If You Only Read One: January 2020

We know that we read — and review — a lot of books. It definitely helps that there are three of us, in that regard. So with this feature, we want to tell you our favorite read of the month - if we only recommend one book to pick up, what would it be?

Shannon

I didn’t have an excellent month of reading which was a bit disappointing. There were some good ones mixed in with some more disappointing/lackluster ones. However, I loved “American Overdose” by Chris McGreal. (Read my full five-star review here.) I flew through this book in just a few days, a testament to how compelling McGreal’s writing is considering the heavy topic. If you’re unfamiliar or with the opioid crisis, it’s a good primer on how the situation came to be and escalated so quickly, and outlines how doctors, the FDA, and the pharmaceutical industry have all played roles. As I wrote in my review, it’s incredibly heartbreaking to look back and realize the scope of the epidemic could have been lessened. Even if you’re not a nonfiction fan, I highly recommend this one.

Moira

Like Shannon, I have not had the best reading month. This is a first: I’m picking the book I’m currently reading. Cathleen Schine’s “They May Not Mean To, But They Do” is a wonderful book about the Upper West Side, aging, the sandwich generation, intergenerational dynamics, and many other things. I’m loving how it handles such intense topics with a great deal of humor. And clock that Philip Larkin reference!

Elizabeth

I honestly was vacillating as I wrote this between two books: “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid, and “All the Ways We Said Goodbye” by Lauren Willig, Karen White, and Beatriz Williams; I even considered flipping a coin to choose a winner. However, as you all know, I am a comfort re-reader, and I definitely see myself reaching more for “All the Ways…” in the future, so that one will have to get my vote. I’ve already written a full review on this one, so if you want allllll the words, feel free to click over there. I’ll just say that it’s one of the better historical fiction books I’ve read recently, and I loved the three different timelines. They each had their own heroine, their own tone, and their own emotions, but it ended up in a lovely and coherent story. If you’re looking for something a little beyond just a woman-in-World-War-II dire straits, this might just be the book for you!

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