Of Women and Salt is made up of interwoven snapshots. It starts with Jeanette, a young woman struggling with substance abuse in modern-day Miami who takes in her neighbor, a Salvadoran child whose mother has been taken by ICE. Through a non-linear timeline, we meet Carmen, Dolores, Maria Isabel—the Cuban women who came before her. And we hear the stories of the Salvadoran women as well. All of them women who make choices that their daughters may never understand. Gabriela Garcia’s characters are complex—flawed yet vibrant. This slim volume is like a toe dipped into a vast ocean of intergenerational trauma and the stories it conjures. The heartbeat of these stories is survival. Recommended by Mary

Garcia introduces Cuban immigrant Carmen in 2018 Miami, quickly transitions to young Maria Isabel, Carmen’s ancestor, in 1866 Cuba, and ends back in 2019 Miami with Ana, a teenage Salvadoran immigrant. In non-linear, but easily traversed chapters, we venture into their lives and those of Carmen’s daughter Jeanette, Carmen’s mother Delores, and Ana’s mother Gloria. Each is fraught with sorrow and loss, many with guilt and abuse. Each woman evokes compassion; some are also unlikeable - thus entirely human - as they make their way through the challenges of an unjust and often disappointing world, struggling and hoping for something better. Recommended by Nancy

Paulina Bren's The Barbizon, profiling Manhattan's trend-setting escape for career-minded women, is essential feminist history. That makes it sounds dry though, which it most decidedly is not. Readers will learn juicy stories from its famous residents--most notably Molly Brown, Sylvia Plath, and Joan Didion. Bren's narrative also charts a changing country through the stories of women such as Barbara Chase-Riboud, visual artist and writer and one of the first African-Americans allowed in the once exclusive club of Mademoiselle guest editors famously lodged in the hotel. Finally, The Barbizon offers a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most elite options for ambitious women who didn't want marriage as their only option. This is a fascinating read! Recommended by Kelly

The Cot in the Living Room centers on a Dominican-American family in Washington Heights who often host neighborhood children while their parents work nights. Most evenings, a guest child sleeps on the cot in the living room, which makes the youngest daughter of the family jealous. After spending a night on the cot herself, the daughter realizes that it’s not as great as she thought—her jealousy turns to empathy. This lovely book explores culture, class, and envy within a realistic story—its lessons are perfect for every child. Recommended by Mary

Moniz’s stories take unexpected turns, and have powerful endings. She explores human relationships, from the symbiotic to the strained, and leaves readers contemplating not only her characters’ lives but also their own. Her characters are complex and compelling, displaying weakness, foibles, and strength. From young girls craving to truly know how things feel to a middle-aged man struggling with his wife’s illness, to daughters and mothers bound by pain, disappointment, and resentment, they elicit sympathy, contempt, and recognition. They get under the skin and are not easily forgotten. Recommended by Nancy