory and absurd scenes made me impatient. Santa Ana is a madcap story about a misfit who's mistaken for a drug kingpin at his high school reunion. The authors alternate points of view to show the perspectives of the statistics geek, the best friend intrigued by him, the meathead, the "it" girl, and an omniscient narrator with a twisted sense of humor who breaks the fourth wall and directly addresses the reader/listener. The California setting is vivid, and the story is zany, entertaining, and full of dark humor. I loved the bizarre twist on high school nostalgia. The absurdity of the premise had me hooked early on, but in the last quarter of the book the screwball events shift into an ongoing, gory bloodbath. This squashed much of my interest, as I couldn't let myself be lost in the insanity any longer because it was so violent. The drug-fueled hallucinations late in the book felt like an opportunity to explore pure feelings and for the straight-laced main protagonist to cut loose, but these went on too long for me, and I became impatient with them. I liked the sassy twists at the end of the book and the way the story is wrapped up, and I enjoyed the inclusion of the Santa Ana winds and their mythical, powerful, chaotic effects. The narrators were wonderfully animated. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? I listened to Santa Ana courtesy of Libro.fm and Blackstone Publishing.

in this book, you might also like the books I've reviewed that offer unique points of view or these offbeat

The tone of Martyr! was tough for me to get a handle on for much of the book. The story is dark, nerve-racking, irreverent, tragic, and poignant. Late in the story a fateful connection made the story really take off and feel meaningful. His whole life has been a steady procession of him passionately loving what other people merely liked, and struggling, mostly failing, to translate to anyone else how everything mattered so much. Cyrus Shams is an orphaned young adult, the child of Iranian immigrants, and a recovering addict and alcoholic. He is also a self-doubting poet. As Cyrus sinks again and again into the careless, distracted, volatile ups and downs of a constant barrage of various drugs and alcohol, his obsession with the concept of a life worth living--and a notable death--seems to sometimes be all that tethers him to existence. As the book progresses, Cyrus seeks meaning in art, in a close, sometimes-sexual friendship, and in the idea of trying to craft his book. The level of his passion for the topic of martyrdom is off-putting to most of those around him, and his substance abuse keeps him at a distance from his feelings. Portions of Cyrus's book about martyrs are interspersed throughout the novel; at first I considered these to be part of his draft; later in the novel I imagined that these were excerpted from his future, completed work. The tone of Martyr! is difficult to pin down; there's dark humor, a haunting thread of tragedy, some irreverence, strange and off-balance moments, and a story that went in directions I didn't anticipate. For the majority of the novel I felt as though I appreciated the story more than I was taken in by it or enjoyed it. For me, the book really took off and intrigued me once Cyrus traveled to New York to visit an artist whose final exhibit was made up of living in the Brooklyn Museum and having conversations with visitors until her death. The ripples of their meeting and connection reached farther than I could have imagined, and this portion of the book was fascinating. I listened to Martyr! as an audiobook. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Kaveh Akbar is a poet and the author of the poetry collection Calling a Wolf a Wolf.

First: this amazing cover. Second: Starter Villain is playful, darkly funny, big-hearted, and wonderfully weird. I loved it and I can't wait to read more John Scalzi books. “I can’t tell if you’re joking with me,” I said. “I’m mostly joking with you.” “That ‘mostly’ is doing a lot of work in that sentence.” The cover of Starter Villain shows a grumpy-seeming cat's head on a human torso clad in a suit with "Meet the new boss" across the top, so obviously this was going to be a Bossy read. And I love that this is my first review of 2024. Bring on the weird and wonderful books! In Starter Villain, Charlie's a substitute teacher, divorced, struggling emotionally, socially, and financially, and living in a house his half-siblings want to sell. Then he inherits his long-lost uncle's parking-garage empire. Which turns out to be a cover for a vast supervillain business--complete with an evil lair in an island volcano. I held up my hand, and then looked around the room, at the room full of probably-assassins. "Do any of you know my uncle personally?’" No one responded. "How many of you are here to make sure that he’s dead?" All the hands went up. Could this be an unexpected new start that will point Charlie in a productive new direction? The recently deceased Uncle Jake, an old-fashioned villain, made a lot of enemies--and they're ruthless, well-funded, and out for revenge. Charlie will have to quickly get up to speed and figure out friend from foe in order to stay alive. This villain business is more complicated than it seems. There's crossing, double-crossing, a wonderfully savvy and knowledgeable second-in-command, nefarious plots, sentient cats, and more. This was playful, smart, funny, and weird. I loved it, and I can't wait to read more John Scalzi books. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? The premise of this novel calls to my mind another book, which I loved, Natalie Zina Walschots's Hench, as well as loose associations with How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying).

