No Two Persons

by Erica Bauermeister

No Two Persons is about the transformative power of stories and the ways that a book can become so much more than just a book. In the case of this novel, that book is titled Theo, and Bauermeister reveals the magic fiction can wield through the perspectives of its author and nine distinct readers with beautiful, empathetic writing and masterful storytelling. Read it, but don't just read it. Share it with a book-loving friend. Discuss it with a book club. Read it again (I promise you it stands up to a second read). Let it be a precious reminder that just because something is made-up doesn't mean it isn't meaningful and true.

The Girls

by John Bowen

This little reissue, originally published in 1986, lured me in with its gorgeous Edward Gorey cover art, and then I couldn't help but stick around. Set in the mid-1970s in the Midlands, it begins with the cozy domestic life of "the girls" Jan and Sue, well-known in the village for their elderflower wine and artisanal cheeses. The two run a quaint shoppe and travel to craft fairs to sell their wares. It's all very cottagecore and relationship goals until Sue grows restless and books herself an extended trip to "find herself" and, meanwhile, Jan finds comfort in the company of a fellow craft fair vendor. However, once Sue is back, the couple find themselves as happy as ever—and expecting a child! I'll admit, at this point, I hesitated to go on, knowing that something must go terribly wrong. After all, the blurb on the back cover boasts murder! Why, I wondered, can't we just have nice things? With trepidation, I continued reading as cozy turned to dark and clever, reminiscent of my favorite Shirley Jackson novel, We Have Always Lived in the Castle. What a gem!

TLDR: Cottagecore. Lesbians. Murder.

Strong Female Character

by Fern Brady

I was already predisposed to liking Scottish comedian Fern Brady's memoir on account of enjoying the hell out of her presence on Taskmasker (a British comedy panel game show) and her stand-up comedy special, Power & Chaos. Upon learning of her autism diagnosis, I admired her celebrity all the more. And when I found out she'd written a book about living undiagnosed for most of her life? I knew I had to read it, and I'm so glad that I did. As implied by the title Strong Female Character, Brady's account of navigating her neurodivergence in a myriad of contexts—family life, school, relationships, work—is told through a specifically female lens; for example, at sixteen a psychiatrist told Brady she couldn't be autistic because she was making eye contact and had a boyfriend. Now, post-diagnosis, she writes to make sense of her experiences with newfound language and research and the result is candid and funny while many of the anecdotes she shares are vulnerable and heartbreaking. I recommend this regardless of whether it's the first time you've heard of Fern Brady. Even having already read it myself, I'm looking forward to giving the audiobook a listen just so I can hear her tell it again in her own voice.

Under the Henfluence: Inside the World of Backyard Chickens and the People Who Love Them

by Tove Danovich

Reading Under the Henfluence is a lot like hanging out with your most enthusiastic and knowledgeable chicken-loving friend. You're sure to be entertained and to learn something—even if, like me, you're the crazy chicken person in your own social circle—as Danovich takes you beyond her backyard to a hatchery in Iowa, a national poultry show in Ohio, and even to the island of Kauai, where the ubiquity and beauty of wild chickens reignited my own childlike love for the animals. With passionate reporting in every chapter, and compassion on every page, this book will make you appreciate how long-lived and deeply entrenched the human-chicken relationship is and compel you to consider what our responsibility is to these delightful and often misunderstood birds.

Ephemera

by Sierra DeMulder

Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage

by Rachel E. Gross

“The history of medicine was filled with 'fathers'—the father of the C-section, the father of endocrinology, the father of ovariotomy—but, ironically, there were no mothers.”

Rachel E. Gross is basically Ms. Frizzle for adults when it comes to exploring female anatomy. Each chapter is a deep-dive into the science, history, and wonder of women's bodies that goes beyond reproductive function. Particularly interesting are the accounts of women scientists and their personal and professional experiences in a male-biased (and let's face it, phallus-obsessed) medical industry, from Dr. Helen O'Connell's discovery that the clitoris as we knew it prior to 1998 was merely the tip of the iceberg and Dr. Patty Brennan's enthusiasm for duck vaginas to Dr. Ghada Hatem's charitable clitoral reconstructions for victims of genital cutting and finally Dr. Marci Bowers' surgical artistry in creating neovaginas for fellow transwomen. Women's healthcare has historically been plagued by ignorance and disinterest, but Vagina Obscura gives me reassurance that we're moving toward a future where, quite the opposite from languishing in obscurity, the female body can finally be not only understood, but respected and celebrated.

This Will Be Funny Someday

by Katie Henry

Old Enough

by Haley Jakobson

Friendship is the heart of this coming-of-age campus novel. As Savannah embarks on her sophomore year of college, proudly out as bisexual, she's happy to be making new connections and cultivating community when her childhood best friend Izzie announces her wedding engagement. Sav greets this news with surprise and dread, and it gradually becomes clear she's not simply outgrowing her old friendship; she's grappling with unaddressed trauma from her past involving Izzie's older brother. Jakobson respectfully tends to the issue of sexual assault, with an emphasis on healing, and she manages to infuse Sav's story with plenty of queer joy. It's a quick, big-hearted read that enjoyably captures that young adult era in life where you think you're finally grown and know everything while you're obviously still figuring out who you are and who you want to be.

The Laughter

by Sonora Jha

As someone who opts to read few books written by straight white men, I'm the kind of reader Dr. Oliver Harding—a 56-year-old white male English professor who fears becoming obsolete and who would definitely make a point of capitalizing White here—would balk at. And yet, I agreed to trust Jha and spend approximately 300 pages inside his head, where I was privy to all his unsavory thoughts and opinions, as well as his inappropriate lust-fueled obsession with a younger female colleague: Ruhaba Khan, a bewitching Pakistani Muslim law professor. I found myself equal parts fascinated and repulsed by Oliver as he ingratiated himself to Ruhaba by way of her 15-year-old French-Muslim nephew, Adil. Set on a Seattle university campus in the days leading up to the 2016 election, The Laughter reads like a modern-day Lolita in academia. It's a masterclass in pacing, tension, and beautiful writing. Wow!

This Country: Searching for Home in (Very) Rural America

by Navied Mahdavian

"We were in search of adventure.

A place we could own land and start a family.

The Millennial dream."

This Country is a beautifully illustrated story of two artists—a documentary filmmaker and a teacher/cartoonist—who buy six acres of land in remote, central Idaho after being priced out of the San Francisco Bay Area. Instantly, I felt immersed in Navied Mahdavian's new life, where he and his wife are determined to be self-sufficient homesteaders living in a 280-square-foot cabin. The two start out charmingly inexperienced with rural living and hardships, such as weather, which becomes most apparent during their first winter, when they must rely on the helpfulness of neighborly strangers. Unfortunately, as Mahdavian and his wife make great strides toward establishing their home in this place—by reopening a local movie theatre, planting an impressive garden, and conceiving a child—the local culture challenges them with its own traditional ideas of what an American is and should be.

There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job

by Kikuko Tsumura

Post-burnout, a 36-year-old woman moves back in with her parents and attempts to find employment that won't demand so much of her. With the help of an agency, she tries on five different menial jobs, from surveillance to copywriting the fun facts printed on cracker packages. In an optimistic twist on the trope of the soul-sucking day job, no matter how mundane the position, our protagonist can't help but become emotionally invested in her work ... and brush up against the familiar feeling of overwhelm, which leads her on to the next. As a member of the Burnout Generation, I found this book to be boring (in the best possible way), quietly funny and strange, and deeply relatable.