Why am I passionate about this?

I want to tackle the profound challenges some new mothers face. Who’s read a funny book about postpartum depression? Probably no one! My novel fills the gap. I suffered from postpartum in silence, afraid of the stigma it might bring. I hope this relatable story normalizes postpartum, sparks conversations, and drives change. I also wanted to write something with a Latina in the starring role. People of Latino descent suffer from many hurtful and inaccurate stereotypes. Increasing positively portrayed Latinos in fiction is personal for me. I’m exceedingly proud of my Latino roots and hope it comes through in my writing.


I wrote...

Not That Kind of Call Girl

By Nova García,

Book cover of Not That Kind of Call Girl

What is my book about?

In my book, Julia Navarro manages a newspaper call center. Nine months pregnant and short-staffed, she rushes to hire a…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Bridget Jones's Diary

Nova García Why did I love this book?

This is the only book that made me laugh so hard on an airplane that spit flew out of my mouth, embarrassing me and horrifying the stranger sitting to my left. Other books I've read are gorgeously written with deep meaning or an edge-of-your-seat mystery.

While I've enjoyed those, too, this made me smile so much that my dimples ached. I love a flawed character who's self-deprecating and utterly loveable. I rooted for Bridget and didn't want her story to end. Luckily, the sequel, in my opinion, was equally as good.

By Helen Fielding,

Why should I read it?

17 authors picked Bridget Jones's Diary as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The multi-million copy number one Bestseller

A dazzlingly urban satire on modern relationships?
An ironic, tragic insight into the demise of the nuclear family?
Or the confused ramblings of a pissed thirty-something?

As Bridget documents her struggles through the social minefield of her thirties and tries to weigh up the eternal question (Daniel Cleaver or Mark Darcy?), she turns for support to four indispensable friends: Shazzer, Jude, Tom and a bottle of chardonnay.

Welcome to Bridget's first diary: mercilessly funny, endlessly touching and utterly addictive.

Helen Fielding's first Bridget Jones novel, Bridget Jones's Diary, sparked a phenomenon that has seen…


Book cover of Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster): Life Lessons and Other Ravings from Dave Barry

Nova García Why did I love this book?

Dave Barry has been cracking me up for decades. His columns in The Miami Herald used to come out on Mondays (in the newspaper to which my parents subscribed). I knew it was Monday when I heard my Dad snickering, cackling, or pulling out a tissue to wipe the tears rolling down his cheeks.

Back then, I only understood some of the humor since much of it was about politics, and I was into Barbies, not government goings-on. As an adult, this book reminded me of Dave Barry's genius in finding the funny in everyday happenings. I only wish I could be that clever! It also reminded me of my Dad, whom I adored. Thanks for the comedy and wit, Mr. Barry!

By Dave Barry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now in paperback from the Pulitzer Prize winner, the hilarious New York Times–bestselling exploration of what generations can teach one another—or not.
 
During the course of his life, Dave Barry has learned much of wisdom, and he is eager to pass it on. Among other brilliant, brand-new pieces, Dave shares home truths with his new grandson and his daughter Sophie; explores the hometown of his youth, where all the parents seemed to be having un-Mad Men–like fun; and dives into firsthand accounts of the soccer craziness of Brazil and the just plain crazy craziness of Vladimir Putin’s Russia.


Book cover of Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Nova García Why did I love this book?

Bernadette can be difficult to like, but that's partly why I love her character. She's unapologetically authentic with sharp edges and a serious dislike of Seattle. Rather than grimace at her put-downs of my hometown, I laughed because she included inside jokes only Seattlites would understand, and there was a granule of truth in all of it.

I'm intensely interested in the challenges and rewards of motherhood. Portraying it as something emotionally draining and frustrating, utterly consuming and ultimately wonderful, Maria Semple captured what many of us experience using Bernadette as her medium.

By Maria Semple,

Why should I read it?

14 authors picked Where'd You Go, Bernadette as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A misanthropic matriarch leaves her eccentric family in crisis when she mysteriously disappears in this "whip-smart and divinely funny" novel that inspired the movie starring Cate Blanchett (New York Times).

Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect; and to 15-year-old Bee, she is her best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette vanishes. It all began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle --…


Book cover of I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman

Nova García Why did I love this book?

