Book Review: "The One That Got Away" by Mike Gayle

When Reuben met Beth, he knew he’d found someone special, someone he wanted to spend his life with. But while Reuben fell head over heels in love with Beth, she declared she didn’t believe in love. That’s not a good foundation for a relationship, is it?

Six months ago, they broke up. Needless to say, Reuben is shocked to learn that Beth is getting married this coming weekend. Yep, his ex-girlfriend who didn’t believe in love is going to get married, to someone other than Reuben.

“This was not the way we were meant to end up; we were supposed to get our hard-earned, written-in-the-stars, course-of-true-love-never-did-run-smooth-but-comes-good-eventually happy ever after. What on earth went wrong?”

Reuben’s friends spring into action to protect him from losing his mind on the day of Beth’s wedding. They plan a whole host of wild activities, even renting a bright red Ferrari for the day. But then Reuben gets a call that will throw not only all of their plans, but also Reuben’s heart, into disarray.

This was a cute story about how you figure out whether a person is truly right for you. It alternates back and forth between the past and the present, illustrating the rise and fall of Reuben and Beth’s relationship.

I would have loved if this story were narrated by both Reuben and Beth instead of just Reuben. It would’ve added a bit more depth to see how similar and how far apart they were from each other. But this was still sweet.

It will publish 5/1/2025.

Book Review: "Two Women Walk Into a Bar" by Cheryl Strayed

Sounds like the setup to a joke, doesn’t it? But this story by Cheryl Strayed definitely packs an emotional punch.

Cheryl and her husband Brian get the news that Brian’s mother Joan is dying. It’s not unexpected news but obviously it’s still a blow, and it causes major upheaval in their lives. As they work on moving Joan into the assisted living facility in her community, Cheryl reflects on their relationship, nearly 20 years to the day that Cheryl first met Joan.

“Over the previous two decades, we’d come to love each other, but it was a particular, conditional sort of love, one based on circumstance and courtesy rather than connection and compatibility.”

Like many relationships between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, there was always a note of competition between the two, fighting for superiority in Brian’s life. Joan praised Cheryl, but always with qualifiers or slight condescension. (She once said, “You’re big, but you’re firm. Like sculpted butter.”) Joan was always a small reminder of Cheryl’s mother, who died of cancer when Cheryl was much younger.

This was beautifully told, full of humorous and poignant moments. Cheryl not only has to process her own emotions in the wake of Joan’s impending death, but also be sensitive to Brian’s grief, and help their two young children comprehend the loss of the only grandparent they’d ever known.

If you’ve recently experienced loss, this may be a bit triggering for you. But as always, I’m struck by Strayed’s storytelling ability, making you care about people you don’t know.

Book Review: "Show Don't Tell" by Curtis Sittenfeld

In 2005, I was working at a bookstore and one of my colleagues told me to read a book called Prep. It was excellent, despite my never having gone to a prep school, and that book launched my love of Curtis Sittenfeld’s storytelling.

Now, 20 years later, I’ve read all of her books, including her newest one, which is a collection of short stories. For me, as much as I love short stories, collections are often uneven, but this book was uniformly excellent. Sittenfeld’s writing is sharp and funny and emotional, and her stories are all so much more complex than they seem at first.

The story that has gotten the most attention is “Lost But Not Forgotten.” It follows Lee, the main character of Prep, as she attends her 30-year reunion. She also recalls an encounter with perhaps the school’s most famous alumnus. (It’s okay if you’ve never read or don’t remember Prep.)

So many of the other stories in the book really wowed me. In “The Richest Babysitter in the World,” a woman remembers working as a babysitter for a Jeff Bezos-like character on the cusp of Amazon’s creation. “White Women LOL” follows a suburban wife and mother whose social blunder (is she or isn’t she a racist) goes viral. “Creative Differences” is about a documentary crew’s travel to Wichita, Kansas, and the trouble that ensues when a subject feels misled.

Other stories I enjoyed were “The Marriage Clock,” about a filmmaker who meets the author of a relationship manual—and is surprised by her visit; “The Hug,” which takes place during the pandemic and deals with the underlying anxiety about encounters; and the title story, in which a woman remembers being in graduate school and waiting to find out if she won a prestigious fellowship.

This was one of the books I was eagerly anticipating this year, and it definitely exceeded my expectations. Sittenfeld is definitely an auto-buy author for me, and I’ll continue to get excited when I learn she has a new book out!

Book Review: "The Bookstore Keepers" by Alice Hoffman

“…aloneness breeds loneliness, and loneliness will come between you and your beloved before you know it and drive you apart.”

