“For every woman who has ever fantasized about driving past her exit on the highway instead of making dinner, for anyone who has ever dreamed of boarding a train to a place where no one needs constant attention, here is Maribeth Klein. A harried working mother who’s so busy taking care of her husband and twins, she doesn’t even realize she’s had a heart attack.” And so Leave Me by Gayle Forman begins. Shortly after her heart attack, subsequent bypass surgery, and recovery, Maribeth ups and leaves her family. She makes a new life for herself in Pittsburgh and confronts her adoption and marital issues from afar. I enjoyed Leave Me very much. While leaving her young twins seems implausible, the story works and is a pleasant read. Not too deep, but just right for those who try to juggle it all.

Another Susan Crawford book ended up on my to-read list. The Other Widow, much like The Pocket Wife (reviewed here), was a fast-paced thriller, with not much to it. It was perfect for this cold, eerie, Halloween time of year. In this thriller, Dorrie is in a fatal car crash with the man she is having an affair with, Joe. Joe leaves behind a mess at his business and a stunned wife. Each chapter is from a different character’s perspective and is written in a different font (a feature I like in novels). Looking for a quick no-brainer read? This is it.

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch could not have been more different than Nine Women, One Dress, my last book. I could barely put it down and kept updating my family at every turn about the next surprise the book held. It is very challenging to write about Dark Matter without spoiling it. Suffice it to say, Jason is living a normal life with his wife and son until one night when he is knocked unconscious. He wakes up to a life where his wife is not his wife and he has no son. In addition, his life is no longer ordinary: he is a celebrated genius who has invented something impossible. Is this a dream? How does he get back to the life he knew? The story twists and bends reality and keeps you on your toes at every step. And, while I am not sure I fully figured out how it all could possibly work, it was a good ride, nonetheless.

I admit it – I am fascinated with polygamy. I can’t figure out how it could possibly work for any family. Ever. This is why I devoured “Big Love” and “Sister Wives.” The Sound of Gravel is a memoir of a girl growing up in a polygamist sect in Mexico. Ruthie was the thirty-ninth of her father’s forty-two children. Her family lived in poverty and she was abused by her step-father. It’s a depressing story, but one of hope as well. I read the whole book in a few hours because it was so readable and interesting. The author didn’t get into the weeds about the sect itself, but focused on her own day-to-day experience. I really wanted to find out how she escaped this life and what her adult life is like. I didn’t get much of this at the end, but the story carried itself anyway.

I was excited to read Nine Women, One Dress by Jane Rosen because the premise sounded unique and the story sounded light and appropriate for a busy time of year. And, this book succeeded in being just what I was looking for. Each chapter connects with the others through a little black dress designed by Max Hammer. The dress brings happiness and good luck to this group of unrelated woman. Following their stories is fun and easy. Just what I needed right now.

A former colleague of mine recommended The Rent Collector by Camron Wright to me and I am so glad she did. It was a wonderful read, much like behind the beautiful forevers. The Rent Collector follows the life of Sang Ly and her husband who live in a Cambodian dump with their very ill son, Nisay. Sang Ly befriends the rent collector, who teaches her to read. And, in the surprise friendship, all kinds of unexpected things happen. While terribly depressing, the redemption and potential for change that are realized by the end, make it a superb read.

I had been eagerly anticipating reading Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton. I have enjoyed learning Glennon’s story and wanted to know more. And, true to all her writing (which I think pulls you right in), this biography pulled you right in. And, since I didn’t know so much about the details of her story, it absolutely kept me engaged until the very last word. It is a terrific biography – you should definitely pick it up.

The Wonder, by Emma Donoghue (Room), is disturbing, like Room, but entirely different. Lib, a widowed nurse, is sent to Ireland to sit and watch Anna, who hasn’t eaten in four months. She is dispatched to do the watching to determine whether Anna being alive is a miracle, or if something nefarious is going on. I struggled to get through this book. It was so very slow (probably intentionally so you felt as Lib felt sitting and watching), until about 30 pages from the end, when things fast-forwarded and went careening toward the ending. I can’t say, therefore, that I recommend this one. While I am glad I stuck with it to find out what happened, I kind of wish I hadn’t picked it up in the first place. It was especially disappointing since Room was so much better.

The Light of Paris, by Eleanor Brown (of The Weird Sisters, which was one of the first books I reviewed on this blog – and didn’t like at all, by the way) was a light, fun read about two women, unhappy wife and grandmother, in alternating chapters, facing similar issues between fulfilling society’s norms and their own hopes and dreams. It was a light and enjoyable read and, if you like Paris, will make you want to get back there.

the book that matters most by Ann Hood, was an absolute delight and one that I almost read in a day – it was that good. Ava’s husband has left her and she is at loose ends until she is invited to join a friend’s book club. This year, the book club’s theme is “the book that matters most to you.” Running alongside this primary story is the story of Ava’s daughter Maggie, who unbeknownst to her family, has dropped out of her junior-year-abroad program and fallen into a messy situation in Paris. Also, every now and again, we read about Hank Bingham, the police detective who is still trying to solve the case of Ava’s sister who died when they were children (those chapters could have been skipped, if you ask me, as they really only played into the story toward the end). This was absolutely worth a read, particularly for a book club.