El alchimista by Paulo Coehlo.

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

El alquimista by Paulo Coehlo.

The Incendiaries by RO Kwon

Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips. I absolutely devoured this book. After spotting it on display at my favorite Independent Bookstore I was intrigued. The title makes it sounds like it touches on Climate Change. Nope. It's set in wild and isolated Russia where I imagine the ice seems to disappear into the horizon. This book was described as a literary thriller. I loved the wonderful character based writing but think I read the book with a “thriller” mindset, trying to solve the mystery that links together all of the characters. As I now reflect on the book and think about the ending, I see (and will definitely re read with this in mind) the author's brilliance is in her insightful character and community vignettes. Unique format. Splendid book.

This is How You Loose the Time War: This was a unique and weird book. At times I thought it was way to smart for me. Did I get all the historical and literary references? Two otherworldly agents, Blue of the organic world and Red of the tech world, are pitted against each other and so impressed by their skills to save or destroy all the time strands of different worlds, they become, of all things, pen pals. The taunting and exploration becomes much more. A love develops but how do enemies outsmart those that control you and read your very thoughts in order to be together? Or is one just simply playing the other for the ultimate con? You will either love, hate or not finish this book. It can hardly stand for middle ground.

The Secret History by Donna Tart

The Hate U Give (Angie Thomas) was a sobering and powerful read, especially in the wake of all that has happened this spring. It made me face the reality that even though the book was written in 2017, and there have been many incidents of police brutality and killings in the last 3 years, nothing has really changed, and we have a lot of work to do. Ms. Thomas created memorable and relatable characters in Starr, Kenya, Seven, Chris, Maya, Hailey and others. Through these voices, The Hate U Give provided a window into the experiences that too many Black Americans have in communities around the country. Read, share with your family and friends, and discuss.

"Better" by Atul Gawande captures the technical, practical, and ethical challenges in medicine that are relevant to challenging decisions encountered in any setting. Told in a series of vignettes, Gawande's crisp style makes you pause and think of how you can make any given situation better.

The Last Flight by Julie Clark