I have been loving this series of stories Alice Hoffman has written! The first two stories, The Bookstore Sisters and The Bookstore Wedding, were packed with so much emotion and beauty, and the newest one is just as exceptional.

Sisters Isabel and Sophie run a bookstore together in their hometown of Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Both have weathered major upheavals in their lives and were apart for a number of years, only to find their way back to one another. And while their lives are intertwined, they each have carved out their own space.

One morning, Isabel’s husband Johnny awakens from a dream, crying. What he saw in the dream, and how it manifests itself in real life, has a significant impact on both him and Isabel. Sometimes, when the one you love is struggling, the best thing you can do for them is be a safe harbor when they need you.

Meanwhile, Sophie’s daughter Violet returns to the island after college, and everyone expects that she will take over the bookstore at some point. Yet she has dreams of her own, but how do you know if it’s the right time to live for yourself?

Hoffman’s writing is so beautifully poetic and full of heart. I love the way she creates a fully realized world in a short number of pages, and I’ve been carrying these characters in my heart. I always say that the mark of a good book is one that makes you wish you knew the characters in real life. That’s definitely the case here.

Book Review: "Eleven Numbers" by Lee Child

When I picked up this story by Lee Child, the last thing I expected was math. At least I didn’t have to solve any equations!

Nathan is a mathematician and a university professor. He’s well known in his field, but mathematicians aren’t quite celebrity material. So needless to say he’s tremendously surprised when he gets a call from the White House, telling him that his help is needed.

“He was a very able mathematician. But there were fifty others in the world just as good. Maybe a hundred. His publication history was competitive. He had contributed to all the important journals. But so had fifty others. Maybe a hundred. His debut had been his PhD thesis. Groundbreaking, really, but in a field no one was interested in. Nothing about him stood out.”

He is flown to a meeting at the National Security Agency—a meeting attended by a famous mathematician and the President of the United States, as well as two intelligence officers. When Nathan is shown a series of 11 equations, he determines that they are part of a computer security algorithm. The correct numerical sequence is a powerful tool: it controls access to Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

The person who created the algorithm is a famed Russian mathematician. The President and his security team want Nathan to meet this man to try and get feel for which of the 11 equations will allow them the access they need. So they get Nathan an invitation to attend a mathematics conference in Russia, and he should be able to meet the man. But nothing goes quite like expected.⁣

This was very different than anything else of Lee Child’s that I’ve read. There were more twists than I was expecting, but it was a little dry. Or maybe it’s my phobia about math…

Book Review: "Broken Threads" by Sagit Schwartz

I definitely fall prey to the whole #Bookstagrammademedoit concept, but never have I finished someone’s review of a book and immediately bought the book. At least until I read the review of Sagit Schwartz’s excellent short story, “Broken Threads.”

Clare has always dreamed of being a bestselling author but she can’t seem to land a deal. The longer it takes, the more resentful she becomes of those who do succeed, especially those she believes she has more talent than.

When Clare’s longtime job as a technical writer is eliminated because she can be replaced by AI, her desperation grows. She knows her historical fiction novel is excellent, but no agent will talk to her because she’s older and not photogenic. But with barely any money to cover rent, she’s willing to try anything.

Her last shot is approaching her neighbor, Amber, who has built a career as a successful influencer. Nearly everything Amber owns or wears has been given to her in exchange for mentions. Clare thinks having Amber promote the book will be a great idea, but Amber doesn’t think that effort will be successful. And then Amber suggests that she tell people she wrote the book, and in exchange, she’ll give Clare 50 percent of the profits.

Of course, when things seem too good to be true, they usually are. The book becomes a huge success but Clare starts suspecting that Amber is ripping her off. And then Amber winds up dead.

I devoured this in a very short time and I honestly could’ve read a full-length version of this. @sagitschwartz had me hooked from the very first word! This was a great story and so timely.

Book Review: "The Answer is No" by Fredrik Backman

Fredrik Backman is one of my favorite authors. The Beartown series just blew me away and I’ve loved so many of his books where the curmudgeon just needs to be loved and appreciated.

That being said, I tend to like Backman’s books when they’re more emotional and dramatic. The one book of his I struggled with was Normal People, because it felt very silly to me, almost farcical.

I had the same challenges with The Answer is No, Backman’s upcoming story. I appreciate the message he was trying to convey, but it just got too wacky for me.

Lucas is one of those people who keeps to himself. He would much rather spend time alone than have to deal with others. He doesn’t seek out relationships because they would force him to compromise or not get what he wants.

