10 books like The Manningtree Witches

By A. K. Blakemore,

Here are 10 books that authors have personally recommended if you like The Manningtree Witches. Shepherd is a community of 7,000+ authors sharing their favorite books with the world.

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The Wife

By Meg Wolitzer,

Book cover of The Wife

This novel is razor-sharp, as infuriating as it is funny. Adapted into an award-winning 2017 film with Glenn Close, the original source material is actually much more satirical, suspenseful, and insightful. Joan Castleman is the long-suffering wife of a revered novelist, who is soon to be honored with a lifetime achievement award (think: the Nobel Prize). They journey to Helsinki for the ceremony, but Joan has more than a few resentments building inside her. And how much exactly does Joe Castleman owe his successful career to his wife? Was she more than just supportive spouse and homemaker to him? An entertaining diatribe showing how women’s talent and labor often go unrecognized—and even co-optedby the men in our lives. 

The Wife

By Meg Wolitzer,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Wife as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

THE WIFE is the story of the long and stormy marriage between a world-famous novelist, Joe Castleman, and his wife Joan and the secret they've kept for decades. The novel opens just as Joe is about to receive a prestigious international award, The Helsinki Prize, to honour his career as one of America's preeminent novelists of the Mailer-Bellow-Updike school. But this isn't a book for writers; it's a book for readers, for people who are interested in questions such as: Is there a 'male' voice and a 'female' voice? Do men and women see the world differently, and how? THE…


She Said

By Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey,

Book cover of She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement

Speaking of witch hunts… oh wait, #MeToo was most definitely not a witch hunt when it came to exposing the predatory behavior of one Harvey Weinstein. This non-fiction book probably needs no introduction: it’s written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalists who finally broke the story of the century. It is a must-read in terms of understanding how one man’s power enabled him to get away with assaulting and terrorizing women for so long. Megan and Jodi’s final confrontation with Weinstein himself is chilling. And if you think the story ends there, a powerful coda centers on Christine Blasey Ford and her decision to speak up against the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. This book’s humane, empathetic account offers a small modicum of justice in the wake of all the pain, destruction, and trauma caused by a perpetrator like Weinstein. 

She Said

By Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked She Said as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

*SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING CAREY MULLIGAN AND ZOE KAZAN* 'Explosive' Margaret Atwood 'Seismic' Observer 'Brilliant' Nigella Lawson 'Gripping' Jon Ronson A FINANCIAL TIMES, NEW STATESMAN, DAILY TELEGRAPH, METRO AND ELLE BOOK OF THE YEAR On 5 October 2017, the New York Times published an article by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey that helped change the world. Hollywood was talking as never before. Kantor and Twohey outmanoeuvred Harvey Weinstein, his team of defenders and private investigators, convincing some of the most famous women in the world - and some unknown ones - to go on the record.…


The Second Shift

By Arlie Russell Hochschild, Anne Machung,

Book cover of The Second Shift: Working Families and the Revolution at Home

Unrecognised female labor is also the subject of this captivating non-fiction book by Hochschild, a sociologist drawing upon decades of research with fifty heterosexual couples in the Bay area. Hochschild is well-known for identifying ‘the second shift’ of childcare and domestic chores that working women often perform at home, on top of their professional commitment. This results in a rampant inequality of leisure time, and compounded with unequal pay in the workplace, exacerbates gender injustice in contemporary American society. But Hochschild also provides powerful examples of couples who counter-act this norm, while showing how individual attitudes towards gender and domestic responsibilities are influenced by class, ethnicity, and upbringing. Fascinating and illuminating. 

The Second Shift

By Arlie Russell Hochschild, Anne Machung,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Second Shift as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An updated edition of a standard in its field that remains relevant more than thirty years after its original publication.

