What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer

I freaking loved these poems. So accessible and so good and so heartbreaking. I cried while reading a few of them.

Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan

I loved this audiobook and this story set in the audiobook recording world. Such a cute romance.

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

This book bugged me and also impressed me. I loved the idea of women "dragoning" and being able to get the men who were oppressing them. I want this to be a real thing--but I hated all the emphasis on the children who were essentially abandoned by this generation of women.

The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and Women's Work

I have a lot of interest in deep thinking and writing about subjects that seem to be, by definition, shallow and meaningless and, yes, quotidian. That was the whole point of this book--finding the meaning in the quotidian, daily tasks that fill our lives (especially as women). I liked a lot of points of this book.

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande

Atul Gawande wrote one of the most powerful books I've ever read with Being Mortal, so I was interested in this book just because he wrote it. The premise is just that something so basic as a checklist can make a huge difference in our success in doing things right, especially in the field of medicine and surgery. He had a lot of super interesting examples and research to back up his claims. 

The Lazy Genius Way and the Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi

I read these two e-books pretty quickly. They definitely had good tips and I liked how concrete the tips in the Lazy Genius Kitchen were--I'd go back to it just for the general recipe cooking tips. I also loved the permission these books gave me to value what I value. You can't value everything--you have to care about only one or two things (like when it comes to your house--do you want it to be well decorated or welcoming to kids and chaos) and do those well.  

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman

I love the Thursday Murder Club so so so much. The audiobook narrator for this series is so amazing and makes the series. I just love these characters. 

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

After reading Never Let Me Go, I couldn't wait to read another of Ishiguro's books. This one was even better. Same style of not much plot, but a lot of thought, and again, I couldn't put it down. I kept wanting to read more even though there wasn't much to find out. It was just devastating to read and see what his life was like and how he felt looking back about how he had spent it. And the ending--so rough. 

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I didn't know what was going on for a while with this book, but once I figured it out, everything made so much sense. This book didn't have much plot, it was so internal and slow-moving and thoughtful, but I couldn't put it down. It was so good. It made me think and ask hard questions.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

I actually really loved this romance. I loved Katherine Center's other book, Things You Save In a Fire, and I thought this was so cute, with the girl being the bodyguard for the famous movie star. I loved the whole thing. 

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

After reading her memoir, I really wanted to read more of Dumas's works. This is a YA novel she wrote based off her personal experiences growing up. I think this would be a great book for kids and a great look at the 70s and the Iran Hostage Crisis.

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

I thought the idea of this book was so fascinating for the first third and then things got weird and I was super confused by the magic of it. I didn't love this. Plus it just didn't make sense to me. 

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyah

I wasn't sure what I was expecting but this wasn't it. I thought the stories were really good, although some of them were a little raunchy for my interest. I loved some of the themes though. Really well done.

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas

This was hilarious and so well done as a group of stories about her childhood growing up as an immigrant in America. I love these types of cultural stories. 

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt by Anonymous

I had never heard of Duchess Goldblatt before this but Amanda recommended it, and I really enjoyed it. I felt like it was surprisingly deep and hopeful and nice. 

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jeannette McCurdy

This was so painful and wrenching to listen to, because of the abuse and pain she had to go through. I hope she manages to keep improving.