Bug Hollow
Michelle Huneven
A pregnant girlfriend shows up on the Samuelsons' doorstep and reshapes a family for decades. Huneven does quiet domestic comedy and real grief better than almost anyone.
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★ 5Search
Michelle Huneven
A church committee searching for a new minister, with recipes. Huneven makes small-group politics weirdly gripping and funny. Loved it.
Off Course
Michelle Huneven
A woman holes up at her family's Sierra cabin to finish her dissertation and instead falls into a consuming affair. Huneven is so good on desire and self-sabotage.
★ 5The Correspondent
Virginia Evans
The protagonist of this beautiful novel is a 73-year-old woman processing her life — and regrets — through letters. It’s poignant but not saccharine, specific but universally appealing. I dare you not to cry.
Tom Lake
Ann Patchett
An older woman tells her daughters about the summer she spent performing alongside — and falling in love with — a now-famous actor. My friend Anna said her husband adored this book just as much as she did — impressive, considering he typically reads business non-fiction.
★ 5Whistler
Ann Patchett
Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors for a reason; I couldn't put this down.