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Though she is expected to marry Jisoo, a wealthy soldier, she sneaks out with his cousin, her childhood friend Kyunghwan. The man she chooses will determine her and her family's fate. Kim's heartrending saga—told from the perspectives of five characters— examines how difficult choices can test even our closest relationships. Kate Harris grew up itching for adventure but frustrated by how few untouched places were left in the world to explore. In her 20s, desperate to make a discovery, she set out with a friend to bike the former Silk Road— a journey that took her through Tibet, Uzbekistan, Turkey, and other countries.

Her captivating memoir, Lands of Lost Borders , will inspire readers to question their self-imposed boundaries and map out new adventures. This is the ultimate Austen adaptation for our time. Miranda returns to the island she was banished from and—in digging into Joseph's crime—uncovers secrets that will destroy the island's tranquil, exclusive facade. Pack this absorbing read in your beach bag. A time-travel company starts recruiting people to work as bonded laborers in the future, in exchange for care for sick loved ones in the present.

Polly signs on to help her soulmate, Frank, and they make a plan to meet in But Polly is rerouted to and must find him. When she and her boyfriend, Ethan, take a trip to Sonoma, she finds herself questioning where her life is going and abruptly accepts a job at a failing winery.

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She moves through life unsatisfied—with her stormy mother, with her headstrong husband—yet resigned to her milquetoast ways. But a call from a stranger will challenge Willa to put herself first. When newly widowed Pival hears her son, Rahi cast out of the family for being gay , has died, she refuses to believe it. Hoping to locate him, she books a tour of the U. Pival sets out with struggling actress Rebecca and first-time guide Satya, a Bangladeshi immigrant, on a cross-country trip that will change them all. In The Strange Case of Dr. Couney , journalist Dawn Raffel explores the career of Martin Couney, a so-called doctor who saved thousands of preemies through his baby incubator sideshow at Coney Island in the first half of the 20th century.

With fantastic detail, Raffel brings to life this complicated pioneer. Khakpour has been sick for as long as she can remember. Having run away from home years ago, Amar is estranged from his conservative Indian parents when his sister announces her engagement— and her hope that the family can reunite for the wedding in California.

Amar's homecoming will reopen old wounds for all. In A Place for Us , Fatima Farheen Mirza speaks to the roles religion and expectation play in a family and the clash of values between generations. The stories of these three women will give readers a look into the tumultuous time during which they lived. Zac Hutchinson has grown up without a father, and his mother and grandfather keep stories about his dad mostly to themselves.

This delightful debut novel follows the drama between the staff members at a DC-area Chinese restaurant. Through their complicated relationships and lifetime of love, Li explores the families we choose. In her latest novel, Providence , Caroline Kepnes You puts a supernatural spin on suspense. When Jon Bronson is freed four years after being kidnapped, he has no memory of captivity. All he wants to do is reconnect with his soulmate, Chloe, and move on. But he soon discovers he has the power to kill people in an instant, putting everyone he knows in danger.

This detective novel, love story, and thriller rolled into one explores the choices we make to protect the ones we love. What's the secret to happiness? In Katie Williams's Tell the Machine Goodnight , the answer lies in the Apricity , a device that analyzes a person's saliva and makes recommendations find religion, adopt a dog.

Apricity employee Pearl is baffled when her son refuses to use the machine, and she must reckon with his choice. This timely novel delves into the desire to optimize our messy lives. In a society that increasingly values connectivity, moments of solitude are hard to come by. But social scientists have found that time to oneself is essential to happiness and health.

In Alone Time , Stephanie Rosenbloom reflects on her solo trips to Paris, Florence, Istanbul, and New York and offers even the most social of social butterflies strategies to reap the benefits of being alone. Katie Daniels has it all: In her tender novel, The Dependents , Katharine Dion addresses the inevitable hurt that follows the loss of a loved one. While Gene Ashe prepares for his wife Maida's funeral, he thinks back on their loving marriage. But as his children and old friends share stories about Maida that shock him, he realizes how little he really knew about his lifelong partner.

I felt compelled to slap Jonah in the face for Calla's sake when she first meets him, but by the end of the book I was all-in for their relationship. This is very much enemies-to-lovers done right! Beyond the romance story line there is so much depth with Calla's relationships with her parents, her stepfather, and her father's next door neighbor. This is very much not 'jus 4. This is very much not 'just' a romance novel, there's a real solid plot! Add on top of all of that some great atmospheric setting in Alaska, some joys, and some grief - I just wanted to give this book a giant hug and then go shove it in the face of almost everyone I know.

