Judi

Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned 30, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be. To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. She got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world, all alone. This is the absorbing chronicle of that year.

Amy Cohen always imagined that by age 30 she would be juggling a thriving career, a devoted English husband, and two adorable children who had shag haircuts and a room in their loft where they could play the drums. But at 35, as she struggled to come to terms with the loss of her adored mother, she found herself "between jobs" (she'd been fired), "between boyfriends" (she'd been dumped), and "between apartments".

In April 2002, Janine Latus' youngest sister, Amy, wrote a note and taped it to the inside of her desk drawer. "Today Ron Ball and I are romantically involved", it read, "but I fear I have placed myself at risk in a variety of ways. Based on his criminal past, writing this out just seems like the smart thing to do. If I am missing or dead this obviously has not protected me...."