Ordinary Girls: A Memoir – A very powerful memoir.  Jaquira is a survivor.  Many of her friends, who were just ordinary girls, were not.  She could have ended up in a very different place.  The title truly says it all.

The Mountains Sing – A beautiful multi-generational book about growing up in Vietnam war and the toll it took on the country and a family.

Strung Out: One Last Hit and Other Lies That Nearly Killed Me – An incredible memoir on how addiction ravages you.

American Dirt – We have all read the horrors of lives being destroyed in their own countries by gangs.  The book is definitely a page-turner but not sure how much research the writer did or how connected she is to this terrible situation.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer – Love a good detective tale.

Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family – An incredible insight into a family traumatized by mental illness and the search for help.

My Dark Vanessa – Next generation Lolita.  Incredible book.

32 Yolks: From My Mother’s Table to Working the Line Eric Ripert – I have read countless memoirs from chefs and most I do not finish.  This is worthy read.  Ripert is top in his field.  This book is honest, authentic and gives insight into him, his success and how hard it is to succeed in the restaurant business.  Loved it.

Shuggie Bain Douglas Stuart – A family ravaged by drug and alcohol abuse in Scotland in the 1980’s all told through a child’s point of view.

Trust Exercise Susan Choi – A dark funny coming of age novel.

Uncanny Valley, a Memoir, Anna Wiener – A document of being a millenial in the tech world.  Extremely well written and page turning.

The End of Lonliness Benedict Wells – One of my favorite books in awhile.  I am still thinking about it.  A Germany family of 3 children lose their parents and life changes.  The youngest takes the reader with him through love, loss, trauma and wondering about how life might have been if his parents had survived.