n the handful of books that seem to be everywhere at the moment, Belle Burden’s Strangers surely ranks in the top five.  As often seems to happen, when I picked it up and started to read, the book was being discussed everywhere. In Strangers, Burden tells the stunning story of her 20-year marriage and how one morning early in the COVID-19 pandemic, her husband walked out and left her and their children forever.

If you are looking for a fast-paced, suspenseful, witty book for your first beach read of the summer, look no further. This Story Might Save Your Life engaged, delighted and surprised me while also making me laugh out loud. Crum provides many plot twists but I  always felt certain she was headed for a satisfying ending when all was revealed.

Ever since reading Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine and then Wicked by Gregory Maguire as a teenager, I’ve been obsessed with novels that reimagine fairytales. Typically, they blend historical fiction with a familiar plot and turn some element of the story on its head. So when Reece Witherspoon announced Lady Tremaine as her bookclub pick for March, I put it on hold at the library immediately.  And, wow, this book was just the grown-up version of Cinderella I didn’t know I needed.

I’m not sure why, after having read James and being in awe of it, I didn’t immediately go back and explore Percival Everett’s extensive backlist of books.  It took a friend whose opinion I value to encourage me to read The Trees, published in 2021. The Trees is like no other novel I have ever read.

I first encountered Zarna Garg on Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang, which if you want to spend an hour laughing with some of the funniest people in the world, I highly recommend. Garg was the opening act for Poehler and Tina Fey’s comedy tour, and she appeared on the podcast to promote this memoir.

Originally self-published and the author’s first novel, Theo of Golden piqued my interest before I’d even picked it up to read.  I love a story about a breakthrough novel that gains its audience because so many friends recommend it to their friends that before you know it, it’s a bestseller.