Sloane Crosley's appealingly oddball tale explores the specter of newly engaged Lola's past loves and lusts while playing with space and time in New York City's Chinatown. In Sloane Crosley's Cult Classic, Lola is leaving dinner with former colleagues one night in New York City’s Chinatown when she runs into a former boyfriend. And then she runs into another. And another. It seems that each day, a blast from the past emerges within the same few blocks--whether they were important to her or in her life for only a short time. The city is soon awash with ghosts of Lola's brief encounters, big loves, strange connections, and heartbreaks from the past. “This is New York," I explained. "Everything is outside everyone’s comfort zone.” The scenario is particularly fraught for someone like Lola, who can't let go of the past, who has meticulously saved every memento from every man in her life, who constantly questions whether she has it in her to remain committed to one person--and who doubts whether she should remain engaged to her fiancé. Romance may be the world’s oldest cult. It hooks you when you’re vulnerable, scares the shit out of you, holds your deepest fears as collateral, renames you something like "baby," brainwashes you, then makes you think that your soul will wither and die if you let go of a person who loved you. Nothing in this entertaining, oddball tale is quite what it seems. Cult Classic is a sometimes darkly funny, suspenseful story of love, memory, and mind control with a twist—and then a double twist. Characters explore connections, loyalties, disappointments, evolutions, and revelations. The story went roughly where I thought it might, but I didn't anticipate the quirky details or the unexpected route there. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Sloane Crosley is also the author of I Was Told There’d Be Cake, The Clasp, Look Alive Out There, and How Did You Get This Number. If you like books that play with time, you might also enjoy the books on the Greedy Reading Lists Six Riveting Time-Travel Stories to Explore and Six Second-Chance, Do-Over, Reliving-Life Stories. I received an electronic prepublication copy of this book courtesy of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD and NetGalley.

This story within a story is playful and satirical while providing deep issues to contemplate. It's different and captivating and silly and sobering. How could we be readers, how could we be lovers of the impossible and the imagined, and not want to swell up with a new character, pull it onto land from a sea we made, and trick it by disappearing behind our hands? I've been so very excited for this book for ages, and I'm glad to finally be diving in! (See what I did there?) Penelope Schleeman is an English teacher struggling to make ends meet when her feminist novel American Mermaid becomes a bestseller. Penny is hooked on the promise of a big payday and leaves her teaching position in Connecticut to move to Los Angeles and turn her novel into a script. There is nothing mythological about this: Have you ever seen a mother spring up from a table when her child, two floors above, has a fall? Mothers move in the dark at night, while men fumble for the lights. But others' visions for the story involve her eco-warrior main character morphing into a teen beauty wearing a clamshell bra, wiping away her complex hero's dark motivations, and erasing much of what makes the story worth telling. Then mysterious threats and unexplained feminist changes begin appearing within the script, aimed at the writers who know how to make a shallow, profitable movie--but who are picking apart what made her novel sing in the first place. Penny begins to suspect that she has unleashed a power within her story that somehow allows her mermaid character Sylvia to manipulate the real world. Even the posed explanations don't fully hold water (I'm sorry, but I can't stop the puns), making the reader wonder about the nature of multiple mysterious occurrences. "You have to be like your namesake." "Penelope Gruber, my mom's best friend from growing up? I should be an eye doctor outside of Tampa?" "No, the original Penelope. From the Odyssey. Who undoes her own tapestry every night. Never finishes it. The men never get to possess her." This story within a story echoes back and forth with linking elements including explorations of power, femininity, and the weight of perception. The Penny-in-Los-Angeles storyline offers some hilarious (and often cringey) peeks at the world of movie-making as the script writers aim to ruthlessly distill the story to cinematic visuals rather than a tale buoyed (I know, I know) by substance and reflection. The excerpts from the book within a book of American Mermaid show glimpses of the novel that is the basis for Penny's trajectory--while digging into themes of climate change, greed, and dangerous assumptions about ability and motivation. The story culminates in tragedy or triumph, depending on your point of view. "Why does she have to be unconscious when she goes underwater? Why don't we get access to that? Can't a woman retain her clearheadedness even when she's doing battle?" American Mermaid is playful, yet there's a lot of meat on the bones of the often satiric story to dig into. It made me laugh and also made me think. (The imaginary blurbs in the Epilogue purely made me laugh--they're so disturbingly plausible and silly.) This is weird and wonderful, and I hope Langbein has more books in the works. I received an electronic version of this title, published March 21, courtesy of NetGalley and Doubleday. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? You can find other wonderfully oddball books I've read and reviewed here and here.

