LaRose by Louise Erdrich

National Book Award Winner Louise Erdrich begins her new novel, LaRose, with a punch to the gut: a hunting accident involving Landreaux Iron results in the death of his neighbor’s five-year-old son Dusty Ravich.  The two families had been close; the mothers were half-sisters, the five-year-old sons best friends.  Grief works in different ways on the two families and soon the Irons decide to honor an ancient tradition in order to make up for the Ravichs’ loss.  The Iron’s give their five-year-old son LaRose to the Ravich family.  Between a sweeping history of the four previous generations of LaRoses, and the story of Landreaux Iron’s past, Erdrich weaves a tale of loss and love.  LaRose grows to be a bond between the two families, helping them process their grief.  This deeply emotional read is another powerful novel from a talented award-winning author.

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Lucy Knisley was born the daughter of a chef and a gourmet food connoisseur, so it should come as no surprise that this talented cartoonist and author of several graphic novelist would write and illustrate a memoir of her obsession with food. As hilarious as her other work, Lucy uses this book to frame many important life events around what delicious food she was eating, learning to cook alongside her mother, and what it means to thoroughly enjoy a meal with those one loves.

Each frame of Relish: My Life in the Kitchen is adorned with adorable illustrations, including the recipes Knisley shares at the end of each chapter, many of them for well-loved family dishes. For Knisley food is more than just survival, it's a large part of who she is and where she's come from.

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

It's been ten years since Nicolette Farell left her rural hometown of Cooley Ridge, PA after her best friend Corinne disappeared. Leaving her sleepy hometown after Corinne's disappearance, Nic reinvented herself--she has a successful career, a high powered attorney finace, and a place of her own in Philadelphia. But now that Nic is forced to come back to tie up loose ends as her father moves into an assisted living facility, it's as if nothing has changed. With Nic back in town, old feelings and drama are stirred up...and it doesn't help that another young woman, Annaleise, Nic's childhood neighbor and alibi the night Corinne disappear, has now gone missing, too.

Told in reverse order from day 15 to 1, Nic starts to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of Annaleise and with that the mystery of Corinne. Just like ten years ago, the investigation is once again focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, and Tyler, Nic's former boyfriend.

With twists, turns, and shocks you won't believe, All the Missing Girls has been compared to The Girl on the Train and The Luckiest Girl Alive. 

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick

You may know Anna Kendrick from her starring role in the Pitch Perfect series, or perhaps her Oscar nominated role in Up in the Air. Maybe you recognize her as Jessica, the snarky friend from the Twilight movies. Or maybe you are one of the people who remember her roles in independent films like Camp, where she plays a "scary little girl". No matter what the role, there is no denying that Anna Kendrick is a actress on the rise, and Scrappy Little Nobody gives an inner look at how this all happened.

Anna describes her ascent from tiny Maine theater to Broadway to Hollywood with ease. Her first big break on Broadway was due to trusting parents sending her with her 14 year old brother to the big city on their own. Her breaks in movies come a little harder, as she explains to high school friends that the Sundance she is at, is the SUNDANCE where celebrities go. And while everyone else was staring college, she was giving acting a full on go, which forced her to grow up quickly. Even as her fame started to rise, her budget did not quite reflect that, and there are some regrettable fashion choices along the way.

Scrappy Little Nobody is one of those books you'll race through to laugh with Anna about her life, and ridiculousness of it all. Not quite a celebrity tell all, not quite a rise to the top story, but a life in progress view that will endure you to this performer. Fans of celebrity memoirs, such as Judy Greer's I Don't Know Where You Know Me From and Aisha Tyler's Self Inflected Wounds won't be disappointed.

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by Therese Oneill

Therese Oneill, known for her humor and history columns in The Atlantic and Jezebel, has put together a series of short essays on sex, marriage, childbirth, body image, clothing, and anything you could possibly want to know about women's lives during the Victorian era but were always too afraid to ask. From corsets and bathing to toilets and menstruation, no topic is off limits in Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners. 

In an era known for its romanticism, life for women was anything but. Unmentionable is peppered with illustrations and graphics from Victorian era publications and filled with quotes from male physicians and philosophers who have their fair share of thoughts on the menses and its correlation with hysteria. Oneill has put together a well-researched, thoughtful, hilariously snarky book filled with often horrifying and revelatory facts. The feminist in you will be happy you picked up this book.

UnSweetined by Jodie Sweetin

Jodie Sweetin, best known for her role as Stephanie Tanner on the long-running, wholesome TV show Full House, is up-front and honest in her 2009 memoir entitled UnSweetined. From a young age Sweetin was in show business, getting her big break when Full House premiered in 1987. Sharing bits and pieces of life on the set of Full House and stories of her lifelong friendship with TV sister Candace Cameron Bure, Sweetin writes how much she enjoyed acting. It wasn't long before life as a child star began to take its toll after Sweetin's longtime role came to an end.

Now as a teenager, unable to escape her role as America's sweetheart, Sweetin's acting career came to a screeching halt as she tried to juggle regular life with life as a former child star. With nothing but time on her hands and an endless supply of money, Sweetin's life took a dramatic turn to drug and alcohol abuse. Not afraid to write about her struggles, Sweetin sheds light on her vicious cycle of recovery and relapse (even while writing her book); ultimately only coming clean following the birth of her daughter.

Sweetin's deeply personal memoir is a quick read, filled with humor, charm, and struggle. For Full House fans or those who enjoy memoirs of child stars, UnSweetined is sure to give you a completely different perspective of Jodie Sweetin aside from her "How rude!" saying character Stephanie Tanner.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick

Ever since his wife Miriam died a year ago, Arthur Pepper sticks to his routine as a means of coping with his loss. He wakes up at precisely 7:30 every morning, wears the same khaki pants and mustard colored sweater vest, eats breakfast, and waters his fern named Frederica. When he finally gets up the courage to start going through his deceased wife's things, he stumbles upon an exquisite gold charm bracelet in an old pair of boots. Having never seen his wife wear the bracelet, Arthur is especially intrigued by the stories behind the charms on the bracelet. Working with clues from the charms, old addresses, and conversations with Miriam's friends, Arthur sets out on a quest to London, Paris, and India in the hopes of finding out more about Miriam.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a heartwarming story of love, loss, and grief. Filled with a cast of quirky, witty characters the reader can't help but root for Arthur to change from a bumbling mess to the much better person he's meant to be, all while celebrating the joy that life has to offer.