In the Dream House has received a lot of attention. Its own dust jacket calls it an “instant classic.” And I am here to tell you that all of this is entirely warranted.

I was pleasantly surprised that this book did NOT feel like so many others that had come before it. Wendy Wood is an accomplished neuroscience researcher who also has a knack for translating her results into helpful, clear prose.

I am not the first to say it, and I will not be the last: How We Fight for Our Lives is an incredible work of art. A memoir that truly stands apart — one that reaches into your heart and guts and squeezes. One that uses words more powerfully than almost any other. One that will stay with you for a long, long time.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to see the world through a poet’s eyes? The Crying Book is part memoir, part physical exploration, part societal observation, and 100% emotion.

As soon as I had this book in my hands, I was excited to read it. Biased is a scientific, uncompromising, empathetic look at bias (often specifically racial bias).

Talking to Strangers is, without a doubt, Malcolm Gladwell at his finest. His skill at combining stories and examples with scientific study in order to keep you engaged and demonstrate complex psychological phenomena is unparalleled.

The Witches Are Coming is straight-up feminist / liberal candy. She’s definitely going to be preaching to the choir — but members of that choir are going to eat. it. up.

How to Be an Antiracist is a frank, straightforward, clarifying, no-holds-barred book about racism — more so than almost any other book like this I’ve read in the past.

Gretchen McCulloch is (as you would hope, with this subject matter) conversational, fun, and very in touch with internet trends and spaces. She brings relatable examples together with smart research to make clear what so-called “internet people” can naturally sense but not explain.

Survive and Resist offers an intriguing premise: to look at actual dystopian political theory through the lens of fiction, film, and television. Um, helloooooo, sign me up!

This book was FANTASTIC. In fact, I liked it so much that after I finished my library’s audiobook copy, I bought a physical copy so I could loan it out to friends.

There Will Be No Miracles Here is an example of exactly why I love to read memoir. Actually, I really love to listen to memoir audiobooks (as I did with this one) — the author often reads the book themself. And this book is incredibly honest, raw, and thought-provoking.

I’m not giving this a star rating because Three Women is a difficult book to review. On the one hand, as the hype around this book suggests, the writing is really good, and the subject matter is gripping. However, there’s a big asterisk there: The publicity around this book has been extremely problematic.

The In-Betweens is a fascinating, journalistic look into a world that quietly exists right under all of our noses — the religion and community of Spiritualism. Her neutral but relatable reporting will leave you thinking long after you close the book.

I liked but didn’t love this book, and I think that’s because it was very different from what I’d expected. This book is much less of a guide to fiction (reading or writing), and more like a love letter or an ode to fiction.

Range was an interesting and (mostly) engaging look at the different approaches to learning that we take in society today. I thought the author was clear and conversational, and he used good examples and stories that are relatable to real life.

Rating: 3/5 | I read Loonshots as part of my subscription to the Next Big Idea Club (which I highly recommend!). The author combines principles from physics with that of business and innovation in order to show when and why companies go from great-idea-machines to great-idea-graveyards. (Click the post to read more.)

Rating: 4/5 | I Miss You When I Blink was a delightful little book of essays. Mary Laura Philpott dives into herself, finds her way around, and then lets us in to see. It's an example of creative nonfiction at its best, the story of an average woman's life (if any of us can be called average) made poignant. A glimpse into the human experience that makes us feel seen and hopeful. (Click the post to read more.)

Rating: 5/5 | I chose Real Queer America for my office's Pride Month book club. I wanted to read something by either a cisgender woman or a transgender person, and I wanted to spark conversation about experiences that even our very diverse team had not considered before. This. book. was. it. Samantha Allen's prose is clear and impactful, yet warm and fun. I'm so, so glad I read it, and I can't wait to talk about it more. (Click the post to read more.)