Spyra's humor is edgy, dark, and far from politically correct as she plays up absurd and disturbing scenarios in the name of satire. This book! Spyra frequently made me verrrry uncomfortable as I read Big Time, her collection of stories. They're satirical, dark, edgy, bizarre, and often outrageous. I'm curious about what unsuspecting readers may think if they go into this one without warnings about dark subjects played up for amusement. Spyra seems eager to leap over the line that separates questionable from almost certainly offensive. She turns situations on their heads, but the majority of stories felt heavy-handed to me. The standout highlights of Big Time for me were two clever, funny stories I really liked, "The Secret Meeting of the Women’s Club" (featuring various real-life female celebrities as part of a private club through which they pull strings and wield power) and "Big Time” (in which a Golden Age movie star is plunged into the future, where her old-fashioned views and strategies come into question, but her spirited attitude turns out to be timeless). Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Spyra was a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and for The Onion. Other short story collections I've reviewed lately include Sarahland by Sam Cohen, Half Wild by Robin MacArthur, and The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans.

intersection of the women's personalities and lives, and Beagin kept me consistently hooked with this offbeat

Sarahland is frequently offbeat and often seemingly shallow--yet weighty truths underlie the sometimes

Thorpe offers lots of joy and offbeat fun, yet doesn't shy away from weighty conflicts between classes

first book in this duology, Ink & Sigil, so much so that it made it onto the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat

Wilson's bubbly personality comes through in these essays, and her show business experiences were interesting, but I often couldn't relate to her approach or experiences. Casey Wilson, actress (Happy Endings), comedian (Saturday Night Live), and writer, shares essays and memories, breathlessly told in whirlwinds of enthusiasm, frustration, or puzzlement as she works through feelings, shares her own often-uncontrollable tendencies (eating most meals in bed and aiming to spend significant time in the bathtub; her serious sugar addiction; her reliance on psychics and various gurus for unorthodox life guidance), and relates her pivotal experiences in show business and in her personal life. I enjoyed Wilson's performances in Happy Endings years ago, but when I began listening to the audiobook I didn't realize that the author was an actress from that show, and I had to do a quick search on the Internet to familiarize myself with who I was listening to. My initial cluelessness is no reflection on Wilson's book, and I'm generally game to read memoirs by people I know nothing about. But The Wreckage of My Presence didn't resonate with me. Wilson is so outlandishly zany, so dramatic and passionate, and so habitually silly that I couldn't generally relate to her or her experiences. She frequently focuses on her obsession with Real Housewives, the Kardashians, and other reality television and the lessons she learns from years of viewing these shows. Her experiences in television were interesting, and her account of coping with the loss of her mother and her fears about her son's development felt most real and affecting for me. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? If you like memoirs, you might try the books on some of these Greedy Reading Lists: Six Illuminating Memoirs to Dive Into Six More Illuminating Memoirs to Lose Yourself In Six Foodie Memoirs to Whet Your Appetite Six Powerful Memoirs About Facing Mortality

