While Petro’s recollections of her own life are certainly captivating, and hearing voices of women from around the country can be gratifying and fulfilling, there is nothing groundbreakingly original or insightful about this book.

“The Bookshop,” Evan Friss’s history of the book retail business, includes the didn’t-see-that-coming tale of Judy, a 3,000-pound elephant who signed books (with a stamp that dangled from her trunk, obviously) at Marshall Field’s booming books department in 1944.

As in “Sense and Sensibility,” the characters here learn to recognize the importance of reason and communication in relationships. They also learn to know themselves in spite of the “shoulds” fired at them from every direction, from family members to casual acquaintances.

“The Love of My Afterlife,” by Kirsty Greenwood, is “quirky” incarnate — with so much heart and comedy that readers will find it difficult not to laugh while reading.

Not many romance novels feature introverted women who don’t like being around people and have no need to kowtow to societal niceties. The problem is inherent for the writer: How do you make someone likable if they are hard to get to know?

While mining many of the tropes of the genre, Henry manages to remain at the top of her game by writing characters who are clear eyed and quirky, yet unsentimental.

“The Divorcees,” a debut novel from author Rowan Beaird, paints a vivid picture of divorce, set in the landscape of Nevada in the 1950s. The metaphor between the dry, desolate, barren landscape and characters is aptly drawn.

The author of “I Can’t Date Jesus” and “I Don’t Want to Die Poor,” Arceneaux bellyflops into the pool of life beyond buying shoes in this book of essays, and things get deep.

Magnolia Parks: Into the Dark” is so packed with unexpected plot twists that reading it is like dashing between cars on an interstate through a hailstorm of cannonballs with a flimsy umbrella as protection.