HOW NOT TO DIE ALONG

How Not To Die Alone is a sweet, quirky novel that charmed me from the first chapter. In it, we meet Andrew, who is crippled by his own loneliness as well as a secret that stems from a misunderstanding too far gone to correct. His solitary life is upended upon the arrival of a coworker named Peggy, whose ease and lack of pretension make Andrew question his solitude, though to move forward he must first confront painful events too unsettling to recall.

I cried a little reading this book, and I laughed out loud too. Mostly I wanted to wrap my arms around Andrew and let him know it’s all going to be ok. Fans of the Rosie Project and Eleanor Oliphant will see a glimmer of those books here. If you’re like me and have a soft spot for characters navigating the world in their own unique way, I think you’ll love this book. How Not To Die Alone had the perfect mix of wit, empathy and heart.

What is it about dinner parties that invite comedic chaos and disaster? Maybe it’s that there’s so much planning, something can’t help but go wrong! And the dinner parties in this book are no exception. In one, there is a “butternut squash whatever” involved, and since I love butternut squash soup I decided to make some myself. So easy and yum in the slow cooker, and smells exactly like fall.

This is a cozy-up-to-the-fire-with-a-cup-of-tea read for sure. What other books would you put in that genre? Happy fall, friends!