The Push by Ashley Audrain

 

I felt like this was right on the edge between ham-fisted and well done.

The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V. E. Schwab

 

I'm not sure why everyone is raving about this. I thought it was kind of lame.

The Fabric of Civilization by Virginia Postrel

 

I loved this -- such a unique perspective into history.

Review copy provided by publisher.

1957 by Eric Burns

 

This . . . just was not that good.

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

 

This was just kind of blah. I would not recommend it.

Exercised by Daniel Liberman

 

I loved this. Super-interesting, very motivating, and funny to boot.

A World without Work by Daniel Susskind

 This is a topic I am very interested in, so I really liked this. I didn't agree with the author about everything, but it was well worth thinking about.

Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger

 

Honestly, this was kind of dumb.

The Quiet Zone by Stephen Kurczy

 

Really interesting -- lots about technology and society, but also an unexpected foray into rural culture and white supremacy.

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

 

This was a great read, despite one kind of lame plot point.

The Psychology of Advertising by Bob Fennis and Wolfgang Stroebe

 

Very interesting (for a textbook). Lots of fascinating research studies here.

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

Very good.

You Can Never Tell by Sarah Warburton

 

This started off strong and was very engaging, but by the end, it seemed that most of the main characters were acting out of character.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Maiden Voyages by Sian Evans

 

This was super-fun -- a very interesting slice of history.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 

I really liked this. I didn't realize until later that it was the same author as The Plot, so now I need to track down their other books.

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donaghue

 

I just didn't like this.

Our Mothers' War by Emily Yellin

 

Really interesting -- I appreciated the perspectives on different groups of women.

Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett

 

Super fun, but not as good as the holy grail book.

The Perfect Medicine by Brodie Ramin

 

This was great fun to read -- very motivating and informative.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

 

If you're into 80s nostalgia, this is perfection.

This Is Not the End by Chandler Baker

 

This didn't work for me.

The Unseen World by Liz Moore

 

I really liked this, largely because it didn't do what I thought it would. Recommended.

First Impressions by Charlie Lovett

 

This was super-fun. I can't figure out how/why I haven't heard of Charlie Lovett before.

The Husbands by Chandler Baker

 

This is the most fun book that I've read in a long time: great characterization, sharp social commentary, interesting and unpredictable plot, and even local color! Highly recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

Failure to Disrupt by Justin Reich

 

This is an excellent book, with lots of overlap of what I am studying.

The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett

 

I loved this book several orders of magnitude more than anything I've read recently. I mean: a curmudgeonly character, a fun literary/historical plot, a love story -- it's all here. Highly recommended.

The Hidden History of Coined Words by Ralph Keyes

 

Super-interesting and quirky.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

 

This was dumb. I don't know why it is so popular.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

 

This was somewhere between "decent" and "good."

I Named My Dog Pushkin by Margarita Gokun Silver

 

This was hilarious. Recommended for a bit of history and a lot of fun.

Review copy provided by publisher.

The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

 

I suspected this would be good because Radium Girls was so good, but this completely knocked my socks off. The story is amazing, and it is told well. Highly recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.

To Tell You the Truth by Gilly MacMillan

 

This was just kind of average.

Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford

 

This was outstanding -- it's one of those books everyone living in Texas, not to mention everyone who wants to understand why/how history is constructed and contested, should read. Plus, it was funny.

All That She Carried by Tiya Miles

 

An amazing story about an amazing artifact.

This Is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan

 

Super interesting -- well worth the time.

Falling by T. J. Newman

 

Great suspense if not great literature -- kind of felt like reading a movie.

Imposter Syndrome by Kathy Wang

 

Super-interesting; an engaging story with good social commentary.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

 

No, it's not great literature, but I still really enjoyed this.

Robert E. Lee and Me by Ty Seidule

 

So, so good. This is one of those books that you wish you could convince everyone to read.

Things You Save In a Fire by Katherine Center

 

This was cheesy, predictable, very cliched . . . and yet I kind of liked it.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam

 

This was OK-ish, but definitely does not live up to the hype.

Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

 

I usually hate magical realism, but this book was completely charming.

Hell-Bent by Benjamin Lorr

 

Super-interesting look at Birkram yoga.

What Fresh Hell Is This? by Heather Corinna

 

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read, with very helpful information.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

 

This was right on the edge between "syrupy and cliched" and "sweet and clever."

CRISP People by Henry T. Greely

 

This was an interesting perspective with a focus on law and ethics.

Blue: In Search of Nature's Rarest Color by Kai Kupferschmidt

 

 Super interesting details.

Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes by Barnaby Phillips

 

This is really more of a history of the relationship of Benin and Britain, and it was so, so interesting.

Between Freedom and Equality by Barbara Boyle Torrey and Clara Myrick Green

 

This was amazing. A fascinating mix of family history and big-picture history.

Delicious: The Evolution of Flavor and How It Made Us Human by Rob Dunn and Monica Sanchez

Kind of vacillated between dull and fascinating.

Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago by Eric Klinenberg

 

Fascinating in so many ways.

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

 

So while reading this, I found it a bit frustrating because it was confusing, but the payoff was excellent. Highly recommended.