“What a powerful and emotional roller coaster ride. One the best novels I’ve read in ages.”

As a Senior Editor at BuzzFeed, I cover books and politics, and I also created the daily vocabulary-boosting word game SAT Scramble.

Reviews have been edited for length and clarity.

Another promising review: "Eleanor Oliphant is an accounting clerk who works all week, stays at home every Friday night enjoying her supermarket pizza and vodka, and waits for Monday to come. She’s fine keeping her distance from the people around her until she finds her 'soulmate' and, at the same time, forms an unlikely friendship with one of her colleagues.

Eleanor is a fascinating and definitely a very memorable character. This book is written from her perspective, which I really loved. We get to see what she sees and know what she thinks. She can be off-putting at times, but still very relatable and realistic. I loved her humor and honesty. Her relationship with Raymond was so sweet and enjoyable to read. 

The author’s writing is compelling and beautiful. I can’t believe that this is her debut novel. This book is sad and painful to read at times, but the author still managed to tell Eleanor’s story in a lighter way (if that makes sense). There’s also a mystery surrounding Eleanor’s past, which is slowly revealed throughout the book. I appreciated how the author handled mental health issues in this book. It’s raw and very moving. I know that this book is not for everyone because you might love or hate Eleanor. But I’m pretty sure that you can relate to her in some ways. This book is about loneliness, unspoken sadness, friendship, and kindness."

Another promising review: "This story isn’t your typical thriller. From the get-go, you know someone’s going to die. But what’s really unsettling is watching this group of smart, privileged young people make excuses for something so awful as it happens. Their total disconnect from reality and morality makes everything even creepier. The murder itself is shocking, but it’s really the reasons behind it and how it all goes down that stick with me."

Another promising review: "It’s hard to believe that The Memory Police was written in 1994. It’s like an allegory for what is happening today with social media and AI that thinks for us. We don’t read novels (well, most of us don’t), and we no longer write our thoughts down to express ourselves.

In Ogawa’s story, art, including writing, is a subversive medium. Without it, people lose their voice and soon forget how to think.

I was rooting for the young writer (the protagonist, not sure we ever learn her name) to keep writing, not to lose her voice. I won’t say how it ends, but it’s very thought-provoking!

Fantastic, imaginative novel. Five stars."

My personal review: My Brilliant Friend tells the story of two friends/frenemies, Lila and Elena, growing up in a poor neighborhood in Naples in the 1950s. I picked up a copy from a little free library a couple of years ago because there was a blurb on the cover comparing Ferrante to Jane Austen if she lived in the 20th century and was really pissed off, and it fully delivered on that promise. 

I absolutely devoured this book. It transported me to Naples in another era, and I quickly burned through the three sequels as well. The intense, complicated, and competitive friendship at the center of the story is so real and relatable. I cried several times while reading it, and there's one moment in particular that still makes me feel a little choked up if I think about it too hard. 

If you like stories about complicated women, do yourself a favor and read some Ferrante. 

Another promising review: "A Psalm for the Wild-Built and A Prayer for the Crown Shy by Becky Chambers (AKA the monk and robot books). They are super short, so accessible even with low motivation. They spoke to me so much, while nothing really happens at all. Someone is lost in their life despite seeming to have what they need and goes out into the world to work out why. It doesn't really have a perfect answer at the end, just like life. But it still feels like a warm hug."

Another promising review: "Usually, the idea of mixing together the 'magic school' trope with the 'strong female protagonist' trope sees me respectfully moving onto another book. Not quite my cup of tea. But this book hooked me with a solid take and a hard attitude, combined with deep veins of creativity and imagination.

This book is rich. A tad overwrought in places, but primarily fun, edgy, rewarding, and well worth the time and attention.

I especially enjoyed the idea of a self-running self-aware school, without staff or faculty whatsoever, full of students only, and absolutely overrun with beasties and baddies, and built halfway between the real world and 'the void.'

Look, it’s hard to explain this book’s appeal without spoiling it. If you like fantasy stories, strong on premise and peopled with great characters and great moments, this one is firing on all cylinders. Excellent writing from a rock-solid author. I think I’ll track down the next book in the series."

My personal review: This is the darkly funny story of a depressed young woman who concocts a plan to sleep for an entire year in hopes of erasing her trauma and starting fresh. Her inner monologue is completely unhinged, and I felt equal parts repulsed and enthralled while going on this journey with her. 

Then there's the ending. I won't spoil anything, but it completely shifted the whole experience of the book for me and took it to an unexpectedly resonant place. 

Another promising review: "I bought this book after seeing excerpts from the movie Project Hail Mary. Oh, my, what a book! Absolute page turner. I kept going back to reread some portions. Now I can't wait to see the film by its name. It's a story of science fiction, yes, but so much more. It speaks to the universal need for relationship, companionship, to have someone to believe in, trust in, and be the best friend of all. Grace was the recipient of such a friendship with a little alien that looks like a spider made out of rock, hence Grace names him Rocky. 

You will belly laugh, cry sad and happy tears, bite your nails until they bleed, and cheer, cheer, cheer for these characters as they race to discover a way to save both their planets from what is causing their suns to dim and lose power to sustain life. Touches every emotion you have, whether you want it to or not. A must-have for any lover of books that will, as Rocky says, AMAZE, AMAZE, AMAZE!"