The first section of Lockwood's story about an internet darling is absurd, frivolous, vulgar, irritating, and frequently disturbing; the second section shocked me with its meaningful and poignant examinations of life and loss. No One Is Talking about This is fiction from Patricia Lockwood, the author of the memoir Priestdaddy. Lockwood is a poet, and Priestdaddy illustrated her truly quirky and off-kilter poet's view of the world. Part I of No One Is Talking About This is outrageous, frequently rude and exceedingly upsetting, clever, and annoying, and it's followed by a Part II that is poignant and often heartbreakingly lovely. In Part I of No One Is Talking about This, a social media darling undergoes an existential crisis and even wonders if her thoughts are being controlled externally. She is compelled to continue trying to engage and attempt to amaze those reading her absurd posts, and she frequently wonders what is real and what is constructed reality--and she begins to wonder what it's all for, anyway. This section of the book is presented in very short snippets that are often comments, jokes, questions, or pithy remarks; reading these somewhat mirrors the feeling of scrolling through the internet. In the main character's take on "the portal," as she refers to the internet, she straddles the line between relatable and startling. This first section of the book is largely satire, with weird, edgy moments that frequently venture over the line of social acceptability into wildly disgusting. Lockwood uses profanity and sex to shine a light on aspects of society, and this is purposely jarring. Yet kernels of these dark, hyperbolic glimpses into humanity and the swirl of social media--as well as the powerful shifts each makes in the other--often feel true and deeply disturbing. About the portal, the protagonist says: “It had also been the place where you sounded like yourself. Gradually it had become the place where we sounded like each other, through some erosion of wind or water on a self not nearly as firm as stone." But a dramatic, shocking change occurs in the main protagonist's situation in the second part of the book. The situation that arises in her life is so deep and important, the tone of the book shifts to reflect it. Part II of No One Is Talking About This is meaningful and poignant and heartbreaking, and it brought me to tears. Lockwood references the character's frivolity and revolting reliance upon others' attention and esteem from Part I, but the book has grown beyond such insanity and focuses on poetically exploring powerful existential matters. What does living fully mean? What is life? What is health? What are the essential experiences a human should experience before death? What is love? How can you fully love when life is fleeting and when the inevitable, looming loss will undoubtedly break your heart? There are too many beautiful, heart-wrenching passages from this section of the book to quote, and Lockwood's poetic view of the world is gloriously showcased in this section. The Acknowledgments allude to a real-life situation in Lockwood's family that was the basis for this second part of the book, which added a layer of meaning and heartbreak for me as a reader. Patricia Lockwood is a singular voice, and this book is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. But No One Is Talking About This is truly unlike anything I have ever read. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? This is a book that I really want to talk to someone else about. Have you read it? Let's do some Bossy book talking! If I could give a split rating, I'd give 3.5 stars for the cleverness of Part I--despite how disturbing I found it--and 5 stars for the heart-wrenching, pure beauty of much of Part II.

This collection of previously published Sedaris works is a gold mine of discomforting, edgy, offbeat Whether Sedaris is reliving specific, offbeat memories and mining them for poignancy and also laughs,

ICYMI: This is a gloriously oddball book with lots of heart featuring unorthodox friendships, the frightening power of social media, the emergence of alien life, and mysterious giant robots. Green's An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a gloriously oddball book with lots of heart. In the middle of the night on a New York City street, April and her friend Andy stumble across something truly weird--a giant metal soldier sculpture that reminds them of a samurai. They happily record a video with the sculpture, which they call Carl, and upload it to YouTube. The next day, the world is changed. Carls have cropped up in cities throughout the world. What is the meaning of these robotlike creatures? Are they neutral, are they sinister, or might they be here to save humanity? And how is April the only one able to communicate with the Carls--thereby becoming the spokesperson for a movement to protect the mysterious beings and find out more about their purpose? With funny, heartwarming, heartbreaking, fantastically bizarre elements; imperfect and wonderful friendships; and an examination of modern-day humanity's reliance on social media. I loved this book so very much. It reminded me of Neuvel’s Themis books, but it was more playful. The faulted character of April May was wonderful, and I was fascinated by the way her actions and hopes allowed a peek into a fame- and attention-seeking existence. Also: Robin! And: Carl—! Later this week I'll post a review of the newest in this series, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor. Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book? Hank Green is brother to John Green, who wrote The Fault in Our Stars, An Abundance of Katherines, Turtles All the Way Down, and other great books.

