The Art of Crash Landing by Melissa DeCarlo

Mattie Wallace has always been kind of a screw up, but this time she's really screwed up. Though she constantly thrives to not turn into her mother, Mattie can't help but see a strong resemblance to the mess of a mother she grew up with.

Broke, pregnant, and constantly fighting with her no good boyfriend, Mattie packs all of her possessions into six pillowcases, throws all of it into her ready-to-break-down car, and heads to visit her step-father whom she lovingly calls Queeg. Even now, long after Mattie's mom and Queeg have divorced and Mattie's mom has died, Queeg is the one Mattie goes to whenever she needs advice. Queeg, known for speaking in aphorisms, always tries to make Mattie see the silver lining. This time the silver lining is that Mattie is the sole heir to the estate of a grandmother that she's never met.

The catch? Mattie has to drive from the Florida panhandle to the small town of Gandy, Oklahoma to take care of the estate. Like any small town, Gandy is filled with peculiar characters. There's the local priest, who drinks too much, a staunchly old librarian, and so many busybodies Mattie can barely keep them straight. After spending some time in Gandy, Mattie realizes that her mother suddenly just vanished from the small town and nobody seems to know why. Realizing that she has no choice but to figure out the pieces to the puzzle of her mother's disappearance, Mattie realizes that this might be the way to save herself from the same downward spiral her mother faced.

Melissa DeCarlo's first book, The Art of Crash Landing, will grip you right from the start. Funny and poignant, this is a fast read that will make you laugh and make you think of all of those times as a teenager that you said you didn't want to turn out as your mother.

My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

Meet Abby and Gretchen. It’s 1988; they’re 16 and have been best friends since the fourth grade. They both attend Charleston, South Carolina’s prestigious Albemarle Academy.  Gretchen comes from a wealthy if distant family and Abby…does not.  Abby and Gretchen have a great friendship.  Closer than sisters, they’re always together no matter what their parents think.  One evening during an attempt to take acid, Gretchen, Abby and a two other friends run around a country estate waiting for the drug to kick in.  Gretchen gets the great idea to go skinny-dipping and before the others can stop her, she’s ripped off her clothes and dashed through the woods towards the river.  The others realize what Gretchen hasn’t: the tide is out, affecting the depth of this part of the river.  Abby races through the woods trying to find her friend.  She finally finds Gretchen cold and muddy a few hours later.   While it seems like crisis has been averted, their problems are just beginning.

It begins with Gretchen not being able to sleep.  Her parents say they hear weird sounds coming from her room at all hours.  She loses weight.  She won’t shower.  She rarely talks to any of her friends and when she does, manages to say or do something outrageously nasty.  Abby tried to appeal to Gretchen’s parents but gets a typical “We know our daughter.  She’s fine.”  This is genteel, southern code for “We don’t talk about our problems out loud and we certainly wouldn’t talk about them with YOU.”  In a desperate plea, Abby tells Gretchen’s mother the whole story of what happened the night Gretchen started to act strange.  Before she knows it, she’s been accused of dealing drugs and is forbidden to see her best friend.  Everyone else has ditched Gretchen.  Her parents and teachers are in denial.  How can she help her friend if she’s not even allowed to talk to her at school? 

One morning nearly a month after the incident, Gretchen arrives at school completely changed.  Not only has she showered, but she’s gotten a drastic new haircut, new clothes and seems to be… almost glowing.  Everyone wants to be seen with Gretchen, wants to date her, or wants to be her friend.  Sinister things keep happening to Abby and Gretchen’s circle of friends.  When a voice that isn’t Gretchen’s speaks from her best friend’s mouth Abby finally knows the truth: Gretchen’s been possessed.  Is Abby and Gretchen’s friendship stronger than the devil himself? 

Readers who enjoyed Hendrix’s first book, Horrorstör, will appreciate the author’s second novel. Adult and teen horror enthusiasts alike will find plenty to entertain while grossing themselves out.  Bonus: the book is set up like a high school year book which makes for some entertaining finds before and after you finish the novel. Check out MyBest Friend’s Exorcism from the library today!