I added this to my favorite book shelf , something I rarely do. View all 16 comments. The last time I saw my dad, we argued. I shouldn't remember, because it wasn't the first time, but I do remember, because that's the last time I saw him. I remember him, sitting on a chair in my mum's garden a few hours later, asking me, no, begg 3.

I remember him, sitting on a chair in my mum's garden a few hours later, asking me, no, begging me to talk to him. It was July , and he would die of cancer a few months later, in January. We spoke on the phone this Winter, but I never looked into his eyes again. My dad, very much like Calla's dad, did not talk about his illness. Not in the end anyway. We had a complicated relationship, but his phone number is still one of the few I know by heart. I'll be the first to recognize his faults, but I don't like people assuming things about him all the same.

I'm at peace with who he was, and I know that most of his mess doesn't mean he didn't care, even though it's hard for people to acknowledge that. People are so full of shit, you know? In my life I've met two kinds of person: I agree with neither. I was 28 when he died, and I wasn't close to understanding him nor the weave of threads tangled that bounded his life. Perhaps that's why I could relate to Calla so much.

When she learns that her father is dying, she decides to visit him for the first time after 24 years. She wants to get to know him, but that does not mean that she forgives him for having abandoned her. I can see why readers could despise her: I'm just not sure I would, and I understand that about her.

It's just so easy to imagine how we'd react when we've never been in this situation, but as for me, I'm not about to judge her. She's a little vain, ignorant, and immature? She lives with her parents and posts pictures of herself on Instagram? She's despairingly trying to cling to some semblance of normalcy and I, for one, isn't in the business of mocking what is very much a survival tactic. Plus she growths a lot in the course of the story, and isn't it what we seek, dynamic characters who evolve? Jonah, the love interest, is a prejudiced asshole, but to be fair, Calla does act in a very ignorant way when she arrives in Alaska.

If I'm being honest, the only thing that didn't sit well with me was the whole "you don't have to put on make-up" thing: I thought we were done with telling women that they shouldn't "paint their faces"? In what way is it his business? That bullshit is so stereotyped and ridiculous, it's exhausting. Moreover, I could feel their chemistry and honestly? I rooted for them so badly. Not to mention that it has the cabin-in-the-woods trope and sorry but I'm a sucker for it?

Both main characters are somewhat unlikeable , but if that doesn't bother you, you should give it a chance. All in all, The Simple Wild was more a story about what family means - and that's not necessarily the same as blood ties - than anything else , and that's why I'm more lenient with its flaws.

It resonated with me in a very personal way, but I don't expect other readers to feel the same. Perhaps you'll hate it, I sure can understand why you would. Yet even though it wasn't perfect and made me rage sometimes, I won't forget it anytime soon, and because of this, it deserves a positive rating. TW - cancer, death of a parent For more of my reviews, please visit: View all 3 comments.

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May 31, Gabby rated it it was amazing Shelves: Holy fuck I loved this. So I went into this book with pretty low expectations. He Will be My Ruin is one of my all time favorite books, but then the next two or three books I read from K. Tucker really disappointed me and ended up on my worst of the year lists. But this book, oh my gosh this book.

There's so much to love about it - I didn't want to it end. It was nearly pages and I flew through it in two days and now I'm so sad that it's over. This book follows a twenty-six year old girl n Holy fuck I loved this. This book follows a twenty-six year old girl named Calla who was born in Alaska but moved to Toronto with her Mom when she was two. Her Father Wren stayed in Alaska and runs a plane business called Wild. Calla gets an unexpected phone call saying her Dad has lung cancer, and she feels like if she doesn't go to Alaska now and meet him, she'll never have the chance.

This story is a romance, but it's also so much more than that. This story is about her parents romance and how they just couldn't get it right. This is a coming of age story for Calla, discovering who she is and what she's made of. This is a tribute to Alaska and their people and how strong they are.

I have a wild fascination with Alaska and this book was absolutely atmospheric. I felt like I was there, the descriptions were so vivid. I loved it because of that. Jonah is Calla's love interest and he's a hot-headed pilot who works for her Dad. At first I couldn't stand him,.

They both did really. Calla is the stereotypical city girl and Jonah is the stereotypical manly man but yet I felt so much for both of them. They have this amazing hate-to-love thing going on and their banter was so great. It had me grinning and giggling like an idiot throughout the whole book. There's nothing I can't stand more than when a couple gets together right away. I also liked the fact that Calla still lived at home at twenty-six because it's so rare to see that in books and I think it's so relatable for me to see someone in their twenties still living at home and I just really enjoyed seeing that.

