Family is coming into town and that means it’s time for some ME time before everyone arrives. Bathtub filled with hot water? Check. Carefully placed candles? Check. An empowering and inspiring book? Hold up. We’ve devoured these books by women, about women, for women and want to sing their praises from the mountain tops (and share them and all their glory with you, of course!)
The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung
A novel that exists deep within the throes of history, The Tenth Muse follows Katherine’s search for identity, love and ambition while she embarks on a journey to crack the greatest unsolved mathematical problem of her time, the Riemann Hypothesis. She finds unexpected connection with the bold and mathematically inclined women who came before her, and comes to terms with rethinking her entire identity as she knows it.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
Hunger is not a weight loss memoir, but rather a memoir of what it means to live in a body that has experienced trauma and heartache. Roxane Gay shares personal details of her own trauma and how it relates to her body and self-image, and examines how American women relate to food, their own bodies, and the bodies of other women. Vivid, honest and empowering, Hunger sheds light on issues that women rarely speak of, but relate to at their core.
Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner, Mrs. Everything observes the lives of Jo and Bethie Kaufman, two sisters from Detroit, and how they navigate the world as women from the 1950’s to present-day America. Their paths and views of womanhood are polar opposites, but pose the question: What should, or can, a woman be in this world?
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Named one of the most anticipated books of 2019 by Woman’s Day, Bustle and Publishers Weekly, Queenie is the story of a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman of the same name who is finding her place at a national newspaper in the heart of London. Following a tumultuous break-up with her long-term boyfriend, Queenie finds herself careening through a slew of questionable decisions, an evaluation of self-worth, and an exploration of what it means to be a modern woman searching for truth and meaning.
Pink Elephant by Rachel McKibbens
Rachel McKibbens debut, Pink Elephant, is a book of poetry that testifies about childhood abandonment and the reality of a broken home alongside the uplifting discovery of forgiveness, understanding, and ultimately, love. Not a romanticism of violence or victimhood, Pink Elephant is a work of beautiful prose, and intimately vivid imagery.