And then one day, his peace is shattered when three board members come to his door. Apparently someone in his building has left a frying pan next to the recycling room. That’s against the rules. But Lucas innocuously suggests how to solve the problem—and he doesn’t realize the wheels he has set in motion.

The story quickly slides into satire. It’s cute and I’m sure it may be a home run for others, but it wasn’t my thing. It will publish 12/1.

Book Review: "When We Were Friends" by Jane Green

“To think I may have found a best friend after a five-minute chat, an unlikely meeting in the bathroom of a bar.”

It’s funny how some friendships feel just like dating at the start. You meet someone, you like them, you hope they like you back. Quite often there’s that delicate dance at first, you don’t want to seem too eager.

Lucy is newly divorced, trying to reinvent herself, when she goes to a bar one night with a group of women with whom she has very little in common. She immediately feels out of place and wonders how soon she can go home.

A quick trip to the restroom brings her face to face with Elle. She’s younger and more vibrant, but Lucy recognizes a kindred spirit. After some conversation, they realize they have more in common than Lucy would have imagined, and they make plans for later in the week.

It’s not long before the two become inseparable. For Lucy, Elle fills a void that had existed for some time. She makes Lucy feel like she can conquer anything, and they’re even planning to work together. But after Lucy brings Elle to a party, things veer off-course, and Elle disappears. Lucy mourns the loss of this friend, until she runs into her again and realizes that as close as they were, she doesn’t know Elle at all.

I enjoy Jane Green’s writing, but this felt very incomplete for me. Having Elle’s perspective—although her motivations were quite clear—would have made this more interesting. But it definitely reinforced my belief that you can never truly know someone.

Book Review: "Rejection" by Tony Tulathimutte

Rejection is a fascinating, thought-provoking, and truly visceral story collection. It’s definitely not a book that inspires positivity for the most part, but it’s so well-written, you might not care.

The seven interconnected stories in Tony Tulathimutte’s collection all focus on a central theme: rejection. The characters have to face fears of loneliness, issues with their self-esteem, and, quite often, anger toward those they perceive to be responsible for rejecting them, as well as society.

The opening story, “The Feminist,” follows a man who so heartily supports the empowerment of women and their control of relationships, but it’s mostly so women will have sex with him. And that doesn’t happen. For a long, long time. (Lots and lots of friend zones.)

In “Pics,” a woman hooks up with a close friend of hers, and quickly discovers she feels like it was much more significant an event than he did. Her growing obsessiveness doesn’t help, and her continued spiraling makes her feel worse, which she takes out on everyone.

And in “Ahegao; or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,” a young man comes out of the closet but can’t seem to find someone who wants a relationship. He soon discovers his fascination with a troubling sub-genre of porn.

These stories are very modern, with conversations conducted through various forms of social media at times, and they’re very much in step with the different sociological movements in our society. They’re dark and satirical, yet at times they pack a powerful punch.

My biggest struggle with the book is that none of the characters are particularly likable. It’s hard at times to read stories in which characters are complaining and ranting a lot. But Tulathimutte’s storytelling talent elevates the book.

Book Review: "The History of Sound" by Ben Shattuck

When short stories are done well, they can have as much power as a full-length novel. And sometimes, they make you long for more time with their characters but don’t leave you hanging. The History of Sound hits both of those targets.

What’s unique about this collection, however, is that elements of one story appear in another, so they’re essentially paired. Sometimes the pairing is more obvious and other times it’s more subtle, but this technique gives you a different perspective from a different timeframe.

There are absolutely beautiful stories in this collection. My favorite is the title story, where a music student meets a man in a bar just as WWI is heating up. The two fall in love, and spend a summer walking through the woods of Maine, collecting folk songs from various people. Their relationship is brief but has an immense effect on the musician, even years later. (This is being made into a movie with Paul Mescal and Josh O'Connor.)

Some other stories that I know will stick with me include: “The Auk,” which follows a man dealing with his wife’s dementia in a very unique way; “August in the Forest,” about relationships and secrets we keep from those we love; and “Edwin Chase of Nantucket,” in which a young man’s life in 1796 is upended when his mother’s old boyfriend arrives with his new wife.

All of the stories take place in New England, and are set anywhere from the 1700s to the present. Ben Shattuck is definitely an immense talent, one whose career I’ll eagerly be following.