I love that at the center of this story, it's not really a romance. It's a gorgeous story about Calla's family and how Alaska is such a huge part of her Father's life and about the dangers of being a pilot and how Alaska is a completely different world. It's gorgeously written, it made me cry and it made me laugh. I just found a new favorite book of all time.

These characters and Alaska will be on my mind for a very long time. This is definitely my favorite book from K. I'll definitely check out whatever book she comes out with next!

Huge thank you to Atria Books for sending me a copy of this book! Calla Fletcher was born in Alaska but her mother moved them back to Toronto when she was two-years old, leaving her bush pilot father, Wren Fletcher, and the rugged life behind. Life in Alaska was as much a part of the story as the characters, which made this a much richer reading experience.

Calla lived a more pampered lifestyle in Toronto with access to the plethora of services and amenities associated with an urban environment. I loved how her relationship with her father developed slowly, allowing time for both to create a new one. And then there was Jonah. The long thaw between these two provided lots of humor and interesting situations. It was also through Jonah that we learned about the realities of life in the wildness of the state. Their relationship developed so naturally that when it took a romantic turn, it just seemed right.

It confirmed why this author is an auto read for me. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review View all 9 comments. Since I never read anything by this author before, I didn't know how this book would affect me. Suffice to say it affected me a great deal. And ultimately it was a great deal more than a romance. It had everything from loss to love, regret and heartache, to forgiveness.

The Simple Wild was an emotional and tender story that perfectly blended all of these emotions into a brilliantly written story. Throughout the first 4. Throughout the first third of the story, the author slowly introduced the reader to the characters, their relationships, and the reality that was Bangor, Alaska. The way the author described this at times desolate and for many people depressing place felt utterly authentic and real.

Alaska is by no means an easy place to live in, but the author researched the area so well that the way of living came across as authentic and as true as possible, which was greatly appreciated. While reading The Simple Wild, I fell in love with Calla, her parents at home in Toronto, with her biological dad in Alaska, and with the annoyingly but handsome bush pilot Jonah.

Everyone of these characters was endearing, smart and genuinely likable. Each was fleshed out with personalities that were charming, relatable, and unique. Each character had a distinctive voice, and I must admit, one of my most favorite characters of all was Calla's stepdad Simon. Any child should be lucky to have a dad like him, and any woman blessed to call him hers.

But that's beside the point.: D Calla and Jonah's story was beautiful, touching but also a lot of fun. Enemies to lovers, their animosity was hilarious and their back and forth exceptionally well done.

They didn't change just because they slept together, they kept true to themselves and I adored them even more because of it. There were some incredibly tender moments in this book that took my breath away, especially between Calla and Jonah. There was nothing I didn't like about this story. The story flowed, and made me smile, laugh and in the end tear up. The author took an idea and wove it beautifully into a story that carried a message that is important to all of us.

Don't wait too long. Love, forgive, appreciate family, and enjoy the short life we were given. View all 10 comments. View this review and many more at: I think the Texas heat has made my obsession with Alaska come to a head this summer. I have been religiously watching Alaska State Troopers and have been eager to read or watch anything Alaskan-related lately.

This book has been one of my most anticipated reads for the year and did not disappoint. Though View this review and many more at: Though this story neatly fits into the Contemporary Romance category, it is so much more! Calla Fletcher, though born in the rugged state of Alaska, grew up as a Toronto city-girl.

When her mother couldn't tough out the harsh life Alaska is known for, despite the love she felt for Wren Fletcher, she fled back to the life she knew with their daughter Calla in tow, resulting in Calla's extended estrangement from her father. Out of the blue more than twenty years later, Calla receives a phone call informing her of her father's cancer.

Out of curiosity more than anything, the city gal decides to take her chances in the wild world of Alaska, hoping to reconnect with her father. However, when she gets there, she meets setback after setback, the majority being at the hands of the callous Jonah. The bush pilot who happens to be Wren Fletcher's right-hand man The writing grabbed my attention from the get-go and I was eager to see how things would go for Calla when she made it to Alaska. If anyone has ever seemed unfit for the landscape, it was her!

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There was not a rugged bone in her body, despite her Alaskan birthright. When she made it to her destination, I couldn't help but feel annoyed with her bratty attitude about the state. At one point, I was so fed up with her rude statements that seemed to make fun of Alaskans, I was sure I wouldn't like the book if she continued on in the same way. Thankfully, my eagerness to see how Jonah would challenge the "Barbie" made me stick with the story. Jonah was set on making Calla's time in Alaska a living hell, and he certainly met the challenge.

