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I am a radiologist specializing in emergency room and breast imaging and a lifelong book nerd. Though I chose radiology as my medical specialty, I have always been fascinated by the complicated workings of the human mind. I majored in

In the past few months, I’ve noticed an unintended theme in my reading. I happened to have chosen several fictional accounts centered around pivotal events in medical history. Each of them are well researched and expertly plotted, featuring wonderfully drawn

Family court judge, Jackie Martin, is shocked when her live-in boyfriend, Lou, leaves unexpectedly, leaving behind a cursory note on the kitchen table. The break up rocks Jackie’s world, causing her to doubt her job, her attractiveness as a partner

When I heard the quick summary of Caroline Leavitt’s latest novel, I was immediately intrigued. A woman emerges from a coma to find her personality, identity and relationships have completely changed. The novel alternates between three points of view, Stella,

I feel honored to have received an early copy of Morningside Heights. I devoured every sentence and dog eared more pages than I can count. Henkin explores Professor Spence Robin’s slow decline from Alzheimer’s disease and the devastating effects the

It’s been a year since church music director, Miriam Tedesco, lost her husband and twin teenagers in a tragic car accident. She’s been doing her best to heal from this unfathomable tragedy when an automated delivery of birthday flowers from

I’ve always been fascinated by genetics. One of my high school term papers was about how twin studies helped tease out the contributions of nature versus nurture to human personality. In these three amazing reads, a mail away DNA test

With the horrifying uptick in anti-Asian hate crimes, I want to shine a light on a list of wonderful stories by authors of Asian heritage. These five books all rank at the top of my all time favorites list and

When I was in high school, I had a serious addiction; my drug of choice was Days of Our Lives. As soon as the bus dropped me home, I would run down the driveway and throw myself onto the couch,

Since dissecting my cadaver in gross anatomy lab during med school, I’ve had a strange fascination with what happens to our bodies after we die. I recently met Judy Melinek at an online physician event and when I heard the description of her memoir, I knew I had to pick it up right away.

My entire family recently watched Indian Matchmaking on Netflix and loved every delicious second. The exploration of the tradition of arranged marriage and how it does, or doesn’t, fit into contemporary Indian and American society was fascinating, smart and totally binge worthy.

I love to feel connected to characters and invested in a story, but my favorite type of book also teaches me something along the way. Each of these wonderful novels immerses the reader in another country or culture and educates about the history of the place and people as the stories unfold.

When we meet the lead character, Ryan Francis, he’s doing pretty well. He has a good job and a lovely family. His biggest complaint is that he doesn’t love changing his baby’s dirty diapers. But when his college friend, Blake, shows up with a strange request, Ryan’s life changes in an instant.

There are a handful of authors I trust implicitly. No matter the subject of their next book, I will pick it up on or before publication day, no questions asked. Camille Di Maio is one of those authors. Her historical stories are usually center on women finding their place in the world and are guaranteed to be interesting, thought provoking and dramatic. In The First Emma, Di Maio writes about real-life people for the first time.

In the week before Memorial Day, I am usually planning what books will earn a place in my beach bag. This year, finding a book to hold my attention has been challenging and reading in the backyard seems more likely than at the beach. But wherever you read, these two beautiful stories whisk you away to another time and place with stories that keep you turning the pages.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for months. I think I picked it up at a great used bookstore, Gene’s books, in Sanibel Island over Christmas break. A few weeks ago, I was looking for a twisty immersive

I never would imagine I’d gravitate to reading about global pandemics in the midst of one, but somehow that’s what happened. These two books, the first a dystopian imagining of a contemporary pandemic originating in China, and the second a historical story set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, are both instructive and illuminating in a strange sort of way.

I received an early copy of this book on Netgalley and I’m so glad I did. I read a lot of psychological suspense and Julie’s Clark’s first book is this genre is up there with the best of them. The story hinges around a plane crash over the Atlantic. Claire was supposed to be on the flight, but at the last minute she trades tickets with a woman in the airport, desperate to do anything to escape her abusive husband.

This two romances have so many things in common. Woman falls head over heels with man suffering from PTSD. As the plot unfolds, it becomes clear that the woman has more than enough baggage of her own. Woman and man try to work through their issues in order to indulge their overwhelmingly love for each other.

This story takes place in suburban North Carolina. Brad Whitman, a local white celebrity who owns a successful HVAC business, moves his family into a brand new mega mansion. The next door neighbors are black forestry professor, Valerie Alston-Holt, and her son, Xavier. The neighbors get off to a rough start—Brad is condescending and obnoxious, the construction of the Whitmans’ monstrous home has damaged the health of Valerie’s beloved old oak tree and racial tensions lurk just beneath the surface.

I’ve been hearing about this book all over the bookternet and I knew it would be right up my alley. I love books about dysfunctional families, about families that are broken and somehow find ways to heal against all odds. This one is gritty, sad and just perfect.

Both of these heartbreaking and evocative novels explore civil wars in the Middle East and the way these conflicts affect the people forced to flee. They are both wonderful reads with gorgeous descriptive language, fascinating characters and compelling plots. I HIGHLY recommend them both.

Like most avid readers, I’ve read my fair share of World War II and Holocaust stories. I do have to limit the number I read because the stories are so painful and heart wrenching, but I appreciate exploring the wide range of stories born from this horrific tragedy.

This is a clever romp centers around Violet Baumgartner and her clan of dysfunctional family and friends. Violet is a perfectionist and she wants everything to done exactly her way. When she learns her lesbian daughter, Cerise, is pregnant and has been keeping the news from her, she almost loses her head. And to make matters worse, Cerise and her partner absolutely refuse to reveal the origin of the male genetic material.

Realistic fiction is my sweet spot. I never tire of reading about the complexities of the everyday world and the intricacies of human relationships. Fantasy and science fiction never seem to grab my attention or keep me turning the pages, but once in a while, I do indulge in speculative fiction. I love when the author changes the world in just one way and explores how that change affects the characters—recognizably our world, but one tick off. These three awesome reads all fall into that wheelhouse.

The crisp fall air and changing leaves make me look for chilling, creepy reads. These two couldn’t be more perfect for my mood.

Both of these transporting and fascinating novels create fictional artists that seem so real it makes you want to Google to find more information about them. Goldberg and Jenkins-Reid use similar unconventional structures to to create wonderfully complex 360 degree portraits of the artists.

Touching on the same themes as many popular novels set during World War II, this well-written and engaging novel takes place in New York City two years after the war has ended. The story is set in motion when the taxicabs Eleanor Moskowitz and Patricia Bellamy are riding in get into an accident, the chance event causing their completely different worlds to collide.

Author & Narrator Q&A: Bedside Manners by Heather Frimmer, read by Randye Kaye

– Tell us a bit about yourselves!

Heather: I am a radiologist specializing in breast imaging. I review mammograms, x-rays and CT scans and perform breast biopsies. When I’m not in a dark room interpreting films, you’ll find me reading or writing. In addition to novels, I also write book reviews on Books, INK and on my own blog. I live in Connecticut with my husband, two sons, and brand new baby, a golden doodle puppy named Leo.

When Maria Rosario begins commuting to a private high school on the upper east side of Manhattan, she is befriended by Rocky, a girl who doesn’t think twice about paying for Maria’s meals and even buys her a plane ticket. Maria is enamored with her new, wealthy friend, but she’s also worried Rocky will look down on because she lives in Queens.