Book Review: "The Bookstore Sisters" and "The Bookstore Wedding" by Alice Hoffman

I have been reading Alice Hoffman’s books for a long, long time, and so many of them have been real favorites of mine. These two stories are part of a three-story series called The Once Upon a Time Bookshop series. (The third one, "The Bookstore Keepers,” publishes 2/4/2025.)

So many of Hoffman’s books are about family and love, and many contain elements of magical realism. These two stories focused on Sophie and Isabel Gibson, sisters who grew up on Brinkley’s Island in Maine.

Growing up, the sisters were inseparable. They spent hours in their family’s bookstore, hiding in the marshes with their mother, and enjoying her amazing baking. But when their mother grew ill and died, Isabel couldn’t wait to get off the island and never come back, while Sophie took on the role of caring for her sister and grieving father.

In the first story, Isabel lives in New York City. She wanted to be an artist but never could succeed; now she’s a dog walker and a divorcee. One day she gets a letter from home that simply says, “Help.” Although it’s been years since she’s been home or talked to Sophie, she rushes home to find she was summoned by Sophie’s daughter Violet. Sophie broke her leg and needs someone to run the bookstore; Isabel stays and tries to mend things with Sophie, but everyone is waiting for her to run away again.

In the second story, Isabel is well-ensconced on the island again, and is engaged to marry Johnny, her friend since childhood. But every time they schedule their wedding, something happens to derail it. Isabel realizes that love is patient but at times life is not; she makes some sacrifices but her wishes do come true.

These were beautiful, poignant stories. Each made me tear up and made me smile, and once again I’m reminded of the way Hoffman’s writing makes me feel.

Book Review: "Table for Two" by Amor Towles

Amor Towles is a tremendously talented storyteller, with the ability to create vivid, unique characters and evoke time and place in your mind’s eye. I loved Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow, and still think of those books.

One word rarely used to describe Towles’ books is concise. The Lincoln Highway is just under 600 pages; A Gentleman in Moscow is approximately 500 pages. Even this, his new collection of not-so-short stories and a novella, runs about 450 pages.

Table for Two includes six stories set, or ultimately winding up in, New York City. Some of these stories are absolutely beautiful. “The Line” focuses on a Russian man in the early 1900s who goes far simply by being nice; “Hasta Luego” tells the story of two men who meet in an airport during a winter storm, and one man’s life is more complicated than meets the eye; “I Will Survive” is about the damage secrets can do to a relationship; and “The Bootlegger” is a poignant story about grief and moving on.

The novella, “Eve in Hollywood,” focuses on Evelyn Ross, a character from Rules of Civility. Eve decides to go to Los Angeles rather than return home to Indiana with her parents. While there, she connects with a variety of people, famous, infamous, and ordinary, including legendary actress Olivia de Havilland.

“Eve in Hollywood” is told from seven points of view, which was too many for me. It takes a LONGGG time to get going—there’s lots of narrative that I wasn’t sure would ever get me to the story’s main focus—and not all the characters are as fascinating as I hoped.

I definitely had high hopes for this book that didn’t quite come to fruition, but I’m still glad I read it for the four stories I loved. And of course, I’ll be looking to see what comes next for Towles!

Book Review: "Women! In! Peril!" by Jessie Ren Marshall

Do you ever wonder if your sense of humor is so different from other people’s? I often feel that way when I read a book that’s supposed to be “funny” or “zany,” and I’m sitting there thinking, “do I have no sense of humor?”

Jessie Ren Marshall’s debut story collection, Women! In! Peril!, has been labeled “ferociously feminist.” Indeed, the 12 short stories each have women at their center—either from the present or the future, real or robotic, in a variety of situations. The stories deal with issues from queerness and motherhood to relationship woes and cultural identity.

Some of the stories I enjoyed the most were “Annie 2,” about a sex bot who hopes not to be returned, and “My Immaculate Girlfriend,” in which a woman tries to figure out if her girlfriend really has a miraculous pregnancy.

I love short stories—at times it’s amazing how an author can give a novel-like feel in a short number of pages. At times though I feel like they leave me hanging, and just a little more might give me resolution. I felt a little bit more of the latter with this collection.

Book Review: "Fourteen Days" by The Authors Guild

Shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the residents of a rundown apartment building on NYC’s Lower East Side begin gathering on the rooftop terrace for fresh air. They participate in the cheering for the health care workers, which occurs each evening at 7:00 pm.

Little by little, they start to linger on the roof after the cheering subsides. At first they keep to themselves, reading, playing with their phones, pondering the pandemic, but then they start to tell each other stories—stories that happened to them, stories passed down from their families, even fables or ghost stories. All can’t be true, but the shared time proves therapeutic.

