Little Fires Everywhere, Celeste Ng, 338 pages

The story begins with a house burning down and then details backward, explaining what happened in a seemingly serene suburban community.  Set mostly in the late 1990's, the book is an emotional thriller about being a woman and motherhood.

I listened to 3/4 of this book and then read the last 1/4 because I was desperate to finish it.  The story was so emotionally fraught I just wanted to finish it as quickly as possible.

I wasn't really sure if I liked the book and then it ended and I thought, oh wow, that was good.

The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly, 487 pages

"Lilac Girls" is a World War II novel inspired by real people and events.  It tells the story of three women: New Yorker Caroline Ferriday (real person); polish teenager Kasia Kusmerick who was sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp (inspired by a real person); and Dr. Herta Oberheuser (also a real person) who conducted medical experiments on the women of Ravensbruck. 

There are an endless number of stories still to be told about the atrocities, trials, and triumphs related to World War II.  This is a beautiful and sometimes heart wrenching novel that gets the word out about a few more of those stories.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell, 277 pages

Oh, this is a well written, but sad, story.  Esme Lennox is a high strung young woman from a good family who does not conform easily to her parents wishes.  It is sometime in the early 1930's in Scotland and "difficult" women can be locked away in a mental institution for really no reason at all, with no prospect of release.

The story involves three women: Esme, her older sister Kitty, and Iris, the granddaughter of Kitty.  Sixty-one years after Esme is locked away and forgotten by her family her grandniece, Iris, learns of her existence.  The story of what really happened all those years ago unfolds slowly through the voices of Esme and Kitty, who now has Alzheimer's disease.  The book has a satisfying ending but I am unsure if it is a happy ending.

Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy, 640 pages

Women played a large role in World War II and many of their stories were never told because they were working on top secret projects.  The title of this book, Code Girls, says it all.  This is the story of the women who helped break and continually re-break the encrypted messages of the Japanese and German armies during World War II.

Seventy plus years after the end of the war and fiction and non-fiction writers have not run out of material yet.  My hope is that those stories continue well into the future. 

Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation into Space by Margo Lee Shetterly, 240 pages

The hit movie "Hidden Figures" is based on the book "Hidden Figures" and I listened to the Young Readers Edition because that is what we had available through MissouriLibraries2Go.

A little known fact is that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics based in Langley, Virginia recruited women during WWII to work as mathematicians, known as computers.  NACA also recruited black women to be computers.

This is the true story of four of those black women, who were all brilliant mathematicians, and their journey at NACA, which became NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Year of Yes: How to Dance it Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes, 352 pages

I started this book twice before actually finishing it.  It finally took the recommendation of a respected friend and listening to the audiobook before I made it all the way through.  And I'm glad I did.  I admit that I was a little turned off at the thought of a self-help book.  Honestly though, I wouldn't say this is self-help, or biography, or memoir or just any one thing.  It was exactly what I needed to listen to in the moment.  I listened in the car and found myself mmm-hmming and nodding along to Shonda's (I feel like we're on a first name basis now) guidance . I especially loved her chapters on being a working mother.  And I'm trying to say yes to my kids more often these days when I get invited to play or cuddle or read with them.

She also had some important thoughts on saying yes to saying no. Setting limits for yourself.  You can't do it all.  And it's true.  I'm still working on this though.

Oh and the "power pose!"  Where you put your hands on your hips and pose like Wonder Woman for a minute or so.  It really helps.  I tried it.

So as you can tell, I really enjoyed this book.  I've been a fan of Shonda's TV shows since the early days of Grey's Anatomy.  And even though I haven't watched most of her newer stuff, if I happen to catch a few minutes, I'm probably hooked for the rest of the hour.  She's an incredible storyteller.  And this book was a true testament to that.