Over thirty years ago, sociologist and University of California, Berkeley professor Arlie Hochschild set off a tidal wave of conversation and controversy with her bestselling book, The Second Shift. Hochschild's examination of life in dual-career housholds finds that, factoring in paid work, child care, and housework, working mothers put in one month of labor more than their spouses do every year. Updated for a workforce that is now half female, this edition cites a range of updated studies and statistics,…


The Shore

By Sara Taylor,

Book cover of The Shore

I loved this atmospheric debut, often described as a collection of interlinked short stories. Set on an isolated group of islands off the coast of Virginia, the stories span more than two centuries of the same family’s history: from the 19th century and far ahead into a post-apocalyptic, post-pandemic future. There are intimations that a supernatural ‘second sight’ runs in the family and the book’s Southern Gothic vibe is nothing short of intriguing. But for all the hints of magic realism, the focus on female characters contending with obstacles of class and gender at different points in history is rooted in an understandable reality. Beautifully written descriptions of the natural environment, poignant characters, and local color all demonstrate Taylor’s imagination to be visionary and impressive. 

The Shore

By Sara Taylor,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Shore as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An ambitious, Baileys prize-nominated debut set in an unforgettable place, introducing a powerful new voice in fiction

The Shore: a group of small islands in the Chesapeake Bay, just off the coast of Virginia. The Shore is clumps of evergreens, wild ponies, oyster-shell roads, tumble-down houses, unwanted pregnancies, murder, and dark magic in the marshes. Sanctuary to some but nightmare to others, it's a place that generations of families both wealthy and destitute have inhabited, fled, and returned to for hundreds of years. From a half-Shawnee Indian's bold choice to escape an abusive home only to find herself with a…


Sisters of the Lost Marsh

By Lucy Strange,

Book cover of Sisters of the Lost Marsh: the atmospheric new story from Waterstones Prize-shortlisted author Lucy Strange

I absolutely adore Lucy Strange’s books and her latest one, Sisters of the Lost Marsh, is a gloriously Gothic mystery with sisterhood at its centre. The story is about a family of six sisters reigned over by their tyrannical father. When one of the sisters goes missing, 12-year-old Willa decides to take matters into her own hands and uncover what happened. This book is a beautiful blend of mystery, folktale, and feminism and one I simply could not put down. 

Sisters of the Lost Marsh

By Lucy Strange,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sisters of the Lost Marsh as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the Waterstones Prize-shortlisted author of Our
Castle by the Sea comes a gorgeously gothic story, perfect
for fans of Emma Carroll and Frances Hardinge ...

'My book of the year. This is storytelling so secure and shining
that you can almost feel the glow.' HILARY MCKAY,
COSTA BOOK AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE SKYLARK'S WAR

'I absolutely love this book ... Lucy Strange is a wonderful,
accomplished writer whose books stay with you long after you
have finished reading.' NATASHA FARRANT, COSTA BOOK
AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF VOYAGE OF THE SPARROWHAWK

Life is hard for Willa, Grace and Freya, and their…


Light on the Sound

By S.P. Somtow, Mikey Jiraros (illustrator),

Book cover of Light on the Sound: Chronicles of the High Inquest: Homeworld of the Heart

Light on the Sound is a fascinating story and was a big inspiration for me. From the teenage, female protagonist who resists her oppression, to the fantastic creatures and imaginative ideas, this story has everything. Somtow writes with a vivid style that works well for the story, and he weaves everything together in unexpected ways.  

Light on the Sound

By S.P. Somtow, Mikey Jiraros (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Light on the Sound as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Inquestor Series was a classic science fiction series of the 1980s — and has now been reincarnated for the 21st century, with more adventures, more spectacle, and more extras.  Tachyon bubbles, people bins and galactic empires — and profound family conflicts — Greek tragedy writ large.  Light on the Sound, the book that started it all, begins with one lonely planet and three lost souls, and ends with galactic revolution.

For twenty thousand years, the godlike Inquestors have held sway over the one million worlds of the Dispersal of Man.  S.P. Somtow’s limitless imagination has created a universe of…


Why I Am Not A Feminist

By Jessa Crispin,

Book cover of Why I Am Not A Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto

Crispin is funny, acerbic, trenchant, and a little bit mean. Her 2017 polemic takes contemporary feminism to task for what she sees as its feckless devolution from fervent, world-changing force to toothless irrelevancy. It’s a challenging read, especially for anyone who is, like me, a longtime feminist. But Crispin’s voice is fresh and compelling, and whether or not you agree with her entirely, her critique is impossible to ignore.

