Laura Bird

I love memoirs. I love that writers of memoirs are courageous enough to offer a glimpse of what goes on in their minds—how they approach the world, how they navigate their sorrows, how they scrape together the fortitude to manage life’s mundane and tragic moments. My favorite memoirs tend to be shorter, while still packing a huge punch. They are vulnerable, smart and plucky—and not one word is wasted. Barely 200 pages in length, each of these memoirs can be read in one sitting if you’ve got the inclination. They are unflinching, so grab a fortifying beverage and a fuzzy [...]

Check Out These Knock-Out Debut Novels Some novels get all the press. These are the big titles that everyone seems to hear about in the media, and they are usually featured prominently on Barnes & Noble’s front tables. Think All the Light We Cannot See, The Goldfinch, and Gone Girl. Many abundantly-exposed books live up to the hype, but there are so many other literary gems that are just waiting to be savored by discerning readers. In the last few years alone, I’ve stumbled upon a handful of books that didn’t get a fraction of the publicity they deserved. Each [...]