and endearing, showcasing McConaughey's frequently zany encounters, lust for adventure, and sometimes offbeat McConaughey's voice pulled me into his frequently zany encounters, lust for adventure, and sometimes offbeat

When I heard its premise, I feared that this book might possibly be offbeat for the sake of being offbeat

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading a bizarre, dark set of short stories by a former Late Show with Stephen Colbert writer, Jen Spyra; Rachel Griffin's young adult fantasy novel The Nature of Witches, in which witches control the weather and find romaaaance; and I'm listening to Fallen, my first book in Linda Castillo's thirteen-book Kate Burkholder series--each of which is set in Amish country. Which books are you reading and enjoying these days, bookworms? 01 Big Time: Stories by Jen Spyra This book! I'm not sure what to say (or even to think) about this book so far. Spyra is making me verrrry uncomfortable as I read her collection of stories, which are satirical, dark, edgy, bizarre, and often outrageous. This isn't your typical humor book, and I'm curious about what unsuspecting readers may think if they go into this one without an awareness that dark subjects are played up for amusement. Spyra may be aware of the line that separates questionable from likely offensive, but she often leaps over it. 02 The Nature of Witches by Rachel Griffin In the world of Griffin's young adult fantasy novel The Nature of Witches, witches control the weather. And (this part of the storyline may feel familiar) climate change is causing weather patterns to spin out of control. Destructive blizzards, devastating tornadoes, desperate heat, and shockingly bitter cold are threatening the land around them--and endangering the lives of witches and shaders (regular humans) alike. Luckily, Clara is the most powerful witch in a generation. But she doesn't have a clue how to control her power, and she's destroyed some of those closest to her while trying to test it. There are lovely moments of humor interspersed with the action and lots of (literally) flowery language; the characters at times talk extensively about flowers and plants. I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley. 03 Fallen: A Novel of Suspense (Kate Burkholder #13) by Linda Castillo I'm listening to the audiobook version of Linda Castillo's mystery-suspense novel Fallen. This is the first book I've read in Castillo's thirteen-book Kate Burkholder series--all set in Amish country--although these have been on my to-read list for a long time. A rebellious young woman who left her Amish culture behind and became estranged from her family has returned to Painters Mill, Ohio. But her homecoming ends almost immediately in tragedy: she is brutally murdered in a motel on the outskirts of town. Chief of police Kate Burkholder, who was once part of the local Amish community herself, is called in and is shocked to identify the victim as Rachael Schwartz, a fun-loving, mischievous free spirit she had babysat years earlier. The crime against Rachael is so vicious as to seem personal, and Kate must try to determine why Rachael returned to town, uncover her buried secrets, and figure out who would have wanted her dead. I received a prepublication audiobook of this title courtesy of Macmillan Audio and NetGalley.

The Books I'm Reading Now Two of these books are largely about redemption, two focus on the twisted blessing-and-curse of technology, and all three touch on identifying some version of a new reality. Where's my Venn diagram to map out all of these intersecting themes? Which books are you reading and enjoying these days, bookworms? 01 A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is Hank Green's sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and the final book in his Carl saga. It features the fantastic characters from book one, and the plot picks up with a new version of the fight to save humanity from interfering extraterrestrials. Green tells his funny, poignant, tech-focused story through characters' alternating viewpoints, and it feels like April May--who died at the end of book one--may be about to reemerge. The characters' desires for reinvention and redemption are really interesting to me, as is the continued examination of the two-sided blessing and curse of social media and of technology in general. 02 A Song for the Road by Kathleen Basi Miriam lost her husband and teenage twins a year ago and, unsurprisingly, since then she hasn't been able to face any semblance of moving forward with her life. When she stumbles across her daughter's elaborate road trip plan she created for her then-soon-to-be-empty-nester parents, Miriam feels compelled to take the trip. She brings along her family members' musical instruments, envisioning a sort of musical pilgrimage, and she meets unexpected characters along the way, encounters dangerous weather, and begins to come alive again--despite her reservations and guilty feelings about breaking from her dedicated mourning. So far Basi is managing what seems like an incredible feat, as this is purely lovely and not maudlin or sappy at all despite the tragedy at the book's heart. I admit I Bossily feared that painfully sentimental tones might creep in, but in cases like this I love realizing that I'm incorrectly aiming my coldhearted prejudgment. I received a prepublication copy of this book, published May 11, 2021, courtesy of Alcove Press and NetGalley. 03 No One Is Talking about This by Patricia Lockwood No One Is Talking about This is fiction from Patricia Lockwood, the author of the memoir Priestdaddy. This book somewhat defies labeling--so far it's essentially a satire about media and society, and it's told in short snippets. In No One Is Talking about This, a social media darling undergoes an existential crisis and wonders if her thoughts are being controlled externally. She is compelled to continue trying to engage and often shock those reading her posts, and she frequently wonders what is real and what is constructed reality--and what it's all for, anyway. This feels like a book that will inspire a lot of spirited discussion and possibly passionate opinions.

