#maria semple

[dk-thrive]

“Saying ‘no’ is a kindness to your future self.”

— Maria Semple, Go Gentle (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, April 14, 2026).

[d-criss-news]

mariasemple: I ten to hyperbole when it comes to Broadway musicals, but MAYBE HAPPY ENDING is beyond brilliant! A genuine word-of-mouth hit, for a reason. It’s unbearably sweet, mindbogglingly directed, has visuals that stun, and the acting— @ darrencriss will WIN THE TONY! HURRY TO THE BELASCO to laugh and cry and let robots teach you to feel more human. I rode the coattails of my more famous friend, Ken, backstage. (Darren Chris— so humble and sweet I could barely survive the encounter.) If the evening couldn’t get any more surreal… look at the photobomb! (Only the compose of the BEST 11 o’clock number EVER WRITTEN!) My point: become an early adopter, go see @ maybehappyending and experience the magic yourself.🇰🇷🤖❤️🎶🎭😍

[judgingbooksbycovers]

Go Gentle

By Maria Semple.

[veryslowreader]

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Bunheads: "Next!"

[tomesofthetrade]

"Just because it’s complicated, just because you think you can’t ever know everything about another person, it doesn’t mean you can’t try."

- Where'd You Go, Bernadette

[thebestbookrecommendations]

Six Books to Make You Laugh

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

When her daughter Bee claims a family trip to Antarctica as a reward for perfect grades, Bernadette, a fiercely intelligent shut-in, throws herself into preparations for the trip. But worn down by years of trying to live the Seattle life she never wanted, Ms. Fox is on the brink of a meltdown. And after a school fundraiser goes disastrously awry at her hands, she disappears, leaving her family to pick up the pieces--which is exactly what Bee does, weaving together an elaborate web of emails, invoices, and school memos that reveals a secret past Bernadette has been hiding for decades. Where'd You Go Bernadette is an ingenious and unabashedly entertaining novel about a family coming to terms with who they are and the power of a daughter's love for her mother.

Type of Humor: Heartwarming

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk

The novel concerns Madison, a thirteen year old girl who finds herself in Hell, unsure of why she will be there for all eternity, but tries to make the best of it. The author described the novel as "if The Shawshank Redemption had a baby by The Lovely Bones and it was raised by Judy Blume." And "it's kind of like The Breakfast Club set in Hell."

Type of Humor: Dark

John Dies at the End by David Wong

STOP. You should not have touched this flyer with your bare hands. NO, don't put it down. It's too late. They're watching you. My name is David Wong. My best friend is John. Those names are fake. You might want to change yours. You may not want to know about the things you'll read on these pages, about the sauce, about Korrok, about the invasion, and the future. But it's too late. You touched the book. You're in the game. You're under the eye. The only defense is knowledge. You need to read this book, to the end. Even the part with the bratwurst. Why? You just have to trust me. The important thing is this: The drug is called Soy Sauce and it gives users a window into another dimension. John and I never had the chance to say no. You still do. I'm sorry to have involved you in this, I really am. But as you read about these terrible events and the very dark epoch the world is about to enter as a result, it is crucial you keep one thing in mind: None of this was my fault.

Type of Humor: Absurdist

The 100-Year-Old Man who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health. A big celebration is in the works for his 100th birthday, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his alcohol consumption), so he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey. It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: he has not only witnessed some of the most important events of the 20th century, but actually played a key role in them.

Type of Humor: Heartwarming, Quirky

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her meddlesome mother calls for her even more meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, a dead body proves to be a lot more challenging to dispose of than one might anticipate, especially when it is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to the over-the-top billionaire wedding Meddy, her Ma, and aunties are working at an island resort on the California coastline. It's the biggest job yet for the family wedding business—"Don't leave your big day to chance, leave it to the Chans!"—and nothing, not even an unsavory corpse, will get in the way of her auntie's perfect buttercream flowers. But things go from inconvenient to downright torturous when Meddy's great college love—and biggest heartbreak—makes a surprise appearance amid the wedding chaos. Is it possible to escape murder charges, charm her ex back into her life, and pull off a stunning wedding all in one weekend?

Type of Humor: Heartwarming, Absurdist

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Together, this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; Trillian (formerly Tricia McMillan), Zaphod's girlfriend, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once upon a time zone; Marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and Veet Voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he's bought over the years. Where are these pens? Why are we born? Why do we die? For all the answers, stick your thumb to the stars!

Type of Humor: Quirky, Absurdist

[the-truth-within-the-lie]

People like you must create. If you don't create, Bernadette, you will become a menace to society.

-Where'd You Go Bernadette

[biblio-gadabout]

My current "to read" book pile by my bed...