This Maycember was one of the busiest I can remember, with LOTS of night meetings for work to celebrate the end of the school year. Between that and busy weekends and a back injury, I didn’t have the time or the brain power to read my usual volume. Plus, I am intentionally avoiding the popcorn thrillers that are so easy and quick to read, forcing myself to read books that make me think a bit more. This month I read:

• The Letters by Luanne Rice & Joseph Monninger [audiobook] – I found this in my library collection while looking for other books written by Monninger. This was a sad, sweet story told in letters written by Hadley and Sam, a couple who were separated and headed for divorce after the sudden death of their son. We learn about their marriage and happy life, raising Paul, and the way grief tore them apart, through their letters. They began writing letters to each other when Sam went to Alaska to see the place where their son died tragically, and Hadley is holed up across the country, trying to find herself again through her art. They find they can be kinder with each other through the written word, and the sadness that is wrapped around them both. This had the same love of nature as my favorite Eternal on the Water, but I didn’t fall in love with the characters in the same way.
• I’ll Have What She’s Having by Chelsea Handler [audiobook] – I always enjoy listening to Chelsea Handler read her essay collections. She is witty, funny, sarcastic, and self-reflective. I appreciate that she, like, is a single woman from NJ who chose not thave children, but who loves her friends and family and travel immensely. I wish I had the ability to fly first class everywhere like she does, or to own houses in Morocco or Whistler. I love her energy, her love of reading and learning, and her honesty about how she has been working on herself over the last 5+ years. This was full of humor and reality.
• Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh – I enjoy this Eddie Flynn series by Cavanagh. Eddie is a former con man, now lawyer, who uses his nefarious connections and extreme intelligence to defend clients and escape from frightening situations. In this one, he is defening a man on what he believes is a false murder charge, while also trying to sgtay alive after the NYC police put a hit out on his head. This was tense and fun!
• Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry [audiobook] – What I appreciate about Emily Henry’s books is that she writes relatable characters who I really like, which makes for a nice reading experience. Alice and Hayden meet when they are both offered a trial opportunity to write the long-awaited memoir of an American celebrity. Throughout a month of getting to know the matriarch of the richest family in America, Alice and Hayden also get to know each other and themselves. This story is about finding and enjoying all the loves of your life.
• The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon – I saw this book all over the Internet last year, and had at least one colleague tell me it was good. This is a historical fiction story, loosely based on the life and journal of Marthan Ballard, a midwife in the 1800’s. Martha kept a daily journal that recorded the weather and whether or not she was at home or out delivering babies. This book tackles sexism and the judicial system of our past, as well as how women were treated. It’s a beautiful story about powerful women surviving in spite of the time and their circumstances. I loved it!
• The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwik – This was the Secret Stuff book club choice for May and I’m so glad! It’s a new release and the author joined our book club meeting. It was so fun to hear about her research and other books, since I had never heard of her before. This story takes place in the 1960’s, as we meet a group of four women who come together at first to read The Feminine Mystique. As the women get to know each other, they discover what they really want out of their lives and find ways to go after what they want, in small and radical ways. I loved each character’s unique dreams. This book was full of powerful women fighting against the patriarchy. Sadly, it feels too familiar today in 2025, but it gave me hope and inspiration!

Favorite Books

• Best essay collection that combines sarcasm, humor and mindfulness into one entertaining ride: I’ll Have What She’s Having
• Best historical fiction story of a badass midwife solving a murder mystery: The Frozen River
• Best historical fiction that could practically be about 2025 but was really about 1963: The Book Club for Troublesome Women