We all need invitations to take a breath from the whirl of our lives. Reading continues to be one of the great joys of my life. Amazing how one can travel to Paris, or a fictional town in the South called Golden, or join a crew in outer space orbiting planet Earth simply by opening a book in one’s bathtub. Beautifully imagined novels with a redemptive twist are my jam! Following are a stack of books that I have either relished or they are in the reading queue.

Please, please send me what you are reading! A book recommendation is a gift to me!!

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Thank you to several of you for recommending this special book to me. I am only thirty pages in, but I have already fallen for Theo and his love mission.

“Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted story about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the far-reaching possibilities of anonymous kindness.”

Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce

I have Barbara Kingslover, author of one of my favorites, The Poisonwood Bible, to thank for this recommendation. She lifted up this book as a fun escape, with an improbable plot, wonderful characters, sparkling sentences, and too many belly laughs to count. I agree! I read it in two days!

WINNER OF THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE • From the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes an uplifting, irresistible novel about two women on a life-changing adventure, where they must risk everything, break all the rules, and discover their best selves—together.

Oribital by Samantha Harvey

Winner of the Booker Prize 2025. I absolutely loved this beautiful little book about a team orbiting planet earth. For its simplistic plot (they repeat the same orbit of earth several times a day!), the thoughtful musings about what it means to be human, in relationship with other humans and creation, and where hope can still be found on this planet of splendor was riveting.

“A singular new novel from Betty Trask Prize-winner Samantha Harvey, Orbital is an eloquent meditation on space and life on our planet through the eyes of six astronauts circling the earth in 24 hours.”

The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl

This one shouldn’t surprise you. I love any and all things Paris! I have always been a fan of Ruth Reichl’s food memoirs and cookbooks. This is her first foray into fiction and she is speaking my love language!

“When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.”

“An enchanting and irresistible feast . . . As with a perfect meal in the world’s most magical city, I never wanted this sublime novel to end.”—Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of Good Company

The Instrumentalist by Harriet Constable

I have expressed many times my love of Antonio Vivaldi’s classical masterpiece, The Four Seasons. If you are not familiar, stop now and go have a listen. It’s exquisite! But the story of Vivaldi’s life is just as colorful. A composer, a prodigy violinist, and a music teacher at an orphanage where he transformed the girls into some of the best musicians of the time. When this book was recommended, I immediately scooped it up. I look forward to visiting late 17th century Venice and learning more about the Maestro and his muse.

“Music, intoxication, and betrayal combine in this “immersive, impassioned” (The Guardian) debut novel inspired by the true story of Anna Maria della Pietà, a Venetian orphan and violin prodigy who studied under Antonio Vivaldi and ultimately became his star musician—and his biggest muse.”

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney 

Sally Rooney is a contemporary Irish writer best known for her novels, Conversations with Friends and Normal People, both made into Netflix series. Her bread and butter is the portrayal of contemporary young people grappling with identity, relationships, and modern life. Intermezzo focuses on the sibling relationship of two brothers who have just lost their father. There were several pages that I earmarked because of their compelling portrayal of the reality of grief and how it upends our lives. The running thread is  how Love, even messy, is the only salve.

“An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family—but especially love—from the global phenomenon Sally Rooney.”

“For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude—a period of desire, despair, and possibility; a chance to find out how much one life might hold inside itself without breaking.”

Styles of Joy by SC Perot

This one just arrived in the mail today! We share the same editor so I am excited to take a look. SC Perot is a professor at Vanderbilt who after the pandemic endured a heart-breaking divorce. To rediscover her joy, she went to dozens of Harry Styles concerts all around the world. Costumed in a boa and singing in unison with millions to “Watermelon Sugar,” she realized that joy was as C.S. Lewis wrote, “the serous business of heaven!”

“Through Styles of Joy, embark on an extraordinary journey blending the excitement of zero-to-one-hundred fandom with thoughtful reflections on joy—yours, mine, and ours. After a post-divorce and post-pandemic “grief sabbatical” took her to seventeen Harry Styles concerts across five countries in ten months, the author reveals how throwing out the rulebook can lead to profound personal joy. This narrative nonfiction series of heartwarming short stories is equal parts anthropological observations, unlikely fangirl manifesto, and reflection on life after loss.”

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict

I have not read this one yet but I am a big fan of Benedict’s previous, best-selling historical fiction.

“London, 1930. The five greatest women crime writers have banded together to form a secret society with a single goal: to show they are no longer willing to be treated as second class citizens by their male counterparts in the legendary Detection Club. Led by the formidable Dorothy L. Sayers, the group includes Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham and Baroness Emma Orczy. They call themselves the Queens of Crime. Their plan? Solve an actual murder, that of a young woman found strangled in a park in France who may have connections leading to the highest levels of the British establishment.”

Love, Farrell

I keep adding to the SOULFULL Playlist!! Enjoy!