- Commonwealth, Ann Patchett: Big focus on the people in this one, less on the plot.
- Planetfall, Emma Newman: Slow and then a little too fast towards the end. First in a series I’m not sure I’ll continue.
- Saladish, Ilene Rosen & Donna Gelb: Cookbook full of gorgeous salads I could tell I’d never make.
- Race, Class, and Politics in the Capuccino City, Derek Hyra: Focused on gentrification of the Shaw/U Street corridor. Definitely pick this up if you are into city politics, there’s a big section on that.
- From Here to Eternity, Caitlin Doughty: A look at traditions and rituals of death around the world.
- Tell the Machine Goodnight, Katie Williams: A book about Big Happy.
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman: Happy and sad, with wonderful characters.
- Severance, Ling Ma: A post-apocalyptic story that’s about loneliness instead of survival.
- Design for How People Learn, Julie Dirksen: An easy-to-read guide on designing learning experiences.
- Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi: Young adult fantasy. I liked the overall story but the YA bits were a little too melodramatic for me. (But, I do think they were fairly true to actual teenage life.)
- The Refrigerator Monologues, Catherynne M. Valente & Annie Wu (illustrator): Linked short stories with an illustration for each. I really, really wish this had been a graphic novel!
- Friday Black, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah: Intense & intensely horrifying short stories.
If you only pick up one, I’d make it Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