The narrator is the building’s female superintendent, a virtual stranger to the tenants, as she took the job and moved in just before the lockdown began. Armed with her predecessor’s “bible,” a binder profiling each tenant and the nickname he bestowed upon them, she takes it upon herself to record and transcribe the stories they are told. And she has stories of her own as well.

As soon as I heard about this book, I wanted to read it. Each chapter contains multiple stories, and each story is written by another author, everyone from Margaret Atwood, John Grisham, Angie Cruz, to Diana Gabaldon, Erica Jong, and Tess Gerritsen. (Interestingly enough, the stories don't identify the authors; you won't know who wrote which chapter until the end. Unless you cheat.)

Sadly, the concept didn’t work as well as I had hoped—essentially, it’s a group of short stories, some of which are excellent, some of which are not, and some of which have too much detail to actually be a story someone would tell. (And don’t get me started on the ending.)

Book Review: "Old Crimes: and Other Stories" by Jill McCorkle

This is my first story collection of 2024. I love reading short stories but I’ve become very particular about them. The ones that work best for me feel more like mini-novels, in the sense that they have well-developed characters and a plot that doesn’t leave me hanging.

With Jill McCorkle’s newest story collection, Old Crimes,” I needed a few stories before it hooked me. But once it did, I could see a number of the stories which would make great novels on their own.

Some of the stories in this collection deal with familiar, everyday situations—a woman and her mother fighting over differing points of view about religion and other hot-button issues; a group of women who meet regularly to lament about the man they all have in common; a woman dealing with growing older and reflecting on her difficult husband. But other stories are built on interesting concepts—a couple buys an antique confessional and it becomes much more than a piece of furniture; a man rents a small apartment above a gas station built in what used to be his grandparents’ house; a couple vacations with their adult children and deals with all of the drama accumulated through the years.

Not all of the characters in McCorkle’s stories are likable or even sympathetic, but many of the stories really resonated emotionally for me. There were familiar themes—growing older, feeling dissatisfied with your life, feeling alone, dealing with the decline or death of loved ones. It’s not a perfect collection, but it moved me.

The Best Books I Read in 2023...

Happy New Year! Here's wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2024, full of joy, laughter, and lots of great books.

This past year was a tough one for me. As some of you may know, over the summer I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Luckily it was caught early and we're enthusiastic that it won't recur, but I did have surgery in late October to remove part of one kidney. All this to say, this wasn't a typical year for me where reading was concerned. I didn't do a great job of recording (or reviewing) what I read, so I don't have an exact count of how many books I did read in 2023—I'd say it's around 200, but we'll never know. LOL

This year I put together a list of my 20 favorites with an additional 10 books which were too good not to mention.

As always, I'd love your thoughts on what you loved reading this year!

The Top 20

1. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett: One of my favorite authors at the top of her game. This is such a gorgeously told story of family, love, memory, motherhood, and recognizing that happiness can come from a path other than the one you dreamed of. It's a quiet but utterly beautiful book.

2. Shark Heart by Emily Habeck: Lewis and Wren fall in love and get married. Not long after, Lewis learns he has a rare mutation which will turn him (rapidly) into a great white shark. As crazy as this sounds, this book is an unforgettable, powerfully emotional look at love, loss, and creating a meaningful life.

3. The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston: The author of one of my top three favorite books of 2022 makes the top three again! If you’re not a fan of magical realism and weird time loop-ish storylines, you may not enjoy this. But this left me a puddle of emotions.

4. Yours Truly by Abby Jimenez: Another home run from Jimenez, who deftly meshes romance, quirky characters, and more serious topics (this one deals with social anxiety) into a book that made me smile and cry, sometimes simultaneously.

5. Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane: A tense (and intense), sometimes sad, and tremendously thought-provoking book set in Boston in the summer of 1974, in the midst of the forced desegregation of schools. This one will make one heck of a movie.

6. Search by Michelle Huneven: This is a quietly compelling and dramatic story of a church searching for its new minister. (Plus recipes!!) It’s gorgeously written, a fantastic study of human dynamics, and I found the conversations about theology and philosophy to be fascinating and never heavy-handed.

7. In Memoriam by Alice Winn: Two young men, close friends at an English boarding school at the start of World War I, deal with their attraction to one another and the horrors of war, as Henry, who is part German, feels the need to enlist, but wants Sidney to stay safe. This feels like a more emotional E.M. Forster classic.

