KIN

by Tayari Jones

From the author of "An American Marriage," Kin explores the diverging lives of two motherless "cradle friends," Niecy and Annie, from rural Louisiana. The story follows them from the 1950s onwards, highlighting themes of female friendship, motherhood and social mobility. This is a gorgeous story of found family--as Jones writes "Kin is the circle you create, hands held tight."

-Kathy & Katie

JUNGLEKEEPER: WHAT IT TAKES TO CHANGE THE WORLD

by Paul Rosolie

38 year old Paul Rosolie shares his nearly 20 years living and working in the Amazon rain forest. A few of his activities include:

Walking on a floating forest (caimans swimming along),

Hugging anacondas (and anacondas “hugging” back),

Climbing ancient trees (barefoot),

Navigating rivers in the dark (no light pollution there),

Hiking through dense jungle (compass and telephone free zones),

Coming face to face with uncontacted people (who carry 5 foot long arrows)

AND

Eating rice with a tortoise claw.

The action, the descriptions, his “merry band of brothers” will keep you turning the pages. I am not sure that he ever has a full 24 hours without jumping into a

river or slogging through a rain storm. What will stay with you long after you close the book is what this group has done-save over 110,000 acres of Amazon rain forest, and what is left to do. I could not put this book down!

-Anne

UPWARD BOUND

by Woody Brown

(releases 3/31/26)

I dare you to read the next sentence of this review and not want to pick up this book. Woody Brown is the first non speaking autistic graduate of UCLA where he received the English department's top writing honors. Brown's extraordinary novel takes place at Upward Bound, a dreary center for disabled adults. The chapters alternate points of view between the "clients" and the caregivers. While at times gut-wrenching, you will be changed for the better by reading this inspiring, humanizing and truly authentic piece of literature.

-Laura & Beth

TWO WOMEN LIVING TOGETHER

by Kim Hana and Hwang Sunwoo



“Meet the two straight, single women flouting gender norms and societal expectations with their

decision to grow old together under one roof.” That statement, while technically accurate, does not do this honest, respectful and inspirational conversation justice.

Hanan and Sunwoo are two forty-something professionals living in Seoul. Like many people pursuing their careers and making their lives in major metropolitan areas, they desire a “more permanent, stable place to live and start consolidating our scattered expenses and lives.” What follows is a series of discussions covering all kinds of topics-Marie Kondo, the joys of bike riding, family relationships. It reminds me a bit of Oscar and Felix from "The Odd Couple." It is the evolution of a friendship...and a community.

-Anne

THIS STORY MIGHT SAVE YOUR LIFE

by Tiffany Crum

Billed as a thriller and a rom-com, this story delivers all that and more! Joy and Benny are best friends who start a hugely successful podcast. They’re close- to the point that jealousy and anger come into play from those around them. When things hit a breaking point, I found myself forgoing everything else to devour this book.  The perfect escape read!

-Beth & Morley

HOT CHOCOLATE ON THURSDAY

by Michiko Aoyama

An early novel from Aoyama that has finally been translated contains the magic and poignancy that I loved in "What You Are Looking for is in the Library." Aoyama gathers a cast of unrelated characters whose paths cross in meaningful ways. The reader has the absolute pleasure of following the trail that the author lays before us: "We're all intertwined in each other's lives without even knowing it." Another beautiful, soul-lifting read from Aoyama.

-Laura

THE SECRET OF SNOW

by Tina Harnesk

This Swedish translation tells the story of a family of Sami people, indigenous to Northern Sweden, Norway and Finland, linked by the loss of a mother and child. It’s with great care that we learn of a small boy and his mother who leave behind their brokenhearted aunt and uncle.  A local couple move north where they practice medicine and learn the ways of the Sami. Neighbors become family in the harsh and frozen land!  Warmth permeates all through as lives are changed by long lost love. 

-Beth

THE GOLDEN BOY

by Patricia Finn

Meet Stafford and Agnes Hopkins: married for more than 30 years; extremely wealthy; retired to their Maui dream home. Life appears idyllic until fate intervenes, plunging them both back into their hardscrabble childhoods. In turns funny and heartbreaking, sarcastic and poignant—you will treasure the roller coaster ride you take with the Hopkins family.

-Laura

TIME'S SECOND ARROW

by Robert M. Hazen and Michael L. Wong

The second arrow? What’s the first? Turns out the first arrow is the second law of thermodynamics: The entropy of an isolated system tends to remain constant or increase. This law implies that cosmic time has a direction. This is what physicists call the arrow of time. Hazen and Wong suggest that there is a second arrow: the functional information of the universe is increasing. Don’t worry about your ability to remember your high school’s physics course. The authors present their case in scientific terms, but smoothly bring the discussion into layman’s terms.

The science, the thesis and the professional debate are interesting. The acknowledgement of a difference of opinion and the rational arguments are refreshing.

-Anne

HOW TO HOLD SOMEONE IN YOUR HEART

by Mizuki Tsujimura

Who wouldn’t want to meet a “go-between," someone who could usher you to a time and place to meet up with a deceased loved one? Ayumi is exactly this, due to a gift he was passed from his grandmother. Each chapter in this thoughtful novel is a story of someone who longs for this connection, and Ayumi facilitates while trying to manage his own needs. A lovely, magical read! 

-Beth

THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD: ESSAYS ON LOVE

by Alice Hoffman

The most delightful collection of essays written by fourteen celebrated authors; they range from bringing home a new puppy to the anguish of loss. A perfect gift for dog lovers; you’ll laugh and recognize the foibles of your own furry friends and shed a tear as these families say goodbye to their beloved companions. Paw-istively perfect!

-Di

BIG NOBODY

by Alex Kadis

40 yr old Constantina looks back on her 14 yr old self in 1970s London. Having just lost her mother and living alone with her physically abusive father, Con survives by talking to her posters of David Bowie and Marc Bolan (who also talk back to her). Con's family is Greek and her descriptions of the weekly community Greek Night gatherings are equal parts hilarity and oppression. Kadis has somehow crafted a piece that wraps biting humor around a plot line of surviving abuse. We all have lifelines--we just need to find them.

-Laura