Modern Girls by Jennifer S. Brown

Rose and Dottie Krasinsky a Jewish mother and daughter living in 1930s New York happen to find themselves pregnant at the same time. Needless to say, neither one is necessarily thrilled about their unwanted pregnancy. Rose, an Eastern European immigrant who clings to her traditions, is in her 40s, already has five children, and is longing to return to a more socially active role as the world is on the brink of war. Dottie is nineteen, working as a bookkeeper for an insurance company in Manhattan, has a steady boyfriend, and embraces all that the early 1930s has to offer women. When she learns that she's pregnant and her longtime boyfriend isn't the father, Dottie's life is bound change right along with her mother's.

Told in alternating viewpoints, from the perspectives of Rose and Dottie, Modern Girls weaves together social issues, feminism, and history peppered with Yiddish phrases and Jewish traditions.

A House for Happy Mothers by Amulya Malladi

Priya has almost everything she could ever want. The perfect job, a loving husband, and a home in California's Silicon Valley. The one thing she can't do? Have a child of her own after several failed miscarriages and IVF attempts. Asha is the exact opposite. She lives in a small hut, in a rundown neighborhood in India, with a two children that she and her husband can barely keep a roof over. These two women may have completely different lives, but they'll be forever linked.

Desperate to do almost anything to secure a better future for her extremely gifted son, Asha decides to become a surrogate, essentially renting out her womb for a little bit of money, to wealthy couples who are unable to have children. Priya desperate in her own way, takes a chance when she relies on Asha, her surrogate, to make her dreams of becoming a mother happen.

A House for Happy Mothers is an interesting look at surrogacy and surrogate mothers, particularly in India, where surrogacy has more or less become an industry, with a fascinating, vibrant look at Indian culture, feminism, and family.

Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson

Fortune Smiles is a collection of short stories, each with an unusual point of view: the pedophile with a heart of gold; the North Korean defector who is disgusted with South Korean culture; the former East German prison guard who denies he did anything wrong; the well-meaning single-parent father clumsily trying to care for his toddler after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have destroyed southern Louisiana; the computer engineer endeavoring to help his paralyzed wife; and the cancer-stricken wife who feels jealous of women who offer help to her husband and children. The people in these stories are heartbreakingly unable to communicate with those dearest to them. Adam Johnson won a Pulitzer Prize for his book The Orphan Master's Son and his writing talent is quite evident in this collection of perceptive stories.

Something New: Tales From a Makeshift Bride by Lucy Knisley

This adorable graphic novel by artist Lucy Knisley touches and illustrates just about everything it seems a newly engaged, bride-to-be feels at some point throughout the course of planning one of the most important days of her life. From the common issues such as finding "the one" to  dress shopping to choosing a cake, Knisley offers her often hilariously witty opinion and carefully crafts an illustration to go along with it. Aside from the traditional something borrowed, something blue traditions, Knisley shares not-so-common traditions including the slapping of the groom's feet with a fish and the German tradition known as Polterabend, in which wedding guests bring old dishes or glasses and smash them at the bride and groom's feet.

Though Knisley's Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride is filled will funny anecdotes, the book also touches on really important issues such as feminism, assumed expectations, gender stereotypes, family drama, and typical wedding chaos, including the importance (and cost!) placed on "just stuff." So whether you're a bride-to-be, a proud relationship partner, or still waiting for "the one" to sweep you off your feet, this book is reassuring that all of the feelings one has surrounding their wedding have surely been felt before.

Nine Women, One Dress by Jane L. Rosen

It's the dress of the season, the perfect little black dress that every woman wants. This charming, witty story weaves together many short stories about the lucky women who get to wear this dress. Nine Women, One Dress tells the stories of Natalie who works as a salesgirl at Bloomingdale's who just can't seem to get over her jerk ex-boyfriend who broke her heart to Felicia who has been in love with her boss for the last eighteen years to Max, a Polish immigrant to America, who has spent the last 70 years of his life as a pattern maker for one of the top designers in New York City and how this dress has forever changed their lives.

The best way to describe this funny book, is like a grown-up version of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, where the greatest pair of jeans are exchanged for the perfect little black dress. With the perfect amount of heartwarming parts, this story resonates with every woman who has always wanted to find her perfect dress.