You Need To Read These 10 New Books By Women

Literary history is filled with incredible women authors. From Louisa May Alcott to Toni Morrison, women have made their mark.

But new books are published at an ever increasing rate. It’s hard to keep up with the best women authors.

The Huffington Post has come to our rescue, with a list of great new books written by women. Here’s a summary for you, if you’re looking for inspiration.

1. Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh

What makes this book intriguing is the way that the author faces the worst parts of her protagonists’ characters. The characters seem benign and acceptable on the outside, but Moshfegh doesn’t say away from their selfish, even pathological, traits.

homesick

Source: Amazon

2. Idaho by Emily Ruskovich

This is a classic crime novel, with a deeply convoluted family tangle to make it more gripping. Like so many crimes that have gripped the psyche of the nation (think Jon Benet Ramsey), the twisted family relationships give depth to this story that many mysteries lack.

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Source: Amazon

3. A Separation by Katie Kitamura

It’s the unique rhythms of the writing that grab the reader of this novel. But the tale of love lost, disappearance and mystery, is what pulls you in to find out what has happened. The setting is Greece, which makes the book even more alluring, if you like the idea of exotic locations.

a separation

Source: Amazon

4. O Fallen Angel by Kate Zambreno

This is the first novel for Kate Zambreno. It’s a modern day tale of a woman who refuses to recognize any of life’s difficulties. She won’t acknowledge anything that strays from her strict Catholic beliefs. Her two highly dysfunctional yet endearing children make up the rest of the cast.

o fallen angel

Source: Amazon

5. Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

This book is really original, in every way. Except that it’s based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, and is retold with a modern, dystopian twist. Margaret Atwood is already known as a sharply chilling writer. This book brings that fact home, without a doubt.

hagseed

Source: Amazon

6. South and West by Joan Didion

Joan Didion based this collection of narrative non-fiction stories on trips she took back in the 1970’s. But its themes, for good or ill, are timeless. As a California native, she went to the deep South, finding that mistrust of strangers mixes seamlessly with a deep warmth and gentility. Didion traveled and took notes, and each small section is a treatise on what she learned about the people.

south and west

Source: Amazon

7. The Red Car by Marcy Dermansky

This modern novel has humor and a sense of familiarity. Like many TV shows that we all love, it’s the story of a young woman trying to make her way in the world. She’s creative, smart, and incredibly vulnerable when it comes to men. Millennial women, in particular, would enjoy this book.

the red car

Source: Amazon

8. The Mothers by Brit Bennett

This book tells the story of two girls growing up in a strict Christian town. Each of them has suffered the loss of her mother, and each tries to find a way through that grief. What makes the book truly powerful are the voices of the women in town. They have made themselves the voluntary “Mothers” of the young women, and are the ones who narrate the story of loss and redemption.

the mothers

Source: Amazon

9. Intimations by Alexandra Kleeman

This is a book of short stories by a new author. Each is a short, tightly written narrative about the absurdity of dating in the modern age. The stories feel almost like a dream sequence, where you begin to question your own perception of reality. The reviewers on the Huffington Post suggest that this would be great for your book club.

imitations

Source: Amazon

10. Trainwreck by Sady Doyle

This book is a study of why we continually choose one spectacularly successful woman to hate. From Anne Hathaway to Katy Perry, we seem to target women who are just too beautiful, or talented, or smart or successful. This book is an attempt to explain our perverse need to proclaim ourselves feminists while tearing down the women who, by all accounts, we should be celebrating.

trainwreck

Source: Amazon

I know I’ve got my summer beach reading all lined up. What about you?

Here are some good women’s books from a couple of years ago.

YouTube Channel: WMN

 

Featured image via Pixabay

h/t Huffington Post