This is Alison Bechel’s memoir graphic novel, which was also made into a Broadway musical. I think there were some interesting choices in what words she chose. Some of them were very academic. I am not sure if that was intentional to reference her father’s sophisticated preferences, but it made it a more challenging read. I did find the story interesting and it was a unique way to tell it through words and art. The book is very revealing and heartfelt. It helps tell a story of how we can all struggle with finding who we are.

Read this book!!! Penn is an author who is a stay-at-home dad; Rosie is emergency room doctor who eventually changes her preferred specialty to accommodate her youngest child. The couple has 5 sons, but at 3 years old the youngest tells them that when he grows up, he wants to be a girl. This book does an incredible job of showing what it’s like when a member of the family was born with the wrong genitalia. The author tells how different family members and community members react, and the impact this has on the child, the parents, the siblings, the grandmother, and friends. It’s also a novel about parenthood in general. I did not want to put this book down. It's insightful, heartfelt, full of quotes that I highlighted, and a must read.

This was a complex read for me. Chosen by my book club, and I am in the end, so glad they did. I initially had a hard time adjusting to the language, and the pattern of writing. This for me require a slow contemplative read. I developed a deep respect for the author. Taught me much about the times, especially the plight of women. Behind this complicated soap opera are themes around issues of second chances, class issues, social mores, cultural aspects of the time, and integrity. I can’t say I loved it but I can say, it was a remarkable novel, and I am glad I read it. I am also glad I did not live during that time.

I found this novel truly heartbreaking as Claire in her husband experience so many losses. But Claire is resilient and a devoted mother and grandmother; she carries on with her life and makes a real difference to the children she fosters. The ending is cathartic.

A woman inherits a beach house on Fire Island and spends the summer there trying to figure out her life. This book is kind of a sequel to On Fire Island, with some of the characters from that book in this one. It's a cute rom-com. Lots of characters, a love-hate relationship.

Marianne is a sixty year old German woman stuck in a loveless marriage and tries to kill herself. She is saved by three homeless men and her husband commits her to a mental institution. She escapes and ends up in a quaint town in Brittany, France where she makes herself a happy life with friends and joy. When her husband tracks her down will Marianne take him back and go back to her former life? Read a find out. I recommend this book. It was an easy read and you really root for Marianne’s happiness.

A couple of college kids find each other through their love of music. They plan to go to Nashville after graduation to pursue their music careers together, but life gets in the way and only one of them goes. Their paths cross again later in life, and this is the story of how their journey continues. Loved this book. I highly recommend it. I hated for it to end.

This book was just what I needed for a summer read, light and breezy. Twin Olive announces to her very close family that she and her fiancé are going to elope in Hawaii so not to remind her sister, Amelia, of her failed marriage. The family plans to surprise the couple in Hawaii with a full blown wedding. Ami and her cousin Diego set off early to start the preparations. Ami is forced to plan the wedding with charismatic best man Brody and eventually they like each other. Was this whole elopement a ruse to get Ami out of her rut. Read and find out. I also recommend the audiobook, it is read with multiple actors and sound effects.

Art therapists focus on helping individuals build psychological skills and emotional intelligence . An art therapist's goal is to help individuals discover an outlet for often complex and confusing feelings and foster self-awareness and growth. Lenni is lonely and lively and is one of the novel's protagonists. The lively Lenni has a reputation for causing trouble and frequently wanders around the hospital without permission. Lenni has a deep innate desire to help people. Over the course of the novel, the dynamic protagonist goes from lonely to loved and overcomes her fear of death.

This is an amazing book. I love her as a writer, but her books keep getting better and better. I can't wait to read her next one!