William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White, The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition

I somehow made it through an English degree and almost a decade as a professional editor without reading this book, which is a classic (maybe even the classic) American work on writing and grammar. I expected it to be stuffy and out of date — and it is, a bit. The authors resist using “hopefully” to mean “it is to be hoped,” but that ship has definitely sailed at this point. And their brief mention of that newfangled invention, the word processor, is adorable. But most of this book is still helpful and relevant, and I was surprised by how funny it is too! “Prestigious. Often an adjective of last resort. It’s in the dictionary, but that doesn’t mean you have to use it.” Overall, I think this book would be useful for students or anyone whose job requires a lot of writing, editing, or both (notice how I didn’t use “and/or,” which the authors call “a device, or shortcut, that damages a sentence and often lends to confusion or ambiguity”). It deserves its classic status.

T. Kingfisher, Hemlock & Silver

Since childhood Anja has been obsessed with poisons and their antidotes, and now she’s expert enough that the local townspeople turn to her for help with poisoning cases. Nevertheless, she’s shocked when the king himself comes to her with a problem: His 12-year-old daughter, Snow, is sick from no obvious cause, and her condition is worsening. Anja travels to Snow’s residence and attempts to discover if and how the princess is being poisoned. What she actually discovers is a portal to a mysterious other world; but will she be able to thwart the evil lurking there and save Snow’s life? I’ve loved every one of Kingfisher’s books that I’ve read so far, and this one is no exception. Blunt, tactless Anja is a delight, and her narrative voice keeps the book from being too dark or scary despite a few horror-adjacent moments. I also really liked the desert setting, which evokes Mexico or the American Southwest rather than the traditional quasi-medieval-European fantasy kingdom. There’s a bit of romance too, which is always welcome. Definitely recommended if the premise appeals to you!

Laura Wood, Let’s Make a Scene

Cynthie Taylor is a famous actress who’s just been dumped, and press coverage of the breakup has been merciless. To turn things around, her agent suggests that she sign on to a sequel of the film that launched her career. Unfortunately, that means reuniting with her costar, Jack Turner-Jones, with whom she has a tempestuous history. Even worse, her agent wants them to fake-date each other to create good buzz for the new film. As Cynthie and Jack grow closer in the present, they also have to come to terms with the past. I love a good fake-dating rom-com, and this one is funny, well written, and pure wish fulfillment in a good way. I liked how the narrative alternates between the present and 13 years ago, when Cynthie and Jack first met; the switches happen just often enough to give context and complexity to their relationship. I also liked all the behind-the-scenes acting stuff, especially since the movies are Austen-esque period pieces—it made me wish I could actually watch them! It looks like Wood has already written a book featuring Cynthie’s friend Theo, which I’m now interested in checking out as well.