Wonderfully Witchy Stories to Charm You , and again in my review of Natalie Haynes's A Thousand Ships , a woman-centered type immersed in her own sometimes dark writing, she is disgusted by the rest of her cohort--childish women

The first in Alex White's Salvagers space opera series offers diverse characters, strong women, a heist A Big Ship is a space heist book with lots of action, strong women characters driving the plot, and a

Ward's novel, set in the years before the Civil War and told from the point of view of an enslaved young woman anticipated: she's separated from her mother, sold, and forced to begin walking in a trail of roped women Without her mother's protection--and tales of their warrior-woman ancestors--Annie is left with only

grave injuries, a US Marshal's determined search for John himself, the distraction of a clever, brave woman As always, her main characters are richly layered, struggle with terrible circumstances, retain strong

The Rose Code is a wonderfully spun historical fiction story of three very different women who answer I love a World War II story about strong women making a difference, but I admit that I was curious about When a local young woman goes missing, Chloe fights her rising panic. on each other's nerves work together to determine who is responsible for a puzzling murder and other strange The shift has made for strange bedfellows—and a prickly partnership between our main protagonist, Ellen

Mackenzie is a sports agent who's constantly fighting against misogyny and double standards as one of few women and refusal to bend to societal pressures--whether by behaving in a more tough manner because she's a woman in a career where fewer women exist, or by using her femininity as a tool in that career.

successful podcaster Alix Summer is celebrating her forty-fifth birthday at the local pub when she meets a strange woman, Josie, also celebrating her birthday. Her "birthday twin" begins popping up where Alix is, and she's got a strange, disturbing life story to She's falling for her famous client, the musician Trace Thorne--but when a woman shows up claiming to

During World War II. 02 A Well-Behaved Woman by Therese Anne Fowler Fowler captures wonderful details in A Well-Behaved Woman, both in the surroundings and the rigid views of the period about women, marriage For my full review of A Well-Behaved Woman, click here. 03 The Parting Glass by Gina Marie Guadagnino other immigrant groups, as well as introducing a heart-wrenching, forbidden, unrequited love of one woman forced to grow up too quickly--a woman who for years feels she must push away any hopes for a life

I loved that brave women that drive the novel in both timelines. Lisa Barr is also the author of Woman on Fire , The Unbreakables , and Fugitive Colors .

Divya has crafted strong female main protagonists who navigate the sometimes dark, always complicated But Divya is too busy crafting strong female main protagonists (complete with working mother guilt, which The interconnected stories here are made up of strange, affecting situations.

I loved the futuristic space-mission capabilities, smart and strong all-woman crew, the mystery and suspicion

Alouette herself yearns for creative freedom, but as a woman with no standing, she is not allowed to and breathtaking power imbalances; dangerous mining practices; widespread captivity of inconvenient women

a few elements of the mystery didn't diminish my enjoyment of the fast-paced tale in which a young woman Married Landon was having a passionate affair with a beautiful, spunky local young woman, Lo Bailey, predicted a few elements of the big reveal, I was intrigued by how Lo turned the demonization of the Oth er Woman

01 Sunny Side Up by Katie Sturino I loved Sunny's body positivity and her self-made-woman status. shake off the fact that nothing in the Bergdorf Goodman swimsuit section comes even close to fitting a woman Handles It and makes her dreams come true--thereby also taking care of fashion-conscious plus-sized women I loved Sunny's independence, savvy abilities, strong will, and, of course, her fashion sense.

in the story Grey, Kier, and choice members of their army are assigned to the protection of a young woman The magic in Bovalino's world is strange and the circumstances around the island feel like a grayscale

Space. 02 The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei I loved the futuristic space-mission capabilities, smart and strong all-woman crew, the mystery and suspicion, and most of all the character-driven storyline in Kitasei's In Divine Rivals, Iris and Roman, two journalists, are competing for a permanent position as a newspaper But the person receiving these missives is not Forest, but Iris's work nemesis, Roman.

later timeline takes place in the time of World War II as Daphne, an intelligent and educated young woman protagonists are explicitly linked within the story, although the reader will know of their bond before the women Walsh is also the author of Becoming Bonnie, Side by Side, A Betting Woman, and The Call of the Wrens

Tayari Jones's newest novel, Kin , about childhood friends and the diverging paths of two Southern women Vernice headed to Spelman College, befriending powerful young women, fighting inequality, and finding In the second book in the Head Cases series, Camden is back on the job--with two enormous, strange, urgent confidential informants, militias arming themselves with black-market guns, a serial killer, and missing women

This historical fiction novel from Quinn is a departure from much of my favorite Quinn fiction--brave women sometimes testy, often incisive, and at other times diminished--a product of the limitations of single women The Fraud . 05 Isola by Allegra Goodman Isola , based upon the story of a real-life sixteenth-century woman please see Isola . 06 Trust by Hernan Diaz This story-within-a-story-within-a-story reveals a clever woman I was intrigued by the structure and by the peeks behind the curtains of a wealthy family and one woman's