8. The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters: A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly 50 years. It's such a beautiful book and unbelievably, it's a debut.

9. Glitterland by Alexis Hall: How do you convince yourself that you’re worthy of love? Hall delivers a powerful story of love, heartbreak, and emotional turmoil, which had some incredible moments of beauty.

10. We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian: I feel like this book made my heart grow two sizes larger. It was full of self-discovery, romance, tension, and a good dash of history. I couldn’t get enough of these characters!!

Book Review: "Games and Rituals" by Katherine Heiny

Games and Rituals is an exceptional story collection from a writer at the top of her game.

I’ve been a big fan of Katherine Heiny’s books for a while now. Her two previous novels, Standard Deviation and Early Morning Riser were among my favorite books the years I read them. I love the way she balances sly humor, poignant emotion, and wry observation of both life’s mundane moments and when things go off the rails.

The 11 stories in Heiny’s upcoming collection were nearly all fantastic, following men and women at a crossroads of some sort. There’s the driving instructor in “Chicken-Flavored and Lemon-Scented” to the woman packing up her husband’s first wife’s house in “561,” from the woman dealing with her elderly father in “Twist and Shout” to the woman who finds out her life isn’t quite what she thinks it is in “Turn Back, Turn Back,” and many others.

If you’re a fan of short stories I’d encourage you to pick this up when it publishes on 4/14. Thanks to NetGalley and A.A. Knopf for the advance copy!

Book Review: "The Faraway World: Stories" by Patricia Engel

The Faraway World is a short story collection from the author of Infinite Country.

I’ve been on a short story kick lately, so when I saw that Patricia Engel had a new collection out I thought I’d give it a try. She’s truly an exceptional writer, but these stories are really bleak at times.

Of the 10 stories, my favorites were “Aida,” about a teenage girl whose twin sister goes missing, and she loses both her best friend and her ally in saving their parents’ marriage; “Fausto,” in which a young Colombian woman finds out her boyfriend isn’t quite what she thought; “The Book of Saints,” narrated both by a Colombian woman hoping an American man will marry her, and the man; and “Guapa,” about a formerly obese woman who thinks she’s found happiness in her new body.

Where I struggled with this collection is that very few if any of the characters were sympathetic, and after a while the stories seemed a bit repetitive. But they definitely made me think!!

Book Review: "Scattered Showers" by Rainbow Rowell

When one of your favorite authors writes a story collection, you jump on it.

I love the way Rainbow Rowell writes. Eleanor & Park is among my all-time favorites, and I’ve loved Fangirl, Landlines, Attachments, and the Simon and Baz series. Seeing as I’d read her grocery list, you can bet I was excited to read her first-ever story collection.

All nine of these stories are love stories. A few feature familiar characters—Simon and Baz appear in “Snow for Christmas,” Beth and Jennifer from Attachments are featured in “Mixed Messages,” and Reagan from Fangirl is the star of “If the Fates Allow.” It’s so good to return to characters I’ve loved, but it’s equally wonderful to meet new characters.

These stories are charming, funny, romantic, and one even features a prince who falls in love with a troll. (But the story has much deeper meaning.) Unlike when I’ve read many story collections, there wasn’t one weak link for me. Each story made me smile, some made me laugh, and I even teared up from a few. (That shouldn’t be surprising.)

If you love charming stories that will touch your heart, pick up Scattered Showers. Now that I'm done, of course, I'm ready for another of her books, but I can be (mostly) patient…

Book Review: "Nobody Gets Out Alive" by Leigh Newman

Leigh Newman's debut collection, Nobody Gets Out Alive, is a collection of stories featuring women at their toughest, dealing with the wilds of life.

I always love discovering books thanks to Bookstagram friends. This story collection, longlisted for the National Book Award, was recommended by two friends whose reading taste is so admirable, so I figured, how could I lose?

The collection takes place in Alaska, one of my favorite settings for books, and the stories follow women dealing not only with the wildlife and the sometimes-unforgiving climate, but also with the challenges and pain associated with love, loss, and relationships. Some stories are set in the present, some in the not-too-distant past, and one is even set in the early 1900s.

Newman’s characters are tough, independent, smart, and sensitive, which makes reading about them really appealing. A few of the stories feature the same characters at different points of their lives.

As with any story collection, I loved some more than others. My favorites included “Howl Palace,” about an older woman dealing with financial challenges and the mortality of those she loves; the title story, about an engaged couple dealing with the advances of others; and “Alcan: An Oral History,” which follows five different women outrunning their problems.

Let’s hear it for book recs from friends!!