I really enjoyed Hearne's Ink & Sigil last year, and it made it onto the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat

#robots, #fantasyscifi, #series, #offbeat, #uniquePOV, #LGBTQ, #threestarbookreview

01 Where the Forest Meets the Stars Joanna is feeling adrift after her mother's death, and she disappears into the constant attention her ornithology research commands, living in her sparse rental cabin and tuning out the rest of the world. That is, until a young girl appears, battered and bruised, and is resistant to help but clearly in need of it. Ursa says she is from the stars and cannot return until she has witnessed five miracles. Joanna and her reclusive neighbor Gabe become drawn into Ursa's orbit and drawn to each other as they try to protect her--and they discover more about themselves and their capabilities for love than they'd imagined. I love love loved this. Ursa, Jo, Gabe, Tabby, the ornithology storyline, the makeshift family, and the (maybe slightly too easy but lovely and satisfying) resolution. Highly recommend! For my full review of this book, see Where the Forest Meets the Stars. 02 Darling Rose Gold ​ What a wonderfully twisted little tale this was from Stephanie Wrobel. In Darling Rose Gold, she offers readers a story involving Münchausen syndrome by proxy, lies, betrayals, and double-crossing, all within a claustrophobic, isolated, and codependent mother-and-daughter relationship. Yet the tone is often playful as the characters keep things chatty and light while striving to manipulate each other. I was totally hooked on this fast read and couldn’t wait to find out who was the better strategist and who might be tricking who. There are some wonderfully devilish dark twists and turns as events evolve and as the characters' layers of plotting become evident. NetGalley and Catapult provided me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. For my full review, see Darling Rose Gold. 03 When We Were Vikings ​ Zelda is in her twenties and lives with her older brother Gert. She is obsessed with Vikings, she's a stickler for the Rules of the House, and she follows highly structured routines. On certain days she finds her own way to the community center where she and other young adults with challenges and disabilities play and learn social and practical skills; on other set days she visits the library; twice a week she visits her trusted therapist, Dr. Laird. But there’s a dark undercurrent throughout When We Were Vikings. Zelda has to figure out what it means to live her own legend, and whether she can save Gert or even save herself. I loved this. The characters, the story arc that isn’t too easy but leaves you in a promising place after all, and the dialogue—love love love. For my full review of this book, see When We Were Vikings. 04 Nothing to See Here I was very glad to realize that the striking premise itself was not the most powerful element here. Wilson's story stars combustible children and the low-key, unambitious misfit who sticks with them, making them feel unequivocally safe and understood for the first time. Kevin Wilson provides some heartbreaking disappointment about family members' emotional limitations and conditional loyalty, and he allows characters to craft chosen relationships into a beloved pod that functions like family. Nothing to See Here is a short book but it packs delightfully odd, satisfying, and sometimes laugh-out-loud-funny punches. I just loved this. For my full review of this book, please see Nothing to See Here. 05 A Woman Is No Man In A Woman Is No Man, Etaf Rum explores the often powerless and essentially voiceless status of her female characters within their conservative Arab culture, both in Palestine and as immigrants and first-generation Americans in New York. Much of this is dark. Yet there are bright points: rare friendships emerge, sisters build intense loyalty to each other, girls and women find joy in secret reading and in books, and there are occasional breaks to freedom. The details Rum provides as a thread throughout the book--the food, spices, and meals that are a framework for much of the structure of the women’s days--are wonderful. A Woman Is No Man explores the incredible drive and bravery required by Rum's female characters to write a new history, one in which they enjoy freedoms and a voice. For my full review of this book, see A Woman Is No Man. 06 In Five Years ​ Dannie is on the path to achieving her five-year goals in spectacularly efficient fashion. She goes to sleep one night feeling satisfied, but she wakes up in another life: in a strange apartment, with a different boyfriend, and with an alternate set of choices behind and before her. And perhaps most confusingly of all, she's happy. Very very happy. Dannie returns to her original reality, but she can’t shake the possibilities raised and the uncertainty created by what felt like an actual temporary shift in her existence. What do those vastly different circumstances and her satisfaction within them mean about how she can and should live her life now? Serle's In Five Years totally hit the spot for me, and it also wasn’t exactly what I expected. The setup seems like it’s a romance, but it’s really a story about loyalty and devoted friendship without easy or saw-it-coming resolutions, and not everything is as it seems. I loved it. For my full review of this book, see In Five Years. If you like books that play with timelines and realities, check out the Greedy Reading List Six Riveting Time-Travel Escapes. What were some of your favorite fiction reads this year? I was reading many of these books as the Covid-19 pandemic began to shape life in the United States this year, and I can vouch for all of these very different stories as great escapism. Heartwarming or quirky fiction are the types of books that have really been fitting the bill for me lately. If you're looking for more great fiction, you might also want to check out the Greedy Reading List My Six Favorite Summer 2020 Reads.