She's asked to play the role of maid to an unassuming, wealthy young woman in a dastardly plot to take the woman's inheritance and leave her to rot in an insane asylum. Bridie is a strong female protagonist, and Things In Jars offers solid historical fiction details of Montague; an unorthodox woman with an open mind and brave disposition, Theodora; a young woman who has be cruel, ruthless, and he's Wren's sworn enemy, a deadly force who has destroyed her countrymen and women

Bridie is a strong female protagonist, and Things In Jars offers solid historical fiction details of Veronica to benefit from the author's own modern sensibilities in A Curious Beginning, but Veronica is a strong Abigail is clever, and her strong role in her partnership with the wonderfully odd Jackaby is satisfying Ji Lin speaks her mind and ruffles feathers even as she exploits assumptions about women, sexual attraction She doesn’t fit the mold of a typical woman from 1930s Malaysia nor that of the British colonists living

While Chelsey struggles to be patient with the young woman who is coping with layers of trauma, she realizes When she comes home alive, only Chelsey finds it strange that Ellie has left her captor and remains alive I also found it strange that Chelsey operated as a solo actor in the investigation to the extent she

Quinn makes the urgency of World War II code breaking come alive through the stories of three young women The Rose Code is a wonderfully spun historical fiction story of three very different women who answer The book jumps between 1940, the beginning of the women's forays into their secret duties and responsibilities I love a World War II story about strong women making a difference, but I admit that I was curious about listed on the Greedy Reading Lists Six Books about Brave Female Spies, Six Great Stories about Brave Women

But as the wedding week goes on, each woman is surprised by what she discovers about herself and the single-mindedly set out to learn enough complex, intuitive, precise, powerful magic to become the first woman Blaylock celebrates tough women, stand-up men, and never-ending hard work. The mountain justice that's carried out by the women was thrillingly shocking. released after 22 months' imprisonment for the drunk-driving accident in which she killed an older woman

Randy Savage by Jon Finkel (2024) Better Faster Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know about Women I feel powerful, strong. Hare shares the mental fortitude, grueling physical challenges, and how she became a middle-aged woman

Powerful with divine blood, yet largely powerless because she is a woman, Medea is full of contradictions abound of foxes, which are believed to have the magical ability to transform into beautiful men and women Bao, a detective set on uncovering the mystery of the woman's identity and death, has long been fascinated

reading Ariel Lawhon's newest novel about a female Irish pirate that's based on the life of a real woman Her life is upended by death, deceit, the insult of being an underestimated woman, male cruelty, and him for her prior boyfriend, and now he's all but given up on love; his last blind date involved a woman

hidden book, an illiterate young girl, the powerful men who aimed to manipulate her, and two brave women links to Elizabeth Barton herself, and Alison dives into trying to add to her vast knowledge of the woman

Stone Yard Devotional concerns a woman who leaves her Sydney life behind to live among nuns as an unbeliever protagonist (who is not named) in Charlotte Wood's literary fiction Stone Yard Devotional  is a middle-aged woman A larger, more powerful unresolved situation revolves around a woman who has risen high in the ranks

For my full review, check out Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. 05 Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz In Beatriz Williams's historical fiction, Our Woman in Moscow, it's 1948, and Iris Digby, her American I loved Williams's immersive story so much, I was in for all of Our Woman in Moscow's elements: Russia For my full review, check out Our Woman in Moscow. 06 This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub Straub offers I love a World War II story about strong women making a difference, but I admit that I was curious about

Is Not About Us ; I'm listening to Paula Lafferty's first novel in a series about a modern-day young woman Then a strange man comes to town, telling Vera an unbelievable story of her true origins and her destiny

I was intrigued by the real-life basis of the Halifax Explosion and the intersecting stories of two women coping with the local accident and crisis, the effects of World War I, societal limitations placed on women It's 1917 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and two women are coping with the ripple effects of World War I--and When a tragedy strikes Nova Scotia, both of the women's lives will be turned upside down--along with Strong women are at the heart of this story, as are their unfailing loyalties to family and friends,

invincible--who has dropped out of sight and settled down to raise her young daughter alongside her strong-willed Amina soon finds herself entangled in a dangerous ocean quest to rescue a young woman, while fighting and she believes they're linked to the curse that the community believes has its hold on the Farrow women She would love to end the curse, the fraying of the Farrow women's minds, once and for all--by never

seemingly insurmountable complications; chosen family; and the healing power of love--in this atmospheric, strange The novel flits between the stories of three women from disparate backgrounds, drastically different The concept is mentioned in a conversation between a frightened young trans woman and a mentor of sorts ; later in the novel the young woman realizes that "woodworking" wasn't meant to be a handbook, but a

I was taken with the first half of this book--a rural cult, a teen mother, a strong female protagonist Self-pity from a man was something she could not abide, not when she had a woman's issues to deal with The Invisible Hour begins with the story of Ivy, a feisty young woman who becomes pregnant, is threatened

and as Veronica and Stoker follow clues they venture from a royal palace to an artists' refuge to a strange Veronica and Stoker; the allusions to each of their complicated pasts; their hilarious banter; and their strong-willed