Why I Am Not A Feminist

By Jessa Crispin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Why I Am Not A Feminist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Outspoken critic Jessa Crispin delivers a searing rejection of contemporary feminism . . . and a bracing manifesto for revolution.

Are you a feminist? Do you believe women are human beings and that they deserve to be treated as such? That women deserve all the same rights and liberties bestowed upon men? If so, then you are a feminist . . . or so the feminists keep insisting. But somewhere along the way, the movement for female liberation sacrificed meaning for acceptance, and left us with a banal, polite, ineffectual pose that barely challenges the status quo. In this bracing,…


Beauvoir in Time

By Meryl Altman,

Book cover of Beauvoir in Time

This recently published excavation of Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex is almost as thick as Beauvoir’s massive tract, but don’t let that put you off. The photo of Beauvoir on the cover conveys an insouciant “Yeah, sure” attitude, and Meryl Atman uncannily channels that sentiment into a dazzlingly authoritative and entertaining discussion of why the overwhelming majority of the criticism of Beauvoir’s famous tome happens to be misguided and wrong. The book is about gender, race, sexuality, class, and privilege, but it isn’t a polemic. It is an exercise in critical reading at its most invigorating.

Beauvoir in Time

By Meryl Altman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Beauvoir in Time as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Beauvoir in Time situates Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex in the historical context of its writing and in later contexts of its international reception, from then till now. The book takes up three aspects of Beauvoir's work more recent feminists find embarrassing: "bad sex," "dated" views about lesbians, and intersections with race and class. Through close reading of Beauvoir's writing in many genres, alongside contemporaneous discourses (good and bad novels in French and English, outmoded psychoanalytic and sexological authorities, ethnographic surrealism, the writing of Richard Wright and Franz Fanon), and in light of her travels to the U.S. and…


Thick

By Tressie McMillan Cottom,

Book cover of Thick: And Other Essays

A National Book Award finalist, Tressie McMillan Cottom’s Thick is a brilliantly written compendium of essays that should be read by everyone. This awe-inspiring collection tackles beauty standards, media, capitalism, and white supremacy all with a fierce wit and through a Black feminist lens. You will count yourself lucky to read these essays by one of the most important thinkers of our time. Cottom is wildly sharp and funny. She is an academic and profound but this book is accessible and readable. If you are like me you will want to read this twice.  

Thick

By Tressie McMillan Cottom,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Thick as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In eight highly praised treatises on beauty, media, money, and more, Tressie McMillan Cottom - award-winning professor and acclaimed author of Lower Ed - is unapologetically 'thick': deemed 'thick where I should have been thin, more where I should have been less,' McMillan Cottom refuses to shy away from blending the personal with the political, from bringing her full self and voice to the fore of her analytical work.In eight highly praised treatises on beauty, media, money, and more, Tressie McMillan Cottom - award-winning professor and acclaimed author of Lower Ed - is unapologetically 'thick': deemed 'thick where I should…


The Museum of Lost Love

By Gary Barker,

Book cover of The Museum of Lost Love

Turning to a novel, here’s a story of a man who visits this fictional museum and sees the mementos and reads the letters of lost love. Far too many are to or by men who have caused others harm. This is not a grim story. It’s about the space that opens up for men to find a truer path to their hearts.

The Museum of Lost Love

By Gary Barker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Museum of Lost Love as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Tyler is in therapy. Katia and Goran are in love. On a summer trip to Zagreb, the couple discover an unusual museum that displays mementos of broken relationships. Inside, Goran stumbles upon an exhibit that seems to be addressed to him, from a girl he met in a Sarajevo refugee camp at age fourteen. What follows is a whirlwind summer of reconnecting with lost pasts: Goran confronts the youth he lost during the Yugoslav Wars, Katia heads to Brazil to find her roots, and Afghanistan veteran Tyler pours out his soul. Set against alternating backdrops of violent circumstances, this novel…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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