Another promising review: "This book was a bit of an eye opener for me — it's called sci-fi, but that's only towards the end and doesn't really matter, it's just a damn good read. The characters are believable, and I certainly came to care about them. The plot is very clever. The way the historic periods are interwoven through the characters at different times in their lives is brilliant. Incidentally, I learned a lot about Zambia and Zimbabwe, which triggered me to learn more from other sources. I highly recommend this book."

Another promising review: "The best novel from South Korea. Well written. I read it in 3 hours, and I cried throughout the whole 3 hours."

Another promising review: "Where do I begin? This book brought so many questions with it about the afterlife, religion, the human experience, desires, and the psyche of humans, etc. The idea that there are versions of hell, but this one is a library of Babel. Endless amounts of books, endless stories in the building, and you have to find the ONE book containing the story of your life. This book, at many times, felt hopeless, but the main character's journey in it made you feel like he may one day find his book, since he had an eternity to do so. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a very unique short read that makes you appreciate your life a little bit more."

Another promising review: "'Florida's soil is soaked with so much blood, it's a wonder the droplets don't seep between your toes with every step, Mama used to say.'

Wow. Just wow. I'm actually kind of speechless after this one. This is such a UNIQUE story, because it falls in the historical fiction AND horror book genres. The reformatory in the book is based on the real Dozier School for Boys that was owned by the state of Florida from 1900 to 2011, and all of the horrible things that took place there.

And the fact that this real-life reformatory didn't actually close until 2011 is a horror in itself (after all of the deaths, abuse & violence allegations).

The writing was so powerful, yet beautiful. The story itself has a perfect mix of horror in fiction and reality. I loved how the supernatural was blended into this story; it really elevated it to another level. There were some *gasp* moments I didn't see coming.

There are so many layers to this one, and it is a powerful story I am glad I read. If you're ready for a powerful reading experience of a historical horror novel, this is a MUST-read."

Another promising review: "This would be an interesting novel if it were set almost anywhere. An actress comes home from London to visit family and ends up appearing in Hamlet. Anyone interested in theater will recognize and enjoy the problems of doing a production with an uneven cast and budget. But move this to the world of the Palestinians and Israelis, and the play itself speaks to us in a new and very relevant voice. Isabella Hammad is an excellent writer. Strong characters and good descriptive writing make us feel the heat and the tensions of these people's lives. Well worth reading."

Another promising review: "This was a fun, dark, fast adventure. I loved the world, lore, faith, and creatures that the author created. I really don’t want to give much away. I consumed this book in two days. I loved the main character, Six, a diviner (priestess) that is caught in the crosshairs of the gods of her realm and an ambitious young king. A young king and two rogue knights try to convince the young priestess that her faith is corrupted and false. Will Six follow her visions and the creed of her faith, or a rogue knight and a young king? Who is telling the truth, and why are the other priestesses of the tor disappearing?"

Another promising review: "Revenants, rot, and revenge creep around and permeate the 12 stories of this spectacular collection. Enriquez mixes the grit and alienation of modern urban life with moments of the uncanny, grotesque, and pure dread. Unlike many works of horror that don’t quite click, Enriquez’s writing never feels forced. Instead, it’s a rare moment in this collection where you don’t feel the menace, guilt, or pain (both personal and historical) bubbling just beneath the surface. I highly recommend this collection for anyone looking for some genuinely creepy stories by an author who is in full command of her powers."

Another promising review: "This book deals with issues of love, accountability, and the afterlife. 

Reviewing it without giving the story away: The book will make you think about big issues. It will also make you laugh and cry in places."

Another promising review: "Not only did I love the story — a story with just enough red herrings to keep me guessing — I also loved learning about early Bollywood, about the Bengali community in Bombay, and — as in her other books — the indignities heaped on Indians by the British. I also appreciate the way that Perveen is developing into a deeply empathetic and compassionate woman. Indeed, the character development of all of the central characters in this series is really outstanding. I'm looking forward to the next installment!"

Another promising review: "One of the best novels I have read in ages, and at the end I felt totally drained! What a powerful and emotional roller coaster ride. Quite a long novel, but the buildup of tension and merging of subplots is well sustained to the end. Excellent characterization, with a brilliant exposé of the forces of lust, greed, hope, desperation, innocence, courage, obsession, and ruthlessness. The story progresses inexorably to what you know must be a dreadful climax, but it still shocks you when it happens. Utterly compelling."

Another promising review: "Part revenge story, part Interview with the Vampire, part elegiac history of the Piegan Blackfeet peoples. The story, its characters, and its period-accurate prose are compelling enough, but as the tale progresses, and its world becomes richer, the stakes higher, and the historical context clearer, it takes on a greater momentum. It helps if you know about the 19th century in the American West, especially the Marias Massacre of 1870. While the primary narrator is a white clergyman, the real protagonist is a Blackfeet known as Good Stab (just one of multiple names). Readers will root for him as well as be terrified of him. His character, his adventures, and his passionate embrace of both life and justice make for compelling reading."