Updates from the bedside table

Currently on the docket: 

Holsinger's The Gifted School: I'm not too far into this book but I'm already obsessed. I found myself thinking yesterday about how I could organize my afternoon so that I could steal a few moments to read. The rising tension between the friends is palpable and Holsinger's social commentary on the ambitious, competitive parents in this affluent town is spot on. 

Dewitt's News of Our Loved Ones: I don't think books about World War II will ever get old. Just as soon as I think every aspect has been covered, I come across a story that takes it all from a new perspective. Resonant of The Nightingale, this novel explores the hiding and finding of family secrets and the ways in which storytelling gives us a roadmap to discover ourselves. 

Author in Progress: From the editors of Writers Unboxed, this collection of essays about the writer's life is a goldmine. The pieces by Kathryn Craft and Donald Maas are highlights. 

I am excited about: 

The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd: Who doesn't love an atmospheric and historical novel set in the South? Bonus points that explores the life of a real person: Eliza Lucas Pinkney.

The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry: A girl can cook recipes and raise dead family members to ask crucial questions? Yes, please. 

The End of Happy by Kathryn Craft: Ron's husband is supposed to move out but then he shows up with a gun. Tension abounds. (I'm also excited to see how she manages balancing forestory and backstory as she compresses the story into one day.)

The Revisioners by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton: I'm super excited about this one. Split between modern day New Orleans and the 1920s rural south, this book explores a lot of the themes I've been thinking about lately: race relations; past molding present; how we can come together when our history pulls us apart.