This book didn't feel so much like a book as a long conversation with a best friend. When a middle-aged woman's chin sprouts peach fuzz and spiky hairs like a garden run amok, we might feel embarrassed or too self-conscious to talk about it.

In this book, Nora Ephron helps us see ourselves through our shared experiences, assuring us that we're in good company. The laugh score? 8.5/10. Turkey neck can only be so funny.

By Nora Ephron,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked I Feel Bad About My Neck as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A candid, hilarious look at women of a certain age and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself.

“Wickedly witty ... Crackling sharp ... Fireworks shoot out [of this collection].” —The Boston Globe

With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as an older woman. Utterly courageous, uproariously funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, I Feel Bad About My Neck is…


Book cover of Bad Monkey

Nova García Why did I love this book?

This was a fun read with plot twists galore, larger-than-life characters, corruption, greed, an ethically challenged mortician, bug-infested restaurants, and a poo-wielding monkey. And that’s just the beginning. And oh yes, there’s the thing that starts it all—a human arm in someone’s freezer.

Hiassen’s writing is wonderfully witty, and the outlandish characters he creates astonish the mind. Like, how does someone come up with this stuff?

By Carl Hiaasen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bad Monkey as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

When a severed arm is discovered by a couple on honeymoon in the Florida Keys, former police detective - now reluctant restaurant inspector - Andrew Yancy senses that something doesn't add up. Determined to get his badge back, he undertakes an unofficial investigation of his own.

Andrew's search for the truth takes him to the Bahamas, where a local man, with the help of a very bad monkey (who allegedly worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean movies) is doing everything in his power to prevent a developer from building a new tourist resort on the island, with deadly consequences…


Explore my book 😀

Not That Kind of Call Girl

By Nova García,

Book cover of Not That Kind of Call Girl

What is my book about?

In my book, Julia Navarro manages a newspaper call center. Nine months pregnant and short-staffed, she rushes to hire a shy, inexperienced college student, Carmen Cooper. Tired of nasty customers, wacky employees, and a chauvinist boss, Julia's ready, come hell or high amniotic water, to enjoy some downtime with her new baby. But "new baby" and "downtime" are oxymorons. Rookie mistake.

Convinced she and motherhood pair as well as chili fries and chilled champagne, Julia returns from leave early. When she hears Carmen never showed, she and a newsroom pal go undercover to find out why. Their discovery leads them to Carmen, a Hollywood icon she calls "Papa," and a crusade to reveal dark secrets never meant to see the light of day.

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Twelve Palominos

By Joe Kilgore,

Book cover of Twelve Palominos

Joe Kilgore Author Of Misfortune’s Wake

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

In a previous career, I traveled extensively to many parts of the world. I always found new cultures, old traditions, strange languages, and exotic environments fascinating. Perhaps even more fascinating, were the expats I found who had traded in their home country for an existence far from where they were born and different from how they were reared. In many instances, I’ve attempted to incorporate—in Heinlein’s words—this stranger in a strange land motif in my work. It always seems to heighten my interest. I hope the reader’s as well. 

Joe's book list on expat adventures

What is my book about?

San Diego Private Investigator, Brig Ellis, is hired by a wealthy industrialist to help him acquire the final horse in a set of twelve palomino miniatures that once belonged to the last Emperor of China. What begins as a seemingly reasonable assignment quickly morphs into something much more malevolent.

The gumshoe has to deal not only with brigands, kidnappers, and commies, but also with the beautiful, enigmatic daughter of the industrialist whose involvement raises the danger level exponentially. As complications and the body count rise, Ellis tries to make sure this ill-fated job won’t be his last.

Twelve Palominos

By Joe Kilgore,

What is this book about?

San Diego Private Investigator, Brig Ellis, is hired by a wealthy industrialist to help him acquire the final horse in a set of twelve palomino miniatures that once belonged to the last Emperor of China. What begins as a seemingly reasonable assignment quickly morphs into something much more sinister. The intrepid gumshoe finds himself having to bargain with brigands, kibitz with kidnappers, clash with commies, and duel with a stone cold assassin incapable of feeling pain. All while navigating potentially deadly pitfalls instigated by his employer's beautiful but enigmatic daughter. Conflict and danger increase at warp speed as Ellis tries…


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