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In 1938, Ellie is stunned when her husband, Lionel, tells her he is in love with someone else and wants a divorce. With their two sons grown, Lionel expects that Ellie will move out of their home and into a small cottage in the village or move to London. Ellie instead decides to travel to France with Mavis, her former housekeeper, and Dora, an older woman that she's known for many years. With the South of France as their destination, the trio end up in Saint-Benet, a small fishing village near Marseille.

In her moving memoir, Suleika Jaouad shares the story around her leukemia diagnosis at 23 and what comes next. Filling journals regularly helped Suleika compose her memoir with details of her brief time in Paris after college, her worsening illness, her diagnosis and treatment, and her life thereafter.

I discovered Fredrik Backman this year. I read Anxious People (2020), A Man Called Ove (2014), and My Friends (2025).

How to Do Nothing (2019) by multitalented educator Jenny Odell was my December pick for the 20s & 30s book discussion. Not only is our author in our age group, I thought it would be a good palate cleanser between works of fiction. While it took a little while to grab my attention (did I resist it?

I absolutely adored this heartwarming and funny Christmas romance, perfect for anyone who loves quirky characters (both human and animal) and holiday movies.

Cosmic Love at the Multiverse Hair Salon (2025), by Annie Mare, is a fun, cozy, modern-day romance with science fiction elements. When Tressa Fay receives a text message meant for someone else, she lets the sender—an engineer named Meryl—know she has the wrong number.

At Vassar in 1946, Anne Bishop hides that she is Jewish because she doesn't want to be socially ostracized. She develops a friendship with another Jewish girl, Delia, in secret. Delia is unabashedly herself and doesn't care that she has no friends at the university. At times, Anne, is in awe of how self-confident Delia is. One day Anne betrays Delia and their bond is fractured.

In 1898, Harriet Morrow has just been hired as an investigator at the Prescott Detective Agency in downtown Chicago. She is given a week to find Agnes Wozniak, a maid who has disappeared from the home of her employer, Pearl Bartlett. Harriet starts by delving into the life of Agnes and whose paths would have crossed Agnes', since Agnes worked six days a week and only had Wednesdays off. In addition, many of Harriet's fellow detectives and the secretaries at the Prescott Agency resent Harriet's presence there, making her job even tougher.

In Winging It With You (2025) by Chip Pons, Asher Bennett and his boyfriend are on their way to compete on the fictional, Amazing Race-inspired reality show The Epic Trek when Asher’s boyfriend abruptly dumps him in the middle of the airport.

Gripping and moving, heartbreaking and hopeful, this memoir is a must-listen. Child star Alyson Stoner details their life from childhood in Ohio to a move to Hollywood at age 7 to chase a dream of stardom. From a breakthrough performance as a dancer in Missy Elliot's "Work It" music video to a host of Disney Channel appearances and one of the Baker children in the Cheaper By the Dozen remakes, Alyson was a familiar face in the early 2000s.

The Midnight Library is a novel about 30-year-old Nora Seed whose life did not end up how she imagined it would be twenty years ago. Nora's life is full of regret, plagued by what-ifs and missed opportunities. Unexpectedly, Nora comes across a rare and mystical opportunity that allows her to live through all those what-ifs and find her perfect fit. 

If you’re looking for an audiobook that feels like both a story and a retreat, The River Has Roots (2025) by Amal El-Mohtar is a beautifully woven tale you won’t want to miss. The soothing background noises transport you into the world of the narrative—like drifting along a riverbank, every sound adding depth and warmth.