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This book is a series of essays by Mindy Kaling covering topics from her 'beauty secrets' to confidence. It's pretty light fare, but I find her narrative endearing and there were a few very poignant sections that added depth. Kaling is a talented comedy writer and there were plenty of laugh out loud lines in here. Definitely worth reading if you are in the mood for something funny.

Also, I really appreciate her take on doing sex scenes.

I listened to this in three hours cleaning the house. It was funny and entertaining. Nothing particularly groundbreaking, but Carrie Fisher did the audiobook narration and it was fun to hear her voice.

This book was beautifully written - equal parts hilarity and melancholy. I really enjoy David Sedaris in general, but this is probably my favorite book of his to date.

Girl A is a book that could easily have crossed the line and exploited the reader by being too graphic about the cruelty visited upon these children, but the author maintains focus on the their relationship to one another. Which is not to say that she avoids descriptions of abuse. There are some passages here that are disturbing, but mostly for the emotional and psychological impact. I thought the story was artfully told, and compelling.

This is an absolute masterpiece.

I picked this off a list of 'new feminist speculative fiction books' and dove in without knowing anything about the author or the book itself, and I'm glad I did.

The story incorporates AI, sexual servitude and the sex trade, power, the parameters of the human condition, slavery, and love. It's told from the point of view of a 'doll' who has been created to fulfill the needs of men, and beautifully echos the experience of women in societies around the globe for centuries.

If you get a chance, check out the audio book. It's narrated beautifully and you get to hear the transformation of the main character as she evolves throughout the book.

All of Murakami's books have an element of melancholy to them, but this one particularly so. I appreciate the straightforward storytelling because it adds an element of realism to the characters' engagement with one another and builds empathy for all of them - each caught in their own despair.

I also really appreciate how he writes about sex in such a straightforward manner. It keeps a book like this - with a major component being sexual longing - from turning salacious and gratuitous.

This is my first Katherine May book, and I knew very little about her when I started reading. I love hiking, though, and loved how she took us along with her as she followed this trail over a year's time while working through her own personal journey of self-discovery. May is funny, and also, honest with herself and her readers about her challenges and triumphs. It was a relatable book - not aspirational, but inspirational.