He was a complete jerk from the start! As the story went on, Calla and Jonah showed immense growth and made me love them in their own unique ways. Tucker does a phenomenal job of making these characters feel like living, breathing humans.

Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity

I have never experienced such a dramatic shift in my opinions about characters in a book before. I liked Calla, didn't like her, then loved her. I disliked Jonah, then end up loving him more than almost any male character I've read before. He is topping my list of book boyfriends, right behind Jamie Fraser, y'all! My favorite thing about Jonah was what I hated about him in the beginning, much like Calla did herself - his wonky sense of humor. I also loved that an author finally wrote a manly-man into existence.

Jonah is absolutely my type of guy, but these men are so rarely written, in exchange for the suits, the billionaires, the tattooed, or the rockstars. This "sky cowboy" was everything I didn't know I needed in a male lead with his hardworking attributes and rough around the edges exterior. I'm still shocked about my shift in opinion about this story and decided to bump it up from four stars to five for this amazing enemies-to-lovers tale with so much heart, fun, and growth.

I teared up at the end, felt all the things I hoped I would, and could imagine I was a part of the story myself. I couldn't ask for more from a book! I didn't want to let these characters go, and I'm sure you won't either. I can't recommend K. Tucker's upcoming release enough! Pre-order this beauty now or purchase your copy on August 7th. Jul 25, Heather K dentist in my spare time rated it liked it Shelves: If I were to base my rating on the first half of the book, I think I would have given this 2-stars.

I like a story where we start off disliking a main character and then slowing morph into loving them. Now, I'm not sure that was K. Tucker 's plan, but I certainly started off hating Calla. Calla was a bratty, entitled girl who wore wedge heels and brought a suitcase of basically just m If I were to base my rating on the first half of the book, I think I would have given this 2-stars. Calla was a bratty, entitled girl who wore wedge heels and brought a suitcase of basically just makeup to the Alaskan wilderness. I honestly was DONE with her from the start. Calla isn't a child- she is a 26 year old woman who wastes her time on Instagram and lives with her parents.

She does nothing around the house to help. She whines and whines and whines. When she goes to Alaska, she is upset about the lack of her preferred brand of soy milk for her latte girl, just drink it black!! Her chemistry with the male MC, Jonah, also felt extremely juvenile. Lots of smirking and teasing and pranks. After reading romances for adults about adults for so long, and even though these two were meant to be adults, it felt like reading YA which is K.

I know, I know I was emotionally manipulated. Hell, I welcomed it at that point because it made me feel something for the characters in the story. I even teared up a time or two, and I grew pretty attached to the side characters. I left the book on a high, which is the best way to end a story, even though it was a rough ride getting there. I'm leaving this book with 3-stars because I enjoyed the ending of the book, and I'm SURE most readers will enjoy this one.

I, however, know that K. Tucker has more up her sleeve than this book with its immature characters. Jul 31, Maram rated it it was amazing Shelves: The Simple Wild was Simply Pleasant. I really hope to love this book to the end: View all 13 comments. Aug 02, Angie - Angie's Dreamy Reads added it. Tucker before, or maybe it was because the cover seemed so serene and peaceful. It was bittersweet and beautiful and wholly impactful. It moved me, made me think, broke my heart, and had me falling in love in at so many di 4.

It moved me, made me think, broke my heart, and had me falling in love in at so many different stages. It was so heartfelt. It felt important, more than just romance, it was about self discovery and reflection, about acceptance and forgiveness. The Simple Wild , at it's essence, is about relationships.

The gist of it is: Calla gets laid off at work and in the same week finds out her father has lung cancer. Her dad lives in a remote part of Alaska and Calla lives in Toronto. But with her dad's illness comes a sensation she's unable to ignore, and at the urging of her stepdad, Calla decides to go to Alaska to see her father, to make peace with him. Only once there, in the remote town of Bangor, she not only finds her dad but a rugged pilot that just might have the power to rock everything she's ever known. A real, raw, slow building, deep, and absolutely gorgeous story that focuses on human relationships.

Complexity is easy and is a result of intellectual laziness. Simple is hard to achieve and requires highest level of sophistication. Something with clear intent that quickly conveys it's purpose or use. Shortening the distance bet sellers and buyers Provides three pillar to achieving simplicity 1. Boil down and customize what's being offered to meet needs 3. Cl Good book about an idea, I have also been pursuing. Make the offering easier to understand, use, and benefit. White space critical for reader focus The author focuses mostly on 'user interface' - forms, web page, presentations.

