I grew up in an era of feminism but did not necessarily see opportunities outside of the traditional female roles. I became a teacher, mother, and now grandmother, and I am more passionate than ever about the challenges of being a woman, especially in this strident time in America. I think it is imperative that women stand up for themselves and fulfill the dreams that some of our ancestors were not able to achieve. We should never move backward in terms of allowing all citizens to strive toward their pursuit of happiness. Consequently, I have gravitated towards books with strong women protagonists in my reading selections.
I wrote
No Life But This: A Novel of Emily Warren Roebling
I loved this book because it swept me into the world of one family with four sisters. Each sister has a distinct personality reminiscent of Little Women. Napolitanoās insightful writing brings each sisterās inner life to light.
I had trouble putting the book down as the complicated plot unfolded over their lifetimes. I was inspired by their strong pull toward each other, which endured even through separation and tragedy.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward comes a poignant and engrossing family story that asks: Can love make a broken person whole?
āHello Beautiful is exactly that: beautiful, perceptive, wistful. Itās a story of family and friendship, of how the people we are bound to can also set us free. I loved it.āāMiranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper Palace
William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love himāso when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshmanā¦
I loved the absurd premise of the book, which involves the relationship between an older woman and an octopus, and Van Pelt pulled it off beautifully. I am drawn to books about older women and how they navigate changes in life.
Tova, the main character, is strong, self-assured, and accepting of her simple and solitary life but discovers one night that life can change quickly. The story is heartwarming, delightful, and somehow believable, with a twist at the end, which always makes me end up wanting more.
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK
'Full of heart and humour . . . I loved it.' Ruth Hogan
'Will stay with you for a long time.' Anstey Harris
'I defy you to put it down once you've started' Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium whoā¦
The Good Woman's Guide to Making Better Choices
by
Liz Foster,
A heart-warming and hilarious novel about the highs and lows of marriage, fraud, and goatās cheese.
Libby Popovic is a country girl whoās now living a golden life in Bondi with her confident financier husband Ludo, and their two children. When Ludo is jailed for financial fraud, and Libbyās friendsā¦
If there ever lived a strong, persistent woman, it is Jaouad. This is Jaouadās memoir of fighting and surviving leukemia at age 22. I came to love her as a person as she suffered the broken dreams of her youth and her future.
The insightful writing is from her unique perspective as a young woman who speaks multiple languages and is raised in several countries, including the United States. In her post-treatment year, she completes a road trip around the United States, which brings more revelations.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ā¢ A searing, deeply moving memoir of illness and recovery that traces one young womanās journey from diagnosis to remission to re-entry into ānormalā lifeāfrom the author of the Life, Interrupted column in The New York Times
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, The Rumpus, She Reads, Library Journal, Booklist ā¢ āI was immersed for the whole ride and would follow Jaouad anywhere. . . . Her writing restores the moon, lights the way as we learn to endure the unknown.āāChanel Miller, The Newā¦
I cannot resist beautiful, elegant writing, and Hoffman achieves this every time. Set in the Old Testament on the refuge of Masada in Judea, you come to know the lives of four women intimately.
I love substantial, complicated narratives that bring you directly into peopleās lives. Each woman is strong and steadfast in what they will do to survive and save their children in lives full of danger. It is a stunningly truthful story and one of my all-time favorite books.
The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffmanās most ambitious and mesmerizing novel: āstrikingā¦.Hoffman grounds her expansive, intricately woven, and deepest new novel in biblical history, with a devotion and seriousness of purposeā (Entertainment Weekly).
Nearly two thousand years ago, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffmanās novel is a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily bold, resourceful, and sensuous women, each of whom has come to Masada by a different path.ā¦
This one captured my heart completely, and I sobbed at the end. Although dystopian, it is a timely story about the consequences of racism, oppression, and fear in America. The main characters are a boy and his missing mother. His quest to find her will touch you deeply.
I love emotionally gripping books that carry a deep message or meaning, and this one does that beautifully.
THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK THE PANDORA BOOK CLUB PICK A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A hottest book for THE TIMES, DAILY MAIL, THE INDEPENDENT, VOGUE, STYLIST, TIME MAGAZINE, EVENING STANDARD, THE I and THE IRISH MAIL ON SUNDAY.
'It's impossible not to be moved' Stephen King, New York Times
'Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching...I was so invested in the future of this mother and son, and I can't wait to hear what you think of this deeply suspenseful story!' Reese Witherspoon (Reese's Book Club October '22 Pick)
From the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, comes one of the mostā¦
This is the inspiring true story of a woman ahead of her time. Roebling is considered to be the first woman field engineer and was highly instrumental in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1869, Emily fought to overcome society's disbelief in a female scientist when she became a liaison for her husband, Washington Roebling, chief engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge after he became ill.
Gifted in math and science, she participated in all aspects of the construction. After the completion of the bridge, she went on to stunning achievements of her own, attending law school and traveling the world as an outspoken feminist and writer. This book is based on historical accounts and research, so it is largely true.
Confessions of a Knight Errant
by
Gretchen McCullough,
Confessions of a Knight Errant is a comedic, picaresque novel in the tradition of Don Quixote with a flamboyant cast of characters.
Dr. Gary Watson is the picaro, a radical environmentalist and wannabe novelist who has been accused of masterminding a computer hack that wiped out the files of aā¦
Conditions are Different After Dark
by
Owen W. Knight,
In 1662, a man is wrongly executed for signing the death warrant of Charles I. Awaiting execution, he asks to speak with a priest, to whom he declares a curse on the village that betrayed him. The priest responds with a counter-curse, leaving just one option to nullify it.