As an avid reader, I’ve always found it so amazing when I could connect with an author and the books they were writing. It’s always so vital (but especially during Women’s History Month) to support women writers who are changing the world every day with their words.
Here are some of my favorite books by women, recommended to you based on your favorite genres.
memoirs: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
You may recognize McCurdy from her iCarly days, but this memoir shakes up everything you thought you knew about her. When I read this book last year, I couldn’t put it down. It had me feeling a mix of so many emotions.
With the backdrop of the book set as her rise as a child actor, McCurdy details the ins and outs of her relationship with her mother. I’m Glad My Mom Died gives so much insight into what it’s like growing up in the spotlight with so much pressure on one’s back and what a strong and resilient person McCurdy is.
history: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
You know those books that have left such an impact on your life that you find yourself thinking about them weeks, months, and even years after you finished them? This is one of them. I first read Homegoing last spring in my Women in Literature class and have never failed to recommend it to everyone. I feel like my words cannot do justice to how phenomenal of a book this is.
The novel follows two half-sisters who were born in Ghana and the following generations of their family. Each chapter is a separate perspective from a descendant of the family. Despite the sisters never knowing each other, Gyasi does a remarkable job of weaving the family’s storylines together. Through this, she connects so many important themes, and readers can get a full picture of who this family was and the experiences they went through.
Not only does this book give a beautiful and, at times, heartbreaking tale of this family, but it also works to help readers understand the lasting impacts of systemic racism and generational trauma.
Books like Homegoing are so important to read, and I’d highly recommend Gyasi’s work to anyone I talk to. She is an author who is truly making such an impact with her words, and I cannot wait to read more of her books.
thrillers: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Cool girl is game. Cool girl is fun. Cool girl reads books written by women.
If you’ve ever had the experience of listening to the cool girl monologue, you know exactly what I’m hinting at. Gone Girl is one of those books that I can remember exactly what it was like when I read it for the first time, and I wish I could go back to that first read.
Meet Nick and Amy Dunne. To outsiders, they seem like the perfect couple. On the inside, there’s trouble. Gone Girl follows two perspectives: Nick, who realizes the wife he’s grown to dislike more and more each day has gone missing, and Amy, who may have made her own choice in disappearing.
The twist in this novel still shocks me every time I read it. Flynn also has a remarkable way of writing her characters to be very raw and frank, where you feel they are almost justified in their actions.
romance: Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Enemies to lovers, a picturesque small town, and two stubborn people working in the book industry? Book lovers will love it. I’ve always loved all of Emily Henry’s books, but Book Lovers is so special because it feels like it was specifically written for readers.
The book centers around a New York City literary agent who will stop at nothing to get the best deal for her writers, and a moody editor stuck in Sunshine Falls. And, spoiler alert, they fall in love. Right out of a Hallmark film, right?
What makes Book Lovers so fun is all the references to the book publishing world and the cheesy tropes that make up romance novels. Henry lets us fall in love with cheesiness but also gives us interesting and real characters. It’s the perfect blend of a romance lover’s dream.
As women, we have to make sure we’re supporting other women around us. I feel that by reading books written by women and centered around women’s experiences, we can work toward doing that. I hope this Women’s History Month, you get to read some amazing books by women authors!
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