The Rose Code, Kate Quinn

I loved that this work of historical fiction showcased the role of women in the defeat of the German forces during WWII.

"1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of East-End London poverty, works the legendary code-breaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart." (link)

Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus

I loved the main character's determination to succeed as a woman in science.

"Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo." (link)

Content Warning: There is reference to a sexual assault in the book.

Origin, Dan Brown

Where did we come from? Where are we going? This novel asks these questions and more as it explores what it means to be a human in today's world engulfed by technology. Robert Langdon must figure out the discovery his friend Edmond Kirsch was going to release to the world. Follow Robert around Europe as he deciphers clues that lead him closer to finding out the truth.

Ready Player One, Ernest Cline

Wade Watts is a boy from the stacks whose only escape is the OASIS, a virtual reality world created by James Halliday, a programmer obsessed with the 1980's. Follow Wade's avatar, Parzival, and his friends through the search for Halliday's easter egg as they try to outrun the Sixers and gain control over the OASIS and Halliday's entire fortune. Read it before the movie comes out on March 30th.