Recommends familiar approaches - persona, journey, service point analysis Hard stuff is the back end - core process, core applications and source data - for which, the author glosses over recommending stuff from 20 yr ago BPR-days. Jun 04, Melanie rated it really liked it. Who would have thought it is difficult to keep things simple. It sound like a contradiction, but only those who've tried can actually tell. In this book, Siegel presents to us how complexity was born, who benefits from it and how we can benefit from understanding simplicity.

It is a practical book, this means it explains the components of simplicity and how to achieve it. The book is also persuasive in nature. At no point those the author call us to arms in order to beat complexity. He simply p Who would have thought it is difficult to keep things simple. He simply pun intended notes all the benefits of simplicity and make it obvious why not choosing this path is a decision only a fool would make. Highly recommended, applicable to work, relationships, self and order in itself.

Sep 09, Marlene rated it really liked it. A case for simplicity from a business angle.

The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker

This was interesting to me, as I'm used to reading about this from my profession's standpoint: An easy and interesting read. May 22, Timothy Johnson rated it it was amazing. As a project manager, my initiatives are often the unlucky recipients of organizational complexity. This book provides tangible examples Google, Target and provides easy-to-understand techniques empathize, clarify, distill to help weed through the quagmire of organizational mess to make things both simpler AND more effective.

Book is an easy read with straight-forward language. Feb 06, Melinda rated it liked it. I skimmed this book after the halfway point. The concepts are great, and I found some of the examples interesting. The Cleveland Clinic in particular is an excellent example of how a large organization can make simple choices to have a big impact. I can't say that I was inspired, but I can perhaps now better appreciate companies and organizations who succeed in the "simple" philosophy.

It's a quick read, well-written, but left me wanting a little more. It was not exactly what I expected, but it had some great points - if you are looking for a how to make your life simple - this is not it. But, it does give you food for thought - if you want to simplify your life - you can do it - the choice is yours. People have been looking for a simpler life for generations - nothing new, but now we have technology - whole other subject. May 27, J. If you're responsible for creating, updating, or changing the foundation documents of your company or ministry, then this book will influence how you go about it, and what you try to accomplish in the process.

It's written by industry-leading experts in the field of blowing up boilerplate, so that alone makes it a fun read. I had a hard time finishing this book, in fact I simplified the task and decided not to. I skimmed to the end. And I grow weary of reading, in book after book, how simple Google's search engine page appears and Apple's design is. Feb 04, Doods Diago rated it liked it. The book revolves mostly around the impact of simplification in government and business.

However, I love how the core concepts are very applicable and relevant to myself as a person. Of particular note include the principles: Clarify, Empathize, and Distill; and even Aristotle's theory of persuasion. May 15, Alison rated it really liked it.

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Love the ideas in here. Some of the examples become tired and are difficult to transfer to other professions. I wish there was more on simplification of communication within bureaucratic organizations. Mar 22, LeikHong Leow rated it liked it. Simple book to read and it give some quick ideas on how complicity can be develop in all source of forms. Simplifying the agreement contact of a bank policy into just a few sentences that everyone understand. Oct 31, Merelyn B rated it really liked it.

I really makes you think about complexity, clarity and simplicity. As well as, why people feel the need to make things complex. I met Irene Etzkorn, my firm brought her in to discuss simplicity and she gave me the book. I'm glad i read it. I look at how I communicate differently. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Alan Siegel is one of the best-known figure in the branding industry and a longtime advocate of clarity and simplicity in communications.

In Alan created Siegelvision, a new strategic branding and communications consultancy that champions clarity above all. Alan is also the founder and chairman emeritus of global branding agency Siegel and Gale. Alan Siegel founded Siegel and Gale in , and Alan Siegel is one of the best-known figure in the branding industry and a longtime advocate of clarity and simplicity in communications. Alan Siegel founded Siegel and Gale in , and over the course of forty years transformed it from a small consultancy into one of the most respected branding firms in the world. Throughout his entire career, Alan has always been a proponent of clarity and simplicity, and has sought to apply those principles to all of his work Having experienced the power of clarity in branding, Alan became a major figure in the Plain English movement during the s, and worked with dozens of major financial institutions, the Census Bureau and the IRS to simplify complex legal and financial documents.

Throughout his career, Alan has lectured at major business conferences and universities around the world, and he was a featured speaker at the TED Conference in To further the cause of clarity, Alan brought his ideas to college classrooms. He served as an adjunct professor of law at Fordham University Law School for several years, where he created and taught a course on writing contracts in plain English, and as an adjunct associate professor at Carnegie Mellon where he cofounded the Communications Design Center.

Although Alan no longer teaches, his desire to give back didn't end with his foray into education. He is also the author of two books of photography, One Man's Eye: The Photographs of Edward J.