parenthood despite the many practical challenges she faces; but the love story that emerges is lovely and offbeat

statements that are seemingly meant to add impact, and what felt like self-conscious attempts to be offbeat

The Whalebone Theatre begins with offbeat children's performances on a lazy, decadent English estate

is an irresistibly and wonderfully strong and defiant main protagonist, and Arden includes lots of offbeat is an irresistibly and wonderfully strong and defiant main protagonist, and Arden includes lots of offbeat

Here, Sedaris shares offbeat moments from living in Paris and Sussex, reflects on living in New York

I also included it in the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat Series I Just Started and Love.

Most importantly of all, she simultaneously developed her wonderfully complex, offbeat, and sympathetic

I was all in for the characters' friendships, various talents and offbeat interests, and their appealingly

The Books I'm Reading Now I'm reading (actually listening to, which I recommend in this case) an offbeat audiobook, and McConaughey's voice pulls you into his wacky encounters, lust for adventure, and sometimes offbeat

a light tone running through the heightened, saving-the-universe tension, along with entertaining, offbeat

five-book Parasol Protectorate series, Soulless (I also listed it on the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat

Here, Sedaris shares offbeat moments from living in Paris and Sussex, reflects on living in New York

Her insights into her mindset and her creativity are often offbeat, and they always feel thoughtful.

Fisher is candid, funny, charmingly offbeat, and she's mastered the art of honest self-examination.

This book was part of the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat Series I Just Started and Love.

This book is part of the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat Series I Just Started and Love.

Locke as his ward since her beloved, offbeat father disappeared during a trip to acquire artifacts for

Sedaris This collection of previously published Sedaris works is a gold mine of discomforting, edgy, offbeat Whether Sedaris is reliving specific, offbeat memories and mining them for poignancy and also laughs,

This title was recently listed in the Greedy Reading List Three Offbeat Series I Just Started and Love

If you like Mitchell's beautiful, offbeat, sometimes meandering and tough to pin down stories, you'll

modern classic from a bestselling author who writes about faith and life; and a recent mystery about an offbeat

Fisher is candid, funny, charmingly offbeat, and she's mastered the art of honest self-examination.

With humor, offbeat curiosity, vast knowledge, and a fascination with "what ifs" (What if you vomited

statements that are seemingly meant to add impact, and what felt like self-conscious attempts to be offbeat

intersection of the women's personalities and lives, and Beagin kept me consistently hooked with this offbeat

Sedaris This collection of previously published Sedaris works is a gold mine of discomforting, edgy, offbeat Whether Sedaris is reliving specific, offbeat memories and mining them for poignancy and also laughs,

review of Maisie Dobbs. 03 The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn The Whalebone Theatre begins with offbeat