01 Isola by Allegra Goodman Isola , based upon the story of a real-life sixteenth-century woman, shifts When she sees an ad seeking for the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program, Joan becomes obsessed with being part of the 1980s training and with becoming one of the first women in space The women's fights to fully be part of a traditionally male-dominated field and the various ways in which When a mysterious woman washes up half-dead on the remote island of Shearwater, home of the world's largest

and she believes they're linked to the curse that the community believes has its hold on the Farrow women She would love to end the curse, the fraying of the Farrow women's minds, once and for all--by never City laundry room while trying to keep his sister from doing the same--and they both end up in a dark, strange review, check out Gregor the Overlander. 06 Weyward by Emilia Hart Emilia Hart's debut novel links women connected through the ages by power and by society's historical suspicion of strong women.

The young women cope with their pain in divergent ways, and while I was interested in the story, I wanted In the 1960s, Vernice (Niecy) headed to Spelman College, befriending powerful young women, fighting inequality autonomy; wealth and privilege; the paralysis of poverty; issues of race, civil rights, education, and women's There's an intriguing but strangely extended stay at a compound that's a brothel (where the male characters

As Sam's disappearance stretches on, Ali, a gay culturally Muslim woman, is excoriated in the press for Much of the energy of the story centers around the women's reconciliation with each of their estranged

Then Bridget falls for a fellow "sporting woman," and when the Buffalo Queen is threatened, she must Bridget is strong and no-nonsense yet also inexperienced and far from worldly. Julia Fine Julia Fine's Maddalena and the Dark is a gothic story set in 1700s Venice in which two young women's But a young woman in that time has little say over her destiny.

feel anchored to the characters and the emotions, concerns, and life-and-death decisions the three women The world is unraveling on the cusp of World War II, and three strong women will be tested beyond anything We've got the strong, gruff Hanni with a heart of gold; young Ettie, who is idealistic and grows to be me feel anchored to the characters so that the emotions, concerns, and life-and-death decisions the women

Reading Now I'm reading recently published stories by Claire Keegan, So Late in the Day: Stories of Women 01 So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan In the brilliant, Irish-born Claire stories from various eras in Keegan's career are revised and expanded here: Antarctica explores a married woman's

Blakemore's story about witch hunts in 1643 England and the young women who aimed to thwart them; and power structure, Shoulder Season spans forty years, an important love triangle, and the course of a woman's Can the headstrong young women save their society from the arrogant men and their unchecked power? Then something really strange happens. As she's putting her former favorite romance books in a Little Free Library, a wizened old woman approaches

For my full review, check out Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook. 02 Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams In Beatriz Williams's historical fiction novel Our Woman in Moscow, it's 1948, and Iris Digby, her American For my full review of this book, please see Our Woman in Moscow. 03 A Murder by Any Name by Suzanne M The Invisible Woman is historical fiction about the real-life World War II-era spy Virginia Hall. The book explores clashes of ideology; the challenges of a woman pursuing spy work; and general, often

But the young woman he has found may have died of an ancient virus, and thawing the body for study could Emika Chen is an orphaned young woman in a futuristic New York City. #1) by Alex White The first in Alex White's Salvagers space opera series offers diverse characters, strong women, a heist setup, and, ultimately, a ragtag group of underdogs saving the day. A Big Ship is a space heist book with lots of action, strong female characters driving the plot, and

about the unrealistic body images of the stars of Main Squeeze (a reality TV show in which a single woman comments from petty characters or online trolls, and her self-esteem flags briefly at times, but she is strong , resilient, and appealingly her own woman, not reliant on men for her self-worth. fully into the romance, fashion, and reality television ups and downs--while allowing room for the strong young woman's emotional growth, stumbles, and her creation of a new version of a happy ending.

Male guards come and go, feeding the women minimal rations and never speaking. The women have no recollection of how they came to be in this place, and no information is forthcoming Then a blasting alarm sounds, the nearest guard drops his keys and flees, and the women scramble for The novel's tone doesn't assure a satisfying set of answers as to why the women were chosen for this Barker's novel features Janet, a misunderstood, mocked, badly treated young woman coming of age in a

In the second book in the Head Cases series, Camden is back on the job--with two enormous, strange, urgent confidential informants, militias arming themselves with black-market guns, a serial killer, and missing women One of the mysteries is so strange and horrifying (and, seemingly, outlandish), I found myself physically

A Woman of No Importance is a nonfiction book that also looks wonderful. that I'm particularly excited about are: Liar Temptress Soldier Spy (civil war) by Karen Abbott, The Woman see below), An Extraordinary Union, Black Roses, The Blue, Spy Princess, Celia Barth, and Invisible Woman Yael, a tough young woman who escaped from a concentration camp, has been training as a spy for years I loved the strong female protagonists and seeing their fire and grit and growth.